Calendar of Events
Thursday, November 19, 2009
"Contemporary Chinese Composers": Ann Arbor Area Piano Teachers Guild.
Multimedia lecture-demo by Portland State University piano professor Susan Chan (see 8 p.m. listing below).
Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Free. 665-5346.
"National Policy Issues: Hot Potatoes, the Way Forward": U-M Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Every Thurs. (except Nov. 26), Oct. 29-Dec. 10. A series of 6 lectures by different U-M and guest scholars. Today: U-M School of Public Health associate dean Dean Smith, director of the U-M Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, on "Health Insurance Reform: I'm Moving to Canada; How about You?
Best Western Executive Conference Center, 2900 Jackson Rd. $45 (members, $30) for the 6-lecture series, $25 (members, $10) per lecture. Memberships are $15 a year. Preregistration required. 998-9351.
Thursday Lunch Bunch: Jewish Community Center.
Every Thurs. except Nov. 26. Activities, primarily for seniors, begin at 10 a.m. with "Energy Exercise" ($4), a 60-minute exercise program led by Maria Farquhar. An 11 a.m. Current Events discussion group led by Heather Dombey is followed at noon by a homemade dairy lunch ($3 with reservation, $4 without reservation and for nonseniors) and at 1 p.m. by a cultural or educational program. Today: a performance by Oak Park singer-pianist Avy Schreiber.
JCC, 2935 Birch Hollow Dr. (off Stone School Rd. south of Packard). Free. 971-0990.
ACBL Duplicate Bridge: Ann Arbor Senior Center.
Every Wed. & Thurs. All seniors age 50 & over invited to play ACBL-sanctioned duplicate bridge. Bring a partner.
Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin. $5. 769-5911.
Noon Lectures Series: U-M Center for Japanese Studies.
Nov. 5, 12, & 19. Talks by visiting scholars. This month's highlight is "Death and Buddhism in the Middle Ages" (Nov. 12), a talk by Yamagata University cultural studies professor Kenji Matsuo. For complete schedule, see ii.umich.edu/cjs/eventsprograms/noon.
1636 SSWB, 1080 South University. Free. 764-6307.
Gifts of Art: U-M Hospitals.
Nov. 5, 12, & 19. Performances by area and guest artists. Today: Latin music by Acoustic Eidolon.
U-M Hospital lobby, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. (off Fuller). Free. 936-ARTS.
"A Taste of Thanksgiving": International Neighbors.
All area women invited to enjoy some sweet and savory Thanksgiving treats. Bring recipes to share, if you like. Nursery care provided for preschoolers. Refreshments.
Westminster Presbyterian Church social hall, 1500 Scio Church Rd. Free. 995-1645.
"Andrew Carnegie's Library Legacy": Daughters of the American Revolution.
Talk by DAR member Connie Olson.
Ann Arbor City Club, 1830 Washtenaw. Free. 975-1976.
"Immigration, Public Policy, and the Skills Debate": U-M Ford School of Public Policy.
U-M economics professor Dean Yang moderates a panel discussion with Harvard University Kennedy School of Government professor George Borjas and University of California-San Diego economics professor Gordon Hanson.
1120 Weill Hall, 735 S. State at Hill. Free. 615-6973.
"Sexularism: Gender Equality and Secularization": U-M Institute for the Humanities Marc & Constance Jacobson Lecture.
Lecture by Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, NJ) social science professor Joan Scott.
Palmer Commons Forum Hall, 100 Washtenaw. Free. 936-3518.
"Landscapes of Power, c. 1300: Social and Cultural Interactions at the Garden-Park of Hesdin": U-M Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies.
Talk by University of California-Santa Barbara history professor Sharon Farmer. Hesdin is a town in northern France.
1014 Tisch Hall, 435 S. State. Free. 615-7400.
"Maps of World War II": U-M Map Library.
Display of WW II maps made in the U.S.
Map Library, Hatcher Graduate Library, Room 825. Free. 764-0407.
U-M English Department Zell Visiting Writers Series.
Nov. 5, 9, & 19 (different programs). Readings by poets and fiction writers. Today: Fiction reading by Kevin Brockmeier, an acclaimed Arkansas novelist and short story writer. His 2008 story collection The View from the Seventh Layer demonstrates what Publishers Weekly calls a "mastery of the tricky intersection between fantasy and realism."
U-M Museum of Art Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State. Free. 615-3710. 764-0395.
"Thursday Night Rush Hour Relief": Cranbrook Whole Foods Market.
Nov. 5, 12, & 19. Whole Foods staffers discuss wine. Also, tastings and small plates of food. Today: "Beaujolais Nouveau Day!"
Whole Foods wine bar, 990 W. Eisenhower Pkwy., Cranbrook Village shopping center. $17. 997-7500.
U-M School of Art & Design Penny Stamps Lecture Series.
Nov. 5, 12, & 19. Today: U-M art and design professor and graphic novelist Phoebe Gloeckner on "Through a Glass Darkly."
Michigan Theater. Free. 647-2337.
Magic: The Gathering Tournament: Get Your Game On.
Every Sun.-Fri., except Nov. 26. All invited to compete in tournaments of this popular collectible card game using standard constructed (Sun. & Thurs.), vintage (Mon.), Elder Dragon Highlander (Tues.), Legacy (Wed.), and booster draft (Fri.) decks. Prizes. Bring your own cards Sun.-Thurs.
Get Your Game On, 709 Packard. $5 (Tues., free; Fri., $15 includes cards). 786-3746.
Board Game Night: Get Your Game On.
Every Thurs. & Sat., except Nov. 26. All invited to bring a favorite board game or play one of the store's.
Get Your Game On, 709 Packard. Free. 786-3746.
"Fremont USA: A City's Encounter with Religious Diversity": Ann Arbor District Library.
Screening of Rachel Antell and Elinor Pierce's award-winning 2009 documentary about how this religiously diverse California city responded to the brutal murder of a Muslim woman. Followed by a discussion led by U-M Community Scholars Program faculty and students.
AADL multipurpose room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. Free. 327-4555
Ann Arbor Go Club.
Every Sun. & Thurs. except Nov. 26. Players of all skill levels invited to play what's regarded as the world's most difficult board game. No partner necessary. Boards and stones provided.
Espresso Royale, 322 S. State. Free. 417-5547.
"Lost in Yonkers": U-M Basement Arts.
Nov. 19-21. Richie Grasso directs U-M students in Neil Simon's award-winning bittersweet comedy, set in New York in 1942, about a multigenerational family living in happiness and strife, as seen through the eyes of teenage brothers sent to live with their strict grandmother and loving but scatterbrained aunt when their father takes a job away from home.
Walgreen Drama Center Studio One, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Free. basement.studentorgs.umich.edu
"Pinocchio": Young Actors Guild.
Nov. 19-21. Donald Amerson directs young local actors in Madge Miller's 1954 adaptation of the classic story of a puppet that wants to be a real boy.
Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 3257 Lohr Rd. $10 (students through high school, $5). 913-9800.
"The 13th Reality, Volume 1: The Journal of Curious Letters": Barnes & Noble.
Children's fiction writer James Dasher discusses his new adventure tale for kids ages 9-12. Q&A. Signing.
Barnes & Noble, 3235 Washtenaw. Free. 973-1618.
5th Annual Holiday Gift Auction: Glacier Way West Side Cooperative Preschool Fund-Raiser.
West Side United Methodist Church, 900 S. Seventh St. Free admission. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. 995-0707.
Ann Arbor Society for Origami.
All children & adults invited to learn about and try their hand at origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.
Great Oak Cohousing Common House, 500 Little Lake Dr. (off Parkland from eastbound Jackson between Wagner & Zeeb). Free. 975-4669.
U-M Women's Basketball vs. Southern Mississippi.
Crisler Arena. $3 (youths under age 18, $1; U-M students with ID, free). 764-0247.
"Uncommon Women and Others": U-M Theatre Department.
Nov. 19-22. U-M drama professor John Neville-Andrews directs U-M theater students in Wendy Wasserstein's witty, high-spirited 1977 drama about 5 women who reunite 6 years after their graduation from college and revisit episodes from their senior year when, caught between traditional ideas of womanhood and feminism, each woman made decisions that would determine her place in the world.
U-M Walgreen Drama Center Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Tickets $18 & $24 (students, $9) at the Michigan League Box Office in advance and at the door. To charge by phone, call 764-2538.
"Hero of Helpmart": Rudolf Steiner High School Drama Club.
Nov. 19-21. Rudolf Steiner students perform a drama, by Steiner School English and drama teacher Mary Emery and her son Jules Holbrook, about an aspiring young writer who uses the power of her imagination to transform a job she hates into something marvelous.
Rudolf Steiner High School, 2230 Pontiac Trail. $5 (students, $3; family, $12). 669-9394.
Fall Concert: Huron High School Orchestras.
Chris Mark conducts all 3 Huron orchestras in Dvorak's Symphony no. 8 and other works TBA.
Huron High School Meyers Auditorium, 2727 Fuller Rd. Free. 994-2040.
"The Clunie Site": Michigan Archaeological Society.
Historical Society of Saginaw County archaeology curator Jeff Sommer discusses excavations at this late-prehistoric Native American habitat located just south of Saginaw.
U-M Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, 424 S. State. Free. (248) 437-4183.
Israeli Dancing: Jewish Community Center.
Every Thurs. except Nov. 26. Dance instructor Cheryl Felt and DJ Amnon Steiner lead a variety of Israeli dancing to recorded music. Easy dances and oldies the first hour, followed by intermediate dances and requests. Beginners welcome. New dances taught each week.
JCC, 2935 Birch Hollow Dr. (off Stone School Rd. south of Packard). $5 (students, free). 971-0990.
Ann Arbor Ski Club.
Nov. 5 & 19. All invited to learn about the club's downhill and cross-country ski and snowboarding outings, tennis, golf, and other sports and social activities. Followed by a dance (Nov. 5) and a skiwear fashion show (Nov. 19).
Cobblestone Farm barn, 2781 Packard. $5. 786-2237.
"Picasso at the Lapin Agile": Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.
Nov. 19-22. Thom Johnson directs Steve Martin's inventive, sharp-witted play about an imaginary meeting, set in a Parisian cafe at the turn of the last century, between Picasso and Einstein. The action is an exhilarating mix of dramatic speeches, surreal episodes, sexual sparring, music hall bits, and comedy both high and low.
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University. Tickets $18 (seniors, $16; students, $10; Thurs., $14) in advance at a2ct.org or by calling 971-2228.
Michael Loftus: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase.
Nov. 19-21. This quick-witted comic from Columbus, Ohio, a founding member of the Midwest Tool & Die Improv Troupe, is known for high-energy stream-of-consciousness monologues on politics, current events, and anything else that troubles his peace of mind. Preceded by 2 opening acts. Alcohol is served; all Fri. & Sat. early shows are nonsmoking.
314 E. Liberty (below Seva restaurant). $8 (Thurs.) & $10 (Fri. & Sat.) reserved seating in advance, $11 (Thurs.) & $13 (Fri. & Sat.) general admission at the door. 996-9080.
"The Night of the Iguana": MorrisCo Art Theatre.
Nov. 19-21. Susan Morris directs local actors in Tennessee Williams' drama about the unexpected connection between a disgraced Episcopal priest and a poor spinster artist. Set at the Costa Verde hotel in 1940s Mexico, "a place where hard notions of good and evil go soft in the sun," the play maps "the terrible limbo of human loneliness," says a New York Times review. It's about "accepting goodness and beauty where and how you find them." Cast: Glenn Bugala, Colby Halloran, Laurie Atwood, Bob Green, Patricia Rector, Lisa White, Glen Modell, and Christopher Potter.
Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron, Ypsilanti. Tickets $18 (students & seniors, $15) in advance at info@morrisco.org and 996-2549.
"Christmas Carol'd": Performance Network Professional Season.
Every Thurs.-Sun. (except Nov. 26 & Dec. 25), Nov. 19-Dec. 27. David Wolber directs local playwright Joseph Zettelmaier's fast-paced, gleefully inventive adaptation of Dickens' classic Christmas tale in which 5 actors play more than 40 roles. Stars John Seibert.
Performance Network, 120 E. Huron. Preview tickets: whatever you can afford to pay (Nov. 19), $22 (Nov. 20 & 22), and $30 (Nov. 21). Nov. 27 opening night tickets: $39 & $41 includes reception. After Nov. 27: $27 & $29 (Thurs.), $32 & $34 (Fri. & Sun.), $25 & $27 (Sat. matinee), $39 & $41 (Sat. eve.). $3 discount for seniors age 60 & over. Tickets available in advance at performancenetwork.org & by phone, and at the door. $10 student discount in advance, half-price student tickets at the door only. For reservations, call 663-0681; to charge by phone, call 663-0696.
"Escanaba": Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sun. (except Nov. 26) Sept. 17-Dec. 19. See review. Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Jeff Daniels' comedy, the third in his deer-hunting Yooper trilogy that includes the hugely successful Escanaba in da Moonlight and Escanaba in Love. This installment reveals the origins of some of the Soady family's time-honored deer camp traditions. Stars Julian Gant, Wayne David Parker, and Tom Whalen.
Purple Rose, 137 Park St., Chelsea. $25 (Sun. eves., Wed. & Thurs.), $33 (Sat. & Sun. matinees), & $38 (Fri. & Sat. eves.) in advance and at the door. 433-7673.
Campus Philharmonia Orchestra: U-M School of Music.
Grad students conduct nonmusic majors in Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances, Saint-Saens's Danse Bacchanale, and Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite.
U-M Music School McIntosh Theater, 1100 Baits Dr. (off Broadway), North Campus. Free. 764-0594.
Susan Chan: EMU Music Department.
This Portland State University piano professor performs works by Franck, Chopin, Liszt, Somei Satoh, and Tan Dun.
EMU Alexander Recital Hall, Lowell at E. Circle Dr., Ypsilanti. Free. 487-2255.
Motor City Metro Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Every Thurs. except Nov. 26. All male singers invited to join the weekly rehearsals of this local barbershop harmony chorus.
ICC Education Center (behind Luther House at 1520 Hill). Free to visitors ($130 annual dues for those who join). Park on Lincoln or Baldwin. 474-1155.
"happenchance on a blank body": U-M Dance Department B.F.A. Concert.
Nov. 19-21. An evening of original choreography by U-M dance majors Betsy Busald, Catherine Coury, Elizabeth Dugas and Nadia Tykulsker. Busald's group work is a sextet illustrating the nature of memory, and her solo is a collaboration with playwright Goli Rahimi. Coury's group work, inspired by the Spanish poet Garcia Lorca, highlights the lifestyle of gypsy women, and her solo, set to the works of spiritual activist Marianne Williamson, explores the discovery of self-worth in the shedding of fear. Dugas presents 2 complementary works based on the perplexity of one's path in life. Tykulsker's group work is a series of succinct 2-minute dances inspired by the poetry of U-M student Kellen Braddock and set to a score by U-M student Jake Merkin, and her solo is a study of personal growth inspired by her experience moving from Brooklyn, NY, to Ann Arbor. Note: These shows often sell out very quickly.
U-M Dance Bldg. Betty Pease Studio, 1310 North University Ct. $5 at the door only, beginning at 7 p.m. 763-5460, 763-5461.
