NGW logo for 10-8-25

Stage and Space Collaborative to hold annual The War of the Worlds production October 24 and 25

The War of the Worlds poster

TCOE’s Stage and Space Collaborative is holding special live, fully immersive productions of The War of the Worlds on October 24 and 25. There will be four showings of the production.

Broadcast from New York's Mercury Theatre in 1938, the infamous radio play – based on the novel by H. G. Wells – had some terrified listeners convinced that an actual alien invasion of Earth was taking place. The community is invited to come, sit back, and enjoy this frightening tale of an extraterrestrial takeover.

Attendees begin their experience with a planetarium show, One Day on Mars, where they will learn about that evening’s night sky and receive an informational tour of Mars.

Afterwards, they’ll take a seat and be transported back to 1938 for a fully immersive retelling of the infamous radio drama. The War of the Worlds is complete with sound effects, original art projections, and exciting live performances from talented TCOE student actors.

The production will be held on October 24 and 25. General admission for the show is $12 and the total run time is approximately 120 minutes. The production is suggested for ages 12 and up, but all are welcome. Tickets can be purchased at tcoe.org/TheatreCo/Tickets or tcoe.org/Planetarium/PublicShows.

The production will premiere at 5:30 p.m. on October 24 with another showing at 7:00 p.m. The final two showings will be on October 25 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All performances will be held at the Planetarium & Science Center at 11535 Ave. 264 in Visalia.

Foster & Homeless Youth Education Services to host annual summit next month

Dee Hankins and Cynthia JohnsonRegistration is now open for Foster & Homeless Youth Education Services’ annual Education Summit. The free event will be held on November 20 from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in the Redwood Conference Center at 6200 S. Mooney Blvd. in Visalia.

This year, the summit will feature two morning keynote presenters and two engaging breakout sessions with a variety of topic options. To support foster and homeless youth in Tulare County, participants will have the opportunity to learn about restorative practices, developing resilient life skills, navigating housing options, building therapeutic learning environments, and more.

The first of this year’s keynote speakers is Dee Hankins, who will share his powerful message, “Resilience is Everything!” After spending 18 years in foster care and supporting his daughter through brain cancer, Hankins knows life is full of challenges — but resilience can turn those experiences into powerful lessons for the future.

Following Hankins’ presentation, Cynthia Johnson (CJ), a professor of communications and psychology at College of the Sequoias (COS), will speak. In addition to her work at COS, CJ is a trainer and mediator, specializing in communications, leadership, and conflict resolution.

The conference will include breakfast and lunch, free resources, and a youth panel. To register, visit https://forms.gle/71qATaPuxz3Japzw5.

Around the County

Mission Oak High School to host a special screening of Kioku: Remembrance documentary

Kioku flyer

For the past year, a documentary team from the Cultural History class at Mission Oak High School (MOHS) has been interviewing survivors, their descendants, historians, and MOHS students to create a powerful story about the Japanese American incarceration in Tulare during World War II.

A special screening for part one of the documentary, Kioku: Remembrance, will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 12 at the Tulare Historical Museum at 444 W. Tulare Ave. The community is invited to learn about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and how the Tulare Fairgrounds were used as a temporary prison camp, called an “assembly center.”

To RSVP for the screening, register at https://forms.gle/JqUVa3N89JwrUv6K8. To see a trailer for the documentary, visit www.tularefilm.com.

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, Bethany Rader, Jaclyn Garcia, Jacqueline Montanez-Barajas 

To receive the News Gallery Week, sign up here, or contact Jennifer Fisher at jenniferf@tcoe.org or (559) 733-6172.