5 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Spillers Storytelling events have been all the rage the last few years. Unlike many of these happenings that feature writers presenting pieces based on their own real-life experiences, the quarterly event, Spillers: Short Fiction and Tall Drinks features six wordsmiths performing edgy, 10-minute, short fiction stories for the crowd. If…

5 Best Non-Halloween Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Day of Our Lives Book-Signing Watch out for fan apoplexy at the Days of Our Lives: 50 Years book-signing event at Changing Hands Tempe. It’s not just a soap opera; it’s a fiercely beloved soap opera that’s been on since 1965. The lovely commemorative book ($34.99) gets you and a…

The Book of Mormon Takes No Prisoners at ASU Gammage in Tempe

After three decades of witnessing theater extravaganzas like The Book of Mormon, which launched ASU Gammage’s new season this week, I can sometimes find my attention wandering from the spotlight. In the case of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s irreverent book musical, I was more interested in the adulation with…

Arizona Opera Promises Bold, But Arizona Lady Is a Bore

As Arizona Opera opened its three-day Phoenix run for an operetta titled Arizona Lady at Symphony Hall on Friday night, the audience was clearly excited by the prospect of hearing a story set in the Southwest. Simply the sight of the set, complete with cactus and a distant mesa, was enough to…

7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

“Engangled” The candles from Standard Wax don’t just smell good; they look good, too. Samantha Thompson and Andrew King’s creations are meant to be art — a decision certainly influenced by King’s outside work as a contemporary painter and pastel artist. A collection of his recent pieces, “Entangled,” debuts this…

Arizona Opera and Poet Laureate Alberto Rios Collaborate on Arizona Lady

Arizona Opera’s falls season opens with a collaboration that sets a high bar. Arizona Poet Laureate Alberto Ríos recently collaborated with Arizona Opera for its production of Arizona Lady, an operetta set in Tucson in 1925. Think gold rush, rodeos, and horse thieves. It’s opera on the lighter side, with plenty…

7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Yakuza Apocalypse Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike’s latest movie Yakuza Apocalypse has been called “inspired lunacy.” This action thriller, packed with martial arts, supernatural beings, and lots of blood, should get you in the mood for Halloween, and it’s screening at FilmBar, 815 North Second Street, October 9 to 13. But…

7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

Repellent Fence It’s a truth that comes in many forms to the border areas between the United States and Mexico: If you can’t reach through the fence, reach over it. That same concept drives Postcommodity, a long-term social collaboration between artists and activists Raven Chacon, Cristobal Martinez, and Kade L…

Scorpius Dance Brings the Spectacle to A Vampire Tale at Phoenix Theatre

Seductive vampires writhed their way around the stage last week as Scorpius Dance Theatre opened its 12th annual run of A Vampire Tale — a show conceived, choreographed, and directed by Lisa Starry, the company’s artistic director. It’s being performed at Hormel Theatre, located on the Phoenix Theatre campus, through Saturday, October…

5 Free Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

You work hard for your money, and you shouldn’t have to spend it all just to have a good time. This week, metro Phoenix offers plenty of options for those looking to socialize and save, including talks, presentations, yoga, and poetry. Take some time to relax your mind, spirit and…

7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

“Sirens and Serpents” If “Sirens and Serpents: The Art of Tara Sharpe” had a rating, it would probably be “R,” for nudity and post-impressionist expressionism. {9} The Gallery, 1229 Grand Avenue, is hosting the exhibit on Friday, October 2, and the installation will feature hand-pulled block prints and works on…

Phoenix Theatre Dominates 2015 AriZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence

It was a big year for Mary Poppins in metro Phoenix. During Monday, September 21’s 25th annual AriZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence ceremony, held at Tempe Center for the Arts, Phoenix Theatre’s production of Mary Poppins waltzed off (sans umbrella) with the best overall production for a contracted musical. It’s…