Events
-
-
Observer Editor
“Emma’s Wedding(s)”: Purple Rose Theatre Company
MoreEvery Wed.–Sun., June 25–Aug. 30. (See review) Kate Thomsen directs longtime Purple Rose resident playwright Carey Crim’s comedy-drama about a group of old friends gathered to celebrate their friend Emma’s fourth wedding. Together, they revisit their memories of each of her previous three weddings to “the one.” Adult language and subject matter. 3 p.m. (Wed., Thurs., & Sat.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $31.50–$52.50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org, (734) 433–7673, & (if available) at the door. Discounts available.
-
Observer Editor
“Gutenberg! The Musical!”: Penny Seats Theatre
MoreAug. 7–22. Emily Wilson-Tobin directs local actors in Anthony King and Scott Brown’s 2-man musical about a pair of aspiring playwrights who perform all the parts in a run-through for potential backers of their new, hilariously ill-advised project—a big, splashy musical about printing press inventor Johannes Gutenberg. Adult themes. 8 p.m. (Thurs., Fri., & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Cahoots, 206 E. Huron St. Tickets $28 (seniors, $25 & students, $20) in advance at pennyseats.org & (if available) at the door.
-
Observer Editor
“Southern Rapture”: PTD Productions
MoreAug. 13–16 & 19–22. Karrie Waarala directs local actors in Cleveland playwright Eric Coble’s 2009 dark satire exploring art, commerce, and censorship. The plot, based on a 1996 staging of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America in Charlotte, North Carolina, follows a theater company in a major Southern city as it puts on a controversial play featuring foul language, homosexual themes, and 7 minutes of full frontal male nudity. Leading up to the premiere, the city’s mayor brings legal action, locals threaten to burn the theater down, and the terrified actors exchange cans of pepper spray as opening night gifts. “The broad laugh-out-loud humor narrows slowly toward a poignant ending, making a fantasy into a reality,” writes one Charlotte Observer reviewer. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun. & Wed.), Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 (students & seniors, $15) in advance at ptdproductions.com & at the door. (734) 483–7345.
-
Observer Editor
Michigan Playwrights Festival: Theatre Nova
MoreSee 13 Thursday. Today: Joël Henning Doty’s Dispersion, about a woman in a coma who hears her children’s true feelings about family secrets, communicates with her dead husband, and gets lessons from a funny, wise nurse, or, maybe, an angel? 2 p.m.
-
DonationFreeObserver Editor
“Midsummer Greenway Delight Nature Walk”: Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
MoreAll invited to join a naturalist to celebrate SMLC’s 28th anniversary by taking a 1.5-mile walk through LeFurge Nature Preserve’s 325 acres of diverse terrain, including rolling hills, wetlands, meadow, and woods. Dress for the weather. No pets. Refreshments and socializing start at 1:15 p.m. 2–3:45 p.m., park and meet at Conservancy Farm, 8383 Vreeland, Superior Twp. Free, donations welcome. (734) 482–5957, [email protected].
-
FreeObserver Editor
Invited Artists’ Talk: WSG Gallery
MoreTalk by and discussion with several of the nine artists featured in the gallery’s Summer Invitational 2026 show (July 22–Aug. 29). The show includes work in a variety of media by 15 WSG member artists, along with 9 artists they’ve invited to join the exhibit. 2–4 p.m., WSG Gallery, 111 E. Ann. (734) 929–2621, wsg-art.com.
Free -
Nightspots
“Ann Arbor/Ypsi Acoustic Jammers.”: Ypsi Alehouse
MoreYpsi Alehouse 124 Pearl, #100, Ypsilanti, YpsilantiAll acoustic musicians invited for an open mic followed by an hour of jamming. Participants welcome to bring chord-and-lyric sheets of any well-known song for the jam.
-
FreeObserver Editor
Farmstead Tours: Pittsfield Township Historical Society
MoreGuided tours of the historic 1832 Sutherland-Wilson farmstead. Also, in the house, Somewhere in Time, an exhibit mounted by the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild. 2–5 p.m., Sutherland-Wilson Farm, 797 W. Textile. Free. [email protected], pittsfieldhistory.org.
-
FreeObserver Editor
Michigame Design Lab Game Playtesting: Bløm Mead + Cider
MoreAll invited to try out new board and card games from local designers and provide feedback. 2–6 p.m., 100 S. Fourth Ave. Free, but purchase of food & drink encouraged. (734) 548–9729, drinkblom.com/events.
-
FreeObserver Editor
“Megafauna Mystery”: U-M Museum of Natural History Discovery Demos
MoreEvery Sat. & Sun. Hands-on 20-minute family-oriented demo for kids age 5 & up that uses museum specimens to explore paleontology and what can be learned from giant bones and fossils. 12:30 & 2:30 p.m., 1105 North University. Free. (734) 764–0478, ummnh.org.
-
FreeObserver Editor
A2 Summer Streets Music Series: Main Street Area Association
MoreEvery Thurs.–Sun., June 4–Sept. 28. Local musicians TBA perform at several locations along Main downtown. Rain cancels. 4 p.m. Thurs.–Sun., S. Main between E. Washington & W. William. For the complete lineup, go to mainstreetannarbor.org/a2-summer-streets. Free.
-
Nightspots
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings: Zal Gaz Grotto
MoreZal Gaz Grotto 2070 W. Stadium, Ann ArborLocal 10-piece big band led by tubaist Chris Smith that specializes in the old-time big band music of the late 1920s and early 1930s associated with Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver.
-
Observer Editor
“Tales from the Cryptid: An Improvised Urban Legend”: Hear.Say Brewing + Theater
MoreAug. 9 & 16. A fully unscripted one-act theatrical show about the appearance of a new cryptid that shakes up a small town. 6–7 p.m., 2350 W. Liberty. $15 in advance at heardotsay.com/events & $18 (if available) at the door.
-
Community Listing
Braxton Cook: Blue LLama Jazz Club and Restaurant
More309 S. Main St., Ann Arbor
This event features live music from Braxton Cook, a vocalist, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist whose sound defies easy category, with Dinner & Show or Cover Only tickets available
A rising force in the space where jazz and R&B meet, Cook has built a devoted following across albums that blur genre lines with effortless grace, earning comparisons to the great soul-jazz hybrids. His latest release, “Not Everyone Can Go”, is his most personal and collaborative work yet with a warmth and sound that’s deeply alive. On the Blue LLama stage, Braxton Cook brings music that is soulful, intimate, and impossible to categorize.
$40 – $85 -
Nightspots
Braxton Cook: Blue LLama
MoreBlue LLama 314 S. Main, Ann ArborAcclaimed jazz vocalist & multi-instrumentalist whose music is a blend of hard-edged tightly-arranged contemporary jazz instrumentation and soaring 90s R&B–style vocals. “Cook stands at the crossroads of jazz and contemporary R&B, and the album thrives in that space,” writes Shatter the Standard in a review of his most recent album, Not Everyone Can Go. “It’s a deliberate blend he has pursued for years, and here he doubles down. The production balances in-the-pocket warmth—buttery keys, laid-back bass lines—with the spontaneity of a live session.” Dinner shows: 6 & 8 p.m. $85.
-
Observer Editor
Ballroom Dance Club at the U-M
MoreEvery Sun. Ballroom dancing to recorded music, including foxtrots, waltzes, cha-chas, rumbas, tangos, swing, and more. No partner necessary. Preceded at 6 p.m. by beginning lessons and practice. 7–9 p.m., Michigan Union Ballroom. $5 ($10 includes lessons). (734) 763–6984.
-
FreeObserver Editor
Traditional Irish Session: Conor O’Neill’s
MoreEvery Sun. All invited to join or listen to an instrumental jam session. 7–9 p.m., 318 S. Main. Free. (734) 665–2968.
-
Nightspots
Unkle Lay Lee & the Moonshine All-Stars: Old Town
MoreOld Town 122 W. Liberty, Ann ArborLocal quintet led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Gray Motsinger that plays an eclectic brand of outlaw country with punk, funk, and rock influences.
-
Nightspots
American Patchwork Quartet: Ark
MoreArk 316 S. Main, Ann ArborRoots music ensemble led by Hindustani classical vocalist Falu Shah and veteran guitarist & arranger Clay Ross, best known as the frontman of the acclaimed Gullah group Rank Tanky. Its music is a forward-thinking homage to America’s past with an eclectic blend of Appalachian folk, gospel, and Indian classical music that one Mix Magazine reviewer calls “a breathtaking confluence of heritage roots, jazz, and world music influences.” $29.
-
Nightspots
“The Sunday Circle.”: Ziggy’s
MoreZiggy’s 206 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, YpsilantiA set by a house band led by local jazz trumpeter Ingrid Racine. Followed by an open mic for vocalists, instrumentalists (including electronic), MCs, & poets.
