7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from Monday, October 3, through Thursday, October 6. For more options, see our curated calendar of events. 

"Concept to Completion"
Most people settle for cooking in cast-iron skillets. But some artists actually use cast iron to create sculptures, which easily rust to create a beautiful patina. You can see diverse works of cast-iron art when Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Community College present the free “Concept to Completion” exhibition at the Gallery at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 North Drinkwater Boulevard. The gallery, which is showing iron works by student and full-time artists, is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, October 3. It’s a chance to see artworks made in a relatively uncommon medium, and pick up facts about the early life of cast iron. There’s actually evidence it dates back to at least fourth-century-BCE China. Visit www.scottsdalelibrary.org. Lynn Trimble

Bar Flies: Best of Phoenix Edition
New Times’ annual Best of Phoenix is here. And the theme? Border Town. It’s a celebration of our fair city’s proximity to Mexico — and the cultural riches that come with it. Not so coincidentally, the Best of Phoenix edition of Bar Flies shares that spirit, presenting true stories from an extra-large lineup of readers that includes Salvador Bravo, Marisol Chavez, Zarco Guerrero, Jesus Gutierrez, Jessica Hill, Laurie Notaro, and Terry Greene Sterling at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue. The 21-and-over reading event begins at 7 p.m., and Salvador Duran will provide the music. Tickets are $10 to the Tuesday, October 4, event. To buy yours and find details, see www.crescentphx.com. Becky Bartkowski

"10 x 10 Benefit Show"
If you dig numerology and the number 10 means anything to you, or if you just like art and charitable causes, here’s an event for your calendar.

The annual “10 x 10 Benefit Show and Sale” features 2D and 3D work by artists, each piece maintaining a 10” by 10” format. All proceeds benefit the museum’s educational and exhibition programs. View the work from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 5. Admission is free. Art can be purchased at a reception/sale from 6 to 8 p.m. on October 10, when admission is $10. Unsold work remains on display through October 16. Head to the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, One East Main Street. Call 480-644-6500 or visit mesaartscenter.com. Amy Young

"Why Hamlet and Horatio Cannot Agree"
Learn why Hamlet’s wingman gets a bad rap as the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies sponsors a lecture from University of Arizona professor Frederick Kiefer on Shakespeare’s masterpiece entitled “Why Hamlet and Horatio Cannot Agree.”

Held at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 5, at ASU’s Lattie Coor Hall, 975 South Myrtle Avenue in Tempe, the lecture challenges the traditional view of Horatio as a dim-witted observer of the tragic events in Denmark. He’s the only major character left at the end of the play, so he was at least smart enough not to die during the bloody finale.

Admission to this lecture is free, but tickets can be reserved at hamletandhoratio.eventbrite.com. Call 480-965-5900 or visit acmrs.org for more information. Michael Senft



Laurie Notaro Book-Signing
Fans of Laurie Notaro’s comedic tales and memoir style won’t find either in her newest release, Crossing the Horizon, out Tuesday, October 4. Instead, the New York Times best-selling author has drawn from outside her own life for inspiration, returning to her reporter roots to create a historical novel about three female pilots with the same plan: to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic. Borrowing its heroines, Elsie Mackay, Mabel Boll, and Ruth Elder from a pre-Amelia Earhart era, the story weaves their little-known lives together using Notaro’s imagination as a guide.

The former Phoenician returns to the Valley for a reading and signing at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 6, at Changing Hands, 300 West Camelback Road. Pre-determined seating starts at 6:30 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $26 and include one copy of Crossing and admission for two. Click www.changinghands.com or call 602-274-0067 for event details. Janessa Hilliard

Scottsdale International Film Festival
It’s one thing to deny you left the cap off the toothpaste or stole a co-worker’s lunch from the fridge. Denial at a whole other level happens during opening night for the 2016 Scottsdale International Film Festival on Thursday, October 6. The evening features a screening of the film Denial, followed by a live discussion via Skye with the real-life heroine at the heart of the film’s dramatic battle for historical truth. Before the 7:30 p.m. screening at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 East Second Street, there’s a 6 p.m. reception complete with live music and cash bar. Tickets to attend both are $39.

Other festival screenings happen October 7 to 10 at Harkins Shea 14 Theatres, 7354 East Shea Boulevard, where you can enjoy casual conversations with fellow film buffs. The lineup includes documentaries, comedies, dramas, thrillers, and kid-friendly offerings. Ticket packages and prices vary. Visit www.scottsdalefilmfestival.com. Lynn Trimble


Namaste AZ Yoga Festival
Time to finally use that Lululemon gift card, because the first-ever Namaste AZ Yoga Festival will have you stretching it out for three days straight.

The inaugural Namaste AZ Yoga Festival starts with classes from 4 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 6, and flows to Sunday, October 9, at the Camby Hotel, 2401 East Camelback Road. Events include classes like Happy Yoga Hour and Chakra Meditation from Arizona-based and nationally known instructors, plus workshops on how to make a yoga playlist, presenters like Buddhist speaker Gesche Michael Roach, vendors, and more.

Tickets for Thursday are $25 at namasteazyogafestival.com. Prices range from $29 for a single class drop-in to $299 for the whole festival. For further details, call 480-720-1838 or visit www.facebook.com/events/972575432796140. Lauren Cusimano