Oct. 7–10. One of the world’s 50 top jazz/avant music festivals, according to DownBeat, this annual event includes multiple shows over 4 days. Tonight: U-M jazz professor and versatile composer-saxophonist Andrew Bishop (6 p.m.), often a sideman, gives a solo concert. The William Hooker Quartet (7 p.m.), known for wide-open textural improvisation, is led by renowned New York–based drummer Hooker. Free jazz ensemble New Origins Trio (8 p.m.), led by prominent French clarinetist Christophe Rocher with Americans bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Harvey Sorgen, balances structured compositions with wild improvisation. Bass clarinet–driven Chicago free jazz ensemble the Stein/Smith/Shead Trio (9 p.m.) includes bass clarinetist Jason Stein, bassist Damon Smith, and drummer Adam Shead. The quartet Fay Victor’s Herbie Nichols SUNG (10 p.m.) is led by inventive vocalist and lyricist Victor, known for her beautifully strange originality. 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $20 per show (students, age 18 & under, $10) in advance at kerrytownconcerthouse.com & (if available) at the door. $70 day passes (Saturday, $100) and 240–390 full festival passes in advance only online & by phone. (734) 769–2999.

All invited on a nighttime adventure to look for and learn about local owl species and other nocturnal creatures. The hike finishes beside a bonfire with treats. Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight if you’d like. 7–8 & 8:15–9:15 p.m., Independence Lake County Park, 3200 Jennings, Whitmore Lake. $15 per household (up to 4 people) plus $6 (nonresidents, $10) vehicle entry fee. Preregistration (one/family) required at washtenaw.org/registerparks; #IL411301. (734) 449–4437, [email protected].

Every Wed.–Sun., Sept. 24–Dec. 20. 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.

October 2–17. Brandy Joe Plambeck directs local actors in Joseph Zettelmaier’s new gothic drama. Deep beneath the famed Palais Garnier Opera House, a mysterious masked man recalls the events of his ghoulish life, which is nearing its end. Adult topics. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 7 p.m. (Sun.). Cahoots, 206 E. Huron St. Tickets $28 (students, $20; seniors, $25), in advance at pennyseats.org & (if available) at the door. (734) 926–5346, [email protected].

Every Fri.–Sun., Sept. 25–Oct. 18. Briana O’Neal directs local actors in Michigan playwright Michael Alan Herman’s cheeky comedy of manners about two 18th-century Viennese composers who go to ridiculous lengths to compete for a recently vacated royal court position. 8 p.m. (Fri.), 3 & 7 p.m. (Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $33 (seniors, $30; students, $20) in advance at theatrenova.org & (if available) at the door. (734) 635–8450.

Oct. 8–11 & 14–18. Vincent Cardinal directs musical theater students in Irene Sankoff & David Hein’s award-winning 2017 upbeat musical set in the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the world, were diverted to the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland. Despite culture clashes and language barriers, the local people encourage the stranded travelers with music and an open bar, forming lifelong friendships, and even sparking romances. 7:30 p.m. (Wed. & Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (10 Sat. & Sun.), Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University. Tickets $34–$40 (students, $16) in advance at tickets.smtd.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 764–0583.

Oct. 1–4 & 8–11. Malcolm Tulip directs drama students in short works by this celebrated Irish playwright known for his verbal play, visual precision, and political imagination. The plays, written between the late 1950s and the early 1980s, include Act Without Words II, Play, Come and Go, Footfalls, Rockaby, Catastrophe, What Where, and Quad. 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin. Tickets $35 (students, $16) in advance at tickets.smtd.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 764–0583.