10 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

New Times picks the best events and things to do in metro Phoenix from Friday, July 8, through Sunday, July 10. For more options, see our curated online calendar.

Dan Schay New Works Festival
Following Theater Works executive director Dan Schay’s unexpected death on April 7, the company’s board of trustees voted to rename the annual new play festival the Dan Schay New Works Festival. Now in its fourth year, the festival energizes the summer with staged readings of several new scripts by local writers. This year, the Arizona Thespian Society will also present three plays by student playwrights.
On opening night, Friday, July 8, at 7 p.m., enjoy Kirt Shineman’s Junction Creek, which takes us back to the 1980s and the moral turmoil of being a college freshman. Later in the schedule, performances include Ben Tyler’s one-man show Sperm and a play by former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods. Admission to each show is $12, except for the Young Playwrights reading, which is free.

For tickets, call 623-815-7930 or visit www.tickets.theaterworks.org. All events take place at 8355 West Peoria Avenue in Peoria. Julie Peterson

"LGBT History in Arizona, 1969-2014"
When you’d like to know more about LGBT history in Arizona, specifically between 1969 and 2014, hit Arizona State University’s Hayden Library, 300 Orange Mall in Tempe. Found on the fourth floor in the Luhrs Gallery of the Luhrs Reading Room, the "LGBT History in Arizona, 1969-2014" exhibit showcases archival information from the Bj Bud Memorial Archives – collected by local LGBT activists and the Valley of the Sun Gay & Lesbian Center. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular Hayden Library hours, meaning Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. This exhibit will run until Friday, August 5. For more information call 480-965-2594. Lauren Cusimano

Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever
Back in May, the Indiana Fever pulled out a nail-biting win against our Phoenix Mercury, eking out a four-point victory at home. But that was before Phoenix had Kelsey Bone. Now that the 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound all star acquired via a trade with the Connecticut Sun in June is on our side, the Fever will have a much tougher time taking hold during their upcoming matchup with the Mercury — as will every other team in the WNBA’s Western Conference.

Watch Bone and the Mercury burn out the Fever at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 8, at Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 East Jefferson Street. Tickets start at $9. Visit mercury.wnba.com for more. Zach Fowle

Moon Over Buffalo
When you Google “American farceur” (like you do), Ken Ludwig is what you get up top, bundled with words like “great,” “leading,” “skilled,” “master,” “wildly popular,” “successful,” and “premier.” So if you want the very finest in slamming doors, mistaken identities, romantic misunderstandings, drunkenness, and so forth, look no further than Moon Over Buffalo, a period piece in which a pair of married stage stars tours to Buffalo, providing the Nickel City with more Noel Coward and offstage intrigue than it’s probably accustomed to. Hollywood beckons our heroes, but obstacles arise.

Desert Stages Theatre presents the comedy through Sunday, July 24, at 4720 North Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. Tickets are $22 to $25 at www.desertstages.org or 480-483-1664. Friday, July 8’s show is at 7:30 p.m. Julie Peterson

"Forbidden Futures"
Start with “casta” paintings reflecting colonial views on race and class, then add images and themes from pop-culture sources including science fiction, comic books, popular music, and horror films.

You’ll arrive at mixed-media works by Claudio Dicochea, an artist who explores social constructs such as race, gender, and class – as well as the role of visual art in shaping them. Basically, Dicochea uses the re-appropriation of images to address cultural appropriation.

Sure, it’s serious subject matter. But his works are fun to look at, too. And they’re the ultimate conversation starters. Take a look between noon and 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at Lisa Sette Gallery, 210 East Catalina Drive. They’re featured in the “Claudio Dicochea: Forbidden Futures” exhibition that continues through Saturday, September 3. Visit www.lisasettegallery.com. Lynn Trimble

Season 8: The Queens Live Across America
Does summer seem like it’s dragging on between seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Not to fear, the queens are coming here!

Season eight winner Bob the Drag Queen won’t be making her debut in the desert, but fans will be pleased to see runners-up Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls during Season 8: The Queens Live Across America, alongside contestants Chi Chi DeVayne, Thorgy Thor, and Robbie Turner. Expect lots of lip syncing, shade throwing, and perfectly contoured pouts during the Ru-vue, hosted by Katya Zamolodchikova, season seven’s Miss Congeniality, who returns to the competition later this year as part of the recently announced All Stars season two cast.

The queens take the catwalk at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at Symphony Hall, 75 North Second Street. General admission starts at $20; meet-and-greet VIP seats are $75. Fan packages, which include selfies and swag, run $150 to $250. Visit www.phoenix.ticketforce.com. Janessa Hilliard


Experience France
If your knowledge of France is limited to fromage, escargot, and Assassin’s Creed Unity, join the Musical Instrument Museum in celebrating our oldest ally at Experience France. There won’t be any guillotines claiming their bloody prize, just musical performances, lectures, and make-and-take crafts — tricolore cockades in honor of Bastille Day, perhaps? And you can eat cake from a special French-themed menu at Café Allegro.

The celebration runs from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10 at 4725 East Mayo Boulevard. Activities are free with paid admission; $20 for adults, $15 for teens, $10 for children 3 to 12, and free for children younger than 3. Call 480-478-6000 or visit mim.org for more information. Michael Senft

Fiesta de Frida
You might have serious love for painting legend Frida Kahlo, but a local art collective has gone next-level with their admiration.

The Phoenix Fridas are a group of Latina artists who credit Kahlo as a mutual source of inspiration. Their annual Fiesta de Frida event celebrates the artist’s birthday with an art exhibition, craft activities, and live entertainment. And cake. Of course, cake. Think you can rock Frida’s unique style? Give it a try – the first 25 Frida lookalikes win a goody-filled swag bag. The artsy bash happens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue. The event is complimentary with museum admission, which ranges from $7.50 to $18, though kids 5 and younger get in free free Call 602-252-8840 or visit www.heard.org. Amy Young

DIY Macramé 
Popular with nanas and photographs of kitchens from the 1970s, macramé is an art that never has to be lost – and the people at The Teapot, 818 North Fifth Avenue, are doing their part. Taught by the macramé artist currently known as CraftFlaire, the Build a Macramé Tassel Class at this coffee shop and event space in the Roosevelt neighborhood will run from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 10. Attendees will learn to make one tassel using macramé cords and beads, along with some basic macramé knotting techniques. Then you can reward yourself with pastries and coffee. Tickets are $24.50 at www.eventbrite.com and include enough material to create and take home one tassel. For more information, call 623-522-6027 or see www.facebook.com/events/684200931727181. Lauren Cusimano

Monterey Pop
Before there was Woodstock, there was the Monterey International Pop Music Festival. Images of Jimi Hendrix torching his guitar and Janis Joplin gyrating into stardom came from Monterey, California, not Woodstock, New York. The festival — which is widely considered to have been the template for subsequent fests, most notably Woodstock — was documented in D.A. Pennebaker’s film Monterey Pop, which similarly has become a template for concert films. If you haven’t yet seen how California hippies got down in the 1960s, and they did get down, Monterey Pop is a good place to start. No Festival Required screens the iconic film at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 10, at Phoenix Center for the Arts, 1202 North Third Street. Tickets start at $7.50. Visit nofestivalrequired.wordpress.com or call 602-254-3100 for details. Rob Kroehler