Thursday, August 17, 2017
Late Nite has won dozens of awards and made careers for more than a half-dozen actors. Although much of it is scripted, the most memorable parts usually happen when Sister interacts with unruly “students” in her theater classroom.
The Fox production features Patricia Hannon, who for 17 years has appeared regularly as Sister at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. As an actress and improviser in in Chicago, she had won that city’s legendary Jeff Awards for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and, with one of her two improv troupes, Best Ensemble. She also performed Sister for four years in Boston and New York.
Vicki Quade and Maripat Donovan launched Late Night in 1992. Donovan originated the role, and as she took it to other major cities for long engagements, the company added Sisters to keep each production going. Hannon was the second sister added. As the production expanded nationally, it also added seven sequels. Hannon will perform the original. She’s crazy about it.
“I need to start interacting pretty quickly with the audience,” she says, “and there's a moment when you feel like 'I've got 'em’! Usually when they're stuck up and thinking 'Oh, why the hell did I come here?' those are the fun people.”
There was a time everyone needed a laugh. Hannon performed in New York City right after 9/11. “I was affected by that, as we all were. People had friends missing. How do I come back and … do comedy? I remembered those firemen walking into that building, doing their job. I thought ‘Do your job’. You know I had a lot of images when I walked in that room, but people were so ready to laugh again. They came out and thanked me and hugged me.
“Laughter is important for people.”
Tickets are $37 to $84 via foxtucsontheatre.ticketforce.com. Most performances end with a “collection” of voluntary donations; to date, the shows have raised more than $2 million for local charities that help retired nuns.
Tags: nun , Late Nite Catechism , Patti Hannon , Scottsdale Center for the Arts , Fox Theatre Tucson , Catholic school
Animals
Kitty Quinceañera. Celebrate the senior kitty-zens of the Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter & Sanctuary, and maybe even take one home to love. Aside from food and fun, the event will be offering adoption fees of only $5 for cats over 7 years old. Show your support for a local shelter and try to process the fact that you could theoretically take home 20 of these lovable furballs for only $100. (I’m not saying you should, I’m just saying you could). If you’ve been wanting a calm, older cat, now’s the time to go for it. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19. Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter & Sanctuary 4501 E. 22nd St. Free.Hiking with Dogs in the Desert. Have you sat down with your pup to have a chat about safety when hiking? What about trail etiquette? Do you know which trails in the area are dog-friendly? Sandy McPadden Animal Behavior Consulting is hosting this educational event about the best hiking practices when bringing along your best friend. This is a woman who worked as an animal trainer on the national tour of 101 Dalmatians, so she knows her dog stuff, and lots of it. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17. REI, 160 W. Wetmore Road. Free.
(Shop) Local
August Indoor Rummage Sale. The WomanKraft Art Center, a nonprofit which works to validate and empower women artists and other under-represented groups, is hosting its biggest biannual fundraising bash. From toys to tools to tech gizmos, they’re practically guaranteed to have something that will strike your fancy. And since it’s held in an air-conditioned sanctuary and not in a driveway, you can browse to your heart’s content, without worrying about coming across a melting lamp, or having a heat stroke. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 and Saturday, Aug. 19. 388 S. Stone Ave. Free.Rescue Blooming Barrel Sale. If you’ve thought about getting a rescue dog, but weren’t quite ready to make the commitment, try starting with a rescue plant, which is an option, apparently. The nonprofit Tucson Cactus & Succulent Society is holding a sale of plants that would otherwise be plowed away by developers or AZDOT when new roads are built. Sales of specialty cacti and succulents will begin at 7 a.m., and the rescue mission begins at 8. There’s a limited number entry system (to keep things efficient). Native barrels are a’bloomin, so selection ranges from yellow to red. Stop by and brighten your home with a feel-good investment. Gates open from 7 to 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 20 Amphi Land Lab, 4342 N. 4th Ave. Free entry.
You Say It’s Your Birthday
Tucson’s 242nd Birthday Celebration! Ah, Tucson. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 242 years since our saguaro-y, monsoon-y foodie mecca started playing The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Loft every month. Okay, maybe the monthly screenings haven’t been around that whole time, but 242 years of the Old Pueblo is something to celebrate either way. Mariachi music, speeches and birthday cake will abound. Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19. Historic AMTRAK Tucson Train Depot 400 N. Toole. Free.Tags: Kitty , cat , Quinceañera , senior kitty-zens , Hermitage No-kill Cat Shelter , Hiking with Dogs in the Desert , Sandy McPadden , REI , August Indoor Rummage Sale , WomanKraft Art Center , women , women artists , rescue blooming barrel sale , Amphi land lab , cacti , succulents , cactus , Tucson’s birthday , Tucson’s 242 birthday , Tucson Train Depot , solar eclipse , eclipse , Oro Valley Public Library , Sky Bar , 3D printing , Space Night , Ben Stiller , Children’s Museum Tucson , Splash and Dash , Aquathlon , Tucson J , Tucson Jewish Community Center , Yoga for Women who Adventure , bookmaking buffet , Tanline Printing , bookbinding , Sizzling Summer Art Walk , Pat Parkinson , Jane Hamilton Fine Art , Dia de los Muertos , Tohono Chul , Neon Fom Party , EDM , Moombahton , twerk , trap , house , Glow boxing , glow-in-the-dark boxing , UFC Gym , Dead Cross , Milo , The Shadow Band , Telekinetic Yeti
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Meet Harley, a two-year-old female Staffordshire Bull Terrier. This weekend, she and all of the animals at the Pima Animal Care Center can be adopted with no adoption fee, as a part of PACC’s participation in the nationwide “Clear the Shelters” campaign.
Adoption fees will be waved Saturday, Aug 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20. The usual $18 licensing fee for adult dogs will apply, but what’s $18 for a new furry best friend? Not to mention that every adopted pet (all the time, not just for the weekend) comes spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and with a free vet visit.Clear the Shelters, an event hosted by NBC and Telemundo-owned stations, has led to the adoption of over 73,000 pets since its expansion to the national level in 2015, 50,000 of which took place in 2016. Help break last year’s record by taking home one of the more than 650 pets at PACC that are waiting to meet you.
Look at available pets online or visit them in purr-son at the shelter, 4000 N. Silverbell Road.
Tags: dogs , puppers , doggos , kitties , cats , kittens , Pima Animal Care Center , PACC , Clear the Shelters , animal adoption , animal rescue , dogsdogsdogs
Thursday, August 10, 2017
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. And on Aug. 25, HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery will heed our cries when it reopens for lunch and dinner after its summer renovations. Brunch, the most important meal of the day and clinically shown to be the most acceptable time to get day drunk, will be back in business on Aug. 26.
Two hundred ice cream addicts who enter on HUB’s Facebook page will win a chance to experience the new interior and private dining room a day or two early, for pre-opening celebrations on Aug. 23 and 24.
If you’re not one of the lucky 200, you can still be a part of the grand reopening festivities on Aug. 25-27, when the HUB will be giving away free ice cream to guests with the purchase of an entree.
HUB is located in downtown Tucson. More information can be found at HUBdowntown.com
Tags: Ice cream , you scream , I scream , HUB , HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery , reopening , giveaway , free
Animals
World Elephant Day Celebration. Join Reid Park Zoo African elephants Lungile, Semba, and Punga, Sundzu and Nandi at this event held in honor of nature’s most majestic matriarchs. Taking place at the seven-acre Expedition Tanzania exhibit, there will be elephant-themed activities and presentations, as well as treats for the elephants themselves on their special day. Save the date, because the elephants definitely aren’t going to forget. 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. Free with zoo admission.
Lizards are Hot, Lizards are Cool. Do you ever look a lizard and wonder why it’s doing pushups, squirting blood out of its eye or incessantly trying to sell you car insurance? This talk may just be the answer to all of your questions. Check out the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park every Friday in August to refine your reptile knowledge bank. 3:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25. Saguaro National Park West: Tucson Mountain District (West District), 2700 N. Kinney Road. Free with park admission.
Read to a Dog! Most people have had the feeling of liking dogs better than people at one point or another. There’s something about their soft fur, their loyal love and their inability to incessantly nag and criticize. Children who are struggling to learn how to read might know better than anyone that sometimes, the best thing to hear when you’re working through a new learning process is nothing. The loyal silence and comforting presence of a service dog provides the perfect audience for future bookworms to read to. 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17. Wheeler Taft Abbett S Library 7800 N. Schisler Drive. Free. Family Friendly.
Festivals/All day events
Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. This four-day bird bonanza begins on Aug. 10 and doesn’t stop until the weekend is over. (In fact, with two post-festival trips being offered that begin on Monday, Aug. 14, the bonanza doesn’t really even stop when the weekend is over.) Learn how to capture the perfect bird photo with renowned wildlife photographer and keynote speaker Paul Bannick, get the lowdown on different avian species at free speaker events and pick up some native plants and optics gear at the Nature Expo. Begins at 8 a.m., but hike and event times vary. Thursday, Aug. 10 to Sunday, Aug. 13. Arizona Riverpark Inn, 777 W. Cushing Street. $15 and up.Tags: World elephant day , Reid Park Zoo , Lizards , Saguaro National Park , Read to a Dog! Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. library , Southeast Arizona Birding Festival , Paul Bannick , Arizona Riverpark Inn , birds , bird is the word , Return of the Mermaids , mermaids , Antique , Vintage and Collectible Book Fair , books , Tell Me a Good Story , sweat , sweaty , fitness , rugby , Rookie Meet & Greet , Barre & Bubbles , ballet , mimosas , Old Pueblo Lightning Women’s Rugby Team , Gilligan’s Island Revue , Gaslight Music Hall , Second SundAZe @ TMA , Second Sundays , Tucson Museum of Art , TMA , Sonoran Desert , Sizzling Summer Art Walk , Jane Hamilton Fine Art Gallery , Neon Foam Party , EDM , Moombahton , twerk , trap , hope music , glow-in-the-dark , Game Nights at Casa Video and Casa Film Bar , Casa Video , Casa Film Bar , Oregon Trail , dysentery , Jenga , checkmate , chess AZNPS Monsoon Mixer , AZNPS , Arizona Native Plant Society , La Cocina , Bookmaking Buffet , Tanline Printing , book binding , Japanese stab bound , hardcover bound , accordion-style bound , pamphlet-stiched bound , Kap G , JR Donato , Paper Paulk , Lucy Dacus , Molly Burch , Casey Golden , Family Mansion , Pavement , Wynonna and the Big Noise , The Wanda June’s Ex-Cowboy , STBWLIH
Friday, August 4, 2017
If he were in middle school today, his blog and you-tube feed might have millions of followers. Instead, his early improvised sketches and “radio shows,” recorded on cassette and the family video cam, are lost to history.
Cut to the present and we find Clark appearing on Conan, CBS’s Late Late Show, The Bob & Tom Radio Show and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. He’s performed in the New Faces show at Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and on the Main Stage at The Capetown Comedy Festival in South Africa. Some may recognize him from his acting roles in NBC’s Outsourced, TNT’s The Closer and the Drew Barrymore movie, Big Miracle.
“I always wanted to make people laugh,” says Clark, “I never thought I was funny. I never really thought I would do comedy for a living. When I was 23, I took a comedy class in (his hometown) Milwaukee. I really didn’t know what the process was. I just kept doing comedy (until I) figured it out.
“After five or six years of doing it, it was just fun. I didn't have late hours. I was building audiences, and doing something I always wanted, and I loved learning how to do it.”
As he was figuring things out, he put his college degree to work as a social worker. “I helped disabled people find jobs and worked with emotionally disturbed kids,” Clark says. But he would go to open mics every week and eventually had his own. “There weren't a lot of comics so I I'd have to go up for 30 minutes. That forced me to get better,” he says. When he scored a slot in the Chicago Comedy Festival in 2001, he picked up a manager. It was she who encouraged him to move to L.A. in 2004.
Now he tours regularly and is set to release his own, self-produced comedy special this fall via social media. And, with his comedian wife Stephanie, he maintains a YouTube vlog called “The Clarks,” a sort-of Midwestern working-class Portlandia.
Clark performs at 8 and 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4 and 5. Admission is $12.50, 17.50 for preferred seating, plus a two-item minimum. Make reservations at laffstucson.com.
Tags: Tom Clark , Stephanie Clark , Laff's Comedy Caffe , Milwaukee comedy , Chicago Comedy Festival , the grind , social worker comedian
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Family Friendly
Cool Summer Nights Full Moon Festival. Visit this fest in pairs, so that one of you can keep watch for werewolves while the other partakes in the Desert Museum’s hands-on art activities. You can also enjoy the music of local band Haboob and the astrophysical orations of UA postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kevin Hainline. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N. Kinney Rd., Tucson AZ 85743. $15.50-$20.50.Model Airplane Make ‘n’ Take. Children ages 5 and up (accompanied by an adult) are invited to explore the cross-curricular world of model airplane building in this STEM program event. Kids—and adults new to the craft—will learn about all of the different disciplines that go into creating accurate scale models, from mathematics to historical research to, of course, patience. 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 Space Gallery Large Classroom at the Pima Air & Space Museum 6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85706. Free with admission to the museum ($9-$15.50).
Summer Safari Nights: Scales and Feathers. Visit the last safari night of the summer at the Reid Park Zoo, which honors all things scaly and feathery. Kids can get their faces painted, explore artifact stations, see special animal features, and even ride a camel. Adults can enjoy a picnic concert by Tucson’s mighty blue grass combo Run Boy Run, chat with animal keepers, wander through the vendor fair and munch on barbecue pulled pork and coleslaw. 6 to 8 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 4. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. $3-$9.
Full Moon Hike. The great outdoors really are, um, great, but melting into a puddle of sandy sweat, less so. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sonoran under cover of night in this guided two-hour trek. The length of the hike depends on the weather, but it will go up the Ridge View Trail off the Camino Loma Alta trailhead. Capacity is set for 16 and reservations are required, so if you want to take your shot at being a creature of the night, call 733-5153 to reserve your spot. 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6. Saguaro National Park East: Rincon Mountain District, 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail. Free with park admission.
Return of the Mermaids 2017. Celebrate monsoon season and the annual Return of the Mermaids to the temporarily warmer, wetter Tucson area at this all-day event. Festivities kick off at Antigone Books (411 N. 4th Ave.) at 10 a.m., where mermaid raffles will be held all day. It ends at 2 a.m. the next day with a dance party at Surly Wench Pub (424 N. 4th Ave). The kid-friendly portion of the day ends around 10 p.m. after the mermaid parade (costumes, or accompaniment of a costumed child, required) and the Mermaid Fashion Art Market. In between, there’s everything from a costume contest to live music, belly dancing and a show by Tucson Improv. At the end of the day, will you side with Sebastian or Ariel on the “under the sea” vs. the “up where they walk, up where they run” debate? Saturday, Aug. 12. 10 a.m. Downtown Tucson and 4th Ave. Free, but individual event costs may vary.
Drinks
4th Annual Tucson Michelada Challenge. Join bartenders from around the city at this michelada event of Olympic proportions. With the salt-rimmed attitude of a margarita, the refreshing coldness of a beer and the nutritional value of an organic salad (it has tomato juice in it, so it must be good for you, right?) the michelada has been a Southwest staple since its inception, at which we can only presume is the beginning of time. Up to 40 bartenders can compete with their signature mixes, and attendees can sample them all and vote on their favorites. Last year, first through third place was awarded for both peoples’ and judges’ choices. 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. Tucson Convention Center, 260 South Church Ave. $25 GA, $65 VIP admission.Tags: Cool summer nights full moon festival , Haboob , Dr. Kevin Hainline , Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum , Model Airplane make ‘n’ take , model aiprlanes , Pima Air & Space Museum , Summer Safari Night , Reid Park Zoo , Run Boy Run , Full moon hike , Saguaro National Park East , saguaro , hike , Return of the Mermaids , mermaids , Antigone Books , Surly Wench , Michelada challenge , Michelada , Tucson Convention Center , Tucson Hop Shop , Sip & Sketch , drawing and drinking , Mead & Bacon Pairing , mead , bacon , achin’ for bacon , need for mead , 1912 Brewing , Somali Cooking Class , Tucson J , Chef Samiro , gluten free , gluten-free , gluten free tasting expo & health fair , Natural Grocers , Dedicated , rootin’ tootin’ hold the gluten , Butterflies! Plant Nite Tucson , Plate Decorating Workshop , Bob De Armond , plates , antiques crafts and small business fair , Cochise Crafters , craft fair , the mall at sierra vista , annual summer sidewalk sale & Christmas bazaar , Madaras Gallery , Dancing With the Stars , DWTS , Dancing with the stars live! , Jittercat Jive , Movement Culture dance studio , Odyssey storytelling , odyssey storytelling potluck , comedy night , variety comedy show , comedy temple , the screening room , southeast Arizona birding festival , Paul Bannick , birds , bird is the word , music , The Mastersons , Rialto theatre , Luke Elliot , Zen Mother , The Touchies
Friday, July 28, 2017
Where do the days go? It might feel like the monsoons just got here but, somehow, we're approaching the end of July. When this month comes to a close, so too will your chance to vote in Best of Tucson.
Go vote!
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Hot! Hot! HOT!
Formerly a featured performer in Black Cherry Burlesque, Lola Torch has um, lit out on her own and, um, bumped things up a notch. Her new project, the Tucson Libertine League, promises, “Like the libertines of old, our shows celebrate freedom from limitations and restraint, honoring sensuality.”The League debuts with a Burlesque Battle of the Bands at 8 p.m., Saturday, July 29, at 191 Toole. Local favorites Sugar Stains and Tom Walbank perform live music for Lola and five other Tucson burlesque artists.
Angels of WTF?
Surely you saw the recent viral YouTube of the 80s’ omnipresent pop idol Corey Feldman. He mimics Michael Jackson’s dance moves while approximating music with women (dressed as sexy angels) he says he picked up at the Playboy mansion. If you didn’t scratch your eyes out, you might want to take in Corey’s Heavenly Tour: Angelic 2 the U.S. at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 1 at the Rialto Theatre; $23 to $100. Local bad-taste-makers B4 Skin open.According to Feldman, he’s helping unfortunate women who aspired in vain to a future on stage and screen. Voila! He created for them a concept universe: a double album, costumes, music lessons (we’re guessing), a backstory, a tour and merchandising with everything but action figures. The concept? In the epic battle between good and evil, the angels are rescuing Feldman from … irrelevance?
Laugh out Loud (house)!
Tucson comedians Cindell Hanson and Rory Montserrat now partner with The Loudhouse Rock & Roll Bar to present open-mic comedy on Tucson’s north side every Tuesday. “I think we’re enhancing the strong scene that we have here,” Hanson says. “Everyone needs stage time, and Loudhouse is giving us the flexibility and support to provide that.” The Loudhouse is at 915 W Prince Road, loudhousetucson.com. Sign up at 6; go up at 7.Mark Twain meets Batman
Our personal favorite Batman, Val Kilmer, brings spirited and engaging life to America’s most beloved humorist, Mark Twain, in Cinema Twain. A decade ago, he might have toured the project live, but the actor who has flown a car instead presents a digital version. The result is a 21st- century interactive experience. Kilmer gives us the meta in person – what he learned and how he made friends with this incredible, and uniquely American 19th-Century satirist and wit, Samuel Clemens. The show’s at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5 at The Rialto Theatre; $36, rialtotheatre.com.
Tags: Val Kilmer , Cinema Twain , Lola Torch , Black Charry Burlesque , The Loudhouse , Cindell Hanson , Rory Monserrat , The Rialto Theatre , Rialto Tucson , 191 Toole , Sugar Stains , Tom Walbank , The Libertine League , Corey Feldman , misguided angels , Samuel Clemens , Mark Twain , Batman , neverinthesameroom
It’s unlike anything else that you likely see in a Moldy Pueblo summer.
Combining the raw power and tension of rock ‘n’ roll with the expressive movement of dance, Tucson Libertine League’s Burlesque Battle of the Bands promises to be a monumental clash of sorts. Think of it: Hellfire rockers the Sugar Stains will battle against blues titan Tom Walbank while providing raucous live music for acro-act Les Femmes Marveilleuses, a maverick half-time marching band Hi Polish Floor Show and Tucson Libertine League’s burlesque dancers.
Torch, aka Emilie Marchand, president and producer at Tucson Libertine League, fleshes out, “I wanted to bring something different to the Tucson stage. We haven't really seen burlesque done to these types of music live. Usually when live music is involved it's more traditional ’40s music. We're bringing the rock ‘n’ roll!”
Here’s the tale of the tape:
