8 Days a Week

July 9-16, 2003

FOR THE BETTER part of the past decade, the posse of theater people around Intersection for the Arts, Campo Santo, and Thick Description have had the unique pleasure of staging the work of San Francisco playwright Octavio Solis. Some of his best work, including the Glickman Award-winning Santos and Santos, is set in El Paso, Texas, where Solis grew up – a city that in the playwright's imagination assumes a magical, often grim dimension in which the moral stakes of the ordinary lies of daily life are suddenly amplified, and the choices characters make (or don't) have enormous consequences. Campo Santo and Intersection are staging Solis's Bethlehem – with the playwright directing – about a journalist who returns to his West Texas hometown to investigate a paroled killer. The lines between good and evil and right and wrong get blurry, and redemption waits on the horizon – but it comes at a high price. Luis Saguar and Sean San Jose, who have a long history with Solis, appear, along with standouts Margo Hall, Catherine Castellanos, and Ana Maria Luera. It promises to be one of the summer's must-see productions. Through Aug. 4. Opens Thurs/10, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sun., Mon/14, and Aug. 4 (actors' benefit), 8 p.m., Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia, S.F. $9-$15. (415) 626-3311. (J.H. Tompkins)

July 9

Wednesday

Ultralounge Ewan and Renée aimed to capture the space-age cool of the swingin' 1960s in Down with Love, and their characters would feel right at home in Sex Kittens in Hi-Fi, a musical revue about a trio of women in search of the ultimate bachelor. Cocktails are shaken, hair is high, and the score is packed with retro tunes ("Kiss of Fire," "Never on a Sunday") given new arrangements by Cockettes veteran Richard "Scrumbly" Koldewyn. Sex Kittens shimmies out for its world premiere at the New Conservatory Theatre Center. Through Aug. 10. Previews Wed/9-Fri/11, 8 p.m. Opens Sat/12, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; July 20, 27, Aug. 3, and 10, 2 p.m. New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness, S.F. $15-$35. (415) 861-8972. (Cheryl Eddy)

July 10

Thursday

Signs of the times If you haven't yet made it down to the Lola Gallery to view its current exhibit of political art, "Doctrine," head out for tonight's lively discussion featuring UC Berkeley prof Michael Watts (director of the Institute of International Studies, recent Guggenheim Fellowship winner, and "petrocapitalism" expert) and Global Exchange's Kevin Danaher. Transnational corporations, the where-there's-oil-there's-violence connection, and the struggle for peace will no doubt make the list of topics, spurred on by provocative works by more than 20 artists (including an area of the installation dubbed "The Gun Room"). 7 p.m. (exhibit through Aug. 2; gallery hours Wed.-Sat., noon-7 p.m., and by appointment), Lola Gallery, 2517 Mission, second floor, S.F. $3 donation. (415) 401-6800. (Eddy)

Hang 10 Stereotypical surfer dudes and their immature macho attitude bug the shit out of many people, but the artists who find their roots in surfing culture can be amazing and worth checking out. See for yourself at 'Surf Style,' an art and film exhibit opening today at 111 Minna Gallery – one of the least pretentious galleries in the city and the perfect place to host a show full of dirtball visual and musical artists. "Surf Style" is sponsored by the '70s beach-wear company Ocean Pacific, with some proceeds going to the San Francisco chapter of Surfrider. The blowout opening nights feature guest appearances by many of the artists, plus live music by local skateboarder legends Tommy Guerrero and Ray Barbee (tonight) and exotica outfit Ape (tomorrow). Put on your hoodie sweatshirt, leave that stupid fucking foam-net trucker hat at home, and find out what these talented surfers are doing between bong rips. Through Aug. 23. Opening events tonight, 5-7 p.m (presentation) and 7 p.m.-1 a.m. (party); Fri/11, 5-7 p.m. (presentation) and 9 p.m.-2 a.m. (party) (gallery hours Tues.-Fri., noon-5 p.m.; Sat.-Mon., by appointment), 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna, S.F. $10 (regular gallery hours free). (415) 974-1719. (Corbett Miller)

July 11

Friday

Beyond the thong Sequined bikinis and Vegas-ish headdresses have their place, for sure, but the world of Brazilian dance actually extends far beyond the parades in Rio de Janeiro. In fact, there are traditional dance forms so rare they're hardly ever seen in Brazil, much less locally – which is just one of the reasons you should make a date with Aguas da Bahia Dance Company. Under the guiding hand of noted dancer-choreographer Tânia Santiago, the company performs Aguas, a show encompassing a range of styles, from lesser-known folkloric and ceremonial forms to more contemporary, rowdy dance jams. With pounding live percussion and an array of colorful costumes and props, it'll be like taking a South American vacation without going too far south of Geary Boulevard. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., University of San Francisco, Presentation Theater, 2350 Turk, S.F. $13-$15. (415) 931-1302, www.aguasdabahia.com. (Eddy)

Steady beat It took choreographer Anne Bluethenthal eight long years to finish her full-length work The Heart Is a Live Thing. It's not just that funding for quiet, thoughtful voices like hers is difficult to get these days; it's also that some projects need to find their own direction, and that takes time. Heart started at a hospital when Bluethenthal was sitting at her mother's bedside; that experience led to "Broken Open," the first section of an ongoing examination of the heart as a source of physical power and also as a metaphor for bravery, love, and life itself. In her new section, "Global Heart," Bluethenthal takes the personal into the universal as she and her dancers examine the "collective heart." Appearing with the company will be the Cultural Heritage Choir, performing a score by Marc Ream. Through July 20. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m., Dance Mission Theatre, 3316 24th St., S.F. $18-$20. (415) 273-4633. (Rita Felciano)

Haunting The Cutting Ball Theater Web site describes Kevin Oakes's Vomit Talk of Ghosts as "Peter Pan as it might have been written by Jean Genet" – which, I swear, is exactly what I had in mind. But in this post-Blair (Jayson, not Tony – the former's still breathing) era, you can't attribute too widely, so there you have it. Cutting Ball likes to present edgy, challenging work without the comfort and safety of linear plot or familiar circumstance to turn to. Vomit Talk concerns a small girl who channels and is unnaturally close to a possessive phantom – the Deadman. She's got a flock of acolytes, an obsessive spirit, and parents who facilitate the relationship, so when it's time to call the whole thing off, things get difficult. Under the leadership of Rob Melrose – who directs this coproduction with Intersection for the Arts – Cutting Ball's work gets better each time out. Through Aug. 16. Opens tonight, 8 p.m. Runs Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, S.F. $12-$20. (415) 419-3584, www.cuttingball.com. (J.H. Tompkins)

July 12

Saturday

Triggy with it Physics the band were not unlike physics the school subject: vast, esoteric, and nerdy, yet effortlessly impressive. Their philosophical experiments and improvised sound infused the open-jam mentality with a textbook full of equations, formulas, and exercises. As Chicago's instrumentalism was just beginning to infect San Diego, soon to bring us the warm Tortoise-isms of Tristeza and others, Physics were already excelling in the architecture of droning synths and minimal guitar with a drummer who played at the front of the stage, with his back to the crowd. Aspects of Physics, a roster of Physics alumni and friends, carry on in said tradition, augmenting their performances with laptops, modified sound devices, and projections by way of an "auxiliary visual adaptation specialist," in the interest of promoting "societal recalibration." Saxon Shore and Map also play. 7:30 p.m., Ramp, 2236 Parker, Berk. $6. lemis75@hotmail.com. (Anup Pradhan)

Digging in the crates For record collectors, the plain white cardboard sleeves protecting 12-inches belie the artistic value of the singles within. Dublab, the Los Angeles-based online radio station and DJ collective, riffs on the sensory richness represented by the blank sleeve in 'Up Our Sleeve: The Dublab Covers Project.' The collective asked more than 100 artists and musicians, including Glen E. Friedman, Kinsey, and Saul Williams, to make artworks out of blank record sleeves, and the results bring painting, photography, screen printing, and sculpture together in tribute to the power of music. The suggested donation also lands you free drinks – not that you'd need any to appreciate a record sleeve turned miniature skateboard ramp. 7 p.m., Punch Gallery, 155 10th St., S.F. $5 suggested donation. (415) 522-5555. (Elizabeth Lobsenz)

Revolution dance The spirit of liberation struggle is rarely so passionate and pure as it is in the young. So what could be more inspiring than youths uniting across continents and cultures in a call for self-determination for all oppressed peoples? That's exactly the kind of solidarity being nurtured at 'Uprising! A Night of Cultural Resistance,' which features dance and drum performances by the Ibdaa Palestinian Youth Dance Troupe, from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and local, multicultural sensation Loco Bloco, as well as a photo exhibit and slide show on Palestinian life and resistance in the occupied territories. All proceeds benefit the young people of Dheisheh. 8 p.m., Brava Theatre, 2781 24th St., S.F. $5-$50. (415) 861-7444. (Camille T. Taiara)

July 13

Sunday

Dog day afternoon In recent years doggie shrinks and Louis Vuitton carriers have obscured the lupine ancestry of man's best friend. Learn about the link between wolves and Mr. Winkle at 'Ancient and Unusual Dogs from around the World,' a two-part event offered in conjunction with the "Animal Magnetism" series at the Exploratorium. Today's program explores the 10,000-year-old ancestry of modern dogs in Asia, Eurasia, the Middle East, and Australia (return next Sunday to learn about canine history in the rest of the world). Exhibits, an agility course, and visits from live pooches, including Canaan dogs, Tibetan terriers, and shar-peis, illuminate the long and complex interplay of genetics and human influence in the evolution of the Lhasa apsos and Carolina dogs we know today. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (also July 20, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.), Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon, S.F. $8-$12. (415) 563-7337. (Lobsenz)

July 14

Monday

Take no prisoners The ongoing thaw between Presidents Bush and Chirac only suggests for bumper-sticker patriots what reasonable Americans already knew: we want the French back. We like their wine and cheese, their films, and maybe even their liberal political tradition if we're in the mood to write a Constitution. Bring your Francophilia back out of the closet at the LaborFest Bastille Day Celebration, an appropriate tribute to the French revolutionary ideals of liberty and solidarity. Poetry and music accompany labor history storyteller Gail Ryall's account of "The Detroit Woolworth Sit-Down Strike," which is intended to inspire similar organizing efforts. Beats pouring good Côtes du Rhône down the drain and wondering where it all went wrong. 7 p.m., SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan, S.F. $7. (415) 552-2131. (Lobsenz)

July 15

Tuesday

Scoop it up As we all know, when it comes to music, many people don't know a good thing when it's right in front of them. Sadly, the same goes for record labels. Austin, Texas, rockers Spoon are a prime example. Despite being tossed from label to label for years, Spoon have nevertheless put out a string of amazing albums. After their critically acclaimed LP Girls Can Tell, Britt Daniel and Jim Eno settled down at Superchunk leader Mac McCaughan's label, Merge, and got to work on last year's Kill the Moonlight. The latest album features the same taut, chunky grooves and catchy hooks that originally won Spoon such a following, while also departing some from the classic guitar-bass-drum lineup. The added hand claps, keyboards, and beatboxing definitely enhance Spoon's sound – kind of Kid A meets Elvis Costello. Natural History and Rogue Wave also play. 9 p.m., Fillmore, 1805 Geary, S.F. $16.50 (415) 346-6000. (Phil Herrick)

Sister sister Forgoing tacky, t.A.T.u.-style sensationalism, Vancouver's Tegan and Sara thankfully don't (s)exploit themselves as sisters who also happen to be lesbians. Instead, the 22-year-old Quin twins want (and deserve) to be appreciated for what they are musically: a promising pop rock group that's rightfully shared stages with the likes of Ryan Adams and the Pretenders. On their excellent second album, If It Was You (released by Neil Young's Vapor Records), the sibs churn out dark-edged romantic dramas about your lover realizing she can't stand you anymore and how sometimes the only people you can relate to are sad characters in even sadder movies. All of which probably sounds like one big fat buzzkill, but with some of the catchiest hooks and tag-team harmonies to hit your ears all year, Tegan and Sara make it hurt so good. Jets Overhead open. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $8. (415) 861-7374. (Jimmy Draper)

July 16

Wednesday

A.R.E. you serious? Think back to the height of the dot-com bubble. Try to remember your favorite e-company. Sure, it probably didn't do much, but maybe it had a cool logo. Well, truth be told, New York's A.R.E. Weapons are that e-company. More style than substance, these three scenesters turned musicians have managed to congeal everything we love and hate about NYC bands into messy three-minute songs about leather jackets, drugs, and knife fights. A guilty pleasure for sure, their fusion of electroclash and hard rock is about as innovative as the trashy cut-up Ts they wear. Could it be their out-of-control attitude/image/music is a lesson in the hyperreal? Maybe. After all, a show in London drew the likes of Kate Moss and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. Other shows have brought the police. In any case, tonight promises to be good, sleazy fun. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8-$10. (415) 626-9618. (Herrick)