Books & Talks

Emily Chenoweth

7:30 p.m. Thu, Powell's Books on Hawthorne, FREE
When Raj opens the door of his home on a rainy Oregon night, he immediately wants to adopt the bedraggled cat he finds on his step. Little does he know, the forlorn kitty that streaks past his ankle and into his life is an alien supervillain. That’s the setup for Klawde, Evil Alien Warlord Cat, a new middle-grade series from writing duo Johnny Marciano and Portlander Emily Chenoweth. For more, check out our story on the books.

Dance

CLOSING Ordinary Devotions

8 p.m. Thu–Sat, Performance Works NW, $12–20
In the latest solo dance work by Portland mainstay Linda Austin, she asks the viewer to consider the aging body. As Austin often does, she'll incorporate the use of everyday items, from spools of thread to rocks to a lamp she'll wear on her body.

Film

CLOSING Portland International Film Festival

Various times Thu–Sun, various locations, prices vary
The 42nd annual blowout film fest closes with eight encore screenings of movies from India, Mexico, Kenya, and beyond. In the mix: local documentary Our Bodies, Our Doctors, which chronicles the daily work of abortion providers.  

Music

Mandolin Orange

8:30 p.m. Fri, Crystal Ballroom, SOLD OUT
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina–based folk duo stops in Portland for a sold-out night at the Crystal in support of their latest release, Tides of a Teardrop. (And psst, they’ll be back in Oregon for Pickathon in August.)

Laura Gibson

8 p.m. Sat, The Old Church, $16–18
The Portland singer-songwriter’s sweet, sharp vocals swoop and sting with fresh potency on her most recent album, Goners, drawing on fable and wild fauna to mine deeply personal questions around grief and identity.

Vince Staples

9 p.m. Sat–Sun, Roseland Theater, $30–130
The Long Beach rapper is nearing the end of his “Smile You’re on Camera” tour with a two-night stop in Portland. Catch his subversive songs while you can, with support from JPEGMAFIA and Channel Tres.

Theater

CLOSING The Island in Winter

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Vault Theater, $27–32
Bag & Baggage Productions presents a world-premiere, bilingual adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, revamped by Hillsboro native Carlos-Zenen Trujillo. The show, part of a multi-year project to re-envision Shakespeare’s problem plays, takes Miami and Havana as the setting for this tale of infidelity, jealousy, forgiveness, and bittersweet romance. 

CLOSING How to Really...Really? Really! Love a Woman

8 p.m. Fri–Sat, Curious Comedy Theater, $18
Portland writer and performer Eleanor O’Brien, known for frank shows about sex and pleasure, presents a solo piece that she says “envisions a path out of the darkness of misogyny and into the Age of Enlightenment.” Bold claim, but given O’Brien’s track record of both genuine wit and moving storytelling, we’re in.

OPENING Until the Flood

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sun, The Armory, $28.50–57
Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith’s latest play is built on stories and interviews gathered after the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Portland Center Stage tackles the production, with Orlandersmith starring in the solo show.

OPENING Jump

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Milagro Theater, $10–40
Portland actor La’Tevin Alexander directs Charly Evon Simpson’s new play about a young woman who, while still grappling with her mother’s death, finds much more than just a place to vape while standing on a bridge. The play is co-produced by Milagro and Confrontation Theater, a young company that produces work by and about those in the African diaspora.

OPENING As One

7:30 p.m. Fri and Sun, Newmark Theatre, $35–200
After taking on a classic in La Traviata, Portland Opera tackles more contemporary issues in the next show of the season, a coming-of-age chamber opera about a transgender woman navigating her world and identity.

Wolf Play

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sun, Artists Repertory Theatre, $30–60
This Artists Rep commission from South Korean playwright Hansol Jung tells of an American couple whose decision to “rehome” their adopted Korean son after they have a biological child results in his being taken in by a lesbian couple. The twist? The boy thinks he’s a wolf. But wait! He’s really a puppet. And that’s not even a spoiler.

Visual Art

Ronny Quevedo

11 a.m.–6 p.m. Thu–Sat, Upfor Gallery, FREE
Ecuador-born artist Ronny Quevedo uses embossing to create pieces for Every Measure of Zero, which explores marginalized cultures and their relationship to physical labor. The resulting pieces are geometric, abstract representations of personal stories and the traditions of uncolonized societies. Plus, check out our Q&A with Quevedo.

Shohei Takasaki

Noon–6 p.m. Thu–Sun, Nationale, FREE
The local artist bids Portland farewell (he’s moving to New York later this spring) with a solo exhibit titled Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Takasaki’s paintings are popping splatters of color juxtaposed with delicate, curvaceous shapes and careful linework, and in this exhibit, he explores whether it’s possible to truly understand a significant other. We've got more on the show here.