Culture Archives - Peninsula Press

Arts, CultureNovember 11, 2020

Innovative Podcast Musical Releases its First Demo

By Chloe Wintersteen

Writing and producing a new musical over Zoom sounds like a misnomer, but Alexander Ronneburg, Stanford alumnus and New York-based music director, is creating a show that can be experienced in-full by virtual audiences. Alexander Ronneburg recently released the first demo of his original musical created for the podcast medium. “S.S. Splendor” is a nautical supernatural mystery podcast that features original music and an innovative approach to musical theater storytelling. Ronneburg sat down with the Peninsula Press to discuss his project.

Business, Culture, NewsNovember 9, 2020

Downtown Mountain View’s Businesses Seeking Creative Ways to Avoid Shuttering

By Jasmine Kerber

Since opening on Castro Street in Mountian View 16 years ago, Opal Event Center has served as a nightclub, a wine bar and a corporate event space for rent, but at the moment, it is closed because of the pandemic and its owners are developing plans to survive. Opal’s 3,800-square-foot space contains two bars and a stage a DJ used to occupy on Friday and Saturday nights. But during the work week, couches and coffee tables arranged over the dance floor made it an appealing spot for companies looking to rent a place for interviews, lunches or holiday parties. The dual-purpose business model proved an efficient use of valuable downtown…

Culture, HealthNovember 2, 2020

SF Playhouse Returns to Theater and Films Live Performance

By Chloe Wintersteen

Three actors drank champagne in Zone A. Their director, exhausted but giddy, offered cheers from Zone B. Feeling grateful yet discombobulated, these seasoned actors celebrated their successful completion of the unusual— they had just performed a play onstage. Sure, cameras replaced a packed audience and actors threw props at each other in lieu of a wrestling scene, but regardless, SF Playhouse set a precedent for professional theaters across the country. SF Playhouse performed and filmed a live play in-house, making it the first West Coast theater company to produce an in-person show on an Actors Equity Association contract since COVID forced theaters to shutter over seven months ago. SF Playhouse…

CultureOctober 19, 2020

Drive-in Circus Performers Prove the Show Must Go On

By Jasmine Kerber

REDWOOD CITY, California — Rows of cars honked their praise for a trapeze artist and a “human cannonball” at the Zoppé Italian Family Circus’ drive-in show. The circus has performed in Redwood City annually for the past thirteen years but shifted to a new format this time around to adapt to coronavirus public health guidelines. After debuting their drive-in show in Ventura in July, Zoppé brought it to Redwood City, where they will be performing through October 25. The drive-in circus represents a novel way of adjusting entertainment to an era in which large, indoor crowds are forbidden. The entertainment industry has struggled during the pandemic as music, dance and…

Culture, EnvironmentMarch 23, 2020

Explore tidepools and dive into a California Kelp Forest in 360°

By Tylar Campbell

Local harvester Ian O’Hollaren shares his knowledge of a California kelp forest and its role in providing habitat and food in the ecosystem.

CultureDecember 14, 2019

In Colma, Pets Rest Cemetery and Crematorium stands apart from the austere atmosphere of human cemeteries

By Joe Dworetzky

COLMA — For more than 70 years, Bay Area pet owners have said goodbye to their four legged companions at Pets Rest Cemetery and Crematorium in Colma, California.

Culture, NewsNovember 29, 2019

When the dead dance: Dia de los Muertos, 2019

By McArdle Hankin

SAN FRANCISCO — The annual Mexican tradition celebrates the lives and memories of those who have died. While the event’s energy carries a deep reverence, it is also a party.

Culture, NewsNovember 21, 2019

After 50 years, the occupation of Alcatraz continues to fuel Red Power

By McArdle Hankin

SAN FRANCISCO — It has been 50 years since the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz, a historical 19-month long protest that fueled indigenous activism around the country and inspired legislative changes that still benefit Native Americans today.

CultureOctober 16, 2019

San Jose’s Chicano murals will be added to city’s inventory of historic sites

By Vanessa Ochavillo

SAN JOSE — This is the first time a Chicano mural will be added to San Jose’s Historic Resources Inventory, which is composed mostly of homes deemed historic for their architectural design.

Culture, NewsMarch 28, 2019

‘Shall I Proceed? Yes Indeed’: Continuing the legacy of black femmes in hip-hop

By Paula McCloud

“Femcees” are major forces within the rap industry. The term femcee to refers to black feminine-identified rappers. These rappers are no longer an “exception” to a male dominated industry, but rather the exceptional standard to Hip-Hop, and have been since its inception.

Culture, FoodMarch 21, 2019

In an ice cream mecca like Palo Alto, how do parlors stack up?

By Isabella Jibilian

The ice cream business is fierce. Dairy prices tend to fluctuate, affecting the cost of ingredients. The market is also highly seasonal, so stores open year-round must weather the winter.

Culture, News, TechnologyDecember 10, 2018

Women of Silicon Valley: A safe haven for women in technology

By Maggie Roache

SILICON VALLEY — Lea Coligado was 19 years old when she held a summer internship at a small software company in Silicon Valley. While there, she faced comments about how women don’t code because they are better at art and heard insinuations that women’s brains were just not wired to handle the algorithmic complexity that their male counterparts could. Instead of complimenting her code, she received comments about her clothes.