ARTS FORECAST The biggest local arts news of last week was the announcement that Michael Tilson Thomas will step down as conductor of the SF Symphony in 2020 — after an amazing run of 25 years. During his tenure, MTT has brought an impeccably polished, cosmopolitan sound to the Symphony (not to mention an impish experimentalism) that truly reflects his great musical loves Mahler, Ives, Stravinsky, Copeland, and Gershwin. This weekend is the perfect time to check him out in his true element, conducting Gershwin and Ives (and hey, some Dvorak, too) in a poignant “American Masters” showcase, Fri/10-Sun/12. More info here.
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STAGE MUMU: AN OTHERWISE EXPERIENCE I love that DJ Marky “Proof” Enriquez is one of the co-producers of this fascinating-sounding show. “It’s 1977 in San Francisco, and a young Filipino immigrant follows his poetry into the shadows. Through an ominous soundscape and immersive space, this exploration of our unknown darkness reveals an intimate story of connection, cultural psyche, and death… this is our inquiry of everything that haunts us as a people.” Spooky! Now through Nov. 18 at Bindlestiff Theater, SF. More info here.
LIT “CALIFORNIA HISTORY THROUGH AN INDIGENOUS LENS” “Join the California Historical Society and Heyday Books for a night of indigenous storytelling that explores how California’s history has been told for generations. Our speakers are Greg Sarris, Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and author of the new book How a Mountain was Made and William Bauer, author of California Through Native Eyes: Reclaiming History. The event will close with a short performance from Word for Word Performance Company, who will be performing one of the creation stories from Chairman Sarris’ new book.” Wed/8, 6pm-8pm, $10. California Historical Society, SF. More info here.
LIT SF PUBLIC PRESS ISSUE #23 LAUNCH: SOLVING HOMELESSNESS “The fall 2017 edition of the San Francisco Public Press features “Solving Homelessness,” a special project investigating proposals that could help secure housing for large numbers of people who are living on the streets or in temporary shelters. Come by, pick up a copy and join us for an enlightening conversation with our reporters about the stories in this project.” Wed/8, 7pm, free. Green Arcade, SF. More info here.
FILM/FESTIVAL 3rd-i SF INTERNATIONAL SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL The 15th installment of this wonderfully vibrant fest. There’s so much going on here, from opening film Abu (“a quintessential immigrant story that captures the tumultuous journey of his family’s move to Canada from Pakistan in the early ’90s”) to Shepherdess of the Glaciers (“set amidst the stunning landscape of Ladakh, this mesmerizing doc is a tribute to the unbreakable bond between humans and animals.”) Thu/9-November 18, more info here.
MUSIC REBIRTH BRASS BAND The legendary New Orleans outfit returns to get everyone’s blood pumping. Formed way back in 1983, the band “is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show.” They’re here at two locations: Thu/9 and Fri/10 at Starline in Oakland (more info here) and Sat/11 at Mezzanine in SF (more info here).
ART/PARTY SFAI FORT MASON OPENING SPECTACLE The SF Art Institute is coming to Fort Mason with a big bang of, well, art. Friday night sees a huge party, with a “raunchy performance by the Extra Action Marching Band” plus food trucks, DJs, and much more, while all day Saturday both the new Fort Mason campus and the original Chestnut Campus heave with family friendly activities and art, art, art. Fri/10 and Sat/11, more info here.
ART/SOUND ANNEA LOCKWOOD: A SOUND MAP OF THE DANUBE “Between the winter of 2001 and the summer of 2004 I made five field-recording trips, moving slowly down the Danube from the sources in the Black Forest through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania to the great delta on the Black Sea, recording the river’s sounds (at the surface and underwater), aquatic insects, and the various inhabitants of its banks.” The surround-sound exhibit allows freedom to come and go, and incorporates a large wall map of the river, a book of interview texts and a rock from the river. Fri/10-November 17, various times, free. The Lab, SF. More info here.
FILM/FESTIVAL 20TH ANNUAL TRANSGENDER FILM FESTIVAL Two decades of vision! Love this fest, which combines DIY spirit with revelatory filmmaking. Intriguing titles this year include The Gold Fish Casino, My Femme Is A Reflection, Sununú: The Revolution of Love, Soless, Where We Were Not: Feeling Reserved, Last Night’s Sugarm In My Mother’s Closet, and dozens more over six separate programs. Fri/10-Sun/12. Roxie, SF. More info here.
FILM “BEFORE HOMOSEXUALS”: A BENEFIT FOR THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY This benefit screening of Before Homosexuals takes the viewer on a wondrous tour of same-sex desire from ancient times to Victorian crimes. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker John Scagliotti guides us in this expedition of erotic history, poetry and visual art in this point-of-view documentary. He explores how the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the growth of LGBT political power in the 1990s cleared the path for artists and scholars to re-discover pre-20th century same-sex desires. Sat/11, 4pm, $12.50. Roxie, SF. More info here.
SHOPPING RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR “Renegade returns to Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion with a festive weekend celebration of all things handmade! Find one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family, discover top independent maker talent from around the country, and enjoy a memorable Holiday weekend of local food vendors, seasonal cocktails, DJ sets, DIY workshops, photo ops, and more.” Sat/11 and Sun/12, 11am-6pm, Fort Mason, SF. More info here.
FILM THE LAST PIG “The Last Pig is a lyrical meditation on what it means to be a sentient creature with the power to kill. Immersive, experiential, with sparse inner reflections, the film follows a pig farmer through his final season of slaughtering pig.” Follow day a Q&A Q&A with Wayne Hsiung, Organizer of Direct Action Everywhere. Sun/12, 1pm, free. Koret Auditorium, SF Public Library, Main Branch. More info here.
DRINK INTERNATIONAL TEA FESTIVAL Welp, you better really like tea! “Taste teas from local and global producers. Free swag bag includes your very own teacup to savor tea. Access to hundreds of different types of tea in our tea market. Connect with the biggest names in tea. Learn how each cup of tea can be a different experience.” Sun/12, 11am-5pm, $25. Ferry Building, SF. More info here.
LIT DAVID SEDARIS The most popular of our contemporary homosexual raconteurs, Sedaris will fill the War Memorial Opera House with his perfectly reedy voice and deeply detailed observations of everything from life in the french countryside to learning how to drive, mostly from his new collection Theft By Finding: Diaries (1977 – 2002). Mon/13, 7:30pm, $88. War memorial opera House, SF. More info here.
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