Arts & Culture in Antioch

Imagine Affairs revitalizes the classic murder-mystery template with current-day touches: Scenarios reference the modern nightclub in which the audience and actors gather, and cases are cracked by CSI-style cops, not Holmesian detectives or omniscient robots. Meanwhile, the actors leaven the dire situation with doses of improv comedy and audience interaction, which lets guests become as entangled in plot twists as they want.

To promote physical and emotional development, Aerials Academy of Gymnastics and Dance enriches its physical classes with imaginative play and music. Programs are designed for toddlers, adolescents, and teenagers, with a variety of class structures available. Aerials Academy staff leads ballet, tap dancing, and gymnastics while also combining disciplines to create acrobatic adaptations of formal ballet productions. Twice each month, the instructors host Friday-evening play sessions that keep children busy while parents reclaim their free time by going shopping for unexpected holidays.

At the Berkeley Playhouse, performances often begin before audiences even make it to their seats. The innovative theater company erects installation pieces in the lobby that encourage playgoers to engage and interact with upcoming performances through movement, writing, and music, deepening their understanding of the worlds they’re about to enter. Once in their seats, they revel in productions featuring multicultural and multigenerational casts, whether they’re watching a performance from the mainstage season or a production from the youth program.

The Black Repertory Group began in 1964 as a church drama club. Now helmed by executive and artistic director Dr. Mona Vaughn Scott, the group has built upon its core work as "keepers of the culture" by supporting artists and youth with creative and educational programs.

From the cabernet-hued curlicues on the carpets to the gilded columns and soaring ceilings, the Alameda Theatre is steeped in history. During the Second World War, soldiers crowded in to watch films in the auditorium, which also has spent stints as a practice area for rock bands and as a skating rink. The theater was recently brought out of dormancy with an extensive renovation project that restored the glow to its art-deco façades and towering neon sign. Gold leaf, some still intact from the building’s construction in 1932, leads eyes up to a screen 50 feet in width.

A packed schedule of first-run films flickers to life on the big screen, with showings in 3-D letting audiences see explosions leap from the flat surface or watch pieces of the Hulk’s hard-to-program VCR fly past. The historic theater also showcases classic films such as The Graduate or The Wild One every week, and hosts a talent show every Friday and Saturday evening.

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