Known for describing his stand-up comedy as “a puppet show, but way filthier and without the puppets,” Ari Shaffir isn’t afraid to bluntly offend any sensitive people who accidentally wandered into his performance. After pursuing comedy for almost two decades, the New York native and longtime LA resident finally managed…
Picture a tiny ballerina, with hair bun and tutu, methodically turning inside an old-fashioned jewelry box. For some, it’s the quintessential image of a dancer. Everything is evenly-paced and predictable. But that’s not the sort of ballet featured in Today’s Masters, a two-hour program being performed by Ballet Arizona through…
New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from Friday, March 25, through Sunday, March 27. Comedy on Fire For the better part of three years, comedian Matt Micheletti has hosted Comedy on Fire, a monthly stand-up show made up almost entirely of local comics. The nights have…
If Stray Cat Theatre’s new production of Stupid Fucking Bird wasn’t so thrilling to behold, one might entertain oneself trying to figure out where Aaron Posner’s story ends, and where Chekhov’s The Seagull, to which it (sort of) pays homage, begins. Or perhaps to figure out how many plays-within-a-play this…
Become one with the art. That’s pretty much the crux of this year’s Spark! Festival of Creativity at Mesa Arts Center, which happens from noon to 10 p.m. both Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19. Mesa Arts Center has presented the free festival, which typically blends interactive arts experiences…
No joke, Phoenix is a pretty funny place. Thanks to comedians hosting shows on the regular, solid comedy clubs, and a thriving improv and sketch scene, there’s pretty much no excuse not to laugh on the regular. And that’ll be extra true the weekend of April 8 through 10, when…
iTheatre Collaborative was announced as the newest resident company at downtown Phoenix’s Herberger Theater Center on March 3. Other resident companies at the arts venue, built in 1989, are Arizona Theatre Company and Center Dance Ensemble, both longtime staples of the Arizona arts scene. Founded in 2002, iTheatre focuses on creating performing…
New Times picks the best arts and culture events in metro Phoenix from February 29 to March 4. The Danserye Leap Day suggests leaping about the dance floor. But it’s Monday, and you’re wiped. The next best thing is listening to dance music — beats from assorted cultures and historical…
Water, art, and light. That’s the typical triad for the annual Canal Convergence, presented by Scottsdale Public Art along the Scottsdale Waterfront. This year’s ran from Thursday to Sunday, February 25 to 28. Light figured prominently in most of our favorites this time around, including floating sculptures made with fishing…
Michael 23 has been doing some serious math. Recently, the artist and business owner (who uses the last name 23 because he’s fascinated by the number) learned that the building where he’s spent 15 years operating The Firehouse art space with his wife Joanna Lee is up for sale. So…
Everybody needs a good art binge now and then, and it’s about time to rev up for the next one. It’s Canal Convergence 2016, taking place Thursday, February 25, to Sunday, February 28, in downtown Scottsdale. During 29 hours over the course of four days, Scottsdale Public Art will transform…
Decisions, decisions. “Should we lop off their heads or leave their heads on?” So went the discussions as Michelle Dock, gallery coordinator for The Gallery at Tempe Center for the Arts, prepared to open “Merely Players,” an exhibition featuring costumes, design sketches, and a costume shop replica. “It’s been a…
Some time ago, I adopted a rule about not reviewing theater students while they’re learning their craft. But last fall, I bumped into actor/director Pamela Fields, who told me about the upcoming production of Lasso of Truth she was directing at ASU. Fields made it sound so interesting, I resolved…
This summer will mark three years since George Zimmerman’s trial ended in acquittal. After a jury found Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin, three women launched a movement via social media using three simple words and a hashtag: #blacklivesmatter. Today, the national Black Lives Matter organization works to affirm…
“The Sleeping Beauty truly is the best ballet,” Ib Andersen writes in the program notes for Ballet Arizona’s production of the classic ballet, which runs through Sunday, February 14, at Phoenix Symphony Hall. “The Nutcracker is good, Swan Lake is good, but The Sleeping Beauty is the ultimate classical ballet…
By the end of 2017, Mesa will be home to about 50 new units of artist live/work space, created through a partnership with Artspace, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that specializes in art-friendly residential developments. The City of Mesa invited Artspace to explore creating an artist live/work space development in Mesa during…
If you’re looking to laugh sometime in the next few months, we’ve got good news for you. There’s a ridiculous amount of comedy coming through the Valley in the next few months. Which is why we created a list of the 20 best for you (in chronological order). Cotter &…
New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from February 1 to February 4. It’s Not for Everyone Though this show is called “It’s Not For Everyone,” there’s a good chance it’ll be a laugh riot for you. Comedians Erick Biez and Angela Merkin Haines host a new…
Phoenix sound artist Tony Obr sat behind a table topped by a silver Apple laptop computer Friday night, amplifying the sounds created as visual artist Heather Couch pounded a large clump of clay on the stage at Tempe Center for the Arts. Fumihiro Kikuchi, the choreographer and dancer whose Amalgamations opened…
Last month, I met an actress who told me I’d once compared her performance in a play to “a dank flatulence.” I don’t remember this, but it sounds like something I might have written, so I believed her. She may be relieved to know I found her neither humid nor…
Gracie Whyte and Laura Berg have a thing for dancing in unexpected places. The women behind the Los Angeles-based dance duo known collectively as WHYTEBERG have performed to Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” in the left turn lane of a street in Echo Park, and to the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me…
Break out your best happy dance. Choreographer, performer, writer, and educator Liz Lerman recently joined the faculty for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU. As Institute Professor, she’ll lead programs and courses that span disciplines within and beyond the Herberger Institute. Lerman founded the Liz Lerman…
