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LAist gets a lot of press releases and tips, and we go through all of them to curate a list of our favorite events happening in L.A. Here are 23 events you should know about this week. Read on for all the details.
MONDAY, MAY 12
FILM: Each month, the Queer/Art/Film LA series selects an LA-based queer artist to present a film that’s inspired him or her, followed by a conversation about the film. On Monday, multimedia artist A.L. Steiner screens Liquid Sky (1982), written and directed by Slava Tsukerman, at Sundance Cinemas at 7:15 pm. Tickets: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $1.50 for online ticketing fee. 21+.
OPERA/THEATER TALK: Boston Court hosts a panel discussion from 7-9 pm on the differences between staging a play versus and opera—focusing on Tennessee Williams’ classic A Streetcar Named Desire, which is an upcoming production of the LA Opera’s. Panelists include Brad Dalton, the director of LA Opera’s version; Apollo Dukakis, stage director of The Antaeus Company's recent theatrical production; as well as each of Streetcar’s respective "Stanleys": Ryan McKinny of LA Opera, and Joe Holt of The Antaeus Company. Moderating the discussion is LA STAGE Alliance CEO Terence McFarland. A wine reception follows the discussion.
PERFORMANCE: Internet artist Yung Jake has a one-night only performance and video premiere of Look on Monday at 8 pm at Steve Turner Contemporary. The artist streams his favorite art and rap videos, social apps and websites directly from the gallery, where his solo exhibition of computer-generated images, Drawings, is currently on view.
EATING + ART: LACMA presents Cur-ATE: The Grand Tour on Monday at 6:30 pm. Enjoy a tour of the museum’s European collection with food historian Maite Gomez-Rejon of ArtBites and learn how 17th and 18th century aristocrats immersed themselves in art and culture and Eurpoean cuisine. After the tour, partake in a meal based on the Grand Tour as imagined by Chef Kris Morningstar of Ray's and Stark Bar. Tickets: $90 LACMA Members and $100 general public.
COMEDY: The Groundlings continue to celebrate their 40th anniversary all month. On the program Monday at 8 pm is “Your Own TV Show!”—in which a new improvised sitcom is created and screened on the spot. Featured perfomers: Michael Hitchcock, Sarah Baker, Mindy Sterling, Sherri Stoner and others. Tickets: $20.
MUSIC: Air Life continues its Monday residency at The Satellitewith special guests Cassorla, Fame Cult, 8th Grader, Scott Bartenhagen and DJ Greg Katz. There’s $2 drink specials and free pool from 7-9pm. Music at 9 pm. Free. 21+.
TUESDAY, MAY 13
MUSIC: L.A.’s Deap Vally plays a live set and signs copies of their album Sistrionix at Amoeba Music at 6 pm. The band’s about to hit the road with Band Of Skulls.
SCIENCE FICTION: Sci-Fest, the first science fiction, one-act play festivaltakes over The ACME Theatre for the month featuring rotating weeks of works. Evening “B” plays begin on Tuesday, May 13 and run to May 18, and again from May 27-June 1. The plays this week include: “For The Living” by Chie-Hoon Lee; “The Wife’s Story” by Ursula K. Le Guin; “Tell Me Who You See” by Scott T. Barsotti; “Smooth Landings” by Soren Kisiel; and “A-li-en The Family” by Michael Bernard. That last play is directed by Dan Castellaneta (of The Simpsons). Tickets: $32+.
TRIVIA: The private events space Chloe's at Golden Road Brewing is the place to be on Tuesday for the bar’s monthly trivia night for a chance to win fab prizes. It's a simple format for people of all trivial skill sets. The questions begin at 9 pm, and there’s no cost to enter.
DOCUMENTARY: ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood presents the ArcLight DocFest Spring Series from May 13-June 3, 2014, with several interesting documentaries on the bill. The series kicks off on Tuesday with the L.A. premiere of 112 Weddings by award-winning director Doug Block (an HBO Documentary Film): “Over the past two decades, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker has supported his career with a side business videotaping weddings. Long curious about how those marriages turned out, Block tracks down and interviews some of the more memorable of his 112 wedding couples, with funny, insightful and deeply moving results.” A Q&A and reception follows the screening. $14.
LIT TALK: At 7:15 pm, [ALOUD] at the Central Library welcomes Colson Whitehead to discuss his book The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky and Death, which chronicles the world of high-stakes Texas Hold-em. He’s in conversation with Laurie Winer, founding editor, Los Angeles Review of Books. Free, but RSVPs required.
LIT TALK: Nathan Deuel reads from his new memoir / collection of essays at 7:30 pm. His story is one of fatherhood and family in the middle of the tumult in the Middle East. Deuel, a former editor at Rolling Stone and The Village Voice, moved with his NPR correspondent wife to Saudi Arabia to see first-hand what was happening, from the Arab Spring, the end of the Iraq War and the Syrian unrest. 7:30 pm
COMEDY: UCB Theatre presents the double-bill, Mad Men the Musical / Let's Go Insane, on Tuesday at 9:30 pm. The musical parody follows Don Draper and the rest of the ad firm’s denizens through rousing songs like "Always Keep a Pen Between Your Tits" and "Poor Fat Betty." Also on the bill is the two-person sketch show Let’s Go Insane with Fran Gillespie and D'Arcy Carden. Tickets: $5.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14
MUSIC: There’s a great bill at The Echo on Wednesday featuring Broods, Strange Talk and Max and The Moon. 18+. Advanced tickets are sold out, but a limited number may be available at the door. $12-$14.
EATS: Chef Owner Andre Guerrero (Maximiliano, The Oinkster, Little Bear) presents a Five Course Wine Dinner with Special Guest Chef Michael Young + Sella & Mosca Ambassador Alfonso Gagliano on Wednesday at 6:30 pm at Maximiliano in Highland Park. The Italian menu pairing looks amazing and a bargain at $65 per person (not including tax or gratuity). No substitutions. Reservations are necessary.
STORYTELLING: The Moth storytelling takes over Busby’s East at 7:30 pm. With the theme Awkward, storytellers are asked to prepare a five-minute story about “a clumsy, gawky or gauche episode in your life.” No reading from notes and no stand-up routines. Sign up at 7 pm. Admission is $8 at the door. Venue is 21+. Get there early to get in.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
LIT : Skylight Books welcomes Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours, who’ll sign and read from his latest book The Snow Queen at 7:30 pm. The event is free, but Skylight is expecting a large crowd for this reading so they’ll be issuing signing tickets to keep the line organized.
COMEDY : Comedy Palace, the weekly comedy show above a Chinese restaurant in Los Feliz, presents live standup, performances, stories this week from Ali Wong, Eric Andre, David Koechner, a special residency by Andy Peters (Wandertown) and others. 9:30 pm. Free, but get there early for a seat.
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COMEDY FILM: The L.A. Comedy Shorts Festivaltakes over the Downtown Independent from May 15-18 with comedy short films, parties and panel discussions. The opening night on Thursday features a special screening of celebrity short films starring Patrick Warburton, James Franco, Jordan Peele, Laraine Newman, Wendi Malick, Mindy Sterling, Ron Livingston, Lizzy Caplan and others. Opening night party at Angel City Brewery immediately follows the screening. $15.
COMEDY: Westside Comedy presents The Awful Truth at 8 pm. Comedian and host Tushar Singh and co-producer Nat Goldberg find comics and showbiz industry storytellers to share a an Awful Truth on stage then afterwards, “each storyteller is invited to sit down with Tushar for a brief full disclosure Q&A.” Storytellers this week include: Will Link, Renee Gauthier, Alex M. Stein, Sandy Danto and a special guest headliner. The show is being recorded live for Pandora, Sirius and Spotify by Rooftop Media. Admission: $10.
COMEDY/VARIETY: At 8 pm, NerdMelt presents The Tinkle Twins, a monthly comedy and variety show hosted by Dana Gould and Arden Myrin. While the night usually features comics, there’s an occasional magician or musician thrown in for good mesure. This week’s guests are Kurt Braunholer, The Lampshades (featuring Kate Flannery from The Office), Brad Williams, Matt Besser, Byron Bowers, Dave Foley and more. Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door.
READING: The Echo, Skylight Books, LA Weekly presents an evening with Chuck Palahniuk, Chelsea Cain and Willy Vlautin and music by DJ Paul V on Thursday at 8 pm at the Echoplex. The evening celebrates the launch of Vlautin’s new novel The Free with his special guests. The ticket price includes a signed copy of Vlautin's book. Organizers say that audience members should wear pajamas and bring a pillow (seriously) for presents from the stage. Tickets: $24. 18+.
LIT: The Last Bookstore welcomes Hollywood writer and film professor Ken LaZebnik to talk about his book Hollywood Digs: An Archeology of Shadows, on Thursday at 7:30 pm. LaZebnik does a slideshow that examines insider tales of Hollywood’s forgotten places and legends.
Related: Your Ultimate Guide To May: 20 Cool Events Happening In Los Angeles
Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.
