Here's how to spend the next few days in and around Phoenix, weekend warrior.
Good 'N Plenty Artist Grant @ Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art While aspiring artists and creative types will find sugary treats, courtesy of Essence Bakery and Cartel Coffee Lab, at SMoCA Lounge's latest Good 'N Plenty artist grant event, also up for grabs will be some pretty sweet prize money.
See also: New Times Calendar of Events
Here's how it works: Up until about a week before the grant event, locals can submit proposals for artsy projects to SMoCA. Six of those projects are chosen to compete for said grant, which is community-funded by tickets sold to the grant event and to events like this summer's Grocery Bagging for Art. Scottsdale Public Art gets in on the action by matching funds. After their presentations, the audience votes on what project they think is best, and the winner is selected.
So listen up (and snag a sweet snack or two) when the Good 'N Plenty go-getters share their ideas starting at on Friday, September 6, at 7374 East Second Street. Tickets are $10 and available at www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/smoca-events.php or by calling 480-499-8587. For details, visit www.smocalounge.org. -- Becky Bartkowski
The Great American Trailer Park Musical @ Arizona Broadway Theatre Put on your Daisy Dukes and your finest "Who Farted?" T-shirt, the The Great American Trailer Park Musical is taking its rednecks on the road and dumping their theatrical trash in Phoenix. Described by the New York Sun as "South Park meets Desperate Housewives," this Broadway spectacle offers everything from spray cheese and roadkill to kleptomania and strippers.
Written and directed by Betsy Kelso with music and lyrics by David Nehls, The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a colorful depiction of Central Florida's finest. The mobile home inhabitants take to the stage Friday, September 6, at Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 West Paradise Lane in Peoria. Showtime is 5:30 p.m. Friday, September 6. Tickets start at $63 and include dinner. The show runs through Sunday, September 29. Visit www.azbroadway.org or call 623-776-8400 for more information. -- Katie Johnson
Brazilian Day Arizona Festival 2013 @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts For Arizonans, Brazil's independence from Portugal may not be as well known as our own Fourth of July or even Mexican Independence Day (which, contrary to popular belief, is not Cinco de Mayo), but each September thousands gather for a celebration nearly rivaling Carnaval.
Brazilian Day Arizona boasts a crash course in all things Brazil, including demonstrations ranging from Capoeira and Jiu Jitsu to percussion tutorials, Afro Dancing, and an open-to-the-public Samba Queen Contest. Soul samba trio Boca do Rio from Brazil, reggae group Bloco Axe from Los Angeles, and SoChu House's resident DJ Byron Fenix are just a few of the more than 40 performers slated to bring Brazilian beats to the masses.
The celebration is from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, September 7, at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 East Second Street. Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for children. Call 480-499-8587 or visit www.braziliandayarizona.com. -- Janessa Hilliard
Tom Green @ Tempe Improv Tom Green is a weird guy. It's been almost 15 years since "The Bum Bum Song" was prominently featured on MTV and the comedian televised his testicular cancer surgery. Since then, Green has kind of dropped off the radar, but his website reveals adventures in getting tattoos and hanging out with Insane Clown Posse. It may not be as over the top as Green switching places with Andy Dick and the duo proceeding to act as obnoxiously as possible, but Tom Green still has his edge as far as awkward, gross-out humor is concerned. Green's foray into stand-up comedy brings us back to his goofball Freddy Got Fingered and Stealing Harvard days.
Join Tom Green with laughs about bum bums and sausage at 7 p.m. Sunday, September 8, at Tempe Improv, 930 East University Drive. Tickets to this 18-and-over show are $22. Call 480-921-9877 or visit tempeimprov.com. -- Melissa Fossum
Robin Hood @ Center for the Arts Vigilante redistribution of wealth is still frowned upon, and members of the 1 percent, while often philanthropic, rarely make it rain on the rest of us one on one. But you can enjoy the fantasy of taking from the rich and giving to the poor at Childsplay's production of Robin Hood, one of the coolest semi-legends ever. This script, by Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis' Greg Banks, artfully blurs the distinction between the 12th century and ours. There's a longbow in the hands of Maid Marian as well, which should please our Katniss Everdeen- and Merida-obsessed sprouts 7 and older.
Sunday, September 8's 4 p.m. preview features $12 seats for everybody and a free book for each family attending (sponsored by the Steele Foundation). The adventure continues through Sunday, October 6, at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway. Regular admission is $12 to $25; visit www.tca.ticketforce.com or call 480-350-2822. -- Julie Peterson
