9 Best Things to Do This Week in Metro Phoenix

New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from Monday, June 13, through Thursday, June 16. For more events, see our curated calendar. 

Drink and Draw
Move over dorks and dorkesses, there’s a new D&D in town. The First Draft Book Bar is hosting its first ever life-drawing event, dubbed Drink and Draw, which pretty succinctly sums up what it’s about. Ideal for all skill levels, the session features a local model ready for a three-hour sitting, as well as wine, craft beer, coffee, and more at the bar. Just be sure to bring your own art supplies.

Drink and draw your Monday night away from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on June 13 at Changing Hands Bookstore, 300 West Camelback Road. Cost is $8 per person – um, future artist. Those planning to attend can register in person at the bookstore or by calling 602-274-0067. For more information, visit www.changinghands.com. Lauren Cusimano

Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers
A longstanding feud between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers might have been overshadowed in recent months by an ugly one between the Dodgers and the New York Mets, but — as Taylor Swift might argue — bad blood tends to linger. Especially among division rivals. So with the Dodgers and the snakes underperforming thus far, it’s a safe assumption that both teams will be ratcheting up the intensity in their upcoming series at Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street. The three-game series kicks off at 6:40 p.m. on Monday, June 13. And with the San Francisco Giants running away with the division, it’s a must-win situation for both teams — and a must-watch for fans of either. Tickets are $14 and up. Visit www.dbacks.com or call 602-5140-8400 for details. Rob Kroehler

Arizona Drag Stars
The magic’s in the makeup as a handful of beautiful boys transform into fierce females for the debut of Arizona Drag Stars, a salty show of slapstick, stand-up, and singing and lip syncing alike.

Charlie’s regulars will recognize hostess Neveah McKenzie from High Heels & Halos at the Seventh Avenue staple. During Drag Stars, she shares the spotlight with other notable names, including Mya McKenzie (Miss Gay AZ United States 2015 and 15-year veteran of the tuck-and-twirl scene); Sasha Bratz (part of a new ensemble show, The Showgirl Follies, on Sundays at BS West); Luna Love St. James (who’s performed celebrity impersonations at Tempe Improv); and Dee Jae Galaxy (former Mister Phoenix Pride).

Sass starts at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue. Advance tickets ($10) to the 18-and-over show can be purchased online at www.crescentphx.com or at 602-716-2222. Admission is $15 at the door. Janessa Hilliard

Newsies
You’ve probably wondered what 17-year-old Christian Bale was doing in 1991. Well, he was wrapping the Disney film Newsies, a full-on musical about the newsboys’ strike of 1899. Newsboys? They were like if teenagers walked the streets competing to sell you Wi-Fi access. (Oh, and if you’re from Arizona, you might not know what a strike is, either.)

The poorly attended movie became a video-rental dynamo, and a 2011 stage musical followed. Newsies probably always belonged on stage, where it’s easier to believe that working-class urchins have time to sing and dance. The show also commemorates the “brawling in the streets” aspect of the American labor movement. Brooklyn in the house!

The Valley stop of Disney’s North American tour opens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, and continues through Sunday, June 19, at ASU Gammage, 1200 South Forest Avenue in Tempe. Tickets are $20 to $150 at www.ticketmaster.com or 480-965-3434. Julie Peterson

F For Fake
For summer ’16, Contemporary Forum is bringing a slate of films to Phoenix Art Museum that were chosen to explore the world of forgery in the arts. The free and monthly screening series begins on Wednesday, June 15, with the 6:30 p.m. showing of Orson Welles’ 1973 documentary, F for Fake, which follows famed art schemer Elmyr de Hory and his biographer. Next in the series is the scripted caper How to Steal a Million, which stars Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole, on July 20. Art and Craft completes the trifecta on August 17 with the story of Mark Landis, who donated his faux masterpieces to museums. See if you can spot the difference at 1625 North Central Avenue. For more details, see www.phxart.org or call 602-247-1880. Becky Bartkowski


Spelling Bee-r
The two winning words from this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee were “gesellschaft” and “Feldenkrais,” words that you’ve probably never heard before and very likely will never read again. And that’s the problem with most spelling bees: The terms being spelled out have no purpose in everyday life. Valley Bar’s Spelling Bee-r solves this by putting the focus on beer — something every adult should know a lot about. Wannabe competitors should e-mail [email protected] for a chance to get on stage, but even spectators will be able to enjoy beer specials from Four Peaks. S-W-E-E-T.

The Spelling Bee-r begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, in the basement at 130 North Central Avenue. The 21-and-over event is free. Visit valleybarphx.com for more. Zach Fowle

Whitney Terrell Book Signing
Can’t say we’ve ever heard of a war without a body count. And though fictional, Whitney Terrell’s war novel, The Good Lieutenant, is no exception. In his latest military thriller, the story unravels from end to beginning to outline exactly how main character Emma Fowler and the platoon in her command are wrongly led into compromising situations with fatal results. The writer, professor, and former war journalist signs copies from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore, 4014 North Goldwater Boulevard in Scottsdale. Admission is free, while books for the signing are $26. Call 480-947-2974 or visit www.poisonedpen.com. Amy Young

Free Sutra Yoga
We’re not quite sure what it is about humans that makes them love being on roofs, but the folks at Lustre Rooftop Bar and Sutra yoga studio are familiar with the phenomenon — and willing to indulge downtown’s alotophile set with a summertime weekly yoga series on top of Hotel Palomar. The theme varies from meditation and tranquil, candlelit classes to musically inspired sessions each Thursday, and on June 16, Lexy Zanis leads a flow class that’s more of the latter, pairing poses with 1990s hip-hop by DJ YKNOT. The free class starts at 7 p.m. at Two East Jefferson Street. Attendees are encouraged to bring water, a mat, and a towel. For details, see www.sutrastudios.com. Becky Bartkowski

The Great Museum
Think you’re fussy about how things get arranged inside your clothes closet or desk drawers? Imagine being charged with arranging art objects and working with others who have their own sets of peculiarities.
That’s the setting for the documentary The Great Museum, which explores both the quirks of museum staff inside an esteemed European art institution and significant issues in the world of art – including the role of art in the representation of national identity in politics and tourism. Part soap opera, part treatise on temporality and transience, the film takes viewers behind-the-scenes to witness what it takes to keep museums open and relevant.

Catch a 7 p.m. film screening on Thursday, June 16, at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 7374 East Second Street. Then stay for a post-film discussion with Casandra Hernandez, curator of CALA initiatives for ASU Art Museum. Admission is $7. Visit www.smoca.org. Lynn Trimble