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LEARN: A Queer Guide to Saving American Democracy w/ Marti Cummings
The blue tsunami is here. And while trailblazers like Marti Gould Cummings can’t tell us how to make snow reappear on Mount Hood, they can, in conversation with Portland constitutional law professor and author Robin Maril, give us a quick master class in representation, civic engagement and the power of showing up. The onstage convo is the run-up for the documentary Queen of New York, which tells the story of Cummings’ historic run for New York City Council. Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St., tomorrowtheater.org. 7 pm Wednesday, Nov. 11. $5. All ages.
HANG OUT: Art Club at Art Tower
It’s very “girlhood is a spectrum” of me to suggest art club as a social alternative to clubbing/bar hopping, but an evening spent parallel playing among like-minded creative types sounds like 11-year-old me’s perfect night on the town. Hosted by The Tracy Piper Gallery at the Art Tower in Southwest, this free get-together, where folks are simply encouraged to show up and indulge in some manner of creativity, features low stakes, high returns, and complimentary, inner-child-approved coloring pages. The Tracy Piper Gallery, 1510 SW Alder St., thetracypiper.com. 5 pm Thursday, Nov. 12. Free. All ages.
SEE: Misfit Toys Puppet Show
Produced in collaboration with North Pole Studio, Davis Wohlfrod’s Misfit Toys Puppet Show is a family-friendly opportunity to experience the complex whimsy of Wohlfrod’s creative universe. Influenced by stories and fables, Wohlfrod’s Misfit Toys offers an afternoon of imagination made tangible, or at least made into puppets. Which is to say, both you and your kids are probably gonna love it. Imperfecta Gallery, 809 NW Flanders St., imperfecta.xyz. 4–5 pm Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14. Free, reserve a spot online.
GO: The Jury Experience: The Killer AI
Creepy driverless taxis are infiltrating our narrow residential avenues in real life, setting bike riders, children at play, and carriage-pushing pedestrians on edge. That reality only makes this traveling immersive theater experience scarier. The Jury Experience’s schtick is to place the audience in the jury box while a courtroom drama plays out. “The power to deliver justice rests entirely in your hands”(!). Regardless of what verdict you and your theatergoing cohort reach, please don’t push a Waymo into the river. Our ecosystem is too fragile. Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta St, albertaabbey.org. 8:30 pm Friday, Nov. 13. $46. 12+ with parent or guardian.
SKATE: OMSI on Ice
Those who are missing the chilly ankle air of the Lloyd Center ice rink can revel in OMSI’s effigy via its auditorium-turned-winter wonderland’s synthetic rink (feel free to add glice to your climate change lexicon). Even if hitting the rink wasn’t part of your seasonal traditions, here’s a chance to see what you were missing out on: shockingly agile adults twirling and gliding while hilariously uncoordinated teens wipe out and the kids circumnavigating them fall out laughing. OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., omsi.edu. 30-minute time slots 10 am–5 pm various days, Nov. 14–Jan. 3. $8–$10. 5–10 requires adult.
HEAR: Pacific Art Song: Summer Nights
The long dark has arrived—those already in need of a salve might find comfort in Dr. Lisa Neher’s concert series, Pacific Art Song. Neher, a composer and soprano, is launching the series in dedication to Western classical art song, with this evening highlighting Hector Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été (Summer Nights). Put on your scarf, gloves, leg warmers, and watertight boots for a balmy night of Francophile salon vibes and intimate consumption of fine art. Michelle’s Piano Company, 600 SE Stark St., pacificartsong.com. 2:40 pm Saturday, Nov. 14. $5–$30.
LAUGH: Ron Funches
My favorite Portland litmus test is whether someone remembers when Ron Funches was a Portlander. If you recall, Funches spent his formative years in the Pacific Northwest and grew his comedy here, on our stages, in our scene. And dang, the soil is fertile, because dude has absolutely made good. Let’s welcome him back fondly (as usual), regardless of whether you’ve ever seen him at a house party or sitting in the back of a now-defunct comedy club downtown, because no matter where he is, Funch pride is real. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., revolutionhall.com. 7 and 10 pm Sunday, Nov. 15. $41. All ages.
