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    Live Trivia: Bløm Mead + Cider

    Live Trivia: Bløm Mead + Cider
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    Every Thurs., except Nov. 26. Bløm staffers lead 2 rounds of trivia. Teams or single players welcome. Prizes. 7 & 8 p.m., 100 S. Fourth Ave. Free, but purchase of food & drink encouraged. (734) 548–9729, drinkblom.com/events. 

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    Observer Editor

    Ann Arbor Trout Unlimited

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    Legacy Land Conservancy staff present on the practical and legal considerations of creating wildlife preserves. This fisheries conservation organization’s monthly meeting is preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a social hour. 7 p.m., Jolly Pumpkin, 2319 Bishop Cir. E., Dexter. Free; food and drink available for purchase. annarbortu.org.

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    “Hadestown: Teen Edition”: Pioneer Theatre Guild

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    Nov. 12–15. High school students perform pop-folk singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s musical, which sets the myths of Orpheus & Eurydice and Hades & Persephone in a hellish industrial version of the Greek underworld. The 2019 show won Tonys for best musical and best original score, which draws on American folk music and New Orleans jazz. 7 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), PHS Schreiber Auditorium, 601 W. Stadium. Tickets $20 (students & seniors, $15) in advance at a2ptguild.org & at the door. [email protected].

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    Dwayne Kennedy: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase

    Dwayne Kennedy: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase
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    Nov. 12–14. This acclaimed Chicago comic is known for his piercing, keen-witted takes on a wide range of social, cultural, and geopolitical matters. A frequent guest on late-night TV and in sitcoms, he was also a writer and correspondent for FX’s Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. Opening act TBA. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. 7:15 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $21 (Thurs., $16) at aacomedy.com & (if available) at the door. (734) 996–9080.

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    Thursday Night Improv: Hear.Say Brewing + Theater

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    Nov. 5 & 12. Two structured improv events, both followed by a pay-what-you-want improv jam with a series of games and long-form scenes. Spectators welcome. Nov. 5: Reverse Draft Line. Members of the house teams are paired with teams of improv students. Nov. 12: Duoplicity. Experienced improvisers are randomly paired up to perform a 6-minute scene. 7:30–8:30 p.m., 2350 W. Liberty. $7.50 in advance at heardotsay.com/events & $10 (if available) at the door.

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    “Cyrano de Bergerac”: Community High School Ensemble Theatre

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    Nov. 12–15. Emily Wilson-Tobin directs Community High students in Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson’s new translation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play, a hit on London’s West End this year. The classic tragicomedy about a gallant but ugly swashbuckler who feels unworthy of love gets new life in this adaptation that gambols in the riches of language, blending modern lyrical verse, classic text, and grime poetry. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), CHS Craft Theatre, 401 N. Division. Tickets $22 (students & seniors, $15) in advance at communityensembletheatre.ludus.com, & (if available) at the door (usually sells out). (734) 994–2025, a2cet.org.

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    “Her Only Light: Songs of Connie Converse”: Kerrytown Concert House

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    Chicago vocalist Emmy Bean and pianist Ronnie Kuller perform songs by singer-songwriter pioneer Elizabeth “Connie” Converse, who lived in Ann Arbor before she deliberately and mysteriously drove out of town and disappeared in 1974. Bean has just released Her Only Light, an album of Converse’s spare, evocative songs. 7:30–9 p.m., 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $32–$42 (students, $20–$30) in advance at kerrytownconcerthouse.com & (if available) at the door. (734) 769–2999.

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    “Bastard”: Purple Rose Theatre Company

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    Every Wed.–Sun., Sept. 24–Dec. 20, except Nov. 26. Rhiannon Ragland directs retired Detroit newscaster and playwright Devin Scillian’s family comedy-drama about a conflict between brothers—an aging country rocker and a buttoned-down finance guy—after their mother’s death. Adult language and subject matter. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (Sat. & Wed.). 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $31.50–$52.50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org, (734) 433–7673, & (if available) at the door. Discounts available.

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    “Family Pains”: PTD Productions

    “Family Pains”: PTD Productions
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    Nov. 5–8 & 11–14. Marie Jones directs local actors in the premiere of Michigan playwright Erin Osgood’s new family comedy-drama about a young woman who surprises her conservative family by bringing her new Black wife to Thanksgiving dinner. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun. & Wed.), Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 (students & seniors, $15; Thurs., pay what you can), in advance at ptdproductions.com, by phone, & at the door. (734) 483–7345.

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    Annual Gaming Convention: U•Con

    Annual Gaming Convention: U•Con
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    Nov. 13–15. Hundreds of competitors of all ages are expected to turn out to play a wide spectrum of tabletop games, from board games and role-playing games to collectible card games and miniaturized simulations of historical and fictional battlefields. Participants also are invited to bring in games to play in an open gaming area. Also, a dealers’ room with sales and demos. In-person registration begins today at 7:30 a.m. For a complete schedule of events, see ucon-gaming.org. 9 a.m.–1 a.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (Sun.), Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron St., Ypsi. Weekend pass: $65 in advance, $75 (students and active & retired military, $65) at the door; kids ages 7–12 (accompanied by an adult), $20 in advance & at the door; kids 6 & under, free. Daily passes (available both in advance & at the door): Fri. $45, Sat. $55 ($45 in advance), Sun. $35. A few games cost extra. Advance registration available at ucon-gaming.org. (734) 930–6363.

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    Observer Editor

    “Real-World Perspectives”: U-M Poverty Solutions Fall Speaker Series

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    Nov. 13 & 20. Talks by scholars and field practitioners, followed by Q&A.

    Nov. 13 (noon–1:30 p.m.): U-M professor of psychology and organizational studies Catherine Thomas on “Cash Plus Psychosocial Interventions for Economic Mobility.”

    Nov. 20 (1:30–3 p.m.): Panel discussion with poverty solutions experts on “The Importance of Research and Data for Policy and Social Change.”

    School of Social Work, B780 (basement), 1080 South University. Also via livestream. Free. (734) 929–8027, [email protected], fordschool.umich.edu/events.

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    U-M Museum of Natural History Planetarium & Dome Theater

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    Every Fri.–Sun. Three different audiovisual planetarium shows suitable for all ages. Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs? (noon) looks at cosmic collisions across the solar system including the 6-mile-wide asteroid that hit the earth 66 million years ago; The Sky Tonight (1 & 3 p.m.) explores the current night sky, with tips on how to find the cardinal directions, constellations, and planets on your own; and T. Rex (2 p.m.) describes the iconic dinosaur’s scientific and cinematic history (includes scenes of dinosaur violence). Noon, 1, 2, & 3 p.m., 1105 North University. $9 at the gift shop. Limited capacity. (734) 764–0480, ummnh.org.