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September 15, 2023
MoAW
presents
THE NECESSARY LUXURY COMPANY
a new one-character play
based on the life of Alice B. Toklas
by Marty Martin
In Commemoration of Palm Springs Pride 2023
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On November 5, 2023, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Palm Springs Cultural Center’s upstairs lounge, a new one-character play based on the life of Alice B. Toklas will premiere for the first time in the State of California. Written by award-winning, internationally acclaimed playwright Marty Martin, this one-woman show is a bookend to Mr. Martin’s legendary Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein theatrical monologue (starring the late Pat Carroll) which premiered at the Circle Repertory Theatre in Sheridan Square, New York City for 385 consecutive performances from 1979 to 1980 before launching a national and international tour.
Tickets for the performance are $50.00 per person to benefit the Museum of Ancient Wonders, the Coachella Valley’s newest museum with focused exhibitions on the worlds of ancient civilization and prehistoric life and the future home of the LGBTQ+ World History Museum chronicling same-sex experiences and sexual nonconformity over 6,000 years of human civilization. MoAW is currently located in neighboring Cathedral City, CA.
For 40 years, Gertrude Stein referred to Alice B. Toklas as her necessary luxury company. The play takes place after Gertrude’s death on an evening when Alice has invited a few of her friends for a sumptuous dinner she prepares while reminiscing about her extraordinary life with Gertrude Stein and the myriad artists and writers that peopled their lives.
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This one-character play will be read aloud by Barbara Kerr, a distinguished theater veteran who has performed across the country, receiving rave reviews for her performance in the one-woman play, Shirley Valentine, and winning acclaim for her leading roles in Wit, The Lion in Winter, Agnes of God, Hamlet, The Sisters Rosensweig, and Talley's Folly. Her musical credits include Lady in the Dark, Anything Goes, Mame, Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Follies, Gypsy, and A Little Night Music. Regional audiences have seen her on the Coachella Valley Repertory stage in the RJ ART Theatrical productions of Thank You, Mr. Sondheim, and A Marvelous Party, celebrating the work of Sir Noël Coward. She has also appeared in musical tributes to Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin, and Kurt Weill. | |
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Marty Martin is one of America’s most prolific playwrights with more than 40 multi-character plays and dramas for solo performance to his credit. Many of his plays focus on the lives of distinguished artists and personalities such as Zelda Fitzgerald, I Don’t Want To Be Zelda Anymore; Pearl S. Buck, The Dragon and the Pearl; Pablo Picasso, The Bull and the Dove; Serge Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky, A Clown of God; J.S. Bach, The Last Fugue; Edward deVere, 17th Earl of Oxford, Star-crossed: The Tragedy of Edward the True; Agatha Christie, Last Resort; Mary Miles Minter, Silent Murder; Lawrence of Arabia, The Whip and Mr. Shaw; Tennessee Williams and Tallulah Bankhead, Unwanted Laughter; as well as many others. His monologues have been commissioned and written for renowned actors such as Anthony Quinn, Cloris Leachman, and Valerie Harper, with professional and regional productions from coast to coast.
Seating will be limited for this reading, and you are encouraged to secure your seat by visiting www.MoAW.org. Go to “join and support,” click on “donate,” and choose the amount representing the number of attendees at $50.00 each; by calling (442) 268-5004; or stopping by the museum for direct payment. Discounted tickets for current members of the Museum of Ancient Wonders are available at $40.00 each. Free admission is offered to Patron, Sponsor, and Benefactor membership levels.
Alice B. (the B is for Babette) invites you to a delectable verbal feast on November 5th to celebrate the last day of Palm Springs Pride 2023 and be counted as one of Toklas’ most intimate friends and trusted confidants. Seating is limited. BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!
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CURRENT EXHIBTIONS ON DISPLAY |  | |
BEHIND THE MASK:
Ancient African Traditions and Mysticism
From the continent of Africa, thirty-seven ancient masks and sculptures dating from 2,000 years ago until the mid-1800s, representing 12 African countries and 27 indigenous communities are presented in the Museum of Ancient Wonders Behind the Mask: Ancient African Traditions and Mysticism, a very special gift from Heather James Fine Art Gallery.
From a Nok terracotta head of 100 C.E. (Current Era) to the beginning of the 19th Century, this diverse collection of masks and sculptures from antiquity celebrates the tradition of ritual and mysticism from time immemorial. These once-used sacred and revered objects are honored and beloved in addition to being a feared and dangerous entity.
For the people of ancient civilization, masks and sculptures represented the invisible force of nature assigned to them, which may be the spirit of a wise ancestor, a tutelary deity, or any embodiment of supernatural power from the animal kingdom. Whoever wears a mask combines and unites their strength with the spirit, enhancing value and heightening power, creating a mystical empyreal bond between the past and present, the honored living and the sacred dead. Together for the first time, and a permanent addition to MoAW's inventory of exhibitions, this stunning collection is currently on view exclusively at the Museum of Ancient Wonders.
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ALL UNDER HEAVEN
Earth, Heaven,
and the Afterlife
A Very Special Gift From
Marlene and Bruce Kanter,
Heather James Fine Art
Tim Walsh
Michael H. Healy
Tianxia (天下) or, All Under Heaven, is the ideal of a perfect and harmonious empire in the eyes of the people.
50 original antiquities spanning millennia (3,600 B.C.E. to 1920s C.E.) of ancient Asian cultures, from mysterious funerary objects and life-size protective temple guardians to delicate terracotta sculptures created for the tombs of the deceased. A tapestry of silk and gold thread, a rare lacquered cosmetic box, earthen vessels, and bronze statues, these ancient treasures from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, celebrate the ancient world.
This grand collection of 50 Asian antiquities is divided into three sections: Earthly possessions, objects used by the living, the temple icons of Buddha and Shiva (Heaven), and funerary goods, objects found in the tombs of the elite (the Afterlife). MoAW premieres these dazzling artifacts for the first time together in one exhibition All Under Heaven: Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife.
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PALEO: The Story of Life
4.6 billion years of fossil history
Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the unprecedented treasury of fossil casts known as PALEO: The Story of Life brings together in one exhibition some of the most exciting finds in the history of paleontology and paleoanthropology from over a century of worldwide excavations, exhibited in geological, chronological order.
From 2.5 billion-year-old single cellular cyanobacteria responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere to the first multicellular life 700 million years ago, PALEO: The Story of Life spans 4.6 billion years in scope. From the Precambrian, and Cambrian Eras, to the Paleozoic Era, from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods of the Mesozoic Era to mammals and prehistoric humans of the Cenozoic Era (including the famous Lucy skeleton), this internationally acclaimed, comprehensive collection dramatically illustrates the awesome progression of prehistoric life on Earth.
Displaying casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this prestigious collection includes skeletons, skulls, claws, and eggs gathered from such revered museums as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Carnegie Museum, and the National Museums of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, as well as many others.
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THE CRAB NEBULA (M1) IN TAURUS.
Photographed with the 26-inch Crossley Reflector at Lick Observatory. Copyright Regents, University of California. Lick Observatory photograph.
STARSCAPE:
A Journey To The
Beginning of Time
This spectacular collection of 33 space photographs combines breathtaking digitalized images from the historic Mariner, Viking, and Voyager probes with stunning photographs from the Apollo lunar missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. Gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the Hansen Planetarium, this awesome display of cosmic spectacles is a journey to the early days of the cosmos.
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photo: Steven Salisbury
LUCY:
(Australopithecus afarensis)
The Story of Human Origins
(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and
the National Museum of Ethiopia,
Addis Ababa)
On view exclusively at the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
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TUTANKHAMUN
"Wonderful Things"
Treasures From The Pharaoh's Tomb
2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. To share in the commemoration, MoAW's "Wonderful Things" exhibition is on a nationwide tour. Click on the link below to see the installation on the banks of the Sacramento River at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding CA.
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Please Become A Member of MoAW
by contributing to our efforts
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ALL SEASONS
The newest perk of membership: Free admission to more than 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, including Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level ($125.00) or higher. Members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.
Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call at (442) 268-5004.
Click below for more information and to join.
THANK YOU
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MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities, establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.
Hours of Operation:
NEW SUMMER HOURS
Closed Thursdays and Fridays
Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Open Thursday and Friday by reservation only for groups of 10 or more. Write to [email protected] to make scheduled reservations.
The last admission is taken one hour before closing.
Admission:
$15.00 Adults
$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military
$10.00 Group Rate for 10 or more individuals.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums. Contributions are tax-deductible and gratefully accepted.
MoAW IS SPONSORED WITH FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
BY THE FOLLOWING:
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Alberto Acosta, Executive Director & Chief Curator
Joseph McCabe, Director of Development
DEW FOUNDATION
By contributing financial support, DEW Foundation joins hands with effective charitable organizations to meet human needs and promote the common good worldwide, encouraging and empowering our family’s personal involvement.
Art Laboe Foundation, Inc.
A beloved resident of Palm Springs, Art Laboe was an American disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner. He was generally credited with coining the term "Oldies but Goodies".
Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
The mission of the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
is to support Arts & Culture, Youth, Educational, Medical and,
Social Servies, and Community activities that enhance the quality of life.
Municipalities & Societies
Cathedral City Historical Society
City of Rancho Mirage
Members and Patrons
Townsend Public Affairs
Christopher Townsend
Niccolo De Luca
Anastasia Heaton
Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert
Marlene and Bruce Kanter
Tim Walsh
Mike Healy
Bjorn Kielman
Lynne Tucker
Zachary Weingart
Mark Walsh
Karen Speros
Nancy Dobrozdravic
Mary Madison
Carla San Miguel, CSM Traducciones
Margie St. Anthony
Skot Jones
Dean Keefer
Leo Stevens
David Garcia, ARSVIDA.com
Barbara Kerr
Steven Biller
Joe Smith
Kip Serafin
Sandie Newton
Sarah and Malcolm Beresford
Corky and Barbara Goss
KESQ Eye On The Desert
Tarek & Mohamed Ragab, the Egyptian Art Center
Marty Martin, CEO of Origins Institute, Inc.
Scott Robertson & Staff, New Leaf Caterers, Cathedral City
Willie Rhine & Albert Gonzales, 849 Restaurant, Palm Springs
Jack and Sandra Rivers, Canyon Printing, Cathedral City
Gamma Mu
THANK YOU
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