Building on a lifetime of Arizona arts and history, prolific filmmaker Kristin Atwell Ford was recently named Artist of the Year at the 40th annual Governor’s Arts Awards by Arizona Citizens for the Arts. Atwell received the honor over 25 other talented artist nominees in her category.
Desert Foothills Theater’s (DFT) production of 13 the musical opens Thursday, April 15, at 7:30pm at Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion in Carefree. With an unforgettable rock score from Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, 13 is a hilarious, coming-of-age musical about discovering that “…
Why has Hollywood had such a strong history of rewarding blackface, and why do movies and public figures continue to do blackface performances? This is a question that Ayanna Thompson, an English professor at Arizona State University and former president of the Shakespeare Association of Ame…
Scottsdale Public Art announced that 11 artworks in its Permanent Collection are now enhanced with augmented reality elements, viewable through a mobile device app.
From a family-friendly virtual festival and an art exhibit exploring fashion to local musicians in concert, live dance performances and children's theater, here are some of the shows to catch in the next week.
The Phoenix Art Museum teams up with FilmBar to once again present Films in the Garden. Showing April 8–10: Black Orpheus. Presented in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden with limited capacity. Black Orpheus [PG; 1959] will show at 7:30pm.
Previously presented in 2012 and 2015, Scorpius Dance Theatre brings back its popular show, David + Lisa, April 8–10, with both in-person and virtual attendance options.
From live dance performances and local musicians in concert to virtual opera and children's theater, here are eight shows to catch in the next week.April 2Live & Local: Nayo JonesScottsdale Center for the Performing Arts480.499.8587; scottsdaleperformingarts.org
THEATREThroughout the MonthDigital Presentation: RomeroFestArizona Theatre Companyarizonatheatre.org
Throughout the MonthDigital Presentation: RomeroFestArizona Theatre Companywww.arizonatheatre.org[Read more about RomeroFest here.]
Valley residents are invited to enjoy the outdoors and watch as dozens of talented artists paint their visions of Arizona and sustainability along the Grand Canal, as the Phoenix Mural Project 2021, sponsored by SRP, comes to a close.
Arizona Theatre Company (ATC), in collaboration with The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre and Winding Road Theater Ensemble, is producing RomeroFest, a month-long celebration of the diverse, thoughtful and impactful works of ATC playwright-in-residence Elaine Romero with digital performances by…
Producer Mark Cortale announced that six stars of the stage and screen will join the late-February – March 2021 line-up of The Seth Concert Series, the live weekly series based on Seth Rudetsky’s international Broadway series that began at The Art House in Provincetown 10 years ago.
Who is ready for a socially distanced night out at the movies? The Phoenix Art Museum joined forces with FilmBar Phoenix to present outdoor film screenings in the Museum’s Dorrance Sculpture Garden. Cued up for Feb. 26–27, In the Mood for Love.
The Sonoran Desert Chorale offers the third of its four regular concerts in this year’s virtual season, Songs for Humankind, Saturday, Feb. 27.
With spring shows at ASU Gammage canceled, the venue is currently offering its Digital Connections series online for free. The digital experiences include masterclasses, fun demos and theatrical performances.
LUNAFEST returns this year with a brand-new slate of films created by women from all over the world. The fundraising film festival is dedicated to championing women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities.
Royal Palms Resort and Spa is extending its Live Music & Classic Movie Series into 2021. With local musicians, timeless films and stunning views of Camelback Mountain, guests can enjoy a memorable evening of outdoor entertainment.
A favorite annual outdoor activity for many, this year’s Ballet Under the Stars will be presented a bit differently. Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the community and Ballet Arizona staff, the performance will be presented virtually as a digital streaming event, …
The inspiring true story of how Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols pioneered the NASA recruiting program to hire people of color and the first female astronauts for the space agency in the late 1970s and 1980s, Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA will open i…
From Jan. 2 through April 25, Phoenix Art Museum will present a new selection of long-term loans in the exhibition Out of Print: Innovations of 19th- and 20th-Century Printmaking from the Collection of Phoenix Art Museum and the Schorr Collection.
Musicians of The Phoenix Symphony will present a free outdoor concert of Baroque works by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Corelli, under the direction of concertmaster Steven Moeckel, Sunday, Jan. 10.
Southwest Shakespeare Company is capturing the holiday spirit with its Storytime Classics Live production of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The multi-day Facebook Live event kicked off Dec. 22 with Beau Heckman reading Chapter 1 through 5.
Ballet Arizona invites residents to cozy up at home with some hot chocolate and celebrate the joy and wonder of the holidays with an abridged digital version of Ib Andersen’s The Nutcracker.
There is a seemingly endless mine of stories when it comes to World War II. From the tragedies of the Holocaust, to the awe-inspiring acts of heroism on the front lines. Some of the best stories involve intrigue, mystery and a caper.
The Herberger Theater Center is set to open its new outdoor stage, The Pavilion, to the public this upcoming Saturday, Nov. 14. Built with the safety of guests, staff and volunteers in mind, the outdoor space welcomes guests back to the theater with socially distanced seating at the Festival…
Today, Herberger Theater Center (HTC) announced the opening of its new outdoor stage, The Pavilion at the Herberger Theater.
“The reason we play music is to celebrate our sorrows and our joys. To try to help make sense of something that oppresses you or celebrate something that lifts you up.” —Linda Ronstadt, Linda and the Mockingbirds
October is usually the time of year that Scorpius Dance Theatre presents its fan-favorite production of A Vampire Tale. Dubbed “The Nutcracker of Halloween,” the annual haunt celebrated its 16th season in 2019. That performance included exciting new changes, with longtime Scorpius members st…
Join local performers from the Arizona theater community as they narrate spooky ghost stories, haunted short plays, mysterious monologues, scary poetry and original Halloween themed works this month.
Phoenix Art Museum will reopen to members Oct. 1 and to the general public Oct. 14 with comprehensive safety procedures developed in line with recommendations from federal and state public-health officials.
Cultural Coalition, Inc. and Pueblo Grande Museum present the Second Annual Portal to the Past Festival as a free virtual event Sunday, Oct. 4, from 2–4pm. Live streamed on Facebook and YouTube, the event features cultural performances of dance, music and storytelling celebrating the enginee…
With many galleries closed and art shows canceled, patrons can support artists from the comfort of their homes by taking part in the Creative Connections Fine Art Online Auction Fall 2020, Sept. 20–27. In addition, supporters will also help the nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK), feeding …
Act One Youth Theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to provide children the opportunity to participate and experience performing arts, at a nominal expense to them or their families. The volunteer operated children’s theater has been in existence for six-and-a-half years, according t…
Live performing arts organizations, artists and patrons alike are eagerly awaiting the day they can gather for in-person events. Some local venues plan to reopen as soon as fall 2020, while others have moved programming 100 percent online. As The Phoenix Theatre Company develops plans for di…
This season will be one like no other for Valley performing arts organizations. As seasons ended abruptly across the state this spring, companies had to quickly adapt. Theaters were shuttered, employees were furloughed. Many fall seasons were reinvented while others were postponed and some, …
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle What happens when you take three juvenile delinquents and one home-schooled teen from the big city to the Scottish Highlands for some good-old-fashioned scouting? You might not expect a thriller-comedy, but that’s exactly what Get Duked! delivers. Origina…
Encompassing nearly 13,000 square feet and spanning four gallery spaces, including the Virginia G. Piper Grand Gallery, Larger Than Memory: Contemporary Art from Indigenous North America is an inspirational and timely exhibition by the Heard Museum. Organized by Fine Arts curator Erin Joyce …
Although the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) is closed for in-person visits, art lovers can still find inspiration online through the Museums virtual visits. The Museum checked in with artist Brad Kahlhamer in his Valley studio with Museum Musings. Kahlhamer’s upcoming exhibiti…
For more than a century, the Arizona State Fair has been a gathering place for residents from across the state — and an eagerly anticipated event that marks the beginning of the fall season in Arizona. Then, along came 2020. Yesterday, the Arizona Exposition & State Fair Board announced …
The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, announced Monday the next evolution of its popular social media video series, Wright Virtual Visits, which highlights Frank Lloyd Wright-designed public…
In 1999, a friend and I were traveling late at night from Los Angeles back to Phoenix. I dozed off; he took a wrong turn. I woke, disconcerted, in an endless desert landscape with no recognizable landmarks, not even the moon to light the way. I rolled down the window and let the cool night […]
This past week, Phoenix Art Museum announced that it anticipates re-opening its doors to members Oct. 1 and to the general public Oct. 14, with new health and safety precautions that will help keep guests as safe as possible during their visit. In the meantime, the Museum continues its new w…
Alma is the story of a daughter and her mother and the thread of the American dream. Written by Benjamin Benne, Arizona Theatre Company’s (ATC) 2019 Latinx Playwright Award winner, the production will launch the first of the company’s series of creative digital performance offerings. Alma wi…
VYTal Affair-athon event will feature 132 former cast members from the past 32 years “I believe VYT has always been at the right place at the right time and that we can always find the silver lining in anything that might come our way, including this pandemic.” —Bobb Cooper, producing artist…
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle Netflix The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) This film, starring Paul Rudd, is not only funny, but also sentimental and heartwarming. Out of work Ben (Rudd) decides to register as a caregiver while struggling through a divorce. He is quickly hired to care fo…
Blake Shelton, with special guests Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins, will headline a drive-in concert experience slated for Saturday, July 25, at WestWorld of Scottsdale’s Polo Fields. The concert will appear at 300 select drive-in screens across the U.S. and Canada, produced exclusively for th…
“Now more than ever, support for Arizona Theatre Company is essential for our survival and our robust return to live theatre. Help us as we continue to be a leader in the arts in Arizona.” —Sean Daniels, Arizona Theatre Company A group of Arizona actors and writers will work together to writ…
—By Kaely Monahan and Tuesday Mahrle With the death of George Floyd, Dion Johnson here in Phoenix, and many other people of color, conversations about race, racism, policing and the abuse of power are back on center stage. Hollywood has not been immune to promoting hurtful and tone-deaf narr…
LUNAFEST, a fundraising film festival dedicated to championing women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities, has been rescheduled as a virtual event, set for Sunday, Aug. 2, at 4pm. It was originally scheduled to be held at Madison Center for the Arts in March but was ca…