“See a ‘Slice of Life’South Whidbey High School Drama 1 classes take the main stage at the auditorium tonight, Jan. 8, to present “A Slice of Life,” a collection of 16 playlets revolving around the teenage experience. Friendships, dating, drams, breakups and breakdowns are all explored in sometimes humorous and sometimes poignant sketches feature two to 10 actors. The one-night-only show plays at 7 and 8:30 p.m. Admission is by donation.Concert for the New MillenniumEric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel perform on guitar, oboe and percussion in a concert at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m. today, Jan. 8. The concert features new music for a new century, as well as hits from their past albums. It is the 15th year of this annual tradition, sponsored by Langley United Methodist Church. Day of show tickets are $14; call 221-8268.‘Night of Janjary Sixteenth’Ayn Rand’s courtroom comedy-drama, written in 1933, tells the story of a murder trial in which teams of prosecutors and defense attorneys battle before the jury. The Advanced Drama students at South Whidbey High School have turned the Little Theatre into a courtroom and will present the play on Jan. 12-15 at 7:30 p.m. and on Jan. 16 (appropriately enough) at 3 p.m. Tickets are $3 each, sold by cast and crew members. Friday Nite GrillHolmes Harbor Rod and Gun reminds its members that the club will hols its traditional “Friday Nite Grill” on Jan. 14 and every Friday from 5:30-8:30 p.m., with a new special each week and a kids’ menu.Cello workshopIsland Strings is sponsoring a Suzuki cello workshop taught by Alice Volwiler from Bellingham on Jan. 15, from 11-3. A $10 donation is requested. Register in advance with Linda Good, 221-6349. Playday 2000 The Whidbey Playhouse in Oak Harbor presents Playday 2000 on Jan. 15, beginning with a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. followed by performances at 7. Members in good standing (read paid members) will receive a ballot to vote for shows under consideration for the 2000-2001 season: Musicals — Children of Eden, Nunsense (version to be decided), Smoke on the Mountain, State Fair, and The Melody Lingers On (Irving Berlin Revue); non-musicals: An Inspector Calls, Broadway Bound, The Butler did it, The Heiress, and You Can’t Take it with You. At the end of the evening the balloting will be tallied and announced. Absentee ballots are available in the office but must be turned in before Jan. 15. To join Whidbey Playhouse, contact Janis at 360-679-2237. Membership costs $12 per year. Funds are used for scholarships and many other projects. Shiahn singing circleWinter session for Shiahn, the women’s singing circle, will begin on Jan. 17, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Marsh House.Shiahn (which means “she whose soul wakens through song”) is a non-performance group cloistered at Marsh House and directed by Claudia Walker. Members meet weekly, singing music attuned to women’s lives and the natural rhythms of the seasons, building skills and confidence and singing “for the health of it.”A $30 monthly donation is requested to support Walker’s work and the ongoing expenses of Marsh House. Call 579-2279 if you’d like to come.The QuirksHear the modern acoustic folk music of The Quirks in a concert at WICA on Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m. The four musicians play old-time folk music on fiddle, mandolin, bass and guitar. Their concerts are equal parts original and traditional folk melodies — the kind of hot fiddle, flat picking, rhythmic music that will stir the blood, and get the feet stomping.Tickets are $12/adults, $10/students & seniors; 221-8268.High school musicalSouth Whidbey High School’s musical theatre presentation this season is the 1930s production, “Babes in Arms,” seldom produced but noted for its famous Rodgers and Hart tunes, among them “Where or When,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “(That’s Why) The Lady is a Tramp.” Co-directors Diana Lindsay and Michael McInerney team up for their seventh collaborative effort with the services of respected local choreographers Charlene Brown, Susan Vanderwood and Amy Windecker. SWHS music director Brent Purvis directs the pit orchestra; set design and construction duties fall to Lon Peterman (of “Hello, Dolly” fame) and Jean Shaw once again steps into the role of producer. “Babes in Arms” runs Feb. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13. The production is in need of clothes from the late ‘40s for costuming; contact Shaw at 221-5159 if you have some to lend.Guitar Circle and Steve Ball The Seattle Guitar Circle and the Steve Ball Road Show headline a benefit show for community radio station KSER 90.7 FM at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts on Feb. 4.The Seattle Guitar Circle plays instrumental guitar music in the Guitar Craft Standard Tuning of C G D A E G, and recently released their 1999 CD “Twilight.” Prior to the show they will conduct an educational workshop. The Steve Ball Road Show features the members of the Seattle Guitar Circle performing compositions written by Steve Ball, who has performed in bands including Los Gauchos Alemanes and Electric Gauchos. Tickets are available at the WICA box office, 221-8262, and from KSER at (425) 742-4541. KSER is the only non-commercial, community supported radio station serving the north Puget Sound region of Snohomish, Island, Skagit, King and Jefferson counties. It features an eclectic mix of music, local public affairs and international news from the BBC and CBC. Whidbey Playhouse productionThe Whidbey Playhouse in Oak Harbor presents “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” opening Feb. 4 and running weekends through Feb. 26, including two Sunday matinees on Feb. 13 and 20. The play is set in Atlanta, Georgia, in December of 1939. “Gone with the Wind” is having its world premiere and Hitler is invading Poland, but Atlanta’s elitist German Jews are much more concerned with who is going to the Ballyhoo, the social event of the season. Directed by Donald Wilkins, a Freeland resident, this Tony Award-winning Broadway hit sparkles with warmth and romance. For tickets call the box office at 360-679-2237. Talent show with a ‘twist’Backstage and the Whidbey Island Dixieland Jazz Band present the first ever TWIST (The Whidbey Island Student Talent) Fest on March 25 in Coupeville, featuring students from both ends of the island in a competitive talent event. There are categories for solos, groups or ensembles in vocal, instrumental, drama and visual arts. Prizes will be awarded, including $350 in cash.Fee is $10; forms are available from band or choir teachers or on the Southend at Joe’s Island Music in Langley. Register by Feb. 18; call 360-678-5943 with questions.Clarinet choirA new Clarinet Choir has been formed and has begun rehearsals on Wednesdays, 7 p.m. in Clinton. Both youth and adults are invited to join the fun of a unique musical experience. For information call Avi, 341-4490.Opportunities for writersThe Whidbey Island Writers’ Conference will sponsor a contest for attendees as part of the March 3-5 conference; this will include categories for short story, poetry and essay. Deadline is Feb. 1, 2000. The conference will also provide the opportunity to earn two college credits. Attendees may register at either the South Whidbey center of Skagit Valley College or at the conference. Writers who are interested in the Writers’ Conference can volunteer and receive tuition discounts.For more information, call Marti Animosa at 579-1872 or 331-6714.or visit the conference Web site at www.whidbey.com/writers.Langley Jazz FestivalMark calendars: The first Langley Jazz Festival is set for June 20-24, 2000. The festival will feature clinics and workshops the first two days, with a finale concert of all the clinicians at South Whidbey High School’s auditorium on June 22. On June 23 there will be a concert at WICA followed by Jazz in the Clubs, downtown Langley, from 9:30-11:30 p.m. The final day, June 24, Jazz in the Clubs is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. followed by an Ernestine Anderson concert at 8 p.m. in the high school auditorium.”