Poetry in Motion’
April 11-Aug. 20
Connections Café exhibition space
Tempe Public Library
3500 S. Rural Road
www.tempe.gov/arts/events/cafe.htm
This is an exhibition that examines history and home, particularly the memory of a distant home, featuring artists Kathryn Pinto (Tempe) and Adil Rahee (Mesa). Pinto works on paper and in bookmaking and printmaking. Her interest in landscape and environmental issues grows out of the repeated experience moving to a new city with a different climate and unfamiliar surroundings, just barely adapting to it and then relocating to another city to begin the process yet again. Rahee uses his difficult experiences from growing up in a Saddam Hussein-led Iraq as a propelling force that moves him to create his large-scale ceramic sculpture. Pinto and Rahee will join moderator Rebecca Akins from noon to 1 p.m. on April 17 in the Connections Café meeting room for the second Art Connections Café event where artists, arts professionals and others join to discuss art. The event is free.

‘Murder on the 19th Hole’
Broadway Palm West
Aug. 8-Sept. 27
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
5247 E. Brown Road, Mesa
480-325-6700
An interactive murder mystery/comedy. When Marcus “Big” Shot and his ex-wife “Birdie” combine forces to throw the year-end bash at the Magnus Prime Golf Course, anything can happen—including murder! Someone is guilty and this is your opportunity to figure out whodunit. Tickets are $39 for dinner and show. Purchase tickets online at broadwaypalmwest.com.

‘Treasure Island’ Auditions
4 p.m. Aug. 11 & 12
Valley Youth Theatre
525 N. 1st St.
602-253-8188, ext. 4
Valley Youth Theatre will hold auditions, open to youth ages 13 and up. Bring a picture ID with name, age and phone number on the back (school photo or home snapshots accepted); one prepared upbeat song or ballad (CD player and accompanist provided); and a list of prior performance experience or special skills (if applicable) with name, address, phone number and age. Be prepared for a cold reading from the script and dress appropriately for dance. “Treasure Island” is produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International and will perform at Valley Youth Theatre, Oct. 10-26. There is no fee for participating and appearing in a Valley Youth Theatre production. For more information, www.VYT.com.

3rd Annual La Tomatina Gazpacho Cook-off & Flamenco Juerga
7 p.m. Saturday Aug.16
Flamenco! ... the Studio
524 W. Broadway, #108
480-205-1658
The name Tomatina comes from a festival to celebrate the tomato harvest in Buñol, Spain. On the last Wednesday of August, at the peak of tomato season, the village of Buñol, Spain stages a tomato war. For two hours, residents happily pelt each other with ripe, red fruit. After much laughter, spirited mischief and camaraderie, friends and neighbors gather in the town square for the food and wine festivities. Instead of throwing tomatoes at each other, participants will be throwing tomatoes into a blender and creating Gazpacho that will be judged by celebrity judges. A grand prize of $50 will be awarded to the winner. Following the judging, there will be Flamenco dancing, music, light tapas (and more gazpacho). Tickets are $7 adults and $3.50 children 12 & under (reservations required). For more information, visit www.FlamencoTheStudio.com.

Sweet Comedy for Sweet Charity
8:00pm Friday August 15th
The Sets
93 E. Southern Ave
Benefit show for Leukemia/Lymphoma featuring Standup Comedians Tim Bateman, Robert Fata, Shane Hicks, Amy Donohue, Spencer Gold, and Jon Jesmer, Improv by the Cheeky Monkeys, special musical guests: Male Pattern Radness. All proceeds benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies. 21 and over show. Tickets are $10. Tickets available at the door on day of show, or in advance at www.trashcityentertainment.com/catalog

Bohemian Cabaret Danse de Cirque Bellydancers, Tramps and Freaks
8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16
The Sets
93 E. Southern Ave.
A unique showcase of cutting-edge performance, bellydance tableaus, and theatrical dance entertainment. A blend of various aspects of vaudeville, historical and theatrical dance and saucy dance revues will bring Phoenix a unique entertainment event for the summer. There also will be a mini-bazaar to shop in. Prepare to enjoy three hours of “dancertainment” followed by an after-show cast and crew dance party featuring music performance by the band Spaz Kitty. After the show, the dance floor opens up to all in both cast and audience to party the night away. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 up close and personal with a table, $10 General Admission (first come, first seated). This event is for people 21 and over only. Tickets are available in advance at www.trashcityentertainment.com.

Jewish Literature Lecture
7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26
Room C6A/East at Hayden Library
ASU Tempe Campus
480-965 2618
Arizona State University Libraries will host a free monthly discussion of Jewish literature beginning in August and concluding in December. Joe Lockard, an associate professor of English at ASU, will lead the discussions each month. The series, funded by Nextbook and the Jewish Studies Program at ASU, begins with “Journey to the End of the Millennium” by A.B. Yehoshua. The book traces a voyage through Europe in the year 999, during which Ben Attar, a Jewish merchant, encounters difficulties with his two business partners—his cousin Raphael Abulafia and the Muslim Abu Lufti. The widowed Abulafia has taken a new European wife, whose disapproval of Ben Attar’s polygamy leads to the dissolution of the partnership and eventually to juridical proceedings that foreshadow the major schism of the next Jewish millennium. To register for the series, go to http://library.asu.edu/events.

Alison Wright: ‘Learning To Breathe’
7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S. McClintock Drive
480-730-0205
On the second day of this century, renowned photojournalist Alison Wright was traveling on a windy mountain road in Laos when the bus she was riding in collided with a logging truck and was severed in half. As Alison waited for help to arrive—in excruciating pain and believing she was moments from death—she drew upon her years of meditation practice and concentrated on every breath as if it were her last. Wright visits with ‘Learning to Breathe: One Woman’s Journey of Spirit and Survival,’ her extraordinary memoir of that experience and its remarkable consequences.

2nd Annual Phoenix Fear Film Festival
Noon til 2am Saturday August 30
Chandler Cinemas
2140 N. Arizona Avenue
$20 for an all day pass Age 17 and over
www.phxfearfilmfestival
Trash City Entertainment brings the horror back with the 2nd Annual Phoenix Fear Film Festival, featuring never before seen feature films, short films by veteran, student and professional horror film makers. With host, Count Smokula and special celebrity guests, silent auction, merchandise, award ceremony, prize giveaways and celebrity Freak Show performers - The Strange Family Circus. Also featuring surprise Musical Guests to close out the evening. It's bigger! It's better! It's in a THEATRE! Awards for Best Feature, Best Short and Audience Favorite are a contract for domestic and international distribution by Brain Damage Films.

‘Last of the Red Hot Lovers’
Tempe Little Theatre
Sept. 12-21
Tempe Center for the Arts
700 W Rio Salado Parkway
480-350-2822
Mild-mannered Barney Cashman yearns for one big fling to spice up his middle-aged, tranquil and faithful married life. As Barney haplessly stumbles into one disastrous secret rendezvous after another, he faces hilarious obstacles like the challenge of conducting an affair in his mother’s empty apartment with three very different and very odd women. Show times are 8 p.m. Sept. 12-13 and 19-20; 7 p.m. Sept. 18; and 2 p.m. Sept. 13-14 and 20-21. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors (55+) and students. For more information, visit www.tempe.gov/TCA.

‘Miss Nelson is Missing’
Childsplay
Sept. 13-Oct. 5
Tempe Center for the Arts
700 W Rio Salado Parkway
480-350-2822
Miss Nelson gives the kids in Room 207 the lesson of their lives. After constant misbehaving and classroom shenanigans, the kids swiftly straighten up when Miss Viola Swamp shows up. Follow the students as they deal with a witch of a substitute who cancels recess, doubles the arithmetic and gives 12 hours of homework! Will Miss Nelson ever return? Recommended for ages 5 and older. Based on the book by Harry Allard and James Marshall. A special preview performance will take place 4 p.m. Sept. 7, with tickets just $12 each. Single tickets cost between $18 and $25 for adults, $18 and $20 for children, students and seniors. For more information, visit www.childsplayaz.org/tca.


Wrestling Superstars of Lucha Libre
5 p.m. Sunday, August 31st
The SETS in Tempe
93 East Southern Ave.
602-953-2728
Trash City Entertainment has contracted with the Superstars of Lucha Libre of Mexico. Although Lucha Libre appeals mostly to Mexican-Americans, the sport has been embraced by Americans and most recently, by the Japanese for its entertainment value. This is an all ages show, and families with children are welcome. Bar with ID. Tickets are $15 adults and $10 for children 2-12.

‘NOW: Selections from the Ovitz Family Collection’
June 7-Sept. 28
ASU Art Museum,
Nelson Fine Arts Center
SE corner, 10th St. and Mill Ave.
480-965-2787
The exhibition showcases artworks from a group of international contemporary artists that are fresh from the artists’ studios, dating from 2006-2008, which illustrate recent trends in contemporary art. Artworks presented at “NOW” are recent acquisitions to the Ovitz Family Collection, which highlight both established and emerging artists. Admission is free. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. To learn more about the museum and its programs, call or visit http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu.


San Tan Chorale Rehearsal
 7-9 p.m. Aug. 12
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
612 S. Ellsworth, Mesa
480-966-6698
       The San Tan Chorale, a non-audition community chorus located in the East Valley, will begin its third year, "A Year Away From Home," on Aug. 12. Adult singers ages 18 and up and all voice ranges are welcome to join the chorale that sings four-part music.  The performing year is composed of three sessions: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Cost for each session (August–November) is $35. New members can "try it out" for the first two weeks before formally joining. The fall concerts are scheduled for Nov. 1-2, and will feature songs about forms of travel. More information is available at www.stcpa.org.

Young Artists Exhibit
Through Aug. 26
Tempe Public Library,
Lower Level Gallery
3500 S. Rural Road
Artwork by participants of the city of Tempe Cultural
Services' Young Artists Studio summer art program is on display. The Young Artists Studio program offers aspiring artists the opportunity to work with talented teaching artists to create projects in sculpture, paint, drawing and mixed media. The program offers two sessions and a public reception for the second session is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. July 24 in the Library Program Room.

‘Exploring Dreams’ exhibit
Through Aug. 30
ASU Art Museum,
Nelson Fine Arts Center
SE corner, 10th St. and Mill Ave.
Step into the ASU Art Museum for an engaging, “art-cool” summer, as the museum hosts its 9th annual family-oriented exhibition, “Exploring Dreams: Images from the Permanent Collection.”  Throughout history, dreams have inspired artists to capture their spirit and bring the imaginary to life. “Exploring Dreams” presents artwork that echoes the dreamlike, surreal images encountered in the depths of sleep and in the shades of waking. The exhibition examines the concepts and science of dreams; what dreams are and their purpose and meanings. To further enhance viewers' experiences, hands-on and informational activities in the gallery encourage visitors to explore their own dreams through images and text. The exhibition is highlighted by the ASU Art Museum’s Family Fun Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, July 12. The dream-inspired day features family-friendly, hands-on activities, such as making dream-catchers and other dream-inspired arts and crafts. Admission is free.