One of the highlights of this week's Scottsdale ArtWalk will be the opening of two new exhibitions at Lisa Sette Gallery, 4142 North Marshall Way in Scottsdale. Local artist Mayme Kratz, known for suspending insects and other found natural objects in cast resin, presents "If Only By Trace," a collection of sculpture and paintings. "The Dark Feels Beautiful," a series of photographs by Jayne Hinds Bidaut, captures the simple, exquisite beauty of insects using dry plate tintype, an archaic photographic method. An opening reception will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 6, and the exhibitions continue through March 29. For more information, visit www.lisasettegallery.com or call 480-990-7342.
Friday, March 7
An innovative dance performance, one that explores the beautiful possibilities of the human body, can spark the imagination especially when it's presented by one of Phoenix's most prolific modern dance ensembles, Scorpius Dance Theatre. The troupe presents two nights of challenging, creative choreography from director Lisa Starry and the Scorpius Dancers at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at the Herberger Theater Center Rehearsal Hall, 222 East Monroe. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 602-252-8497.
Saturday, March 8
You might be intimately familiar with the strange, kinky late-night escapades of Brad Majors and Janet Weiss at Dr. Frank-N-Furter's castle, but have you ever participated in the Rocky Horror Picture Show Annual Mardi Gras Night? Now in its fifth year, the outrageous event on Saturday, March 8, combines two occasions for debauchery: your favorite midnight movie and your favorite flamboyant holiday. If you've never done the Time Warp before, then that makes you a Rocky Horror "virgin" expect all kinds of wild and untamed things, from a Mardi Gras costume contest and drag queen contest to a performance of Moulin Horror, an original musical number that will precede the screening. All-ages admission is only $6 at the Spectrum Mall Cinemas, located inside Spectrum Mall (formerly Christown Mall) at the southeast corner of 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road. Arrival by 10:15 p.m. is strongly recommended to ensure parking and seating. To find out more, visit www.azrocky.com or call 602-201-1817.
If vigorous laughter helps you live longer, then Paul Rodriguez is our fountain of youth. The veteran comedian and actor keeps cracking up audiences across the country with a standup routine steeped in Latino-American culture, and he comes to the Valley on Saturday, March 8, for one special performance at the Celebrity Theatre, 440 North 32nd Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $38 to $62.50 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 480-784-4444.
Sunday, March 9
This month's installment of the Orpheum Theatre's Silent Sundays series, on Sunday, March 9, celebrates the ladies of silent film with a feature presentation of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, the popular 1917 flick starring "America's Sweetheart," Mary Pickford. A Betty Boop cartoon and rare early 20th-century shorts starring popular actresses of the era will also be screened, including Unseen Enemy with Lillian and Dorothy Gish, The Lonesome Operator with Blanche Sweet, and Mabel's Blunder with Mabel Normand. Ron Rhode's talents on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ will add to the silent film experience. The afternoon starts with free public tours of the Orpheum, 203 West Adams, at 12:30 p.m., plus a free organ concert for ticketholders at 2:30 p.m. Film screenings start at 3 p.m. and will include a 15-minute intermission. After the presentation, Arizona Film Commission's Linda Peterson Warren will lead a talk on women in film. All seats are reserved; call the Civic Plaza box office, 602-262-7272, or Tickets.com, 1-800-905-3315, to purchase tickets ($12 for adults, $10.50 for seniors, $6 for students). For additional information, visit www.silentsundays.com.
Monday, March 10
Arizona State University launches its new "Art and Society" lecture series with a presentation by the New York Times' director of photography Margaret O'Connor, whose breaking news coverage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and feature photography portraying the turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan produced two Pulitzer Prizes for the newspaper in 2002. O'Connor was also instrumental to the creation of "A Nation Challenged," a new Times section that reported on the aftermath of the attacks. She'll discuss her involvement with these history-making events at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, in Neeb Hall, located at the intersection of Forest and Tyler Malls on the ASU Main Campus in Tempe. Admission is free. Call 480-965-2787 for details.
Tuesday, March 11
Fans of defunct El Paso rock band At the Drive-In will groove to the sonic assault of Seattle quintet Pretty Girls Make Graves, the latest project for bassist Derek Fudesco of another defunct rock band, the Murder City Devils. But unlike the Devils, Pretty Girls push their punk sound in a more melodic direction. Front woman Andrea Zollo lends saucy vocals to the guitar-driven rhythms on the band's Lookout! Records LP Good Health. TDoors open at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at the Big Fish Pub, 1954 East University in Tempe. Admission is $10. Call 480-966-5010.
Wednesday, March 12
Get a literary and ethnic angle on Women's History Month on Wednesday, March 12, when Native American author and Arizona State University professor Dr. Laura Tohe discusses her recent anthology of fiction, prose and poetry, Sister Nations: Native American Women Writers on Community. The presentation, part of ASU's Lunchtime Lecture Series, runs from noon to 1 p.m. at the ASU Downtown Center, 502 East Monroe. Admission is free but registration is required; visit http://xedreg.asu.edu or call 480-965-3046 to sign up.
