Featured Events in Orinda in May, 2025 (June Updated)

Spanning the 20th century and two continents, Kalbus shares her experience during Korea’s turbulent history and the story of immigrating with her mother to mid-20th century California, a land where the streets were supposedly paved with gold, but where the reality was one of hardship, poverty, and anti-Asian discrimination. This lyrical and often humorous memoir, told in brief, gemlike chapters, is the tale of an observant girl determined to excel. It’s also the story of divided Korea, colonized by Japan and devastated by civil war with consequences for families that reverberate today. Above all, The Boat Not Taken is a love letter to an extraordinary mother: a daughter of rural Korean gentry and an independent widow fiercely devoted to her daughter but hiding a secret so shocking that, once it was uncovered, shook her child’s sense of identity. Joanna Choi Kalbus was born in North Korea. She made two critical migrations: from North Korea to South Korea after the Communist takeover, and then to the United States as 10-year-old during the Korean War. She pursued her education in the U.S., obtaining a PhD in Educational Administration, and has been involved in education for 35 years. Information Source: Orinda Books | eventbrite

Orinda Ballet Academy & Company present's "Sleeping Beauty" & Contemporary dances Patricia Tomlinson, Artistic Director 2-Act Story Ballet about Aurora the "Sleeping Beauty" and all the fairy-tale characters. An event for the whole family to enjoy! LOCATION: Orinda Library Theater 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA 94563 PERFORMANCE DATES: May 16-18 May 16 at 7:00pm May 17 at 1:00 & 6:30pm May 18 at 1:00pm Tickets required for all ages (2+) TICKETS: General Seating, Advance ticketing- Children & Adults $25, ( 2 + yrs ) Online ticket sales ends 12 hours before performance. Day of show door tickets $30 DAY OF SHOW TICKET SALES: 45 minutes prior to show time, at Auditorium Entrance, tickets available for purchase, cash only. NO REFUNDS, EXCHANGES ONLY-if tickets are still available. Email: patricia@orindaballtacademy.com to be placed on wait list. FEATURING: Students of Orinda Ballet Academy and Professional Guest artist. Information Source: Orinda Ballet Academy | eventbrite

Orinda Ballet Academy & Company present's "Sleeping Beauty" & Contemporary dances Patricia Tomlinson, Artistic Director 2-Act Story Ballet about Aurora the "Sleeping Beauty" and all the fairy-tale characters. An event for the whole family to enjoy! LOCATION: Orinda Library Theater 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA 94563 PERFORMANCE DATES: May 16-18 May 16 at 7:00pm May 17 at 1:00 & 6:30pm May 18 at 1:00pm Tickets required for all ages (2+) TICKETS: General Seating, Advance ticketing- Children & Adults $25, ( 2 + yrs ) Online ticket sales ends 12 hours before performance. Day of show door tickets $30 DAY OF SHOW TICKET SALES: 45 minutes prior to show time, at Auditorium Entrance, tickets available for purchase, cash only. NO REFUNDS, EXCHANGES ONLY-if tickets are still available. Email: patricia@orindaballtacademy.com to be placed on wait list. FEATURING: Students of Orinda Ballet Academy and Professional Guest artist. Information Source: Orinda Ballet Academy | eventbrite

When bombs fall on Pearl Harbor, the trajectory of Faye Baxter's midwestern life takes an unexpected detour. Her fianc Steve Connor enlists in the Army, and Faye follows him to California for a spur-of-the-moment wedding just days before he ships out. Eager to contribute to the war effort, Faye joins the workforce in San Francisco, a city awash with jobs, handsome soldiers, cheap cocktails, and nefarious secrets. When she is recruited to serve as a courier for a government intelligence agency, the assignment leads her into a web of misogyny, deception, and espionage. Will she learn to trust her instincts, value her own opinions, and raise her voice against injustice? Or are the risks too great? Lynn Marie Jackson has spent decades engaged in the creative process, as a copywriter and creative director in advertising, a podcast producer, a blog writer and, more recently, a novelist. Her background in theatre (MA, University of Michigan Professional Theatre Program), contributes a sense of drama in her style that has been described as “cinematic.” When not writing, she's on the hunt for inspiration: in a gallery or museum, at a performance, on a hiking trail or in a place that’s well outside her comfort zone. Information Source: Orinda Books | eventbrite

When Kristen Promes leaves her family’s annual Fourth of July barbecue in an upscale Bay Area suburb to pick up her daughter’s playmate, she is never seen again. The discovery of her abandoned vehicle along the short route sparks a media frenzy, thrusting the mysterious disappearance of the affluent suburbanite into national headlines. San Francisco investigative reporter Topher Davis and his dedicated team dive into the high-profile case. Amidst the relentless coverage, Josephine “Josie” Walker from East Oakland seeks out Topher, revealing that her daughter, Danica, has been missing much longer than Kristen and without any attention from authorities or the media. Desperate for help, Josie pleads with Topher to cover her daughter’s story. Enlisting the help of his sister, San Francisco PD Homicide Detective Lynn Sloan, Topher attempts to retrace Danica Walker’s final footsteps. As they unravel the layers of her life, they unearth buried connections between the two cases. Will Topher and Lynn expose the perpetrator before another life is claimed, or are they now mere pawns in a more perilous and deadly game? Brian Copelandis an award-winning author, playwright, actor, television comedian, and radio talk show host. He is the author of Not a Genuine Black Man, the longest-running solo play in San Francisco theatrical history, and the critically acclaimed memoir based on that work. Brian lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family and Bichon Frisé. Information Source: Orinda Books | eventbrite