Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: September 9 - 12

Dynasty Typewriter is such a great spot, and they consistently host big-name comedians who are trying out their new material before hitting the road to tour farther-from-home destinations. That’s certainly the case this week when Sarah Silverman will be doing a second night at Dynasty ahead of her next tour, the “Sarah Silverman Works Out Her Post-Mortem Tour.” Silverman never minces words and, in this election year, is sure to have some zingers worth being there for.

Get ready to get a little messy in Frogtown with the folks from Terra Sole studio in Glassell Park. This ceramics class will teach basic hand-building techniques such as slab and coil building, all while trying your favorite beers from Frogtown Brewery.

Thursday kicks off a full weekend of performances by acclaimed artists from Spain, Mexico, and the Los Angeles area at this year's L.A. Escena Festival of Hispanic Classical Theater, organized by UCLA's Diversifying the Classics. Creative takes on classic plays, brand-new adaptations, opera performances, and more are performed in both Spanish and English.

Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat, the American Book Award and National Book Critic Circle Award winner, joins former L.A. poet laureate Robin Coste Lewis to delve into her new collection of essays, We're Alone, which explores themes such as environmental catastrophe, the traumas of colonialism, and resilience.

Thornton Wilder’s 1942 Pulitzer-winning The Skin of Our Teeth is on all month at A Noise Within in Pasadena and is more relevant than ever. The story digs back to a prehistoric era while keeping the setting modern and providing commentary on the human experience — and how to survive what feels like the end of the world. It’s not all doom and gloom though and A Noise Within always delivers with top-notch performances.

By the way, Mildred Marie Langford, whose voice you've probably heard on LAist 89.3 FM, is part of the cast! She's portraying Gladys Antrobus.

The Pacific Northwest’s finest original Riot Grrls are at the Grammy Museum for a chat about their latest music and their creative endeavors throughout the past 30 years of Sleater-Kinney. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker will sit down with Molly Neuman and follow that up with a performance in the Grammy Museum’s intimate 200-seat theater. The event is currently sold out but a waitlist is available.

Venues around the area are catering to the politics nerd in all of us this week, hosting a range of debate watch parties – partisan and not – from the cerebral (The Hammer Museum) to the somewhat less serious (Continental Club). And you can always just tune straight into LAist 89.3 FM or listen on the LAist app for all the post-debate analysis from NPR.

UPDATE: This event has been moved to Sept 17.

Small batch roaster and cafe Tectonic Coffee in WeHo is hosting a tasting event for their direct trade coffees. This is the first of a monthly, recurring event for both people deep in the coffee scene and those brand new to the concept to learn what the coffee palate is made of (and maybe have a nice conversation or two).

An exciting new dinner series celebrating American Heritage Cookery is coming to Dunsmoor with its first iteration being “Chapter 1, The Golden Halo,” featuring Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts. Dunsmoor Chef Brian Dunsmoor and Roberts will pay homage to lowcountry cuisine and use revived ancient grains and native ingredients to create a multi-course dinner.

It may feel too hot outside to roast a chicken, but fall is coming and you’ll be happy you learned to spatchcock a chicken once the weather cools off and coziness sets in. Chef Eve Bergazyn leads this class which you’ll leave knowing how to break down a chicken and make lemongrass chicken paillard and buttermilk fried chicken legs. Yum!