City Week


Thursday 4

FIFTH STEP. Stroll through downtown's artistic haunts during the Cinco de Mayo ArtWalk reception.

Hosted by the Tucson Arts District Partnership, the outing begins with folklorico dancers and "Mexican tidbits" in El Centro Cultural, and continues with a docent-led tour of seven galleries and studios along Broadway Boulevard. Artists will share their creative viewpoints at G.O.C.A.I.A. and the Central Art Collective's new gallery.

Cinco de Mayo ArtWalk begins at 5:30 p.m. in El Centro Cultural, 40 W. Broadway Blvd. For details, call 624-9977.

HIGHLAND HIGH TIMES. Tired of sitting around on your McDuff, waiting for someone else to jiggle your kilt? Maybe it's time to get moving with the Scottish Country Dancing group. This spirited bunch of highland enthusiasts hoofs it up at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday in the First United Methodist Church, 915 E. Fourth St. For information, call 299-5566.


Friday 5

DANCE AWAY. Join the Arizona Dance Collective for a night of fleet-footed favorites. Warming up for summer, the troupe presents a spring performance that includes Peter and the Wolf, Two Pigeons and Rendez-vous avec Degas.

Show time is 7 p.m. in the PCC Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Performances continue at 2 and 7 p.m. tomorrow, and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors, students and children under 12, available at Dance Visions and the PCC Center for the Arts box office. Call 206-6986 for details.

BROKEN SILENCE. Catalina Players cracks the wall of silence with The Miracle Worker, detailing the sensory awakening of Helen Keller.

William Gibson's drama actually plumbs two stories: a blind and deaf child's emergence from her soundless, dark prison, and the "miracle" of how a half-blind young woman from desperate beginnings helped Keller escape the shackles of fate. Dinner accompanies the theatrical proceedings.

Dinner begins at 6 p.m., and curtain is 7:30 p.m., in Fellowship Hall, 2700 E. Speedway Blvd. Dinner performances continue at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through May 13. A $20 ticket includes dinner; admission is $12 for the performance only. For reservations and information, call 721-9640.

BATTLE SOUNDS. The Battlefield Band continues to break the boundaries of traditional Celtic music with a visit to Tucson.

The band is known for its powerful mix of old and original tunes, and its unique fusion of bagpipes with synthesizers, fiddle, whistle and strings. Originally formed 25 years ago in the Glasgow suburb of Battlefield, the band shifted gears in 1991 with the addition of virtuoso John McCusker and his multi-faceted finesse on fiddle, whistle, accordion, keyboards and cittern. Founding member Alan Reid contributes on vocals and keyboards. Ireland's Pat Kilbride and champion bagpiper Mike Katz round out the group's signature sound.

Show time is 8 p.m. in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd. Tickets are $16, $14 for seniors and In Concert! members, available at Hear's Music, Antigone Books, and by calling 327-4809.


Saturday 6

POETIC PROWL. Literary vision meets urban soul at the annual Poetry Crawl.

This year's "literary conga-line" features a fistful of talents, ranging from Simon Ortiz and Jessica Jaramillo to Rita Magdaleno, Will Inman and Scott Stanley. They'll spew verse and vision in venues throughout downtown, from the Hotel Congress lobby to Mac Daddy's. "Poetry, music and the streets have always had a natural attraction for one another," says Stanley, the main organizer for the event. "What comes next, you can't quote me on."

Music will be dished up by Evan Dain and Friends, Gerry Glombecki, and Al Foul and The Shakes.

Poetry Crawl kicks off with music and festivities at 7 p.m. in Mac Daddy's, 500 N. Fourth Ave., and culminates with a Poetry Benefit Party at 10 p.m. in Martin's on Congress, 256 W. Congress St. Admission is free. Call 206-9244 for details.

DESTINATION: DEATH. School of Americas Watch/Southwest hosts Points of Arrival, a new play based on the life of Jean Donovan.

Donovan was one of four North American church women murdered in El Salvador in 1980 by U.S.-trained soldiers. Arrival explores the struggles and faith of an "average" woman who manages to find humor and joy amidst the pain of El Salvador's oppressed citizens. This work is presented by the Still Point Theatre Collective, hailing from the St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Chicago.

Curtain is 8 p.m. in Zuzi's Little Theater, inside the Historic YWCA at 738 N. Fifth Ave. Tickets are $10, or "pay what you can." For reservations and information, call 327-7524.


Sunday 7

STAGE FOR ALL. Kids and teens of the Bianco Theatre Company team up to present Matilda...The Musical.

Poor Matilda! Not only does she have a rotten set of parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, but she's also terrorized by a crusty instructor despairingly known as "The Trunchbull." But when a wonderful teacher named Miss Honey arrives to save the day, all is well in this story beloved by children of all ages.

Show time is 11 a.m. in The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Performances continue at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. Sunday, through May 21. There is a special evening performance at 7 p.m. Monday, May 22. Tickets are available at the door for $8, $7 for seniors, $6 for children and students. For advance tickets, call 886-0860.

LATIN LIFT. Powerful south-of-the-border rhythms prevail when the Tucson Jazz Society hosts the Rebeca Mauleon Quintet.

Presented as part of the Plaza Suite Series, pianist Mauleon puts her powerhouse Latin ensemble through its steamy paces. She'll also perform with Tucson's own 17-piece high school honor band, Jazz Werx I.

Performance is from 6 to 9 p.m. at St. Philip's Plaza, on the southeast corner of Campbell Avenue and River Road. Admission is $15, $8 for TJS members. Call 743-3399 for details.


Monday 8

MOVEMENT DISTILLED. Owen Williams: Kinetic Paintings showcases three-dimensional combinations of visual puns and historical art at the Temple Gallery.

Williams paints separate images on triangular strips of wood, which are then cut and mounted vertically. In the past, he's plumbed our euphemisms for death -- and recurring denial of it -- by juxtaposing and contrasting images to reflect the fleeting quality of life in what he calls "a type of pictorial storytelling."

To emphasize the point, he uses faces on the left and right of his works, symbolizing life's transience and death's certainty. Moving their gaze from left to right, viewers participate in this duality, making a perceptual transition from one concept to the other.

His current pieces continue to explore the narrative's metaphorical aspects, inviting us to participate in the mysterious complexities of a story "that begins with the personal navigation of meaning."

Owen Williams: Kinetic Paintings continues through May 27 in the Temple Gallery, on the second floor of the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and prior to performances. Call 624-7370 for information.


Tuesday 9

MUSICAL MIX. Traditional jazz and contemporary rhythms combine forces in a performance by the PCC Jazz Band.

Comprised of students and local players, the 18-piece ensemble tackles several big band classics, including "Queen Bee," arranged by Sammy Nestico of the Count Basie Orchestra; "Up for Air," arranged by Matt Harris; the Beatles' timeless "Norwegian Wood," arranged by Bill Holman; and Jimmy Forrest's "Night Train."

Show time is 7:30 p.m. in the PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets are $4, $3 for students, available at the PCC Center for Fine Arts box office and at the door. For information, call 206-6988.

ANOTHER NOTE. El Parador Restaurant and Cantina joins this week's musical lineup with another Tuesday Night Jam Session.

The weekly events warm up with The Pete Swan Trio, featuring Swan on drums, Rob Boone on trombone and piano, and Craig Faltin on bass. The second set continues with local favorites ranging from Lisa Otey, Susan Artemis and Ed Ulman to Matt Mitchell and Jeff Haskell.

Jam runs from 7:30 to 11 p.m. in El Parador, 2744 E. Broadway Blvd. Admission is $3. Call 881-2808 for details.


Wednesday 10

PERFORMANCE AND PERSPECTIVE. HazMat Gallery showcases the lasting residue of performance art in Remnants.

The exhibit began with performances in April, and continued when the artists left behind trappings or "evidence" from their work. These material pieces are meant to reveal their expanded visual languages and creative forces -- the historical origins of their live displays.

Photographs, conceptual statements and/or spoken word scripts now provide documentation of the relationship between the artist's bodies, their live performance and the gallery space. The seven featured artists are Angela Ellsworth, Ernesto Lopez Borrero, Io Palmer, Janet Bardwell, Jessica Buege, Nick Cave and Timothy Kelly.

Remnants continues through June 3 in HazMat Gallery, 197 E. Toole Ave. Hours are 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For information, call 624-5019.

GRUBFEST. Get your mitts on some fresh delights at "The Original" Downtown Farmers Market.

Held every Wednesday in the heart of Tucson, these outdoor smorgasbords feature everything from fresh bread and spicy salsa to tamales, local honey, great produce and unique gifts, all under (generally) temperate Sonoran skies.

Downtown Farmers Market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the south lawn of the Tucson-Pima Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Call 326-7810 for details.