Books & Talks

Elena Passarello & Jesse Donaldson

7:30 p.m. Thu, Powell's City of Books, FREE
Passarello’s exquisite treatises in last year’s Animals Strike Curious Poses, on subjects ranging from a 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth to Cecil the Lion, marked her as one of the state’s most interesting essayists. She’s joined here by fellow Oregonian Jesse Donaldson, who reads from his memoir On Homesickness: A Plea.

Dance

Rennie Harris Puremovement

8 p.m. Thu–Fri, 2 and 8 p.m. Sat, Lincoln Hall, $25–38
In Lifted, the acclaimed hip-hop choreographer riffs on the story of Oliver Twist, following a young black man who finds redemption through his church. Expect complex footwork, set to both house music and a live gospel choir.

Film

Portland Motorcycle Film Festival

6:30 p.m. Fri and 6 p.m. Sat, Hollywood Theatre, SOLD OUT
If you’re a lover of motorcycle films, this (sadly sold-out) festival will touch your soul. The fifth annual extravaganza showcases both feature-length and short films—Chasing Evel, The Unfamiliar Road, Into the Dust, and more—and is hosted by the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association.

Music

Chamber Music Northwest Winter Festival

7:30 p.m. Fri–Sat, 4 p.m. Sun, Reed College's Kaul Auditorium and Lincoln Hall, $10–60
The chamber music group heats up your winter with four straight nights of concertos for piano and strings, including works by Mozart, Schubert, Bach, Vivaldi, and more. Concerts take place at Lincoln Hall and Reed College’s Kaul Auditorium.

Tyler, the Creator & Vince Staples

6:30 p.m. Sat, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, $32.50–150
Nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy for Flower Boy—the ceremony takes place the day after this show—Tyler, the Creator touches upon the nostalgia and struggles of growing up, coming out (or maybe not, as his sexuality has been the subject of fierce debate), and dreamy love. Rapper Vince Staples opens.

You Who

3 p.m. Sun, Crystal Ballroom, FREE
Bring down the wee 'uns for this kids' rock variety show, featuring the likes of Blitzen Trapper, MarchFourth, Red Yarn, the Ukeladies, and cat rapper Moshow. Also on deck: juggling, a scavenger hunt, and a Bhangra dance party with DJ Anjali. The show is part of the Crystal Ballroom's daylong 104th birthday party—peek the full details here.

Theater

The Book of Mormon

7:30 p.m. Thu–Fri, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun, Keller Auditorium, $40+
Uganda, Utah, and singing evangelicals—in the hands of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, that’s the recipe for one of the most successful musicals of the 21st century.

Weaving Women Together

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 1 and 7 p.m. Sun, Hampton Opera Center, $15–20
Written, composed, and performed by Portlander Nikki Weaver, this workshop production traces Weaver’s experience of losing her mother via personal stories—and pieces of fabric—from dozens of women. 

Fertile Ground

Various times and venues thru Sun, prices vary, $50 for festival pass
The Fertile Ground Festival, now in its 10th year, is an 11-day buffet of new, locally produced performance. With fully staged world premieres running alongside bare-bones readings and very-much-in-progress workshop productions, things range from refined to very, very raw, but that’s part of the deliciousness (and chaos) of it.

OPENING 2.5 Minute Ride

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Artists Repertory Theatre, $20–38
Profile Theatre normally devotes its seasons to a single playwright. This time, the company tweaks the formula: two writers, Lisa Kron and Anna Deavere Smith, will share the next 18 months. Up first is Kron’s Obie-winning solo show, which straddles several family trips, including one to an Ohio amusement park and another to Auschwitz, where Kron’s grandparents were killed.

Visual Art

OPENING Agent Orange

5:30 p.m.–9 p.m. Thu, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Fri, Wieden & Kennedy, FREE
Cuban-American artist Edel Rodriguez has created some of the most piercing art about Donald Trump, including several illustrations that have graced the covers of Time and Der Spiegel. His politically charged work is collected here in a new exhibit—check out our slide show for a sneak peek.

Wendy Red Star

6 a.m.–7 p.m. Thu–Fri, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Sat–Sun, Stumptown Downtown, FREE
In Grandmothers (I Come As One But I Stand As Ten Thousand), the Portland multimedia artist superimposes portraits of Crow Nation women, taken by photographer Richard Throssel around 1911, onto mirrors. The result, Red Star says, is that “the viewer becomes a part of the artwork and solidifies the link between past and present realities and people.”

Special Events

Lovett or Leave It

9 p.m. Thu, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $25–55
Jon Lovett once worked for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Now, as part of Crooked Media, he’s in the lucrative world of podcasting—you’ve heard him cracking jokes (and providing wise insight) on Pod Save America and on his own show, Lovett or Leave It, which he brings to the Schnitz tonight. Expect wonky political talk and plenty of audience games (wear Crooked merch to maximize your chances of participation).