7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

New Times picks the best things to do from Monday, April 4, to Thursday, April 7.

The Circus
Let us blow your mind: For 16 years, GateWay Community College has shared its film program with the general public a couple of times a year. In tandem with the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (whew!), GateWay presents silent films free of charge, with live accompaniment by Ron Rhode, internationally renowned theater organist.

This time around, it’s Charlie Chaplin’s 1928 The Circus, the seventh-highest-grossing silent film ever. Our favorite of countless funny and touching moments is the title card that reads, “I’ve run away from the circus.”

On Monday, April 4, the movie plays at 7 p.m. in the Copper Room, IE1302, on campus at 108 North 40th Street. Visit www.gatewaycc.edu/community, call 602-286-8730, or contact Donald Hall at [email protected]. Julie Peterson

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies
So it begins. After a solid several weeks of Cactus League play — and, before that, some sneaky off-season dealing that netted them ace pitcher Zack Greinke — the Arizona Diamondbacks will begin the 162-game ultramarathon that is the MLB season at home on April 4. Prepare yourself for America’s pastime at the Opening Day Street Festival, which features food trucks, music, inflatables, and more outside of Chase Field beginning three hours prior to the 6:40 p.m. game time. Then hurry into the stadium, where the first 40,000 fans get a free fridge magnet with the complete 2016 schedule to ensure they won’t miss a single one of those 162 games.

The Diamondbacks open their 2016 season 6:40 p.m. Monday at Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street. Tickets start at $19. Call 602-514-8400 or visit www.dbacks.com for more. Zach Fowle

"Perforate"
Even if you haven’t cut paper to make something artsy since grade school, you remember paper cuts. The history of paper cutting as an art form runs much deeper than those nagging skin slashes. “Perforate,” the all-paper solo exhibition by Dani Godreau, presents her delicate and intricately created paper cuttings and sculptures that examine paper cutting’s beauty and roots while addressing its issues related to feminine identity. Explore the complexities and meet the artist from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, at ASU’s Harry Wood Gallery, 900 South Forest Mall in Tempe. Admission is free. The show runs through April 8, and hours vary. Visit art.asu.edu/gallery/harrywood. Amy Young

“Native in a Strange Land: The Life of Mike Burns, Indian Scout in Phoenix"
Chances are, Tucson writer and editor Gregory McNamee knows more about Mike Burns than you do. After all, he edited Burns’ autobiography, The Only One Living to Tell. Catch his talk, “Native in a Strange Land: The Life of Mike Burns, Indian Scout in Phoenix,” and you too can be in the know.

From the Yavapai tribe, Burns was 8 years old in 1872 when his family was murdered by the U.S. military. He was taken and lived as both a captive and servant for many years until he joined the Indian Scouts. Get a deeper knowledge of this true life story from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, at Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market, 4619 East Washington Street. Admission is free. Call 602-495-0901 or visit www.pueblogrande.org. Amy Young


42nd Street
“You’re going out there a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!” That hard-boiled advice is from 42nd Street, a 1933 Busby Berkeley film about great big stage musicals that eventually became a great big stage musical. Catherine Zeta-Jones, singing and dancing her little heart out in the chorus in London in 1984, took over the lead when two other actors were sick and on holiday — eerily mirroring the show’s plot, in which a chorus girl takes over when the leading lady breaks her ankle. Plus, the Great Depression!

Performances are scheduled through Sunday, April 10, at ASU Gammage, 1200 South Forest Avenue in Tempe. Thursday, April 7’s performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $125 at www.ticketmaster.com or 480-965-3434. Julie Peterson

"Corgan Presents"
“How do artists enrich community identity?” is the theme behind the latest installment of “Corgan Presents,” hosted by the architecture firm in conjunction with Phoenix Urban Design Week. And for Phoenix, whose downtown has struggled with identity issues for decades, that relationship between artists, placemakers, and community has never been more important. The conversation brings together a dozen local voices including Greg Esser, board of directors of Roosevelt Row, fashion designers Angela Johnson and Vintage By Misty, and the City of Phoenix’s Public Art Program Director, Ed Lebow.

The event starts at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, in the lobby of the Central Arts Plaza, 1850 North Central Avenue, and is free to attend. Refreshments will be provided courtesy of Tempe’s PedalHaus and downtown’s next soon-to-debut restaurant, SoSoBa. Visit www.facebook.com/events/1686504854926083. Janessa Hilliard

Phoenix Film Festival
No need to save up for a trip to Cannes or Sundance, cinephiles. Phoenix has an independent film festival all its own. Named one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine, the Phoenix Film Festival screens more than 150 independent films, holds amazing parties, and provides filmmaking seminars each year. Over eight days, film freaks will get to watch new and upcoming directors, actors, and more on seven screens at the Harkins Scottsdale/101, and all parties and workshops are held right onsite, so you won’t miss a thing.

The Phoenix Film Festival starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, with a screening of Morris From America and continues through Thursday, April 14. All films and seminars will appear at the Harkins Scottsdale 101, 7000 East Mayo Boulevard. Tickets start at $13 for single-film screenings. Call 480-513-3195 or visit phoenixfilmfestival.com for more. Zach Fowle