Cultural Encounter
The Ajijic Malecón is the setting for the Encuentro Cultural de los Pueblos de la Ribera de Chapala, set to run Friday, November 16 through Sunday, November 18, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The event showcases art, crafts, design, gastronomy and tourist information offered by exhibitors from the lakeshore communities of Tizapán, Jocotepec, Ajijic, Chapala, Poncitlan, Mezcala and Jamay. Cultural programs start at 2 p.m. daily.
LCS matinees
The Lake Chapala Society offers members and a guest free classic films the first and third Saturdays of each month in the LCS sala. “A Christmas Carol” (1951), will be shown on Saturday, 
November 17, 2 p.m. Bring your LCS membership card to obtain your ticket. Ticket sales start 1:30 p.m.; doors open 1:45 p.m. Popcorn and water will be for sale.
Spotlight Club
Put on your boots and Stetson and dance to the Ol’ Country Boys Saturday, November 17, 8 p.m.
The Crazy Bitches are back with Shania, Celine, Whitney, Donna Summer, Lady Gaga and more, Monday, November 19, 7 p.m.
Us Two take the stage again with the Classics Volume 2 Thursday, November 22, 7 p.m. ,and Friday, November 23, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. (two shows).
Dance to Big Band Rafael Terriquez Saturday, November 24, 7 p.m.
The Brian James Band play Friday, November 30, 8 p.m.
Reservations for these shows: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 331-845-1523.
Film Aficionados
Lake Chapala Society members can take advantage of Film Aficionados screenings each Thursday, 2 p.m. November 22, “Bacalaureat” (2016, Romania) will be screened. Being a parent can have its complications. This Academy Award considered film is about the compromises and implications of the parents’ role.
Mariachi benefit concert
Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan will perform with a ballet folklorico troupe Sunday, November 18, 6 p.m., at the Auditorio de la Ribera in a fund-raiser for the Niños de San Antonio and the Cruz Roja Chapala.
Tickets, 250 pesos, are available at Yoly’s Salon, Ishop & Mail, Diane Pearl and the Camara de Comercio office in Chapala. Call (376) 765-2784 or 331-564-9620 for free home delivery.
Mariachi and symphony
Mariachi Real Axixic, under the direction of Daniel Medeles, performs with the Orquesta Filarmonica Infantil de la Ribera de Chapala in the “Mariachi Sinfonico” concert at the Auditorio de la Ribera, Friday, November 23, 7 p.m. Bar opens, 6 p.m. Tickets, 150 pesos, available at the Auditorio, Diane Pearl and Mia’s Boutique.
Ajijic through time
Centro Cultural Ajijic, in coordination with the Chapala municipal government, invites resident artists to submit paintings, drawings, photographs and work in other media for inclusion in the collective exhibit “Ajijic a Través del Tiempo,” to be displayed Saturday, November 24, through Thursday, December 6. Selected participants will be eligible to show one or two pieces reflecting themes of Ajijic, its people, customs, traditions or transformation through time. Information: visit the center on the plaza.
Round Midnight
Ray Velvet productions brings together an eclectic group of Mexican musicians to Casa Domenech, Sunday, November 25, 7 p.m.
Ana Pau Reyes, Chuko Soto, Saul Romo, Alvaro Martinez and Esteban Zamora play jazz, funk and pop. Casa Domenech is at Zaragoza 112 in Ajijic.
Tickets, 150 pesos, available at Diane Pearl, Casa Domenech and La Cochera Cultural.
Mac Morison benefit
“You Gotta Have Heart!,” a Barbara Clippenger production to benefit Lakeside crooner Mac Morison, will be presented at the Spotlight Club Tuesday and Wednesday, November 27 and 28, 4 p.m. Directed by Val Jones and Kristine Moily, the show includes dance, song and comedy.
The band is comprised of Jimmy Barto, Tim Tillman, Miguel Soto, Bob Steadman and Christine Philipson. The Mac-Ettes dancers feature Val Jones, D’Le Tobias, Allyson de Jong, Heather Hunter, Maritza Freyslinger, Kristine Moily, Joanne Stuart, Olga Kaplounenko, Graciella Ducet and Leigh Christiansen. Also performing are Wendy Petersen, Dana Douin, Cindy Paul, John Ward, Patrick DuMouchel, Patteye Simpson, Alexis Hoff, Jayme Littlejohn, Peggy Lord Chilton, Don Chaloner, Ricardo Gomez and Mike Fortier.
Bar opens 3 p.m. Tickets, 400 pesos general seating, 500 pesos VIP, available at Diane Pearl, Mia’s Boutique and the Spotlight Club.
Fall Viva bus trips
Viva la Musica sponsors trips to performances by the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO), the Ballet de Jalisco and a live opera presentation.
November 27: Live opera, “Turandot” by Puccini, featuring Oksana Kramereva, Riccardo Massi and the Zapopan Municipal Choir and JPO.
December 9: JPO puts on a Baroque Fest with music by Vivaldi, Geminiani, Gabrieli, Bach and Lully.
December 13: Ballet de Jalisco performs the “Nutcracker.”
Information on times and ticket prices available at LCS ticket area, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to noon; or call Rosemary Keeling, (376) 766-1801.
LLT production
Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT) presents “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn and directed by Dave McIntosh, November 30 to December 9.
“Noises Off” is a play within a play in three acts, with only one intermission, each act ostensibly showing the first act of a typical British sex farce called Nothing On, being performed by a decidedly down-at-heel traveling theatrical company in three provincial British towns.
Life in the theater meets Murphy’s Law. An ingenious farce about the challenges of staging a farce. Farces in general, and this one in particular, need to barrel forward in an accelerating spiral of pandemonium that allows the audience no time to get distracted by irrelevant questions of believability, or – in the case of Frederick Fellowes, the neediest of the play’s actors – motivation.
A perfectly constructed bit of nonsense. The world champion of farces. Natural chaos, splendidly delirious fun.
The cast is Donna Burroughs, Taylor Shouldice, Mark Donaldson, Pamela Johnson, Linda Freeman, Fred Koesling, Keigh Donner, Suki O’Brien and Wayne Willis Waterman.
The first Saturday and both Sundays are matinees, 4 p.m., and the evening shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, 250 pesos, available at the LLT box office, 10 a.m. to noon, every Wednesday and Thursday and one hour before curtain. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (376) 766-0954.
Jazz in the garden
Art Xik Xik and Huerto Cafe in Riberas del Pilar host an evening of food and jazz Saturday, December 1, to benefit the Brigadistas de San Pedro Itzican, a group of young volunteer firefighters in the small lakeside villages of La Peña, Agua Caliente, La Cuesta, Chalpicote, La Zapatera, San Sebastian and Santa Maria de la Joya. More than 1,600 children are enrolled in a program headed by 45 Brigadista leaders, who teach them new skills.
Huerto Cafe will show off its new kitchen and menu at this event, starting with appetizers at 6 p.m. Trialogo will perform at 6:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. while Yannin and Gil play. At 8:30 p.m. Tom Banks and the Soul Investors will take the stage to cap off the evening. Artwork in the garden is by Julie Mignard and sculpture by Rigoberto Navarro.
Tickets, 500 pesos, include valet parking, appetizers, dinner and music and are available at Huerto Cafe or at (376)108-0843. Only 50 will be available.
Holiday Fair
The Lake Chapala Society will hold its annual Holiday Fair Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1, 1 to 5 p.m. on its grounds. More than 50 local Lakeside artists will present their arts, crafts and speciality foods. A cash bar and snacks will also be available. Admission is 20 pesos; children under 12 enter free.
Klezmer Jazz
Sherele Klezmer Jazz band presents a concert Sunday, December 2, 4 p.m., at El Jardin Restaurant on the Ajijic Plaza. This concert is sponsored by the Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation.
Tickets, 350 pesos, general admission, and 550 pesos, patron seating, available at Diane Pearl and at the door.
Christmas comes early
Potter Productions presents “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a holiday favorite as you’ve never seen – or heard – before.
The timeless tale of George Bailey is given a clever twist when they stage it as a live, 1940s radio broadcast. Greg Custer, Florette Schnelle, Graham Miller, Terry Gibbard and Barbara Pruitt give voice to all of Bedford Falls’s memorable residents, accompanied by sound effects created live on stage by Maryanne Gibbard.
Rosann Balbontin directs this radio play written by Joe Landry – a timeless tale of a likable fellow down on his luck and ready to end it all, until an Angel Second Class shows him life’s true value.
Two shows will take place at the Centro Cultural Ajijic, December 15 and 16, both at 4 p.m.
Tickets, 200 pesos, available at Diane Pearl, Mia’s Boutique and at the door before each performance.
Bare stage presents18th-century comedy classic
The Bare Stage Theatre presents “She Stoops to Conquer” (or “Mistakes of the Night”) by Oliver Goldsmith, Friday to Sunday, November 23 to 25. First performed in London in 1773, the play is a favorite of theater classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th century to have retained its appeal and is performed regularly. It melds a romantic comedy with satire and farce. Roseann Wilshere directs the reading and the cast includes (above, from left) Jayme Littlejohn, Daymn Young, Don Chaloner, Lila Wells, John Ward, Alistair McFarlane, Emily Crocker and James Viers. Tickets are 100 pesos. The show begins 4 p.m. and box office and bar open 3 p.m. Seats are held until 3:50 p.m. Reservations: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bare Stage Theatre is located at Hidalgo 261 on the mountain side of the carretera in Riberas del Pilar.