Told from the Hopi perspective, this year-long exhibition explores the relationship between the Native American tribe and the Katsina dolls which represent the many spirits in their lives.  More information.

After getting rave reviews for St. Alice of Chattahoochee, writer-performer Alice Johnson Boher returns to stage one Wednesday a month with her new one-woman show about frenemies, biatches, mean girls, and BFFs. The latest authority on gal gripes, Boher also wrote and starred in A Portrait of Female Desperation, a mockumentary already earning nods from several comedy film festivals. More information

Contemporary works from the collections of LACMA and the Broad Art Foundation cover art put forward by major artists of the 1980s. Their photography, paintings, and scultures convey the complicated politics and social dynamics of the time, including the AIDS epidemic and war on drugs. More information

In 1979, architect Thom Mayne’s pop-up exhibition in Venice at the Architecture Gallery was the place to see photos and plans of visionary structures. Revisit the ten-week show that highlighted the early works of Eric Owen Moss, Frank Gehry, and Frank Dimster. More information. More information.

Cal Poly Pomona professors curated this exhibition for Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., examining how advances in building materials enabled a new approach to postwar design as practiced by such architecture heavyweights as Richard Neutra, Raphael Soriano, Rudolph Schindler, and Frank Gehry. More information.

Most of us tune out when we’re behind wheel, but this installation—part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A.—invites visitors to examine their daily commute with a critical eye. The exhibition re-creates a bleak stretch of Beverly Boulevard between Normandie and Virgil, questioning the role of the car windshield as both buffer and lens. More information.

The artist's last commisioned work, a 12 by 18-foot ceramic piece called "La Gerbe" ("The Sheaf") that came from a cut-out method Matisse described as "the simplest and most direct way to express myself." More information

Nineteen works from the museum's collection of post-war art are on display, from sculptors like Barbara Hepworth, Carl Andre, and Henry Moore. More information

This installment of the Pacific Standard Time Presents initiative takes its cue from Frank Lloyd Wright’s infamous dig, “Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.” Like most boundaries of the 1970s, the ones between L.A.’s artists and architects blurred, leading to unprecedented collaborations and innovations. Function and form merge in this exhibit that showcases PST’s emphasis on architecture and visual design. More information

Classic fairytales meet the Japanese legend of Kamikakushi in this adult-friendly children's musical performed in a playful, slapstick Commedia style. Trade in the superhero movies for a live-action lesson about the dangers of wastefulness and the virtues of thinking green.

The summer series kicks off in style with an Indonesian shadow puppet performance, gamelan music, cocktails, and Bollywood jams courtesy of DJ Arshia. More information

Songwriting duo Kander and Ebb’s last collaboration centers on the historical case of nine African American men falsely convicted of rape in Depression-era Alabama. Using a minstrel show as a framing device, the show generated tons of controversy on Broadway along with 12 Tony nominations, including one for Best Musical. More information

For the latest installment of the Hammer's Houseguest series, artist William E. Jones curates an installation built around a photograph of an injured Nicaraguan guerilla fighter taken by Pedro Moyer in the 1980s. The exhibit questions the nature of religion and revolution, teasing out the interplay between nudity, trauma, and war in a collection drawn from the Hammer and UCLA archives.

Artist Nathan Sawaya walked away from a lucrative law career to pursue his first love: assembling children’s building blocks into dazzling life-size creations. Iconic images such as Mount Rushmore and the flag raising at Iwo Jima appear alongside whimsical depictions of jumbo crayons, glasses of milk, and rainbow-hued skulls. More information

Science and imagination intersect in the works of James Turrell, the visionary Southern California artist who used light to create minimalist holograms, projections, and optical illusions. More information

During the Renaissance, gardens were used as religious symbols in art, as signs of social status, or simply enjoyed for their beauty. Whether part of a villa or the feature of a common yard, gardens were planted and treasured by people at all strata of society. This exhibition documents how the era interpreted these green spaces. More information

From headless dictators to humans turning into rhinos, absurdism was serious business for Eugène Ionesco. Still, this 1974 compilation of the French-Romanian playwright’s canon is full of sight gags for the knee-slaphappy. More information

During the final month of LACMA's massive tribute to the director, be on the lookout for eerie twins, homicidal computers, and a general with a limp mmissile at these Friday and Saturday screenings. More information

It’s not summer until you’ve seen thespians amid the trees. This season Topanga’s outdoor theater troupe takes on Petruchio’s tomfoolery as well as Shakespeare’s puckish comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also on the bill: George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber’s Royal Family, a thinly disguised parody of the Barrymore clan. More information

Santa Monica high school students spent their spring break inside the studio, crafting a DIY skate park of sorts. Guided by French architect François Perrin and designer Gil Le Bon Delapointe, their woodwork ramps and boxes show off the versatility and adaptability needed for the skater life. More information

Billed as “Los Angeles’s Hottest Dance Workout,” this one-hour cardio-funk class from choreographer Benjamin Allen is designed for students at all skill levels. The idea is to get healthy, stay healthy, and have fun in the process. There’s a live DJ in every class, and sessions are held almost daily citywide, from downtown to Torrance to Westchester. More information

Subtitled “Contemporary Architecture from Southern California,” this exhibition gives local architecture its day in the sun when structures by such L.A. heavyweights as Eric Owen Moss, Thom Mayne, and Michael Rotondi are recognized as works of art. More information

Disconnect for an afternoon with International City Theatre’s Sliding Doors fantasy, about piecing together a stranger's life via his digital footprint. More information

The Hinge Modern gallery’s inaugural exhibition features new work from painter, Zhenza Gershman. For this work, Gershman collaborated with model, Mark Snyder, recording the changes of the body and the human soul over a twelve-year period. The exhibition captures the ideal of the Hinge Modern gallery’s mission: to showcase upcoming and established contemporary artists. The opening reception will take place June 8th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. More Information.

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was goofy and barely comprehensible—not to mention an underappreciated genius. There’s no escaping his talent at this showcase of memorabilia that spans the Liverpudlian lads’ early years to Starr’s oddball solo career. More information

This joyous cousin to the famous Edinburgh arts fest spills across Hollywood with an uncurated collection of up-and-coming theatrical offerings. More information

If you’re bored of multiplex villains, here’s one who slaughters children to keep his death grip on power. Long Beach Opera performs Ernest Bloch’s 1906 score to Macbeth. More information

A new exhibit by French-born, LA-based artist Barzolff, who originally started out as a graffiti artist in the Parisan street art scene, features stereoscopy, 3D animated video installations, large-scale paintings, and a 15 year old collection of doodles that has been cut up, weighed and placed on 1, 5, and 10 gram sachets. An invitation-only re-launch party will be held on June 18th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Barzloff will be in attendance for signings and interviews. More Information.

The free monthly variety show returns to the Virgil for a night filled with music and live comedy (even a giant prize wheel) in an extravaganza that will supposedly "to pop your top."

Jane Kaczmarek reprises her Ovation-winning role in Kindertransport, an account of Jewish children whose parents sent them to Britain to escape the Nazis. More information

Description: A group exhibition curated by Mike Mitchell and featuring artwork by Mitchell, Andrew McGaff, Olly Moss, and others that examines the past, present, and future of space exploration and the universe. An opening reception will be held June 21st from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. More Information.

Sea Wolf, led by L.A. musician Alex Church, keeps putting out groovy moody pop. Check out the single “Priscilla” from last year’s Old World Romance and try not to hum along. More information

Keynote speakers Sue Grafton and Elizabeth George light up the two-day conference at which emerging and established mystery authors can explore the craft and business of crime writing. More information

It's an evening of hot blues and cool jazz to benefit Long Beach jazz station KJAZZ 88.1. Headlined by David Benoit, the benefit concert features Diane Schuur, Harry Mason’s Chameleons and several other performers. VIP ticket holders are invited to a pre-show reception and all attendees are entered in a sweepstakes for a 160GB ipod, preloaded with music by the concert’s stars.

Her quips are so acerbic, they could peel paint, but the New York comedian’s foul-mouthed humor has made her a regular on Howard Stern and The Tonight Show. More information

Discover the value of “ordinary places” in a region and state famous for its extraordinary imagery. More information

This intensive three-week camp for budding thespians ages 10 to 18, hosted by Pasadena's classical repertory theatre company, teaches kids the finer points of iambic pentameter along with textual analysis and swordplay. Students perform a swashbuckling finale on A Noise Within's main stage at the program's completion. More information

The photographers with the international network Tiny Collective snap and edit all their pictures on mobile phones. Now they’ve paired with the Impossible Project’s Instant Lab to download those images into analog prints. Catch up with the exhibit before it heads to Istanbul and Dubrovnik on a globe-hopping tour. More information

Americana sweetheart Patty Griffin returns to L.A. in support of her new album, American Kids, which is filled with stories and tributes to her family, including a moody duet titled “Ohio” with beau Robert Plant. He’s playing in town tomorrow night, so who knows what surprises might be in store at this Wiltern gig. More information

Robert Plant can do whatever he wants, and all his post-Zeppelin projects have been surprising and innovative. The Sensational Space Shifters are no different. The band members have varied musical pedigrees ranging from U.K. punk to Bristol trip-hop to African village music. The collision of these forces adds a new chapter to a remarkable career. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals open. More information

Hip-hop veteran Snoop Lion (formerly Dogg) headlines a roster that mixes old-school R&B stars R. Kelly and New Edition with local upstart Kendrick Lamar, whose major-label debut made rap fans swoon. More information

The dance troupe Culture Shock L.A. holds court at this hip-hop and spoken-word mash-up, which was inspired by Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist. More information

The Los Angeles Design Festival stays open late on its closing night with the latest art and design exhibits, shops, gallerys, a street party and more. It may be the only place outside of the movies to glimpse a dragon or two. More Information.

In another great way to see summertime music outdoors, still-adorable Tony winner Bernadette Peters joins the Pasadena Pops for a peek into her extensive songbook. Bring a picnic or preorder and pick up your dinner when you get there. More information

Entomologists, educators, and insect enthusiasts lead presentations, conduct demonstrations, and sell insect specimens (living and prepared). More information

The L.A.-based contemporary ensemble performs new and classic repertory works. More information

L.A. do-gooders can choose how to give their time during this year’s Day of Service: paint, plant and build at a local elementary school, or race against other volunteers to complete projects at shelters, food banks and other nonprofits for prizes. More information

Inspired by the frenzied after-dark feasts of Southeast Asia, this buffet for the senses offers shopping, street food, and booze for night owls. More information