7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

New Times picks the best things to do in the Phoenix area from Monday, April 18, through Thursday, April 21.

Crossfade LAB
When the CALA Alliance and ASU Art Museum announced that they would team up with help from Casandra Hernandez, we knew that the Valley was in for some stellar events. Case in point: the Monday, April 18, launch of Crossfade LAB. It’s a new series of conversations on art and creativity with Hernandez at the helm. Head to ASU’s Secret Garden, 1001 South Forest Mall in Tempe, for a discussion on Latino artistry moderated by LA music critic Josh Kun and including creatives Tania Candiani, Guillermo Galindo, and the Radio Healer collective from 7 to 10 p.m. The Garden is located within the Dixie Gammage Courtyard, and free parking is available in ASU’s Lot 20 at the northeast corner of 10th Street and Mill Avenue. RSVP to the free event through www.eventbrite.com. Becky Bartkowski

James Rollins & Grant Blackwood
To stop a madman from controlling the future of modern warfare, you do what you have to do, right? Tucker Wayne does, in any case. He’s the lead character in War Hawk, penned by thriller writers James Rollins and Grant Blackwood. In this new book, the former army ranger and his war dog team up with an old colleague to save the world from criminal masterminds. The best-selling collaborators sign copies from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, at The Poisoned Pen, 4014 North Goldwater Boulevard in Scottsdale. Admission is free; books for the signing are $27.99. Call 480-947-2974 or visit www.poisonedpen.com. Amy Young

Celia Putty's Game/Show
Is #WaybackWednesday a thing? It should be, because the throwback set is alive and well when drag queen Celia Putty resurrects the long-running game show Password for her own ongoing series, Celia Putty’s Game/Show. Known for bringing everything from board games to porn-inspired sets to gay bars Valley wide, Putty’s keeping it old school these days, pairing drag-scene notables and community members together every third Wednesday, and trading in the cash prizes for bar tabs for winners of this clue-centric guessing game.

This month’s 420-friendly Password play starts at 9 p.m. during Olivia Garden’s weekly drag set, Garden Variety Revue, on Wednesday, April 20, at Kobalt Bar, 3110 North Central Avenue. The 21-and-over show is free. For details and future shows, call 602-264-5307 or visit www.kobaltbarphoenix.com. Janessa Hilliard

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart
Spoiler: This is not groan-inducing interactive theater. No one’s going to make fun of your date or experimental updo, because this is actual theater.

Set in a pub surrounding the audience, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart – a product of the National Theatre of Scotland – immerses attendees into the wacky journey of an uptight academic’s self discovery.

Tickets for the 110-minute (add a 15-minute intermission) show are $39, plus a $10 food-and-beverage minimum. Content is recommended for ages 14 and up.

The production runs in the Virginia G. Piper Theater at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 East Second Street, from April 20 through 24. Wednesday, April 20’s showing starts at 7:30 p.m.

For details, visit www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org or call 480-499-8587. Lauren Cusimano

"Arizona Chic"
If anyone knows Southwestern style, it’s Robert Black. The model agency founder and owner of an eponymous vintage boutique in Scottsdale puts his extensive collection and knowledge to work in “Arizona Chic,” an exhibition featuring homegrown fashion designs and distinct Copper State style. Bringing together high-end wearables from long-gone department stores such as Goldwaters to budget-friendly frocks from reservation trading posts, the Vision Gallery show explores the unmistakable and yet varied styles of the state’s past. Get ready for resort wear and stellar colors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at 10 East Chicago Street in Chandler. Admission is free, and the show remains on view through April 30. See www.visiongallery.org for more. Becky Bartkowski

The Outgoing Tide
One of the most painful aspects of having a degenerative condition such as Alzheimer’s disease must be the periods of clarity when you’re aware of what’s happening and can see the inevitable future. That’s what’s happening to Gunner in Bruce Graham’s The Outgoing Tide, playing in its Arizona première at Theatre Artists Studio through Sunday, April 24.

Gunner doesn’t want to leave his home, but he knows his cognitive faculties are declining. His plan to address the problem is very different from what his family has in mind. The three-character play has been popular across the country since its 2011 Chicago première, which starred John Mahoney as Gunner.
The cast at the Studio consists of Michael Fleck, Judy Lebeau, and Steven Fajardo, directed by Judy Rollings. Showtime on Thursday, April 21, is 7:30 p.m. at 4848 East Cactus Road in Scottsdale. Tickets are $10 to $20 at www.thestudiophx.org or 602-765-0120.  Julie Peterson

Duul Nation
If you want to witness athletic prowess displayed in the form of eSport while mingling with other gaming maniacs, we just solidified your Thursday evening plans.

Duul Nation is hosting a launch party to celebrate its opening as a go-to gaming hub and destination for Duul, an eSports platform for gamers of all skill levels to compete for money and prizes. See how it works as you watch live showings of League of Legends tournaments. Get active yourself; the gaming center includes XB1, PS2, and SNES titles for you to play. It’s game on from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 21 at Duul Headquarters, 2103 East Cedar Street, Suite 105, in Tempe. Admission is free; get tickets online at www.duullaunchparty.eventbrite.com. Amy Young