Barry Davis

The European premiere of Rex Pickett's acclaimed comedy SIDEWAYS opens tonight at St James Theatre, directed by David Grindley, for a limited run until July 9. The cast features Daniel Weyman (Miles), Simon Harrison (Jack), Ellie Piercy (Maya), Beth Cordingly (Terra), Anne Kavanagh(Phyllis/Evelyn), Kirsten Hazel Smith (Rosie/Victoria) and Daniel Barry (Chris/Daryl).

An exciting and special behind-the-scenes dinner hosted by the Cassar Family - The Yummies Top Chef Dinner - will take place on Friday evening, May 30th, as a kick-off to the largest fundraising event for Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families each year - the Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival. The one-of-a-kind, fabulous dinner will bring together for the first time ever several of our region's top chefs - all of whom happen to be former Yummies culinary competition winners from previous Festivals - to present an incomparable nine-course feast to 150 fortunate guests. As a perfect complement, many of the courses will be impeccably paired with the sumptuous, full-bodied, or silky flavors of our local winemaker's best wine harvests. One course will be specially paired with the winning handcrafted ale from this year's inaugural 'Best in Fest' brew competition taking place one-month prior to the Festival (the winner will be prominently promoted the day of the Festival).

'Aristides - the Outcast Hero' tells the little know story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux in 1940, who disobeyed his fascist government and issued some 30,000 visas to refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. By cleverly exploiting treaties between Portugal and Spain, Aristides de Sousa Mendes forced open an escape route out of occupied France, through Spain and into neutral Portugal. This was to be used by some 1 million people during WWII.

'Aristides - the Outcast Hero' tells the little know story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux in 1940, who disobeyed his fascist government and issued some 30,000 visas to refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. By cleverly exploiting treaties between Portugal and Spain, Aristides de Sousa Mendes forced open an escape route out of occupied France, through Spain and into neutral Portugal. This was to be used by some 1 million people during WWII.