Thursday 14
BACK IN ACTION. Horror Unspeakable got its start more than a year ago.
The troupe's first production, Oscar Wilde's Salome, was successful, but admittedly mainstream.
In January, the players found their niche with Christopher Marlowe's Edward II.
Horror Unspeakable is back for its third try tonight, opening Vincent of Gilgamesh under the direction of Stuart Eugene Bousel, who also directed Edward II.
Check out Vincent at the Cabaret Theater at the Temple of Music and Art. The show begins at 8 p.m. Other shows, also at 8, are scheduled for June 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23. Tickets cost $6. For reservations or more information, call 884-4967.
Friday 15
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY. Great food and excellent music are just the start.
The annual Juneteenth celebration at Kennedy Park also promises dancing and arts and crafts, all in a warm family atmosphere. The theme of the two-day event is The Odyssey Continues--Moving Forward, Looking Back.
The 31st annual party runs 6 to 10 p.m. today, featuring a gospel music fest, and 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, featuring a variety of R&B, rap and jazz, at the park at 1700 S. Mission Road, near La Cholla Boulevard and Ajo Way. For more information, call 237-3939.
Saturday 16
STILL SINGING STRONG. She wrote "Society's Child" and "At Seventeen" in 1967 and followed them with "Jesse" in the 1970s.
"Jesse," which was turned into a pop standard by Roberta Flack, solidified Janis Ian's position as a great songwriter. Not afraid to tackle tough, emotional subjects, Ian wrote the AIDS anthem "When Angels Cry."
Since then, Ian's own onstage work has come a long way; in March 2000, she performed, along with Elton John and Tony Bennett, at the Gavin Convention for Radio. Ian has been featured in the soundtracks of numerous movies, including Foxes, The Bell Jar and Falling from Grace.
But a critic recently ventured that the Nashville artist is far from finished honing her musical talents. While Ian's "voice and pen are still in fine form ... her best-kept secret may be her guitar playing, with a unique array of effects," he wrote in Gavin Magazine.
If you want to hear Ian, make plans now because she doesn't come to town very often--the last time was in 1995--and tonight's show is her only Arizona concert this year.
Ian takes the stage at 8 tonight at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd., a half-mile west of I-10. All seats are reserved. Tickets cost $18, or $16 for In Concert! members. Tickets are available at Hear's Music, 2508 N. Campbell Ave.; Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave.; and by phone at 327-4809. For more information, visit www.inconcert.tucson.az.us. See "Janis Ian at 17, Plus 33 1/3," page 42, for further elucidation.
FACING THE LIGHT. Black-and-white film, available light and minimal equipment.
Add everyday people and photographer Edward McCain will go to town. Actually, he headed for Tucson's South Park Avenue neighborhood for the images that comprise an exhibition of portraits.
"The people I met and photographed astonished me with their openness and warmth," McCain said. "I chose to picture people in their favorite places, their homes, churches and public spaces where they could be comfortable."
McCain, whose strongest artistic influences are Edward Weston, Walker Evans, Irving Penn and Brian Lanker, said that limiting himself to black-and-white film and available light resulted in a "sense of authenticity."
Check out South Park Avenue Neighborhood Portraits at the Gallery in Hotel Congress. The show, presented in association with Elizabeth Cherry Contemporary Art, opens today and runs through August 3. An artist reception begins at 7:30 tonight at the hotel, 311 E. Congress St. For more information, call 903-0577.
MYSTERIOUS SIGNINGS. If you're one of those people on the bus with your nose in a good book, silently trying to find another clue before your stop, here's an event for you.
A couple of award-winning authors are in town today to sign copies of their new private-eye mysteries.
Steve Hamilton, whose work has been sweeping up mystery awards for the past several years, will sign his new book, The Hunting Wind. Charles Knief, who won the best first private-eye novel award in 1995, is back with Silver-Sword.
The writers will visit Clues Unlimited mystery bookstore in Broadway Village at 3 p.m. today. The bookstore is located at Broadway Boulevard and Country Club Road, at 123 S. Eastbourne. The event is free. For more information, call 326-8533 or e-mail clues@azstarnet.com.
NINE EASY PIECES. You may not know what a lute is, but you probably know good music when you hear it.
Cuban lute player Barbarito Torres, known for his performance with the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club, brings his nine-piece Cuban band to Plaza Palomino tonight.
A lute is a short-necked, pear-shaped, 12-string instrument. Torres is a master, having played the lute since he was 10 years old. He prides himself in presenting the true sounds of the Cuban countryside, playing the genre known there as guajira, or blues.
Torres is touring in support of his debut solo album, Havana Cafe. His concerts have been selling out across the country. He says his success has been a pleasant surprise, that he is "someone with a lot of fantasy in (his) life" right about now.
Tonight's concert, part of the Courtyard Concert Series, begins at 8 p.m. Plaza Palomino is located at Fort Lowell and Swan roads. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $27 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Antigone Books, Brew and Vine, City Grill, Hear's Music and Enchanted Earthworks. Tickets also may be charged by phone at 297-9133.
Saturday 16
ART CRUISE. If the Central Tucson Gallery Association christened its fall season with The Big Picture, it's sailing into summer on an Art Cruise. The association, intended to let folks know just how many contemporary art galleries there are downtown and thereabouts, plans coordinated openings so art lovers can navigate from one gallery to another in a single evening. This time around, a fine flotilla of nine galleries throw down their gangways to the general public, staggering their hours between 6 and 10 p.m.
Rivera, the newest gallery to lay anchor in the rough seas of downtown, is at 276 E. Congress St. (882-6654). Open from 6 to 9 p.m., the gallery offers up works by several artists, cello music and a demonstration of painting techniques. Central Arts, 302 E. Congress (623-4588), gives a big Roar, an exhibition by women artists, from 7 to 9 p.m. Ed McCain shows portraits of South Tucsonans at the Elizabeth Cherry space at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress (903-0577), from 7:30 to 9:30.
GOCAIA welcomes the invitational Family to 302 E. Congress St. (623-4588) from 7 to 9 p.m. Hazmat, 197 E. Toole Ave. (624-5019), gives us Broad, a look at six artists from around the country, from 6 to 10 p.m. Dinnerware closes down its Ninth Annual Biennial National Juried Exhibition, with works hand-picked by the famous Fritz Scholder, with a cruise bash from 7 to 9 p.m. at 135 E. Congress (792-4503).
Over in the Warehouse District, Davis Dominguez enjoys smooth sailing with its Ninth Annual (All Tucson) Small Works Show. The opening is from 6 to 8 p.m. at 154 E. Sixth St. (629-9759). At Raices Taller 222 Gallery and Workshop, new members embark on Freedom/Libertad. Reception is 5 to 9 p.m. at 222 E. Sixth St. (792-9519).
Sunday 17
LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX. Walk through many Tucson neighborhoods and you might bump into a resident or two, probably being pulled along by a dog.
Now mosey over to Sonora Cohousing on Roger Road and take a look around. You'll see attractive homes built in an unusual arrangement that seems to result in a real community. You'll find neighbors out and about in a friendly courtyard setting, working on the landscaping, playing with their kids or just enjoying each other's company.
Stone Curves: A New Cohousing Neighborhood, a presentation and tour, is designed to teach people more about what cohousing is, what it looks like and how the whole thing works. At the conclusion of an informative talk there will be a walk through Sonora and a look at a new cohousing site at Stone and Limberlost.
The two-hour event takes place at 2 p.m. today at Sonora Cohousing's Common House at 501 E. Roger Road. For more information, call 293-5290.
BETTER THAN A TIE. Give Dad a gift he'll remember without choking.
Forget the tie and take him to the Arizona Repertory Singers' fifth annual Father's Day concert.
From Brahms to Bodine is an eclectic program of music spanning Baroque to the 20th century.
The concert features the Southwest premiere of a new work for choir and percussion by UA alum Bradley Bodine called Desert Songs. The work is based on three texts from Arizona author Byrd Baylor's Desert Voices.
Verdi's famous Ave Maria also is on the slate. The show closes with some Broadway favorites featured on the choir's newest CD, From the Top.
The concert begins at 2:30 p.m. at Holsclaw Hall in the University of Arizona music building. Tickets cost $12 general, $10 students and seniors. For more information, call 792-8141 or visit www.arsingers.org.
Monday 18
BEHIND THE SCENES. There's only one requirement for a new program at the Arizona Historical Society Museum: Students must bring a sack lunch and an active imagination.
Kids 13-15 years old will learn all about the behind-the-scenes work at the museum during the week-long Museum Youth Curator Experience.
They'll have access to museum departments and professionals and get hands-on experience using the tools, methods and materials of museum curators.
The program will culminate in students researching a chosen topic, selecting related artifacts, writing interpretive labels and putting together their own museum exhibit.
The school runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through June 29 at the museum, located at 949 E. Second St. For more information, call Kyle Vilott at 628-5774, ext. 156.
Tuesday 19
DON'T BE A RACIST. Find new understanding about the ways racism affect us every day.
A four-hour workshop, Unlearning Racism: The Color of Fear, is being sponsored by the YWCA of Tucson--and for good reason. The workshop will provide a forum for participants to discover conscious and unconscious ways that racism has affected their lives.
Participants explore personal perceptions and issues concerning race, conflict and internalized racism. This workshop includes the viewing of the film The Color of Fear.
The workshop is in keeping with the mission of the YWCA of Tucson: "To create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power" and the elimination of racism wherever it exists.
The workshop is from 1 to 5 this afternoon at the Northwest Neighborhood Center, 2160 N. Sixth Ave. Other workshops, all at the Community Services Building, United Way Complex, 310 N. Commerce Park Loop, are scheduled for 5:30-9:30 p.m. June 21, 1-5 p.m. July 24 and 1-5 p.m. August 9.
The cost is $15 per person. For more information, or to register, contact the YWCA office at 884-7810.
Wednesday 20
ADO ABOUT SOMETHING. Way back around 1598, Shakespeare had to be chuckling to himself as he penned Much Ado About Nothing.
The drama satirizing love and courtliness between two Italian couples is among his wittiest works.
Much Ado offers a simple story--in fascinating and sophisticated style--about how perceptions of "love" relate to perceptions of beauty. Although many directors have altered the bard's work for more contemporary settings, Tucson Community Theatre's Michael Givens says he'll be playing it straight.
"I have decided to go back to the roots or the reality of the original production," he said. "The stage will be simple with little or no scenery, and we will be using a set of five wooden blocks arranged in different configurations to represent the scenes in the play."
Tonight's free performance is one of five at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Guests are invited to bring a blanket and picnic basket to this 14th annual Shakespeare under the Stars production. For more information, call 791-4663.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS. What could be better than the Discovery Channel?
Real life. Pull the kids away from the boob tube and enroll them in a two-day Junior Ranger Camp.
They'll learn about the desert and the ancients (prehistoric Hohokam) who lived here before the age of remote control. Park rangers promise to lead exciting and thought-provoking activities including hikes, orienteering, storytelling, environmental games and crafts.
The camp is designed to enable children to enjoy the outdoors and to build an appreciation for open spaces.
The camp, 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today and Thursday, is for children 9-11. Another camp for the same age group is scheduled for June 27 and 28. You can't beat the price--just $5 per child. Registration is required. Call the Red Hills Visitor Center at 733-5158.
