Arts advocates have cause to celebrate, now that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has signed a budget that includes $1.5 million in funding for Arizona Commission on the Arts – a state agency charged with stimulating the arts, fostering public participation in the arts, and encouraging an appreciation for the state’s…
David Cross is a man of many characters. From Arrested Development’s quirky Tobias Fünke, who suffered from a “never nude” condition that spurred him to be clad in cut-offs 24/7, to the redneck Ronnie Dobbs, introduced to the world on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show, Cross’ knack for embracing and emphasizing…
Folks who’ve been following local theater for any amount of time hear Equity actor Angelica Howland’s name and think of her performances in The Yellow Boat at Childsplay. Or her turn in Quills at In Mixed Company. Or one of her personal favorites: as the sexy ingénue in The Vibrator…
Duane Daniels sits in a small audience chair on the momentarily empty stage of Space 55. Blue Galaxy, which he’s directing, opens April 29 — one week out, at the time he spoke with us — so Daniels can be forgiven for looking a bit tired, and he does. Or…
More than a dozen dancers gathered in a dance studio with a long wall of windows overlooking a bustling city street Wednesday night, ready to share a sneak peek of a new dance work they’ll be premiering later this month. They’re all cast members for L.O.V.E., a new production created…
New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from April 22 through 24. For more arts, culture, food, and music events in the Valley, see our curated online calendar. Beer Olympics New Times and Tempe Marketplace have joined forces once again for the third annual Beer Olympics, where…
New Times picks the best events in metro Phoenix from Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17. For more things to do, see our curated calendar of events. Dance: Inventions & Conventions Most students can already feel the fear — and freedom — of finals right around the corner. And for…
New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from Monday, April 11, through Thursday, April 14. Once Upon a Mattress If you’re famous, your big break came along somewhere back there, and however hard you worked and prepared, chances are it was serendipitous and unexpected. For Carol Burnett,…
When you picture sunrise in Old Town Scottsdale, a double set of flashing disco lights might not come to mind. But that’s what you’ll find at a new fitness studio called Studio 103, where even the 6 a.m. classes blend calorie burning with club-style dance. Located at 4385 North 75th…
New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from April 8 to 10. Bird City Comedy Festival Phoenix has humor, people — and the Bird City Comedy Festival is here to prove it. The three-day fête à funny brings nationally known comedians and homegrown stand-ups together for 33…
There’s no shortage of festivals geared toward funny throughout the year. Montréal has Just For Laughs, San Francisco and Chicago each have a Sketchfest, and New York City has, well, New York Comedy Festival. And while Austin’s SXSW and Los Angeles’ RiotLA are only a road trip away, Arizona’s corner…
Turn to any cable news channel, and you’ll hear endless chatter about borders and immigration, both in the Americas and abroad. But for all the talk, anti-immigrant policies still prevail. So San Francisco-based artist Ana Teresa Fernandez takes a different approach, engaging community members along the U.S. and Mexico border…
Kathleen Madigan’s comedic beginnings sound a lot like the start of a joke, except Madigan really did walk into a bar — a bar that just happened to double as a comedy club. It was right next to one she worked at, she says, and after going up during an open…
In the first scene of this three-act play — call it Who’s Afraid of Alternative Theater? or maybe Revenge of Master Ronald and the Boys — we find thespian game-changer Ron May standing in the dusty courtyard of a big, shiny, downtown playhouse. Circled by a small group of well-wishers, he is smoking…
Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre is moving to the former Harkins Fashion Square 7 movie theater location inside Scottsdale Fashion Square. The nonprofit theatrical group, which has been located at 4720 North Scottsdale Road since 2004, announced the news on Monday, April 4. “We are delighted to announce our plans to move into such a prominent…
All season, I’ve been counting the weeks until Arizona Theatre Company’s production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, which opened on Saturday and runs through mid-April. Despite my anticipation, I was not, by and large, disappointed. Steinbeck wrote the adaption of his 1937 novella that same year, when it…
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…
