How do you make fine art and still make a living? It’s a query that artist and adjunct faculty member Jon Haddock poses to his students at Phoenix College and a topic that, he believes, we too often take for granted. Haddock had this theme in mind when he curated…
Frank Higgins’ The Taste Test is a smartly written, talky play about power struggle and betrayal. Its snappy dialogue and brittle undertones require a strong cast and tight direction to sell finer points and to keep the story moving. Unfortunately, the Black Theatre Troupe production does not offer these amenities…
Brace yourself: For the next three weeks, more than a million people will converge on the Arizona State Fair, lured by the promise of cotton candy, petting zoos, and the timeless ballads of Meat Loaf. For $10, that’s a lot of entertainment (and unparalleled people-watching). At more than 130 years,…
It’s the Fourth of July, and Jessica Nigri is alive with color. And just like the fireworks shows that are a hallmark of the holiday, the Phoenix resident has the rapt attention of a large audience. It’s an absolute mob scene inside the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention…
It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year. By that we mean: Crafeteria 2015 returns on Friday, December 4, to Medlock Plaza. And the good folks at Frances, the Central Phoenix boutique that puts on the annual marketplace, are looking for vendors to hawk their goods at the 10th edition…
For just a few days, from a high point along Highway 2 in the Mexican town of Agua Prieta, the view looking north and south was particularly breathtaking. From there, people could see not only the desert landscape awash in various shades of green and gold, but also two lines…
I hate crowdfunding. But I’m willing to have my opinion changed. Meantime, here’s a warning: It’s going to take a lot for me to stop thinking of crowdfunding as a pathetic plea for money from people who frankly ought to know better. People will have to stop begging, for one…
Christmas decorations have started to make appearances in department stores around the Valley. Before you start freaking out about holiday shopping, push those worries aside and enjoy the upcoming week knowing that you can attend some pretty cool events without dropping a single dime. Our gift to you includes the…
A terrible Beach Boys song it is not. Instead, Docomomo is an internationally engaged group that supports the “documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movement.” (The name picks and chooses letters from its mission.) Each year, the Docomomo US tour day showcases and raises awareness of…
Yakuza Apocalypse Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike’s latest movie Yakuza Apocalypse has been called “inspired lunacy.” This action thriller, packed with martial arts, supernatural beings, and lots of blood, should get you in the mood for Halloween, and it’s screening at FilmBar, 815 North Second Street, October 9 to 13. But…
When acclaimed author James Sallis tendered his resignation from his teaching post at Phoenix College at the end of September, he thought he’d leave his position, explain his decision to his students, and quietly spend his time at home getting to work on two new novels. Instead, the former creative…
Not many months ago, we found a website, Zen Pencils, which deftly combines some of our favorite things: comics, pithy quotes, and short biographies. The site’s been up since early 2012, but we’re almost glad we’re behind the curve because now there are two Zen Pencils books to savor —…
With the holidays fast approaching, we’re taking a cozy approach with the November 19 installment of Bar Flies, New Times’ monthly live reading series at Valley Bar in downtown Phoenix. The theme: Family Ties. The readers: Maxfield Barker, Evie Carpenter, Nikki DeLeon, Katie Johnson, and Molly McCloy. Johnson is curating, with music by Kevin Vaugh-Brubaker…
I have, on very rare occasions, left theater productions at intermission. When I’ve done so, it’s not only because the mess onstage has run me out of the room, but because I’ve also determined I have nothing greater to share about the production than a list of its inadequacies. That…
It’s no secret that budget constraints impact artistic endeavors. For iTheatre Collaborative, it’s a reality played out in the recent decision to scrap a show planned for its current season. After not receiving a $5,000 grant they’d hoped for, the theater company decided to cancel Port Authority, which was scheduled…
Emerging and established dancers are taking to the stage at Tempe Center for the Arts for this weekend’s Arizona Dance Festival, a two-evening event featuring separate lineups. More than a dozen dancers and dance companies will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10. The event…
Guys do some really dumb stuff, particularly when around a woman they like. Making too many stupid mistakes while still in the courting process can end a relationship before it had time to get off the ground. And that happens all too often in today’s world. Here are 10 dumb…
Repellent Fence It’s a truth that comes in many forms to the border areas between the United States and Mexico: If you can’t reach through the fence, reach over it. That same concept drives Postcommodity, a long-term social collaboration between artists and activists Raven Chacon, Cristobal Martinez, and Kade L…
Everybody has their favorite comfort foods, the ones they return to time and time again when they want to feel safe and satisfied. Think mac and cheese, or ice cream eaten right out of the container. They’re beloved for their familiarity, or the memories they conjure. That same impulse to…
Michael Shannon isn’t a stickler for rules. In his career, he’s ignored most of them, especially the mandate that a theater-trained, Oscar-nominated actor should shun the large roles in dumb movies that let him afford the smart ones. (See: Kangaroo Jack, Bad Boys II, Premium Rush, Man of Steel.) Shannon’s…
Seductive vampires writhed their way around the stage last week as Scorpius Dance Theatre opened its 12th annual run of A Vampire Tale — a show conceived, choreographed, and directed by Lisa Starry, the company’s artistic director. It’s being performed at Hormel Theatre, located on the Phoenix Theatre campus, through Saturday, October…
The Bureau of Land Management has a big job: It has to oversee 245 million acres of public land, track herds of wild horses, deal with forest fires, and patrol the wilderness for smugglers. Last week, they added another checkbox to their task list: Map the sweetest mountain bike trails…
