On the Air: Cy and A-lan’s Do List Picks for Jan. 12, 2018

This week, we welcome back co-host and playwright A-lan Holt to begin a new year of The Do List — and we’re championing some smaller arts organizations doing exciting work. They include the Oakland Symphony with a killer program of songs, Opera Parallèle with a production for kids and adults, and Marin’s Alter Theater with two new plays.

Thanks so much to our South Bay Arts Reporter Rachael Myrow for filling in for me last week, as I finished a much-needed break. Enjoy the show!

Jan. 19: The Oakland Symphony invites W. Kamau Bell to curate a concert mixing jazz, rock and classical.

Jan. 12-15: The Black Comix Arts Festival opens just as buzz builds for the Black Panther movie. KAPOW!

Jan. 18 & 20: Opera Parallèle offers a world premiere about Harriet Tubman’s spirit, with music by the Bay Area’s Marcus Shelby.

Jan. 11-21: Marin’s Alter Theater brings two plays by two brilliant young playwrights of color to A.C.T.’s Costume Shop.

Jan. 18: William Pope.L ‘s business card says he’s the “friendliest black artist in America,” but he’s also among the most provocative.

Jan. 12: La Gente’s mix of cumbia, salsa, reggae and hip hop is intoxicating.

Jan. 14: ‘In the Name of Love,’ a tribute to Martin Luther King, returns to the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland.

Jan. 18: Daniel Ellsberg talks about his new book Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner at the Mechanics Institute Library.