Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events March 14 to 20

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, March 14, to Friday, March 20.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!

Please note I have deleted events that have been canceled by the host organizations. Please click into links for the host organizations below for any updates on these events that are still scheduled.

Do you love movies and dream of writing the scripts that bring concepts to life? "How to Break Into Screenwriting" is a panel discussion presented by Scriptwriters Network in conjunction with the Pasadena International Film Festival Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m. upstairs at Vroman's Bookstore in Playhouse Village (formerly called the Playhouse District). Panelists will include Tiegen Kosiak, an independent producer; Jorjeana Marie, a scriptwriter and storyteller; Bill Taub, a scriptwriter and producer; and Melessa Sargent, president and CEO of Scriptwriters Network. The discussion will be moderated by Jill Narciso, a scriptwriter and filmmaker. Come learn how to get started and make a career of it! Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Crown City Symphony will perform Mozart's overture to his opera "Don Giovanni," Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D with guest violin soloist Jacqueline Suzuki and Borodin's "In the Steppes of Central Asia" Sunday, March 15, at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Pasadena. 

An LA Opera community educator will host an interactive presentation Monday, March 16, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center to explain how being a professional opera singer takes much more than talent. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group presents "Matewan" (1987, PG-13) starring Chris Cooper and James Earl Jones Tuesday, March 17, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A union organizer comes to an embattled West Virginia coal mining town in 1920 where he is joined by a "scab," the sympathetic mayor and the police chief in a heroic fight against the mining company that has brutally and violently dominated, harassed and intimated workers for years. The film is based on true events. See the trailer here. The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group features a provocative movie the first and third Tuesday of every month, preceded by a presentation about the film's hidden history and followed by a lively discussion. Free popcorn will be available. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

How to write a 10-minute play: Learn the elements of plot, conflict, dialog and resolution through writing exercises Friday, March 20, at 11 a.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center and connect with your creative side in an environment of support and feedback that will help you become a budding playwright. RSVP by calling (626) 795-4331. This workshop will be led by award-winning playwright Kurt Maxey. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

"The Good Liar" (2019, R) starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen will be shown Friday, March 20, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A career con man sets his sights on a recently widowed woman worth millions, but what should be a simple swindle becomes a potentially deadly cat-and-mouse game. See the trailer here. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

Photo credits: Poster's Garage, Crown City Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, Cinecom Entertainment Group, BRON Studios.