In a major loss for San Diego theatergoers, Darko Tresnjak -- the Old Globe's brainy, award-winning young resident artistic director -- has announced he is resigning from his position this September to become a full-time freelance director.

Tresnjak, who also revived and runs the Globe's 6-year-old Summer Shakespeare Festival, is slated to direct his first production next summer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, "Twelfth Night."

Replacing Tresnjak as the head of the Summer Shakespeare Festival will be Britain's Adrian Noble, former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990 to 2003. Noble left the RSC in a cloud of controversy in March 2003 when his plans to modernize and reshape the company (both financially and artistically) met with fierce resistance from company members and the press.

In recent years, he has directed "Hamlet" at the Canada's Stratford Festival (2008) and the West End productions of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "The Secret Garden" in London. He's also a busy opera director, having helmed "Carmen" last month at the Opera Comique in Paris and Verdi's "Macbeth" at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2007.

A Globe spokesman said that Noble has been in touch with Globe executive producer Lou Spisto by phone and e-mail over the past few months and plans to make his first visit to the Globe later this summer. In a statement, Noble said, "I am thrilled to be calling San Diego and the Old Globe my artistic home during the next year. The Globe has a worldwide standing in the theater community and I am very much looking forward to working with Lou and the entire Globe staff to fashion a festival that is inspired by the Globe's remarkable 75-year history."

Tresnjak, who was on vacation and could not be reached for comment, said in a statement, "The last six years have been an exhilarating time for me. I was honored to head the Shakespeare Festival as it returned to the repertory format and to have worked with the incredibly supportive staff at the Globe."

Tresnjak's multi-award-winning Globe productions have included numerous Shakespeare plays (some of my favorites were "Pericles," "Titus Andronicus" and "The Winter's Tale"), along with "The Women," "The Pleasure of His Company" and "Bell, Book and Candle." Born in the former Yugoslavia, Tresjnak immigrated to the U.S. as a young boy and holds degrees from Swarthmore College and Columbia University. Outside of his Globe directorial duties, he taught at UC San Diego and has directed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Public Theatre, on Broadway and for numerous opera companies.

Tresnjak's departure leaves a major void in the company's artistic leadership. Tresnjak was running the Globe until May 2008 with co-artistic director Jerry Patch, a nationally respected dramaturge, but Patch left after fewer than three years on the job for a position in New York. Both men replaced Jack O'Brien, who helmed the Globe for more than 25 years.

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This weekend, North Coast Repertory Theatre will open a remount production of "Don't Dress for Dinner," the French farce that was a big hit for the Solana Beach theater company last winter.

The show will run for three weekends beginning Friday.

Company artistic associate Stephen Elton said the company was lucky to get the rights to produce the show again this summer because the rights have been tied up for a Chicago production of the play that is said to be headed for Broadway.

For tickets, visit www.northcoastrep.org.

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The Oceanside Museum of Art this week installed an interactive artwork by Escondido sculptor Dave Ghilarducci that can burn both calories and brain cells at the same time.

"Delayed Gratification," on exhibit through Sept. 25, consists of an old-fashioned silver-toned stationary bicycle that illuminates an LED light panel when museum visitors sit on it and crank its pedals. As the rider pedals, the illuminated display will project lines from Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel "Brave New World." Ghilarducci will talk about the work in a "meet the artist" forum at 2 p.m. Aug. 8. Visit www.oma-online.org.

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Carmel Valley photographer Ed Masterson is one just 12 photographers worldwide whose work will be featured this year in the summer edition of Nikon World, a photography book.

Masterson is a commercial and art photographer with more than 30 years of experience. The work that got him noticed by Nikon was an art series called "Visions," unusual portraits of everyday objects from a fire hydrant to water droplets and asphalt.

"When I look at a scene, I ask myself, 'what am I not seeing?' -- that's what I want to capture," Masterson said in a statement. "It is such an honor to be recognized by Nikon for my fine art."

Masterson said that he has never exhibited his art photography publicly, but he's so honored by Nikon's recognition that he's now collaborating with both Kodak and Nikon for national exhibitions and charity auctions of his work.

To see Masterson's work, visit edmastersonphotography.com.

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The annual Celebrate Dance Festival, scheduled for Aug. 21-23 in Balboa Park, is on the ropes, with producers threatening to pull the plug if they can't raise at least half of the festival's production cost by the end of this month.

The 13th annual festival will feature more than 70 dance artists, organizations and collectives performing indoors and outdoors in Balboa Park over three days. Festival admission is free, so producers Eveoke Dance Theatre need to raise $25,000 in sponsorship money to underwrite costs. In an announcement last week, Eveoke officials said they had raised $9,000 and needed to have at least $12,000 in the kitty by Aug. 1 or they would not be able to produce it.

To help fill the gap, Eveoke will host a "Dance 'n' Dine" event at 7 p.m. July 25 at Cafe La Maze Steakhouse, 1441 Highland Ave., National City. The fundraiser will include dinner, wine and a dance performance by seven of the dance companies that are scheduled to be in the festival. Tickets are $45. Reserve to 619-474-3222.

Pam Kragen is the arts editor of the North County Times.