ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Lost Languages’ Through Oct. 12 Playhouse on the Park, Viad Corporate Towers 1850 N. Central Ave. 602-254-2151 Sasha Productions presents a new play by David Lewis. Henry Tate, an elderly artist, and his wife Mae have retired to a secluded cottage, far from temptation. One night an unexpected visitor arrives ... . “Lost Languages” is a play about the role chance plays in both life and art. Starring Zoni award winners Mary Gower and Charles Sohn. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20 adults and $15 seniors/students with ID. Not suitable for children under 14. For more information, visit www.sashaproductions.org. ‘The Seven-Year Itch’ Central Community Theatre Oct. 3-19 Central United Methodist Church 1875 N. Central Ave. 602-357-3247 With his wife and son off to the shore for the summer, Richard Sherman, a husband of seven years, fantasizes about having a fling with a young woman who has moved into the apartment in the unit above. He invites the delectable doll down for an evening of temptation. The night doesn't quite go the way he thought it would, as morality and guilt sneak into his head. In his conscience—literally following him about the apartment—a soul-struggle of heroic and hilarious proportions ensues. All Friday & Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m.; Sunday performances are at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 gold circle, $15 general admission, $10 senior/student. ‘Crimes of the Heart’ PVCC’s Division of Fine Arts Oct. 9-12 & 17-19 PVCC Center for Performing Arts 34th Street and Union Hills 602-787-7738 Winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, “Crimes” is Beth Henley’s first play. The scene is Hazlehurst, Miss., where the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of the family patriarch, their grandfather, who is dying in the local hospital. The eldest, Lenny, is unmarried at 30 and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach. Their troubles are grave, and yet, somehow, hilarious. In the end the play is the story of how its young characters escape the past to seize the future. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9-11and 17-18; and 2 p.m. and Oct. 12 and 19. Ticket prices are $12 general admission/$8 students and seniors. Auditions for ‘Pooh’ 4 p.m. Oct. 14 & 16 Valley Youth Theatre 525 N. 1st St. 602-253-8188, ext. 4 Auditioners ages 6-19 should bring a photo with name, age, address and phone number on the back. School photos or home snapshots are accepted. Bring sheet music and perform one song or ballad. Accompaniment is provided. Be prepared for a cold reading of the script. Bring a performing arts resume or a list of prior performances, experience or special skills (if applicable). Dress in appropriate dance attire (there are changing areas) and bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated during the audition process. If cast, “A Winnie the Pooh Christmas Tail” will run Dec. 5-23. You will be required to attend all schedule rehearsals, which are typically Monday through Thursday evenings, all day Saturday, and daily beginning the week prior to show opening. There are also two school-day performances on Dec. 11 and 18. ‘Treasure Island: A Musical Adventure’ Valley Youth Theatre Oct. 10-26 525 N. 1st St. 602-253-8188, ext. 2 Set sail with young Jim Hawkins in a high seas adventure as he races for buried treasure against Long John Silver and his swashbuckling band of pirates. Set to a thrilling score and full of daring action, Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless classic re-examines the essence of heroism in the face of danger. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 12 and 3:30 p.m. and Sundays at 12:30 and 4 p.m. Tickets are $18 per person, adults and children 2 and up. For more information visit www.VYT.com. ‘Gem of The Ocean’ Black Theatre Troupe Oct. 16-Nov. 2 Playhouse on the Park, Viad Corporate Towers 1850 N. Central Ave. www.blacktheatretroupe.org Set in 1904, August Wilson’s monumental play introduces Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old former slave and a mysterious legend among African-Americans in Pittsburgh. As the primal connection to that first slave ship from Africa she guides a young man, Citizen Barlow, on a journey into knowledge, awareness and fulfillment that will “wash his soul.” Curtain times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays; and additional matinees 2p.m. Oct. 29, and the Target Family Matinee 2 p.m. Nov.1, with specially priced $12 ticket for families. Regular ticket prices are $23.50-$33.50.For more information, visit the Web site or call 602-258-8128, ext. 2. ‘World Voices’ Sonoran Desert Chorale 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 Camelback Bible Church 3900 E. Stanford Drive Join the Chorale as it gives voice to the essence of the human spirit from the sounds of the Gobi Desert to the rhythms of Latin America. Single Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students/seniors and may be purchased by calling the Chorale’s office at 602-765-1554. Tickets also will be available 30 minutes prior to the concert at the door. Visit www.sonorandesertchorale.org for more information. Arizona Musicfest Chorus Auditions 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Oct. 21 Church of the Beatitudes, Nelson Hall 4802 N. 19th Ave. 480-488-0806 Arizona Musicfest will hold auditions for vocalists to perform in the Arizona Musicfest Chorus, conducted by the Festival Orchestra’s Robert Moody as part of Arizona Musicfest 2009, America’s Premier Winter Music Festival (Feb. 4-March 1). Auditions will be in small groups and singers are expected to be able to sight read. Chorus rehearsals will take place on weekends in January and February. The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, 25150 N. Pima Road. The Film Festival @ PVCC 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 PVCC Center for the Performing Arts 34th Street & Union Hills 602-787-7738 This evening’s film is “Divorce Italian Style” (1961, rated PG-13), directed by Pietro Germi. This wickedly funny black comedy is the story of a Sicilian baron played by the incomparable Marcello Mastroianni who feels put upon by his unattractive (she's mustached) nagging wife who craves his constant attention. The problem is you can't divorce in Sicily, but there's a loophole in the law that says you can murder your wife and get away with it if you catch her with another man. The madcap events snowball into a hilarious social farce, and Mastroianni’s droll performance earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, the first for a non-English speaking role. Admission to each film is free. ‘A View of the Harbor’ Actors Theatre Oct. 24-Nov. 9 Herberger Theater Center 222 E. Monroe 602-252-8497 Richard Dresser’s play follows Nick—a scion of privilege—back home to face his over-bearing father and his own personal demons. Show times vary; Single tickets range in price from $20-$42. Visit www.actorstheatrePHX.org to get single tickets on-line anytime or call the Herberger Box Office. A Vampire Tale V Scorpius Dance Oct. 30–Nov. 8 Phoenix Theatre's Little Theatre 100 E. McDowell Road 602-254-2151 The fifth year of this ever-evolving, original dance production comprises a cast of 15 dancers and features the choreography of Lisa Starry. With guest performing artists, Nicole Graffeo and Travis Mesman of the emerging acro-modern dance duo, Cultivating Flight. Experience visually stunning aerial feats, quirky and comedic episodes … and all the dark and sexy drama your mind and body can withstand. Show times are 8 p.m. Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and Nov. 6-8, with additional 10 p.m. shows on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8. Tickets are $20, with a $5 discount if you come in costume; for other discounts go to www.scorpiusdance.com. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Ballet Arizona Oct. 31-Nov. 2 Phoenix Symphony Hall 75 N. 2nd St. 602-381-1096 Music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream will consist primarily of Felix Mendelssohn’s 1843 score for the play, with additional music selected by Ballet Arizona’s Ib Andersen, to make the finished work a full-length, two-hour ballet with one intermission. Timothy Russell returns to conduct The Phoenix Symphony’s live performance of the score. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $15 to $117. Discounts for groups, students, seniors, and children are available. Call the box office or visit www.ticketmaster.com. A Gathering of Weavers: Navajo Weavers Marketplace 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 Heard Museum 2301 N. Central Ave. 602-252-8848 Meet some of the Southwest’s finest Navajo weavers during this first-ever marketplace exclusively showcasing textiles. Watch weavers at work and get some early holiday shopping done. Free admission (museum admission additional).