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Every Wed.–Sun., Sept. 30–Dec. 17. Rhiannon Ragland directs the world premiere of actor-playwright (and Purple Rose founder) Jeff Daniels’ comedy about America’s fastest growing sport. Four below-average players try to overcome their own limitations to achieve greatness in a game that has nothing to do with pickles. Daniels’ wife became addicted to the game, which Daniels described in a 2021 interview as “half-court basketball for elderly people.” Cast: Ryan Carlson, Kate Thomsen, Lynch Travis, Jonathan West, and Caitlin Cavannaugh. 3 p.m. (Wed., Thurs., & Sat.), 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $34–$52 in advance at PurpleRoseTheatre.org and by phone, and (if available) at the door. Discounts available for students, seniors, teachers, military personnel, and groups. 433–7673.

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Every Sat., Mon., Wed., & Fri. All invited to play various forms of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. Intro to Magic: The Gathering (Sat. noon–3 p.m.), free. Commander Pods, casual groups of 4 players (Sat. 6–10 p.m.), free. Just Another Modern Monday power cards (Mon. 6–9 p.m.), $10. Casual Commander, the most popular form of the game (Wed. 5–8 p.m.), free. Friday Night Magic rotating draft (Fri. 6–10 p.m.), cost varies. Prizes paid in store credit. Various times. Sylvan Factory, 2459 W. Stadium. info@sylvanfactory.com, 929–5877.

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Every Sat. & Sun. (except Oct. 9 & 23). 30–minute tour of the museum’s exhibits and galleries, as well as an introduction to some current U-M Biological Sciences research projects. Noon & 2 p.m., MNH, 1105 North University. Free. Limited capacity. Sign up at the welcome desk. 764–0478.

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Daily. Three different audiovisual planetarium shows suitable for all ages. Expedition Reef (11:30 a.m.) reveals the secrets of coral reefs, the “rainforests of the sea” that are the Earth’s most vibrant and endangered marine ecosystems. The Sky Tonight (12:30 & 2:30 p.m.) is an exploration of the current night sky, with tips on how to find the cardinal directions, constellations, and planets on your own. Tales of the Maya Skies (1:30 p.m.) immerses viewers in the wonders of Mayan science, examining how Mayan scholars developed a sophisticated understanding of astronomy, architecture, and mathematics that enabled them to predict solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns, and planetary movements. Various times, MNH, 1105 North University. $8. Limited capacity. 764–0478.

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Family-friendly 5-km run/walk. No dogs, strollers okay. Proceeds benefit SafeHouse, a domestic violence shelter. 9 a.m. (registration, 8–9 a.m.), Duderstadt Center, 2281 Bonisteel. $35 (students, $30) in advance; $40 on race day. purplerunannarbor.org.

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Special screenings in local theaters. For updated schedule, see FathomEvents.com/events. $12.50 (unless otherwise noted) in advance online (recommended) & at the door. Ann Arbor 20 (4100 Carpenter, 973–8424), Emagine (1335 E. Michigan Ave., Saline, 316–5500). Different times. Oct. 22 & 26: “Madea” Live (Sat.) & prerecorded (Wed.) screenings of this Metropolitan Opera production of Luigi Cherubini’s rarely performed 1797 opera adapted from Euripides classical Greek tragedy based on the myth of the princess Medea, who wreaks a terrible vengeance upon Jason, the unfaithful husband whom she had helped capture the Golden Fleece. Italian, English supertitles. 1 p.m. (Sun., Ann Arbor 20 only).

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Oct. 20-23. Elizabeth Champion directs high school students in Shakespeare’s popular comic romance about the misadventures of a group of mortals who wander unwittingly into the midst of a power struggle between the king and the queen of fairies. 7 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Whitmore Lake High School, 7430 Whitmore Lake Rd. Tickets $10 (kids, $5; families, $30). echampion@fgrhs.org.

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“The Crucible”: EMU Theatre Department. Oct. 14–16 & 21–23. Lee Stille directs EMU students in a performance of the Arthur Miller classic 1953 drama, set during the Salem Witch Trials, that’s widely seen as an allegory for McCarthyism. When a minister’s flirtatious daughter exacts a stinging revenge after a run-in with her employer's jealous wife, an entire community is engulfed by paranoia and mutual recrimination. 7 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), EMU Legacy Theater, 124 Judy Sturgis Hill Bldg., Ford St. (off Lowell from Huron River Dr.), Ypsilanti. Tickets $12–18 in advance at EMUtix.com & at the door. 487–2282.

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Oct. 21 & 22. Quick and quirky comedy from this seasoned comic known for her fast-paced, affably upbeat sets devoted to such things as dealing with her parents’ antics and working as a paranormal investigator (she hosts the podcast Paranormal Karen). 7:15 p.m. (Fri.-Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $18 reserved seating in advance at etix.com, $20 general admission at the door. 996–9080.

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Benjamin Cohen directs this local 24-voice chamber choir in a program highlighted by Poet of the Body and Soul, contemporary American composer Andrea Clearfield’s passionate setting of selections from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” and “The House of the Mind,” 20th-century English composer Herbert Howells’ haunting motet based on a 17th-century poem by Joseph Beaumont. Also, Arvo Pärt’s ethereal “Da Pacem Domine” and Rejoice in the Lamb, Benjamin Britten’s classic cantata setting of 18th-century poet Christopher Smart’s “Jubilate Agno.”  7:30 p.m., St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 306 N. Division St. Tickets $25 (seniors age 65 & over, $20; students with ID, $10; K-12 students, free) in advance at a2tix.com/organizations/vocal-arts-ensemble. vocalartsannarbor@gmail.com.

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East Coast singer-songwriter King, who composes in the populist tradition of Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs, is widely regarded as one of the finest contemporary topical songwriters. (Pete Seeger called him “one of the most brilliant and agile singers and songwriters I know of.”) Veteran Massachusetts songwriter Patterson, an accomplished folk performer and jazz vocalist, co-wrote the popular song books Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Her repertoire ranges from Americana, folk, and gospel to country and jazz. 7:30 p.m., Church of the Good Shepherd, 2145 Independence. Mask required. $20 (students & those with low income, $10; $50 sponsor tickets include a CD or songbook) in advance at bit.ly/icpj-king-patterson. Livestream available; for URL email jeffalson56@gmail.com, 476–3399.

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Performances by this local company’s improv troupes. Preceded at 6 p.m. by short-form improv games (pay what you can) open to audience members. 8 p.m., Ann Arbor Civic Theatre (A2CT) Studio, 322 W. Ann Street. Mask and proof of vaccination required. $15 at the door only. 846–2492, civicimprov.org.

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Oct. 21 & 22. Kristin Danko directs local singer-actors in an eclectic mix of Halloween-themed songs, standards, Broadway tunes, and contemporary pop. Costume contest. 8 p.m., Riverside Arts Center Art Gallery, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsilanti. Proof of vaccination required. Mask requirement based on county case levels. $13, $17 at the door. ntgypsi.org, 657–2337.

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Oct. 21 & 22. The U.S. premiere of choreographers  Germaine Acogny & Malou Airaudo’s reimagining of the late Pina Bausch’s 1976 dance theater piece about a woman who is sacrificed so that spring may come. Dancers from more than a dozen African dance companies have been brought together for this presentation. The founder of École des Sables, Acogny is known as the “mother of African dance,” and Airaudo performed many of Bausch’s early works as a member of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. The program also includes Acogny & Airaudo’s brand-new piece common ground[s], a tenderly poetic antidote to Rite that reflects their shared histories and emotional experiences. 8 p.m. Power Center. Tickets $50–$81 (students $12–20) in advance at tickets.ums.org, at the Michigan League, and (if available) at the door. 764–2538.

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