Books & Talks

Samantha Irby

7:30 p.m. Fri, Powell's City of Books, FREE
The comedian and author of New York Times bestseller We Are Never Meeting in Real Life re-releases Meaty, her first published collection of personal essays. Irby’s writing style is something of a cross between a casual chat with a best friend over cocktails and a cathartic, intimate session with a therapist. Meaty's revamp includes new material, most notably Irby’s “favorite Instagramable, couch-friendly recipes.”

Andrea Gibson

8 p.m. Fri, Wonder Ballroom, $21–24
In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, award-winning slam poet and activist Andrea Gibson (who uses they/them/their pronouns) sought a response to our country’s political discord. So they partnered with Portland’s very own Tender Loving Empire to release Hey Galaxy, a new, full-length poetry album addressing such topics as the Orlando nightclub massacre, white privilege, and LGBTQ struggles. Tonight, Gibson presents new pieces alongside fan favorites about love, breakups, and defying gender norms.

Comedy

Hannibal Buress

8 p.m. Sun, Keller Auditorium, $30–45
The comedian and Broad City fave makes stand-up look easy. Onstage, he's discursive and loose to the point of seeming lazy, lulling audiences into an easy rhythm—and then snowballing into increasingly funny bits about Lasik, losing his ID, and Bill Cosby. For more, check out our Q&A with Buress.

Dance

Man/Woman

7:30 p.m. Thu–Fri, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Newmark Theatre, $29–102
It’s a gender showdown at Oregon Ballet Theatre, with a program of all-female and all-male works (plus a co-ed piece, for good measure) exploring stereotypes of femininity and masculinity. Among the mix: a men’s trio in blue tutus, James Canfield’s 1990 meditation on the AIDS crisis, and Michel Fokine’s iconic The Dying Swan. 

Music

A Fond Farewell

7:30 p.m. Thu–Fri, Alberta Rose Theatre, $10–35
Ever-inventive theater company Hand2Mouth teams up with Third Angle New Music for an evening honoring Elliott Smith, with six young composers commissioned to “reimagine” the legendary Portland singer-songwriter. 

Federale

9 p.m. Fri, Doug Fir Lounge, $12–14
The Portland band’s darkly vampy, atmospheric anthems have found their way into films from Iranian noir A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night to The Lego Movie. Tonight’s gig celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the band’s first record, La Rayar, which has been remixed, remastered, and released on vinyl for the first time.

Portland Opera's Big Night

7:30 p.m. Sat, Keller Auditorium, $25–75
With selections from Verdi, Mozart, Rossini, and Bizet, this annual evening spotlights some of opera’s most time-honored and celebrated masterpieces. For the Big Night’s fifth year, Portland Opera brings the entire artillery to the stage—including a full orchestra, chorus, several soloists, and special guests from the 2018 season—and even promises a few Broadway hits.

Y La Bamba

9 p.m. Sun, Mississippi Studios, $13–15
Back in 2016, we rejoiced when front woman Luz Elena Mendoza returned to Y La Bamba. That year's contemplative record, Ojos Del Sol, featured Mendoza’s timeless vocals shining over folk-meets-indie-pop melodies. Tonight’s show, co-presented by She Shreds, also features LA’s self-proclaimed “bipolar folk” group Kera and the Lesbians and local alt-R&B duo Brown Calculus.

Theater

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Artists Repertory Theatre, $25
Forget your preconceived notions of what theater is or should be. This show, by Berlin-based Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, boasts a refreshing set of guidelines: no rehearsals, no director, and no set. Each night, a brave new actor will take the stage, open an envelope containing an unfamiliar script, and act by thinking on his or her feet.

OPENING Quietly

7:30 p.m. Fri–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, New Expressive Works, $20–25
When two men walk into a bar in Belfast, an overdue, emotional reunion occurs in the very same place that transformed their lives more 30 years ago. In true Irish tradition, Owen McCafferty’s play, presented here by Corrib Theatre, finds them recounting this life-altering event, long repressed in their memories, over several pints and a football game.

Visual Art

Portland Photo Month

Various times and venues thru April, FREE. Pop-up event and auction at 7:30 p.m. Thu, Disjecta, $15.
Local arts nonprofit Photolucida hosts Portland Photo Month, with photography events and exhibitions across the city throughout April, and a pop-up event and auction at Disjecta this Thursday.

CLOSING New Feelings

11 a.m.–6 p.m. Thu–Sat, PNCA, FREE
From the rhinestone-loving Mickalene Thomas to Moroccan-born Hassan Hajjaj—who frames his color-popping, pattern-wild images with convenience-store goods—this photography exhibit explores race, history, and identity via staged portraits by six artists from around the globe.