Even if the weather isn’t quite as cool as we’d like, downtown’s creative community is already beckoning us outside with three tantalizing outdoor events this week alone. Check out some ballet from the Valley’s only professional troupe, some one-of-a-kind spicy food over on Roosevelt Row and a bicycle-driven pub crawl. But if you’re still hesitant to venture outside, take comfort, as the Crescent Ballroom will be welcoming folkies inside on Monday, while the Herberger will present a portrait of one of America’s most revered tech icons all weekend.
- Saturday, Sept. 29
- 7:00 p.m. Show
- Steele Indian School Park Amphitheater: 300 E. Indian School Road
- Getting there: Rail — Central Avenue and Indian School Road stop
- Price: FREE
Recommended if You Like: entertainment al fresco, Nutcracker, old-school elegance
For one week only, Ballet Arizona leaves the comfort of the indoors to venture out into the Arizona night for a series of performances unlike any other. At 15 years old, Ballet Under the Stars has become a time-honored tradition, marking the taming of Phoenix’s heat and the arrival of the Fall arts season. Over the course of the week, the company travels to an array of parks across the entire Phoenix metropolitan area, providing free entertainment to anyone and everyone in an accessible, comfortable locale. For the seventh and final performance of this year’s tour, Ballet Arizona is heading to the historic Steele Indian School Park, site of the Phoenix Indian School founded in 1891. The company invites patrons young and old to bring chairs and blankets to the park’s spacious lawn to enjoy a mélange of styles, from modern to classical in what promises to be a perfect introduction to the world of ballet.
- Monday, Oct. 1
- 7:00 p.m. Doors, 8:00 p.m. Show
- Crescent Ballroom: 308 N. Second Ave.
- Getting there: Walk — Second Avenue and Van Buren Street
- Price: $12 in advance at Stinkweeds and statesidepresents.com $14 at the door
Recommended if You Like: The Microphones, experimental pop, mixed-media
Phil Elverum is an eccentric of the music world if there ever was one. Since 1996, the restless multi-instrumentalist, photographer, artist producer and raconteur has been beating down the boundaries of pop and rock. First recording as the Microphones, Elverum made a name for himself with fiercely lo-fi recordings utilizing guitars, vocal harmonies and analog noise. The bombast and experimentation attracted the attention of Calvin Johnson and the legendary K Records, who put out the project’s first several records. After completing a five-album arc with 2003’s Mount Eerie, Elverum decided to change his tune, recording in a more solitary fashion and adopting the name of his last album as his new moniker. The project’s most ambitious effort came in 2007, with the release of a massive coffee table book and 10” record, containing some of Elverum’s photography work over the years alongside four new songs designed to be sequels to the final album by the Microphones.
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs
- Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 27-30
- 7:00 p.m. Thursday; 8:00 p.m. Friday & Saturday; 2:00 p.m. Sunday
- Herberger Theater Center: 222 E. Monroe St.
- Getting there: Walk — Second and Monroe streets
- Price: $27.50-$43-50 in advance atactorstheatrephx.org
Recommended if You Like: This American Life, art imitating life, controversy
Mike Daisey knows how to attract attention. Already well-known for his monologues, acting and writing, Daisey ventured into entirely new territory just last year, presenting a supposed “inside” look at the way Apple manufactures its products. The actor’s trip to China brought him to the factories of Foxconn, the mega-corporation responsible for the physical assembly of much of America’s most popular gadgets, including nearly all of those of Apple. His resulting one-man show earned him a spot on NPR’s This American Life, where he relayed a tale of sadness and degradation said to be taking place at Foxconn. But as time passed, it was revealed that Daisey had fabricated his tale, though he maintained that they were only artistic liberties, and that the work should not be compromised. Which brings us to now: Daisey’s one-man show based on his journey, The Agony and The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. Starring the widely-acclaimed Ron May of Stray Cat Theatre, Matthew Wiener of Actors Theatre is directing a show sure to be spoken of far and wide, which was likely Daisey’s intent all along.
- Friday, Sept. 28
- 6:00-10:00 p.m.
- Kitchen Sink Studios: 828 N. Third St.
- Getting there: Walk — Third and Garfield streets
- Price: FREE
Recommended if You Like: bicycle advocacy, high design, Phoenix Design Week
Downtown’s most-talked-about event of the spring is back, and part of something even bigger: the annual Phoenix Design Week. Pedal Craft, Phoenix’s premier poster show, fundraiser and pub crawl, is a signal of a sea change for bicycling in the city. For each event, the event’s organizers bring together 25 of Phoenix’s best graphic designers along with a handful of fabricators to design limited-edition bicycle-themed posters and one-of-a-kind artisan bike racks to showcase the creative potential of alternative transportation. All of the posters are put up for sale for $20 each, with much of the proceeds going directly to Rusty Spoke Community Bicycle Collective, a volunteer-run bike co-op located on the Grand Avenue arts district. Concurrently, Pedal Craft partners with a handful of local restaurants, who provide special deals on food and drinks for those who come by their locations via bike.
- Saturday, Sept. 29
- 4:00-11:00 p.m.
- A.R.T.S. Market #1: 408 E. Roosevelt St.
- Getting there: Walk — Fourth and Roosevelt streets
- Price: $10 in advance at rooseveltrow.org $15 at the door
Recommended if You Like: spiciness, flavorful munchies, RuPaul
Continuing its tradition of vacant lot revitalization, Roosevelt Row presents its inaugural Chile Pepper Festival on the grounds of the A.R.T.S. Market, best known as the home of vendors and food trucks on First and Third Friday evenings. Over a dozen local chefs and restaurants will be contributing their own unique chile-inspired recipes. Among the downtown participants in the all-star lineup are Liam Murtagh of Jobot, Julio Mata of Barrio Café and Carla Wade Logan of Carly’s Bistro. Alongside the delicious eats will be brews provided by the legendary Four Peaks, and live folk music sponsored by Stinkweeds record shop. The event’s main attraction, though, will come with the announcement of the festival’s Chile Pepper Queen presented by the honorary pepper princess Tammie Brown of RuPaul’s Allstar Drag Race, ensuring the Festival has just enough style to get by.
Events compiled by Connor Descheemaker
