We all know the plastic wrap around the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts is for an exterior repair project. But, in the spirit of the holidays, let's consider the Mondavi Center as a giant present — and take a look at the wondrous entertainment underneath the wrapping:

• Tia Fuller Quartet — Jazz. 8 p.m. today-Saturday, Dec. 7-10, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre (cabaret seating).

• Mariachi Sol de México de Jóse Hernàndez — "A Mariachi Christmas." 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, Jackson Hall.

• Lara Downes Family Concert — "Green Eggs and Ham." 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre.

• Blind Boys of Alambama Christmas Show — "Go Tell It on the Mountain," with special guests, Sara and Sean Watkins. 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, Jackson Hall.

• American Bach Soloists — Handel's Messiah. UC Davis Choral Director Jeffrey Thomas leads this early music ensemble. 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, Jackson Hall.

But, wait, there's more: no handling fees for online ticket purchases in December! "Share the holidays with friends and family," the Mondavi Center declared in announcing the holiday special.

The offer is good for tickets for events in December and beyond in the Mondavi Center's 2011-12 season, and includes tickets for Department of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance events.

A Winter Evening with Shakespeare

The Davis Shakespeare Ensemble and Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum announced an evening of holiday hilarity, with a staged reading of the Bard's Much Ado About Nothing — an abridged version lasting just over an hour.

This Winter Evening with the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, in the Putah Creek Lodge. "Come ready to indulge in wine and scrumptious holiday treats!" the ensemble announced in an e-mail.

The organizers said the event is recommended for ages 12 and up, due to the focus on Shakespeare's language.

General admission is $10, with tickets available online. Or call the box office: (530) 802-0998. More information is available by e-mail, davis.shakespeare@gmail.com. Parking will be free in the Putah Creek Lodge lot (click here for a map).

Auditions for House of Bernardo Alba

The Department of Theatre and Dance announced auditions Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 9 and 10, for The House of Bernardo Alba, to be directed by Granada Artist-in-Residence Juliette Carrillo. Federico Garcia Lorca completed the drama two months before his murder by Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.

Wrought with sexual tension, the play explores themes of repression, passion and conformity, and inspects the effects of men upon women as five daughters are confined to their mother’s house for an eight-year period of mourning.

The auditions, open to students, staff and faculty, are scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. in Main Theatre, with callbacks set for Wednesday, Jan. 11. People interested in auditioning are asked to sign up in 101 Art Building.

For your audition, you should prepare a contemporary or classical monologue, one to three minutes long, showing emotional range, and a one-minute story of a time when you felt oppressed in some way. Also, you should bring a resume and a headshot.

Rehearsals are set to begin Jan. 17, and the production dates are March 8 to 11 and 15 to 18 in Main Theatre.

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