Books & Talks

Kim Stafford

7:30 p.m. Thu, Powell's City of Book, FREE
The latest from Oregon’s current poet laureate is Wild Honey, Tough Salt, a collection of more than 70 poems that roam from Port Townsend to New Orleans to Meriwether Lewis’s Tennessee gravesite in their quest for buoyancy in tough times.

Comedy

Chelsea Handler

8 p.m. Thu, Revolution Hall, SOLD OUT
The multihyphenate comedian-author-late night host comes to Portland for a “sit-down comedy tour” in support of her new book. That book, Life Will Be the Death of Me, is billed as the “all-true story of Handler’s year of self-discovery.” Expect shamans, Trump stuff, and a few (hundred) eyebrow-raising moments.

Esther Povitsky

6:30 p.m. Sun, Helium Comedy Club, $22–30
Maya from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend hops from West Covina to PDX for a headlining slot at Helium. The prolific comedian has been in everything from Lady Dynamite to Parks & Rec, and most recently made an appearance in the pool party episode of the Portland-shot series Shrill. 

Dance

Ordinary Devotions

8 p.m. Fri–Sat, Performance Works NW, pay-what-you-will
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.

Brave Space

7 and 9:30 p.m. Sat, A-WOL Dance Collective, $25–40
The aerial wizards at A-WOL Dance Collective have teamed up with Chicago-based company Aloft Circus Arts for a piece designed to “bring audiences up close and personal with their humanity and their fears,” per the Facebook event page. Audiences are limited to 100 and expected to participate in the action.

Music

Prince Sing-Along

7 p.m. Sat, Pioneer Courthouse Square, FREE
The Low Bar Chorale (previously the OK Chorale) is a no-skills-required, drop-in adult choir that meets bimonthly at Revolution Hall to sing an ever-changing lineup of hits. Now, the group hosts its first official all-ages event: a free Prince sing-along at Pioneer Courthouse Square to mark the 35th anniversary of Purple Rain, with the masses led song by China Forbes (of Pink Martini), Edna Vazquez, and others. Expect that album nearly in its entirety (“Darling Nikki,” for obvious reasons, will be skipped), plus other Prince hits. For more on the chorale, check out our recent story.

Anderson .Paak

6 p.m. Sat, McMenamins Edgefield, SOLD OUT
The California-raised polymath is unstoppable—his album Oxnard dropped last November, followed just five months later by Ventura (somewhere in the middle, he also won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance). He brings his high-pitched rasp, strutting lyrics, and surprising instrumental turns to the Edgefield lawn.

Portland Gay Men’s Chorus: Stonewall Riot! Soundtrack to a Revolution

7 p.m. Sat, Keller Auditorium, $20–52
The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a program of hits from 1969. Expect Elvis, the Stones, Marvin Gaye, and more (we’re crossing our fingers for “Space Oddity”). There will also be a wine auction. 

Theater

Into the Woods

7:30 p.m. Thu–Fri, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Broadway Rose New Stage Auditorium, $20–48
The Stephen Sondheim-scored, fairy tale-inspired classic comes to Portland (well, Tigard) via Broadway Rose Theatre Company. “Into the woods / but not too fast,” go the words to the musical’s finale, but if you want tickets you may have to reject that warning—a number of shows are already sold out.

CLOSING Arlington [a love story]

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, CoHo Theatre, $25–45
Irish playwright Enda Walsh is a singular force. In addition to penning a mountain of plays, he’s worked in opera and film and devised haunting theatrical installations (another notable credit: adapting Roald Dahl’s The Twits for the stage). Third Rail takes on his 2017 play Arlington, a dreamlike, dystopian tale of solitary confinement that also features a wordless, movement-filled second act.

CLOSING SoLow Fest

Various times and locations Thu–Sun, prices vary
The Philadelphia-forged theater festival makes its way to Portland, with venues ranging from a swamp in Forest Park to a living room on Southeast Belmont. The focus is on low-budget devised work, with a hefty emphasis on dance and movement. 

Visual Art

This Place

11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sun, Waterstone Gallery, FREE
Waterstone Gallery’s June exhibition features the work of two artists. The featured artist is painter Shawn Demarest, who brings a touch of magical realism to her vibrant, whimsical renderings of Portland’s streets, while guest artist Careen Stoll’s elegant ceramic pieces act as a balance, their gentle curves producing a more soothing effect on the viewer.

Something Nameless

All day Thu–Sun, various locations, FREE
A new citywide installation from artist Alyson Provax promises to spice up your morning commute through the month of June. Provax’s temporary project displays letterpress images in places usually reserved for advertisements—billboards and bus benches—in an effort to invite viewers to “reconsider their own experience with the city’s landscape.” Paper maps to Something Nameless are available at Wolff Gallery.

Paris 1900

10 a.m.–8 p.m. Thu–Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat–Sun, Portland Art Museum, $17–20
It’s a Parisian time-travel vacay at the Portland Art Museum, with a sweeping exhibit that luxuriates in the opulence of the Belle Époque via paintings (including by Camille Pissarro and Berthe Morisot), posters, jewelry, art nouveau furniture, early film clips, and more, all on loan from museums in the French capital. Très magnifique!

Tess Rubinstein

1–6 p.m. Thu–Sat, Stephanie Chefas Projects, FREE
In the solo show A Jug of Wine, a Table in the Sun, the Bay Area illustrator and painter—who favors organic, interlocking shapes in warm colors—depicts the simple, sensual pleasures of everyday life, from ripe fruit to beams of sunlight.

Special Events

Live Wire 15th Anniversary Show

7:30 p.m. Fri, Revolution Hall, $25–40
Our homegrown radio variety show celebrates 15 years with a stacked lineup: former Live Wire host and head writer Courtenay Hameister, Shrill author Lindy West, and soirée-starting musicians Pink Martini.