The UA Art Museum: The UA’s art museum has several exhibitions up right now, including one on the evolution of women printmakers, one filled with art created by local high schoolers, an exploration of light and photography by multidisciplinary artist Richard Slechta and The Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo, one of the most important works to come out of 15th-century Spain. Check them all out, but do try to see the exhibit "X, Y, Z: Art in Three Dimensions" which features art that’s been formed, molded, carved, cast or otherwise arranged. As you take in the art, you can reflect on what it means to take up space, cast a shadow and have texture. "X, Y, Z" is on display through Sunday, June 24. Museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. UA Museum of Art, 1031 N. Olive Road. $8 GA, $6.50 seniors and groups of 10 or more. Free for members, students with ID, faculty, staff, military personnel, AAM members, visitors with a SNAP card or tribal ID and children. Details here.

Events compiled by Emily Dieckman, Dylan Reynolds, BS Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.

Immerse yourself in Elizabethan drama with The Loft Cinema’s free screening of Edward II, a twist on the Christopher Marlowe play “The Troublesome Reign of Edward II.” The 1991 film, newly digitally restored, is regarded as a New Queer Cinema classic. It follows the story of King Edward II (played by Steven Waddington), who rejects his wife (played by Tilda Swinton) and takes his friend Piers Gaveston (played by Andrew Tiernan) as a lover. The resulting shock and chaos offer social commentary on homophobia in England.

The Derek Jarman-directed film will play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 19 at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Admission is free but there is a $5 suggested donation. For more details, please visit The Loft's website.

Make it Mondays at the Children’s Museum. There’s a reason people say something rocks when it’s really cool: because rocks are really cool. Kids have the opportunity to see how cool they are firsthand this week when the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society Inc. comes to the Children’s Museum as part of their community outreach program. As part of the museum’s summer program, there will also be extended hours and $3 admission. And that truly rocks. Gem and Mineral Society will be at the museum from 3 to 6 p.m., and museum will be open until 7 p.m. on Monday, June 18. Tucson Children's Museum, 200 S. Sixth Ave. Free. Details here.



Island Claws. For Mondo Mondays at The Loft, June is Marine Monster Beach Party themed! This means you get to see giant, frazzled crabs running amok in a Florida beach city. It a classic cheesy monster movie: Nuclear plant spills onto docile animal, animals get big and angry, screams ensue, guy gets girl (probably). What’s not to like? 8 p.m., Monday, June 18. 3233 E. Speedway Boulevard. $3. Details here.

Events compiled by Emily Dieckman, Dylan Reynolds, BS Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.

Summer Safari Nights. Come one, come all, especially dads! Because this week at the Reid Park Zoo’s summer program, all dads get in free with paid child admission, in honor of Father’s Day. It’s a great week for the kids too, and maybe even a way to get them interested in a future STEM career, as this week’s theme is “Earth’s Eco-Engineers.” It’s all about the incredibly unique structures like armadillos, anteaters, elephants and alligators build. The Manhattan Dolls are providing the live music. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 15. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $6.50 kids 2 to 14. Half off for zoo members! Details here.

Dive-In Movie: Moana. The Ott Family YMCA is giving you the option to fully-embrace the aquatic and summery vibes of Moana by allowing you to view it poolside. The giant, bedazzled crabs and The Rock playing a demigod will seem so much more realistic this way! 6 p.m. Friday, June 15. 401 S. Prudence Road. $3 for members, $5 for non-members. Details here.

The Fifty Percenter with Rich Hopkins and William Sedlmayr. Billy Sedlmayr’s words and vocals ache—they’re sincere, painful and put forth because they had to be. It’s pure hard-won experience, each syllable and breathe summoning ghosts of the Sonoran Desert and the barrio shadows of past mistakes. Rich Hopkins’ guitar playing hums and sparks evoking the boundless liberation and melancholy of lives unraveling beneath open Arizona skies. In 2001, these two Southwestern music legends (Giant Sandworms and The Sidewinder/Sand Rubies respectively, at least) teamed up to create a much-lauded single album, The Fifty Percenter, but they never once played it live—until now. On tunes like “Apology,” Hopkins’ guitar rises on stark, warm gestures, upholding Sedlmayr’s voice, ever-tinged with street-corner regrets and a bizarre resilience: “And over by that tall tree, they’ll bury me with thieves/The snap, the sleep, the rope which sings one last apology.” The characters rise, stumble and swagger throughout, and hooks soar, and the whole thing now feels desert mythic all these years later. Friday, June 15, The Owls Club, 236 South Scott Ave. 8 p.m. 21+.—B.S. Eliot Details here.

Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Trek Movie Night. Casa Video Film Bar is going all-out in celebration of Zoë Saldaña’s 40th birthday. Did you know she starred in all three films? Me neither, but once you think about it, yep, that’s her alright. Now’s your chance to get down to Casa Video and start genuflecting the new queen of sci-fi. Avatar plays first, then Guardians, then Star Trek. 7 p.m., Friday, June 15. 2905 E. Speedway Blvd. Details here.

FIFA World Cup with Spain vs. Portugal. The US may be out of the World Cup already, but that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on the excitement of the games. Playground Bar and Lounge is opening its doors early for World Cup watching on its giant TVs in the main bar and the courtyard patios. Turn game day into brunch with breakfast specials and deals on drinks. $5 Negro Modelo USA drafts and $4 cans of Modelo Especial. 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 15. Check Playground’s website to see which other games Playground will open early for. 278 E. Congress St. Details here.

Monsoon Duck Party. Local waterfowl conservation group Tucson Ducks Unlimited is keeping it casual at this event. (Maybe you can even get them to put together a game of “Duck, Duck Goose.”) For 25 bucks, you’ll get a craft beer, wine or soda and plenty to munch on. You’ll also have the chance to get involved with raffles, games and an auction, all in support of their conservation mission. Duck, duck, brews! 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 15. Barrio Brewing Co., 800 E. 16th St. $25. Details here.

Comedians Willie Barcena and Gilbert Esquivel bring their combined 50 years’ experience in high-energy showmanship and irreverent comedy to the Fox stage at 8 p.m., Saturday, June 16. Tickets for the 18-and-over show are $22 to $47 via foxtucsontheatre.com.

Barcena, a 12-time guest on the "Tonight Show," is known to fans for appearances on several TV series, tour stops all over the world, and his own stand-up specials on Comedy Central, Showtime and Netflix. He also hosted Si TV’s "Latino Laugh Festival: The Show." Barcena’s live appearances are said to cover everything we wouldn’t talk about in polite company.

Esquivel was practically born a road warrior having grown up following the harvest seasons across the U.S. with his migrant-worker family. Now he tours comedy clubs, colleges, prisons and the Las Vegas strip, taking time out to reap TV credits and produce a commercially available DVD, "Thou Shalt Laugh."

Take the kids retro!

See "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23, and "Clueless" at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 30 at Fox Tucson Theatre. Tickets are $7, $5 for students and free for Fox members and kids under 12. Did you know that the Fox was Tucson's first air-conditioned entertainment venue?

Unscrewed Theatre Lives: Neighborly and kid-friendly.

As its new space in Midway Business Park #39 (4500 E Speedway Blvd.) is being transformed, Unscrewed sustains its fans with free weekly comedy, hosted by two of its new neighbors. Four of the company’s house teams cycle through shows at 7 p.m. Fridays at Dedicated Gluten-Free Coffee Shop, #41, and 7 p.m. Saturdays at Mama’s Famous Pizza & Heros, #79. Visit the Unscrewed Theatre page on Facebook for updates on the new theater’s progress.

Unscrewed also offers summer camps for teens. Two, one-week sessions for ages 12 to 14 and 15 to 18 take place July 16 to 20, and 23 through 27. Kids can have fun building listening and communication skills, teamwork, character development and the selflessness of making their scene partner look good, all within the context of improv games that encourage noisy, active fun. Visit unscrewedtheater.org/teen-workshops/ for more information and to register.

Date Night!

With the fabulous Lola Torch as host, the Tucson Libertine League features a DJ throw down as the sound track for its burlesque show at 9 p.m., Saturday, June 16 191 E. Toole. Tickets are $12. DJ Herm and B-Rad provide the beats. Acorn B-Corn perform live music with dancers and Lela Rose is a special guest among the dozen dancers featured.

The UA Art Museum: The UA’s art museum has several exhibitions up right now, including one on the evolution of women printmakers, one filled with art created by local high schoolers, an exploration of light and photography by multidisciplinary artist Richard Slechta and The Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo, one of the most important works to come out of 15th-century Spain. Check them all out, but do try to see the exhibit "X, Y, Z: Art in Three Dimensions" which features art that’s been formed, molded, carved, cast or otherwise arranged. As you take in the art, you can reflect on what it means to take up space, cast a shadow and have texture. "X, Y, Z" is on display through Sunday, June 24. Museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. UA Museum of Art, 1031 N. Olive Road. $8 GA, $6.50 seniors and groups of 10 or more. Free for members, students with ID, faculty, staff, military personnel, AAM members, visitors with a SNAP card or tribal ID and children. Details here.

DeGrazia’s Birthday: As if there weren’t enough of a reason to visit the DeGrazia Gallery and stroll through the gorgeous grounds, they’re giving out free cake and ice cream in honor of Ted DeGrazia’s birthday. He would have been 109 this year, and the weather gods are celebrating his birthday by setting the temperature to just about the same number. Admission to the museum,
where you can check out DeGrazia’s art and architecture, is free as well. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 14. DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan. Free. Details here.

Meet the Artists: Miniatures by Members of SAME: If you’re ever feeling small, there may be no better remedy than to head over to the Mini Time Museum of Miniatures to feel giant for the day. If you check out the museum’s Community Corner, where work by members of the Southern Arizona Miniature Enthusiasts’ club is on display, you may end up feeling a little lousy and untalented, just knowing what sorts of incredible and tiny art your neighbors are capable of making. Once a week, a SAME member is at the museum demonstrating their work and taking questions from the public. This week, it’s Kathy Grissom! 10a.m. to 1p.m. Thursday, June 14. Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E. Camp Lowell Drive. $9 GA, $8 military, $6 students and youth 4 to 17, free for kids 3 and under. Details here.

Red, White and Tuna: Live Theatre Workshop is presenting the third in a series of plays that take place in Tuna, the (fictional) “third-smallest” town in Texas. Hey, every town deserves to have some sort of claim to fame. Tuna’s just happens to be more of a claim to lame… Anyway, Keith Wick and Stephen Frankenfield play a cast of more than 20 wacky characters, both male and female, both young and old, Portlandia-style. In this chapter of Tuna’s tale, new town residents crash Tuna’s Fourth of July High School class reunion, and fireworks and funny stuff ensues. Thursday, June 14 to Saturday, July 21. Shows are usually at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. $15 to $20. Details here.

As the deadline to vote is less than a week away, it's time to let us know who, what, and where you think is the Best of Tucson.

Our annual competition that determines the best yoga studios, dog parks, video game stores, donuts and drag queens is coming to a close on Sunday, June 17. So take a break from your Father's Day celebrations (also this Sunday, don't forget!) and let your voice be heard about your favorite things that make Tucson great.

There are two rounds of voting for Best of Tucson, the first of which is ending Sunday. This first round is your opportunity to nominate whoever and wherever you want for each category. After this round closes, we will determine the top five spots to be voted on again for the winner.

Before you get too excited about all these choices, there are a few rules to follow:

1. One ballot per person. We are checking IP addresses, so no trying to be sneaky!

2. Ballots must have your full name and email address or phone number. If they don't have this information, the ballots will be thrown out and your votes lost. The provided emails and phone numbers will be used ONLY for ballot-verificaiton purposes. Fake emails or phone numbers will result in thrown out ballots. Don't do it!

3. In order for your votes to count, you must vote in at least 30 categories. Don't have an opinion on 30 categories? Sounds like you need to get out and about in Tucson!

4. If you truly have no opinion in a category, please LEAVE IT BLANK.

5. Ballot-box stuffing is not aloud. You can do simple campaigning such as putting up a sign or linking our website to yours, but anything beyond that is forbidden and may result in disqualification. Any business or entry may be disqualified at the discretion of the editor. If you have questions or a tip about ballot-box stuffing, please email [email protected]. Thank you!

6. Please only vote for LOCAL institutions. Here at Tucson Local Media and the Tucson Weekly, we like to celebrate Tucson! Vote for your favorite mom 'n pop joints but not for any national chains. Votes for national chains will not be counted.

Having trouble logging in?

If you've ever voted for something on our website before, you have to type your name the exact same way you did the first time, or the system will not let you vote. Maybe last year you didn't capitalize your first name? Or perhaps you left off your last name? If you can't figure it out, please email our Web Editor Tirion Morris and she'll set you straight.

Happy voting!

 

Man, whenever a college professor would announce a Chekov play was on the agenda for required reading, I would roll my eyes and yawn. My younger self always found his stuff ponderous and pretentious, enough so that I’ve tried to avoid it for decades. Lo and behold, maybe Mr. Chekov was on to something, because this adaptation of his play into a movie starring Annette Bening and Saoirse Ronan actually seems extremely relevant in these days of celebrity and social networking. Bening plays Irina, an early 20th century actress who goes to visit her dying brother (Hey, look, it’s Brian Dennehy) and angry son Konstantin (Billy Howle), an aspiring playwright hopelessly in love with young actress Nina (Ronan). Shortly after her arrival, the action flashes back a couple of years to equally unhappy times during another Irina visit, one where Konstantin attempts suicide after Nina shows interest in Irina’s lover, Boris (Corey Stoll), another, more famous playwright. Considering when this was all originally written, the story is amazingly accurate in its portrayal of modern day celebrity competition at the expense of healthy relationships and, well, acting like a decent human being in general. Almost everybody in this movie behaves selfishly, and that behavior results in tragedy. Bening, Ronan and Dennehy are great, while Howle slows things up a bit. Hey, director Michael Mayer got me to relatively enjoy something with the name Chekov attached to it. I consider that a major accomplishment.

The Seagull opens at the Loft Cinema on Friday, June 8.

“I don't think you can make an unfunny person funny,” says Kathleen Madigan. She’s responding to notion that she’s a natural comedian. Her comedic storytelling style belies her heritage; it’s akin to the Celtic oral tradition of blarney, a colorful twist of truth and fiction, structured and paced for maximum side-splitting. Her gift is a keen eye for the ridiculous in everyday life.

Asked how her comedy has evolved since her first open mic at age 23, she says “I haven’t changed in 30 years. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I was never really dirty. I've never done celebrity gossip. I'm most apt to talk about travelling and silly stuff and my family,” Madigan says. Her steady flow of fresh, true-ish tales turns out a growing audience for her TV and Netflix specials and 250 tour dates year after year. “It is a lot but it's still a lot of fun, so I guess when it's not any more I'll just stop.”

She’s performed on nearly every standup show ever made, and has done three Comedy Central specials, Madigan has no interest in scripted television series’ or movies. “I don't like the waiting around,” she says. “I don't like having all those coworkers and bosses. I just want to be my own boss.”

She's won the American Comedy Award for "Best Female Comedian" and the Phyllis Diller award for "Best Female Comedian." She remains the only comedian in the history of NBC's Last Comic Standing to go unchallenged by any other comedian; no comedian would say they were funnier. And she’s repeatedly voted an audience favorite by Sirius FM listeners.

Asked what current comedians are bubbling under big careers, she suggests Dusty Slay, Raanan Hershberg and Bryan Hamilton, all of whom she deems naturally funny. “I think you can sing or you can't. Comedy is sort of the same thing.” But she holds out hope for the multitudes of hopefuls. “If you do have it, you go practice it and you get better and better. But if you don't have it, people can keep trying and have fun with it. As long as you're not getting paid to be funny, it doesn't matter.”

Madigan performs at the Rialto Theatre at 8 p.m., Thursday, June 14. Tickets for the all-ages show are $26 to $42, available via rialtotheatre.com. She says she is looking forward to playing the Pop A Shot in the green room.

Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo.

Music

Celebrating the Spectrum 2018. Desert Voices, Tucson’s premier gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and ally chorus, is all about the idea that anyone can sing. And not just anyone on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Anyone, regardless of creed, age, background, age, race or pizza topping preference. (Even anchovy lovers are welcome here.) For this event, Desert Voices is hosting GALA choruses from throughout Southern Arizona and Southern California to celebrate equality, diversity and the unity found in love of music. 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 10. Arizona Theatre Company, Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. $25 door, $20 advance, $15 student.

Summer Sizzlers–Cool Hot Jazz for the Summer. Here come the Dixie Cats, the swinging jazz group that’s known for playing the tunes of old NOLA. Their show “A Brief History of Jazz” will play tunes all the way from late 19th-century ragtime to late 20th-century big band swing and trad-jazz. This is the first in the St. Philip’s in the Hills Friends of Music summer concert series, so if you enjoy this, you can look forward to Grupo Riken, the Puerto Rican/Latin Jazz group, playing in July. 2 p.m. Sunday, June 10. St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave. Suggested admission is $15. Students with ID admitted at no charge.

1812 Overture by the Tucson Pops Orchestra. June is upon us, so it’s only natural that, thanks to the Tucson Pops Orchestra, tunes are upon us as well. At this evening event in the park, you’ll hear music from Miss Saigon, a Tchaikovsky piece, “America the Beautiful,” and, in the young conductors’ portion, even “La Bamba.” Grab your blanket or folding chair—heck, bring a picnic if you want—and settle in for an evening of music. 7 p.m. Sunday, June 10. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. Free.

Art

Etherton Gallery’s Summer Exhibitions. No matter what kind of art you like, you’ll want to make it a point to head to Etherton this summer. Their photography exhibition, “From the Archive: Masters of 20th Century Photography,” showcases work by American modernist photographers like Ansel Adams, Robert Frank, Annie Leibovitz and Eugene Smith. Hand-colored bird and flower photography by Tucson artist Kate Breakey will be on display in the pop-up gallery. And they’ve also partnered with The Skateroom to display editioned artwork on skateboards (designed to be hung on the wall, but could be used for skating as well) by artists such as Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey and Ai Wei Wei. A portion of gallery sales of the skateboards will go into a fund for Cushing Street Skate Park, a needed covered skate park for Tucson youth. On display through the end of August. Opening reception 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 9. Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave. Free.