Angels in America

Angels in America is one of the best plays ever. Nearly Naked Theatre is a knockout theater company. We could just say, “Go,” and leave room for more ads on this page. But, for a constellation of reasons we’ll leave unexplored for now, we’ll divulge some more.

Subtitled A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Tony Kushner’s two-part 1993 play (Millennium Approaches and Perestroika) is inescapably rooted in the AIDS crisis, touching on love and death, power and fury, things that can’t be explained and things that are all too clear. The plays continue in repertory through Saturday, June 27. Friday, June 12’s performance is Perestroika, at 8 p.m. at Phoenix Theatre, 100 East McDowell Road. Tickets start at $22 to $28 at www.nearlynaked.org or 602-254-2151. Julie Peterson

"State of Exception"

If you’ve been in Arizona for five seconds or more, you know that the U.S.-Mexico border is an especially big deal. Actually, you don’t even have to be in this state to know that. Issues with the border have woven themselves into almost every aspect of life: politics, day-to-day interactions, and, of course, art. In a collaboration between photographer Richard Barnes, artist and curator Amanda Krugliak, and anthropologist Jason De León, “State of Exception” uses images and video of over 300 water bottles, backpacks, and other objects left behind to explore the experiences of undocumented migrants making their way to the States. Originally presented at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, this exhibition is on display from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 12, and through August 8 at the ASU Art Museum International Artist Residency Program at Combine Studios, 821 North Third Street. For more information, visit asuevents.asu.edu/state-exception. Evie Carpenter

id

If you think about it, reading another person’s words is the closest thing to actually being inside another human’s brain. We’ll give you a second for your mind to recover from being blown. We think watching someone dance is a close second, especially when those dancers are interpreting a part of the human mind. Dulce Dance Company will be channeling their inner Sigmund Freud and exploring one singular part of human identity in id on Saturday, June 13, at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway. Freud said the id was one third of every human’s personality and included the most basic instincts. You can expect that Dulce Dance Company will take full advantage of the many aspects of the id through the choreography by Candy Jimenez. Tickets are $20 per person, and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. For more info, visit www.facebook.com/dulcedancecompany. Evie Carpenter

7 Minutes in Heaven

Crazed doesn’t just mean “[kreyzd] adjective 1. insane; demented. 2. suffering loss of emotional control.” (Thanks, dictionary.com!) It also means cracked, like the glaze on a teacup. That makes it a perfect word to describe 7 Minutes in Heaven, which is demented, out of control, and cracked in all the right ways. The recurring program at Space 55 gives its performers carte blanche (oh, look it up yourself) to present whatever they wish, unvetted, as long as it doesn’t last longer than seven minutes each, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending. And it’s not for kids, duh.

Showtime is 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, at 636 East Pierce Street. Tickets are $10. The heaven continues weekly through Saturday, June 27. Visit www.space55.org. Julie Peterson

"The '80s Portrait Show"

Jon Arvizu’s no stranger to pop culture. The Scottsdale-based artist and designer often deals in iconic mid-century imagery: Audrey Hepburn in a habit, national parks signage, and excitable pinup girls. But for his new show at Practical Art, the creative takes on the 1980s, screen printing portraits of the decade’s icons, including Pee-wee Herman, Chevy Chase, and Molly Ringwald. See “The 80s Portrait Show” at Practical Art, 5070 North Central Avenue. Hours on Sunday, June 14, are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the show is on view daily through Tuesday, June 30. Visit www.practical-art.com or call 602-264-1414. Becky Bartkowski

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