A 4-foot-tall clay bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. is ready for bronze casting and installation at Marina's planned outdoor Sculpture Habitat on Imjin Road. Monterey Sculpture Center owner Larry Fischer, the force behind the Habitat, says Santa Cruz artist Barrington McLean has created "a heroic bust" of the slain civil rights leader, which will be cast in bronze at the center's foundry and installed in the sculpture park atop a 3-foot-tall black granite diamond-shaped pedestal. The artist is donating his work; Fischer is making the wax mold and installing the work for free; and Marina businessman Leonard Paige, owner of Paige's Security Services, is paying for the bronze casting. In keeping with the Habitat's educational goals, Fischer would like to set the bust in a reflecting pool with benches around it, where groups of visiting schoolchildren could sit to hear King's story. The sculpture could be ready for installation in as soon as ten weeks.

On Her Own

How often do you see a one-person play put on at a high school, by a high school student? You'd have to have a kid with a lot of talent to brave that kind of programming. That's exactly what Carmel High has in 18-year-old senior Monica Hunken, according to drama instructor Michael Jacobs, who cast her in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, opening tonight at the school. "I would never do a one-woman show if Monica wasn't such a talented young actor," Jacobs says. "An actor like this doesn't come along every year."

The play features Hunken as eight separate characters, all women of various ages and backgrounds, who are searching for meaning in their lives. Although Hunken has appeared on several local stages this past year, including Pac Rep's Fortinbras and Merry Wives of Windsor, and MPC's production of Hair, this will be her first one-person show. She's a little nervous, she says; "It just hit me yesterday that I'll be the only one out there." Hunken plans to attend MPC next year, and then, on to New York University's drama department.

Seaside Talent Show

The Young Professional Men and Women's Association is sponsoring Talent 2000, its second annual youth talent show, open to all Monterey County residents aged 5 to 19. Competitions will be held in four categories-dance, theater, instrumental music and singing/rapping-with $500 first-place prizes awarded in three age groups. Auditions are scheduled for Friday at 6pm at Martin Luther King Middle School in Seaside; all qualified entrants will present their acts at the school during two upcoming evenings, with final competition set for Feb. 12. "We know there's a lot of talent out there, and we wanted to give our young people a place to show it," says George Ball, vice president of the sponsoring association. Sign-up at the audition only. There's a five-dollar audition fee, and no lip-synching, profanity, lewd gestures or nudity allowed.

MLK Santa Cruz Slam

We don't usually go as far afield as the wilds of Santa Cruz in these pages, but a poetry slam devoted to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is something we can't ignore. Moe's Alley, in downtown Santa Cruz, is devoting its monthly poetry slam this Sunday evening to the theme of justice. While a regular poetry slam involves poets performing their original works in a competitive setting, for this event performers can present a piece by their favorite poet. Expect to hear the words of Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou and Ntozake Shange, says organizer Kelly McNally, who writes, "the Justice Slam will reflect [our] commitment to the ongoing struggle for justice and civil liberties." Sign-up for competitors begins at 7:30pm, and the poetry starts flying at eight. A $3 cover charge goes into the prize pot. Call the club at 479-1854 if you need directions.