| theater openings |

The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? Opens Fri 8pm; continues Sat 8pm; Sun 5pm. Martin, a hugely successful architect who has just turned fifty, leads an ostensibly ideal life with his loving wife and gay teenage son.  But when he confides to his best friend a secret that could destroy him, he sets in motion events that will destroy his family and leave his life in tatters. The Goat is a passionate play that explores the nature of love and the limits of compassion and understanding, while remaining wickedly funny. $20; $17/student and seniors. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel. 626-6796 or www.ticketguys.com.Ends 3/20.

Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Girl From The Prairie Opens Fri 8pm; continues Sat 8pm; Sun 2:30pm. Marcia Hovick’s one-woman show about Laura Ingalls Wilder, an American pioneer who was born in a little log house in the big woods of Wisconsin in 1867. Ingalls’ childhood was spent traveling west by covered wagon, to Indian Territory in Kansas, to Grasshopper Country in Minnesota, and then to Dakota Territory, where she settled down and eventually wrote the books which became the source material for The Little House on The Prairie decades later. Part of the Staff Players’ ongoing American Author Series. $16; $12/students, seniors and the military; $6/children 12 and under. The Indoor Forest Theatre, Mountain View and Santa Rita, Carmel. 624-1531. Ends 2/27.

The Vagina Monologues Opens Mon, Feb. 28, at 8pm; continues Tues. March 1, at 8pm; Wed. March 2, at 2pm and 8pm. Eve Ensler’s groundbreaking show performed by a diverse array of Peninsula talent. Proceeds benefit the Rape Crisis Center for North Monterey County. Four performances only. $15/general. The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Corner Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel. 626-6796 or www.unicorntheatreinc.org. Ends 3/6.

| theater ongoing |

The Magician’s Nephew Fri-Sat 8pm; Sun 2pm. Adapted from C.S. Lewis by the famous children’s theater playwright, Aurand Harris. $15; $12/young adult (ages 16-20); $9/children (15 and under). 646-4213 or www.Ticketguys.com. Ends 2/27.

Shooting of General Anesthesia Fri-Sat 8pm. The story of a local mercury mine, a sinister confederate spy, a plot twisting telegram and the murder of none other than Union Colonel Olly Northgate on a secret mission for President Lincoln. $14; $13/seniors; $8/students; $6/active military. The Barbary Coast Theatre. 320 Hoffman at Lighthouse Ave. Monterey. 655-4992. Ends 2/26.

| auditions | workshops |

Ariel Theatrical’s 2005 Spring Conservatory Ongoing auditions by appointment for three programs: Beginning, ages 5 to 8; Intermediate, ages 6 and up; Accelerated, ages 7 and up. Productions are Tikki Tikki Tembo, Wonderland and The Hobbit. Call Gail Higginbotham at 775-0976.

MPC Theatre Company A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Mouse That Roared: 2/26 and 2/27. Annie; Putting It Together: A Sondheim Revue; The Day John Lennon Died; Robin Hood: 3/5 and 3/6. Contact Gary Bolen at 646-4085 or gbolen@mpc.edu.

The Western Stage Auditions 2/26 and 2/27; 3/5 and 3/6 for Arsenic and Old Lace, Anything Goes, John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, Bat Boy The Musical, The Waiting Room, The Cherry Orchard, Victor Villaseñor’s Rain of Gold, and Wind in the Willows. 759-6037 or casting@westernstage.com for more info.