Slide show: Adventures Winter 2011

Like so many artists in this exhibition, Sandy Yagyu has one foot rooted in the past, one foot steadied in the present. Sword raised, her vision points toward the future. She is one of 12 artists whose work will be featured in "Transcendental Vision, Japanese Culture and Contemporary Art," an exhibition that opens Friday evening at The Independent in Sand City.   READ MORE

STEPHEN MOORER/Pacific Repertory Theatre

If you walk into Pacific Repertory Theatre's Golden Bough Playhouse this Thursday night, not only will you see the newly renovated stage, but you'll also see more bouffant hairdos and beehive wigs than ever before in the history of PacRep.That's because Thursday night is the opening of PacRep School of Dramatic Arts' first offering of the season: the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit "Hairspray."   READ MORE

OPENING · JAN. 26-FEB. 19 PacRep SoDAonStage presents "Hairspray." Opens at 7:30p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26; Continuing at 7:30p.m. Thu-Sat nights and 2p.m. Sundays through Feb. 19 at the Golden Bough Playhouse, Monte Verde Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues, Carmel.   READ MORE

HERALD FILE

In honor of Monterey as the whale-watching capital of the world — the place where you can see whales year-round, as well as the only place in the world where you can see blue whales so close to shore — the Old Fisherman's Wharf Association is sponsoring Whalefest Monterey 2012 this Saturday on the Wharf from 9a.m. to 8 p.m.   READ MORE

Although Westerners tend to associate acrobats with the circus, the only "animals" you're likely to see in this acrobatic performance are lions — lion dancers, that is. Recently arriving from China, The Peking Acrobats will perform awe-inspiring feats of traditional Chinese acrobatics for audiences Friday night, at Sunset Center in Carmel.   READ MORE