Arizona Opera celebrates the opening of its new center with a Grand Opening Weekend of activities and previews, Oct. 4-5.
‘The Exonerated’
iTheatre Collborative
Oct. 11-12
Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe St.
602-252-8497
Moving between first-person monologues and scenes set in courtrooms and prisons, these are the true stories of six wrongfully convicted survivors of death row in their own words. The six interwoven stories paint a picture of an American criminal justice system gone horribly wrong—and of six brave souls who persevered to survive it. Tickets are $20; visit www.herbergertheater.org.
‘Bless Me, Ultima’
Teatro Bravo
Oct. 11-20
Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center
1333 E. Washington St.
602-258-1800
Based off the critically acclaimed novel, the play tells the story of young Tony Marez and his nurturing relationship with Ultima, a wise curandera who has come to stay with Tony and his family in the last year of her life. Throughout his time with Ultima, Tony delves into a spiritual transformation during cultural and societal changes in the American Southwest. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. Sunday Matinee, doors open at 1:30 for a 2 p.m. show. Thursday, Oct. 17 is a Pay-What-You-Can show with a $10 suggested donation. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students (with valid ID) and seniors, $10 for children under 12. All Sunday Matinees are $13. All tickets can be purchased at the door or from www.teatrobravo.org and Facebook. Each site will have a link to Eventbrite.
Night of the Chicken, Episode III: Revenge of the Angry Booger
7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-12 & 18-19
Space 55 Theatre
636 E. Pierce St.
The third installment of this radio play series is performed onstage with live sound effects. Feisty teenager Andrea (Andi) Hafferton struggles with the pressures of school, the cross-country team and a tendency to mutate into a ferocious “werechicken” during the most inconvenient times. This quirky show is fun for all ages. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 students and children age 17 and younger. Visit www.space55.org.
Opera Center Grand Opening
Oct. 4-5
1636 N. Central Ave.
602-266-7464
Arizona Opera celebrates the opening of its new center with a Grand Opening Weekend of activities and previews. There will be tours of the new center, makeup demonstrations, youth choir performances, and more. For details, visit www.northcentralnews.net and select “News Updates.”
Herberger Theater Festival of the Arts
12-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5
Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe St.
Featuring live music, theater and dance performances, great food, vendors, visual art, rescued pet adoptions, children’s activities (including a superhero costume contest), wine tasting, film shorts, Lunch Time Theater and more. Admission is $5, free for children 12 and under, and (with ID) active military/veterans, and first-responders (police, fire and emergency medical personnel). For more details, visit www.northcentralnews.net and select “News Updates.”
Singer-Songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie
7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10
Heard Museum
2301 N. Central Ave.
Sainte-Marie (Cree) speaks about her career and her current role as a Native rights and education activist. Her song “Until It’s Time for You to Go” was recorded by Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand and Cher, and her “Universal Soldier” became the anthem of the peace movement. For her very first album she was voted Billboard’s Best New Artist. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the song “Up Where We Belong.” Free and open to the public; visit www.heard.org.
‘The Importance of Being Earnest’
Arizona Theatre Company
Oct. 10-27
Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe St.
602-256-6995
In Oscar Wilde’s most beloved and endlessly delightful classic, Jack is in love with Gwendolen, Algernon is in love with Cecily. But Gwendolen and Cecily are both in love with Ernest, who in fact does not exist. Tickets are $36-$67. Visit www.arizonatheatre.org.
‘HMS Pinafore’ by Gilbert & Sullivan
Arizona Opera
Oct. 11-13
Symphony Hall
75 N. 2nd St.
602-266-7464
Beloved for its jaunty tunes, gleefully entertaining story and sassy satire, “HMS Pinafore” is a perfect musical comedy for all ages. Tickets start at $25 and are on sale at www.azopera.org.
‘Ah, Wilderness!’
Oct. 11-13 & 18-20
Ethington Theatre,
Grand Canyon University
3300 W. Camelback Road
602-639-8880
From Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene O’Neill comes an idyllic look at a past that should have been. It’s the Fourth of July weekend and Richard Miller is a 17-year-old boy right on the whisker of manhood. For Richard, the future glows with promise. That is, until his girlfriend’s father decides to end their budding relationship. Devastated, the young man decides to test his mettle with a night of hard living.
Tickets are $12; visit www.gcu.edu/wilderness.
Open House & Community Day
10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12
Ballet Arizona
2835 E. Washington St.
Check out the ballet company’s new facilities while enjoy free dance demonstrations and performances, mini classes, and a grand prize drawing of a season subscription for two. The event is free and open to the public. For more information e-mail questions@balletaz.org.
‘A Vampire Tale’
Scorpius Dance Theatre
Oct. 10-12 & 17-19
Phoenix Little Theatre
100 E. McDowell Road
602-254-2151
A young woman is drawn to the dark side and finds herself lured into an assorted band of bloodsuckers and becomes infatuated with the king vampire. Featuring visually stunning aerial feats. Tickets start at $25; visit www.scorpiusdance.com.
Eight’s ‘BAM! POW! Bash’
6:30-10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15
Civic Space Park
424 N. Central Ave.
Eight invites comic lovers, documentary fans, and costumed Super Friends of all sorts to party and celebrate “nerd-dom” in the run-up to the 2013 PBS Nerd Walk, with this community event featuring the premiere of the three-part, three-hour PBS documentary Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle, airing nationally Oct. 15 and on Eight, Arizona PBS at 7 p.m. The event will blast-off with themed entertainment including: “Epic Super Hero Improv” by Torch Theatre featuring Guido Martin; an “Iron Cosplay” competition led by ASU State Press; a superhero costume contest presented by Yelp; special appearances by the Justice League of Arizona and the Arizona Avengers; prizes and registration for the 2013 PBS Nerd Walk. The Bookmans’ “Save the City” Photo Wall will also be on location. To register for the event, visit: www.azpbs.org/superhero. To register for the 2013 PBS Nerd Walk, visit: www.azpbs.org/nerd.
‘Once On This Island’
Xavier Drama Department
7 p.m. Oct. 16, 18-19
Virginia G. Piper Performing Arts Center,
Xavier College Preparatory
4710 N. 5th St.
602-240-3161
Set on a Caribbean island, the production is the fable of Ti Moune, a poor girl who falls in love with the wealthy Daniel. The star-crossed youths struggle to change their fates, fighting against class, tradition, and prejudice. Tickets are $7 for all patrons. There will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 19 as well. Call the Jackson Box Office, e-mail pacbox@xcp.org, or by purchase them at the door.
Lang Lang
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24
Symphony Hall
75 N. 2nd St.
602-495-1999
Chinese-born virtuoso Lang Lang returns to perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 as well as two favorites, Roman Carnival Overture and Der Rosenkavalier Suite. Tickets are $39-$119. Visit www.phoenixsymphony.org.
‘An Evening at the Tonys’
The Choirs at XCP
7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24
Virginia G. Piper Performing Arts Center, Xavier College Preparatory
4710 N. 5th St.
602-240-3161
The performance will feature award-winning Broadway tunes that audience members of all ages will enjoy. Tickets are $5 apiece and may be purchased at the door.
‘Mrs. Klein’
Oct. 25-Nov. 10
Theatre Artists Studio
4848 E. Cactus Road, #406, Scottsdale
602-765-0120
At the peak of her career, psychoanalyst Melanie Klein is shattered by the news that her son has died in a climbing accident. Her daughter, also a psychoanalyst who publically challenges her mother’s theories, thinks he committed suicide to defy their overbearing mother. When the battle between these two women spills over into their professional lives, the childhood events which lie at the heart of the conflict are exposed. Shows are Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission; $10 for students 25 and younger; $15 for seniors 65 and older, and members of the military. Visit www.thestudiophx.org.
‘A Steady Rain’
Actors Theatre
Oct. 25-Nov. 10
Playhouse on the Park
1850 N. Central Ave.
602-888-0368
Described as “a gritty, rich, thick, poetic and entirely gripping noir tale of two Chicago police officers whose inner need to serve and protect both consumes them and rips them apart.” Tickets are $20-$45; visit www.actorstheatrephx.org.
‘Youthful Variations’
Musica Nova
4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27
Central United Methodist Church
1875 N. Central Ave.
Jessica Zhang, 2013 Avanti Future Stars Junior Division winner, joins the orchestra for a piano concerto by the 10-year-old Mozart. Seldom-heard nonets by George Onslow (sometimes called “the French Beethoven”) and British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor round out the program. Tickets are $30 general admission, $25 seniors, youth younger than 18 free with a paid adult. Visit www.musicanovaaz.com.
‘Cinderella’
Ballet Arizona
Oct. 31–Nov. 3
Symphony Hall
75 N. 2nd St.
602-381-1096
As if stepping between the pages of a beloved storybook, Ib Andersen’s “Cinderella” vividly delights audiences with the beauty and majesty of classical ballet, wrapped in the promise of “happily ever after,” and generously sprinkled with a dose of humor. Tickets are $25-$158; visit www.balletaz.org.
Sunday at Shemer
10 a.m.5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3
Shemer Art Center
5005 E. Camelback Road
Featuring more than 40 fine art booths, offering fantastic works of art by many of the state’s finest artists. There also will be balloons, great food, and live performances. Admission is $5 for adults, children younger than 12 admitted for free. Visit www.shemerartcenter.org.
8th Annual Navajo Art & Rug Auction
12-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2
Pueblo Grande Museum
4619 E. McDowell Road
The auction is a one-day fundraising event that begins with a preview at 9 a.m., followed by the auction. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary. Enjoy fry bread and other native foods that will be available for sale during the day, along with coffee and breakfast treats in the morning. The preview and auction are free and open to the public. The museum will be open 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. with standard museum admission rates for visitors.
