Just because you’re stuck at home during the COVID-19 shutdown doesn’t mean you can’t explore the greater world. Here’s a sampling of virtual, and occasionally in-person, family-friendly shows, concerts, activities and other events over the next several weeks.
In-person
Bullshot Crummond: July 23 through Aug. 15, Martinez Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St., Martinez. This parody of low-budget ‘30s detective movies typifies British heroism at its dumbest. $15-$22. www.campbelltheater.com
Festival Opera — A Jake Heggie Triptych: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13 and 2 p.m. Aug. 15, Hofmann Theatre, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. This world premiere event of works by Jake Heggie features three song cycles reimagined as fully staged chamber operas. $45-$95. www.festivalopera.org/
Historical Walking Tours of History Park: 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. A museum guide will lead small groups of visitors through San Jose’s History Park discussing the historical and architectural background of each building. $0 to $12. historysanjose.org
Humans! On Stage! Doing Stuff!: July 31, Hoover Theatre, San Jose. Sign-ups are open through July 16 for family-appropriate talent — singers, dancers, musicians, jugglers and more — interested in performing a two- to three-minute act. $10 to $50. playfulpeople.org
Jason Stuart Stand Up Comedy: 7 and 9 p.m. July 23-24, Alameda Comedy Club, 2431 Central Ave. Alameda. Stuart is one of the top openly gay comedians and a prolific character actor. Tables for two or four, $50-$100. www.alamedacomedy.com/events/44661
Live Staged Reading of “Kindertransport”: 7 p.m. July 22, 2172 Railroad Ave. in Livermore. This play tells the story of Jewish children transported to safety in the United Kingdom before the outbreak of World War II. The recorded performance and presentation will be available to purchase and view until July 27. $10-$25. livermoreshakes.org/life-sparc
Mare Island Cruise-in Concert Series: 6 to 11 p.m. through October, Mare Island Music Park, 1301 Flagship Drive, Vallejo. July 31, Steely Dead. Enjoy the show from inside your car via FM radio or dance and enjoy the show outdoors. $99 to $399. mrhatpresents.com
Midsummer Synergies: Through Sept. 19, Moraga Art Gallery, Rheem Shopping Center, 432 Center St., Moraga. Featuring creations of two Lafayette artists, ceramicist Donna Arganbright and Danguole Rita Kuolas, a printmaker and etching specialist. www.moragaartgallery.com
“Road Trip!”: Aug. 6-29, Jack London State Historic Park, 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. Transcendence Theatre Company celebrates the 10th anniversary season of “Broadway Under The Stars” with music from patriotic to pop, jazz, musical theater, funk and Disney. $49-$129. https://transcendencetheatre.org/
The Winter’s Tale: Sept. 1-26, Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda. A story split between tragedy and comedy, loss and healing. Tickets are on sale now. calshakes.org/winters-tale
Virtual
A Bay Area Celebration: Streaming online from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. July 20. Local artists will present songs and spoken-word pieces on the themes of hope, renewal, equity, resilience, inclusion and celebration. $13-$17. www.townhalltheatre.com
Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour Virtual Screening: Now through Oct. 24. This year’s tour features a streaming collection of action, environmental and adventure films and benefits the Rio Theatre Santa Cruz and Banff world tour. $15. http://bit.ly/3asD8VJ
BATS Improv Online Shows: This San Francisco-based improv group will stream free shows each week to bring a little improv magic into homes via Zoom. At 7:30 p.m. on the night of each show, click the link next to the show you want to see to connect to the BATS virtual theater. www.improv.org/online-shows/
Bay Area Children’s Theatre Creativity Corner: This virtual “playborhood” offers kids stories that unfold via video, plus follow-up activities they can do on their own, inspired by the make-believe they’ve seen. Parents can submit their children’s creations to BACT, which is planning to share examples online. https://bactheatre.org
Beat the Lock Escape Room: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Solve a virtual escape room with your friends via an audio/video call and live feed that lets you play by instructing a game master to search for clues. $25. www.beatthelock.com
Bringing BADM to You: Bay Area Discovery Museum offers a series of fun, engaging learning experiences to enjoy as a family. Explore three different themes — science and math; body and brain; and talk and play — designed to develop skills for children to succeed in school and life. Within each theme, you’ll find step-by-step videos and activities with instructions written out. bayareadiscoverymuseum.org/bringing-badm-to-you
Broadcast Platform, Marshstream: 7:30 p.m. nightly. Programming varies by night with offerings including short performances, book/writer discussions, singalongs, storytelling, game nights and more. Find more information at: www.themarsh.org.
Concord Couch Concerts: 8 p.m. first Friday of the month. This showcase for local indie bands and artists will be streamed on Facebook Live and YouTube; facebook.com/concordcouchconcerts and youtube.com/c/concordcouchconcerts.
Diablo Symphony Orchestra Virtual Concerts: First Thursday of each month, featuring works that have been performed and recorded at Lesher Center for the Arts in past years. www.diablosymphony.org
18 Reasons Cooking School: Check out a slate of new online classes. You may not have everything listed in the equipment and shopping list, but instructors will give you guidance on how to adapt their recipes to what you have access to. Learn new recipes and techniques. https://18reasons.org/
Festival Napa Valley’s Remote Ensemble Project: This virtual performance of the “Va, Pensiero” chorus from Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” features instrumentalists and singers from 26 states, eight countries and five continents. They represent two dozen orchestras, ensembles, opera companies and music conservatories, such as the Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Orchestra. The performance can be seen on Festival Napa Valley’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/jHV9wLvNYxA
Full Moon Fridays — Live Cabaret Series: 8 p.m. Fridays. Featuring live cabaret style performances. https://www.facebook.com/42ndStreetMoon/
Funkmode Dance Studio Digital Workouts: Offering free dance videos, including breakdance, hip hop, youth dance party and more. Find the videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/FUNKMODE
Lamplighters Music Theatre Multimedia: Lamplighters brings their wit and musicality to the virtual stage with an inside look into the company and the rich history of Gilbert and Sullivan. The monthly assortment includes new interviews and video essays, alongside archival vignettes highlighting the best of the company’s 68-year performance history. Free. lmt.lamplighters.org/patreon
Livermore Shakes Educates: A Shakespeare resource webpage for kids and parents, this is an extension of the company’s “So Wise So Young” program for second, third and fourth graders. http://livermoreshakes.org/educates/
Mount Diablo Peace & Justice Center 2020 Art & Writing Challenge: Middle and high school students in Contra Costa County are invited to submit visual art (any medium), creative writing and essays on the topic of “Our Connected Planet.” No fee. http://tinyurl.com/mdpjc-artandwriting2020
Music & Market: 6:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 30, Todos Santos Plaza, Concord. Line-up includes: July 22 The Sun Kings, Beatles Tribute; July 29, Journey Revisited, Journey Tribute. For a complete schedule visit cityofconcord.org/downtownevents.
Online Reading of “Sweat”: 8 p.m. July 30-31. This drama explores how lives and friendships are destroyed when a steel plant in the Rust Belt shuts down. $0-$15. https://aeofberkeley.org/
Pacific Beach Coalition’s Surf Movie: “Heart of the Sea” is the story of Rell Sunn, a pioneer in the world of professional women surfers. The evening includes added footage by Powerlines Productions, featuring Mavericks 20/21 Epic waves with interviews with Bianca Valenti, Peter Mel and Greg Cochran. Sliding scale, $10 and up. http://bit.ly/2OfSG6C
Persian and Central Asian Dance Classes: Take daily classes on Zoom with teachers from nations and regions all over the world including Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China’s Xinjiang region and more. $10 to $20. www.pomegranategardendance.com
School of Rock Remote Lessons: School of Rock is a performance-based music school for ages 5 to adult. Learn to play drums, guitar, keyboard, bass guitar and vocals by putting on seasonal rock shows. The school is offering a combination of one-on-one remote lessons and access to master classes on music theory, songwriting, instrument exploration and genre journeys. Cost varies. schoolofrock.com/sanramon
Square One Yoga: Stay fit and grounded practicing live, interactive yoga. Check out the schedule of classes available at bayareane.ws/2yfH3oc.
The Escape Game Remote Adventures Virtual Escape Rooms: Your team will communicate with each other and a host at The Escape Game using Zoom. $30 per player. https://theescapegame.com/remote-adventures/
Thingamajigs Performance Group Virtual Residency: July 25, 31. TPG will be in residence at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive with online performances and discussions. Free. bit.ly/3zeIA8H