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GO: Incite: Queer Writers Read
Happy Pride! Kick off Pride Month with this curated, bimonthly reading series for queer writers designed to create conversation, connection, and greater understanding both within the queer community and beyond. Hosted by Vinnie Kinsella and JP Perrine and featuring readers Zoë Gamell Brown, Charlie J. Stephens, and Samson Syharath reading pieces with the theme of Belonging. Albina Library, 205 NE Russell St., multcolib.org. 6 pm Wednesday June 3. Free.
WATCH: The Future of Film Is Female: “Reeling”
Part of The Future of Film Is Female’s Three Films Five Cities Project, Reeling is the debut feature by Yana Alliata, a lyrical exploration of memory, trauma, and belonging set against the idyllic Hawaiian island of Oahu’s windward side. Producer Kate Vorhoff will moderate a Q&A with director Yana Alliata following the screening. Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St., tomorrowtheater.org. 7 pm Wednesday, June 3. $15.
WATCH: “Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story”
As the world locks into the World Cup, Portland’s Aladdin Theater is hosting a new documentary about 1970s Portland Timbers star and West Ham United legend Clyde Best. Transforming the Beautiful Game is a firsthand look at the iconic, groundbreaking journey of Best, the first Black football superstar of the modern TV era and one of the first Black athletes to play in the English Premier League First Division. Best faced blatant racism and torment from fans but met adversity with excellence and, in the process, became a legendary goal-scoring striker and groundbreaking role model. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., aladdin-theater.com. 6:30 pm Thursday and Friday, June 5 and 6. $35–$64.
GO: Spring Rose Show
Act like you know; the Portland Rose Society Annual Spring Rose Show is the largest and longest-running rose show in the nation. The exquisite beauty and fragrances of this yearly show emanate from more than 4,000 blooms. Six thousand spectators from across the country are expected to visit this year’s Spring Rose Show, a tremendous swan song sendoff for our beloved, embattled Lloyd Center. Sparkling trophies go to entrants who grow the most beautiful roses. Lloyd Center, 2201 Lloyd Center, portlandrosesociety.org. 1 pm Thursday and 11 am Friday June 4 and 5. Free.
SEE: Kickstand Comedy in the Park Kickoff
The evolution of Kickstand Comedy from clandestine Hollywood bike shop stage to icon of Portland comedy that heralds summer for the entire metro region is a success story for the ages. If you’ve yet to experience the comedy phenomenon that has come to define Portland’s summer season, what the crap are you waiting for? Grab your camp chair and come through already. Laurelhurst Park, Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Stark Street, kickstandcomedy.org. 6 pm Friday June 5. Free.
SEE: Kristina Wong’s #FoodBankInfluencer
In this one-woman musical comedy, Kristina Wong, self-proclaimed #FoodBankInfluencer, gives us a karaoke-fueled education on America’s emergency food system. After experiencing the lack of proper food distribution from New York to the Navajo Nation, Kristina Wong returns with this irreverent examination of food insecurity, government assistance and grassroots solutions to global issues. Portland Center Stage at The Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., pcs.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday–Sunday, 2 pm Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, through June 7. $25–$98.
SEE: The Words Will Come: Inside the Dyslexic Mind
LES Shakespeare Co. presents the world premiere of The Words Will Come: Inside the Dyslexic Mind, written and directed by Melody Erfan, telling the story of an Iranian American woman confronting her younger self while navigating school, language and identity. Blending projection, immersive sound, and physical storytelling, this production invites audiences inside the lived experience of dyslexia. Following select performances, post-show conversations will invite audiences to engage more deeply with themes of dyslexia, neurodivergent learning, and arts education. Shaking the Tree Theatre, 823 SE Grant St., les-shakespeare.yapsody.com. 2 pm Sunday, June 7. $21. 10+.
WATCH: Explore Queer Cinema, Pride Series: “The Serpent’s Skin”
Clinton Street Theater’s Pride Series celebration returns this June with a mix of recent hits, cult favorites, anniversary screenings, best of adult underground, the return of Peaches Christ and Felissa Rose to the theater, and—of course—the annual screening of But I’m a Cheerleader! Director Alice Maio Mackay’s The Serpent’s Skin tells the story of Anna who, after escaping her transphobic hometown, meets goth tattoo artist Gen. They bond over shared supernatural abilities, but Gen’s tattoo work accidentally conjures a demon before their romance can bloom. Sounds gay, I’m in. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., cstpdx.com. 7 pm Monday, June 8. $10. All ages.
