Out There is proud to present the deserving winners from eight Arts & Culture entries of the Bay Area Reporter 's 2015 Besties, the LGBT Best of the Bay awards. Hit it, maestro!

A friend calls, asking for a date. Out There says sure, reaching for our calendar. We can fit you in the last week of April. Yes, OT is a wee bit overscheduled. Why is this? Take a look.

Monaco, that magical and mythical principality on the Mediterranean coast, has long been the glamorous playground for millionaires and playboys, royals and rogues, film stars and philanderers. Check out the free exhibition "Monte-Carlo Legends."

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, or so the old adage would have us believe. There is a worse fate, however: To be forgotten and fade into obscurity.

SoundBox is a new, nightclub-like venue for musical exploration led by San Francisco Symphony (SFS) musicians and guest artists.

So, what's Purim? Some might call it a Jewish Halloween. It's an annual celebration in which Jews dress in costumes and party down while they recall the story of Esther, who saved the Jews from the evil Prince Haman in ancient Persia.

We've got advance word on composer-pianist-conductor Thomas Ades' San Francisco Symphony conducting debut this weekend (March 5-7).

Biographies can be great reads. They let you walk a mile in another woman's shoes. Here are brief mentions of three new bios that have recently come across our desk. Look for reviews to come.

As someone who is blind and has a public voice via a weekly radio segment and a syndicated column, this is a time when I get flooded with emails asking for relationship guidance.

Maybe it's because we're in the midst of San Francisco Ballet season again, but recently we dreamed about the late B.A.R. dance and music critic Stephanie von Buchau.

Every year, Landmark Theatres screens programs of Oscar-nominated live action, animated and documentary shorts. Last week, Out There caught the first two compilations.

If you're tired of the prescriptive nature of Valentine's Day (the purchasing of teddy bears, the making of Italian reservations, the writing of bad poetry), then forget V-day. Have a me-day. Check out "Bawdy Storytelling."

Isn't it playing with dynamite to attempt to recreate the old Wooster magic on the page?

It began as a platform to foster gay pride during a time when homosexuality was still classified as a mental disorder. Over time it grew into a major fundraising vehicle for a vast array of causes.