King City CHamber of Commerce and Agriculture | 2018 Business Directory

2018 King City Chamber Directory • A Publication of South County Newspapers • 23 Fine Arts and Culture Sol Treasures Established in 2007, Sol Trea- sures is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing arts and cul- ture related education, enrichment, and engagement to King City and Southern Monterey County. Sol Treasures serves 8,500 children and adults each year. Among our many programs are Children’s Musical Theatre, SOL-O Youth Strings Orchestra, Middle School Band, Timshel Adult Choir, Children’s Show Choir, Art-in-the- Schools, After-School Art, Art Gal- lery and Shop for local artists, and Enrichment Classes. We have part- nerships with CHISPA Housing in Greenfield and King City as well as area schools to provide visual and performing arts classes. The Sol Treasures Gallery and Shop welcomes visitors to the 7-8 rotating exhibits each year, show- casing local artists. The gallery is enjoyed by all ages, including class- rooms of area school-age children. Monterey County Dance Theatre (MCDT) was originally the Pauline Hall Dance Studio founded by the late Pauline Hall in 1958. Pauline presented the FIRST Nutcracker Ballet in the Salinas Valley and one of the first in California in 1959. The early productions were presented in operetta format with Pauline’s recorded voice telling the story over the music to small audiences. Bringing Nutcracker into the Salinas Valley and the rural town of King City was no small endeavor. At that time, quite unlike today where Nutcracker has become well known and popularized, it was quite the opposite - few knew the story or music. Pauline staged full pro- ductions of the ballet in 1964 using her innate determination, natural talents and her own funds! The 50th Golden anniversary of the first performance of The Nutcracker Ballet in Monterey County was marked by her daughter Jan Harkness in December 2009 with a new staging of the Christmas classic by the students of the Monterey County Dance Theatre (MCDT). MCDT proudly continues the legacy of Pauline Hall, retaining the Nut- cracker in their repertory. Their studio also co-produces a spring ballet and a summer dance recital for studio dancers and our community. Past spring ballets include Cinderella, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty. The MCDT shares the same vision that art and dance can flourish any- where if students are provided an opportunity to see, to learn, and to partic- ipate. Many MCDT students have gained acceptance with premier schools such as San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West, Joffery Ballet of New York, Uni- versity of California Irvine, North Carolina School of the Arts and Contra Costa Ballet. Pauline opened the creative door for her students and the legacy contin- ues with MCDT. For more information about classes and productions visit their website at www.MontereyCountyDanceTheatre.com . The Stage Hands The Stage Hands, a communi- ty-based non-profit theatre organi- zation, was established in 1980 and has been producing plays contin- uously since it’s birth. Comedies, dramas, musicals - SoMoCo resi- dents have shared their considerable talents in acting, costuming, lighting and sound production, set design and construction and producing/di- recting in intimate settings such as dinner shows and in large-scale pro- duction at the Robert Stanton The- atre at King City High School. The group jas presented 52 dif- ferent plays (as of November 2016) over the past 37 years. Well-known musicals such as “Le Miserables,” “The Music Man” and “South Pa- cific,” along with well-loved dramas such as “Arsenic and Old Lace” have been presented to SoMoCo res- idents, and recently audiences have enjoyed the comedic female version of “The Odd Couple” and the con- temporary musical drama “The Las Five Years.” The group also sponsors an an- nual scholarship for high school seniors who attend King City or Greenfield High School, and who are pursuing an education in the per- forming arts. New members, 18 years of age and older, are always welcome to join the troupe! Meetings are the first Tuesday of every month. There’s a place for everyone - ac- tors, set production, costuming, lighting and special effects, stage managers, house managers, direc- tors and even gourmet cooks! Mem- bership fees are very nominal and each new member receives a Stage Hands t-shirt and canvas tote bag. For more information, please contact founding member Cindi Brown Reeve, 831-320-1119, email Cin4song@sbcglobal.net , or check us out on Facebook, www.facebook. com/The-Stage-Hands. Monterey County Dance Theatre