Here's my selection of events in Rochester this week:
Thursday, January 29

• Tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the MAG is an Art Social with Sara Davies which is, apparently, about how trivially easy it is to be an artist:
  

  Gather your friends for a fun, quick art experience in a unique setting. While you're here, enjoy tapas and live music. No experience needed and all materials provided. Simply come for a little fun and a little art, led by Creative Workshop teacher Sara Davies.

  [source: MAG website, 2015-Jan-26]

• Also at the MAG from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. is Not the Usual Heart Jewelry Show.
  

  We have challenged our local jewelry artists to think of unusual ways to express love for Valentine's Day without using the traditional image of a heart. Join us at the opening of the Gallery Store's Valentine's jewelry show, "Not The Usual Heart" which will run through the end of February.

  [source: MAG website, 2015-Jan-26]

• Aria Da Capo, directed by Melyssa Hall, will be performed at the MuCCC tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m.
  

  Aria Da Capo, a play by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, will make you laugh while you think. A tragic muse interrupts Pierrot and Columbine's lavish and comic banquet by ushering onstage two clownish shepherds whose playful innocence deteriorates into distrust and betrayal. Taking inspiration from Virgil's Eclogues, Italian Commedia dell'arte, and 1920's slapstick and vaudeville, and featuring live original music, Aria Da Capo is an enchanting cocktail of silliness and substance that delivers a thought-provoking and entertaining evening of theatre.

  [source: Writers and Books website, 2015-Jan-26]

• The Dryden will screen The Fisher King (Terry Gilliam, U.S. 1991, 137 min., 35mm) tonight at 8 p.m.
  

  When influential shock jock Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) goes on a tirade against yuppies, he unintentionally sets off a series of shocking events that changes his life forever. Out of the ensuing turmoil, Jack meets, and is saved by, the unstable Perry (Robin Williams), a man who bears his own scars related to Jack's radio tirade. Williams and Bridges spark a unique on screen chemistry as they expertly play off one another, and Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his touching portrayal of a man struggling with grief and violence.

  [source: Dryden website, 2015-Jan-26]

• The Anonymous Willpower Trio performs at Dinosaur tonight starting around 9 p.m. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que website, 2015-Jan-26]

Friday, January 30

• Tonight from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Image City Photography Gallery is the Artists' Receptions for The American Southwest, on display through February 22, with works by Tom Kredo, Frank Liberti, Sheila Nelson, Michelle Turner, Carl Crumley, Steve Levinson, Gary Thompson, and Phyllis Thompson. [source: Image City Photography Gallery e-mail, 2015-Jan-26]
• From 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Atrium at City Hall is a Black Heritage Month 150 Ancestors Reception, "a celebration to recognize of 150 African Americans who have contributed to the Greater Rochester community area, from the early 1800's to the present." [source: City of Rochester website, 2015-Jan-28]
• Today at the David F. Gantt Recreation Center (700 North St.) is a Town Hall Meeting on the Issues Facing Young Men of Color with David Miller from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  

  Youth leaders ages 12-23, adult supporters and advocates are invited to a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the challenges facing young men of color in our community. David Miller, a nationally acclaimed trainer and author, will be on hand as a special guest.

  [source: City of Rochester website, 2015-Jan-28]

• From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at ROC Brewing is the Lvl. Up Show: the Dudes Night Out 2-Year Anniversary. [source: Facebook, 2015-Jan-26]
• Tonight's 7 p.m. single-feature at the Cinema is Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, U.S. / U.K. / Canada 2014, 169 min.) "A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival." [source: Cinema coming soon page, 2015-Jan-28]
• The MuCCC will host performances of Children of a Lesser God on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through February 7, and on Sunday at 2 p.m.
  

  After three years in the Peace Corps, James, a young speech therapist, joins the faculty of a school for the deaf, where he is to teach lip-reading. He meets Sarah, a school dropout, totally deaf from birth, and estranged both from the world of hearing and from those who would compromise to enter that world. The chasm between the worlds of sound and silence seems almost too great to cross…but love and compassion hold the hope of reconciliation, and a deeper, fuller understanding of differences that, in the final essence, can unite as well as Children of a Lesser God.

  [source: MuCCC website, 2015-Jan-26]

• Comic Tom Green performs at The Comedy Club tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2015-Jan-26]
• Tonight at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m., the Dryden will screen The Yearling (Clarence Brown, U.S. 1946, 120 min., 35mm).
  

  Starring Gregory Peck and set in the wilds of southern Florida following the Civil War, The Yearling tells the story of a family of farmers at the mercy of nature and a young boy who is forced to choose between his love for his only companion (a pet yearling) and his duty to his parents. Lush color, fine acting, and a first-rate script make this classic tearjerker a must-see for adults and children alike.

  [source: Dryden website, 2015-Jan-26]

• Gallagher will be at the Joke Factory tonight and tomorrow at 9 p.m.
  

  World-Famous comedian Gallagher became a household name by smashing watermelons during his highly rated HBO specials. But millions of comedy fans around the world were already in love with his razor-sharp observations, hilarious dead-on insights, and incredibly creative word play.

  [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2015-Jan-26]

• The Brian Lindsay Band, and great classic rock/soul band Anonymous Willpower perform at the Lovin' Cup tonight starting around 9 p.m. [source: Lovin' Cup website, 2015-Jan-26]
• Tonight at 10 p.m., the Little will screen Neco z Alenky (Alice, Jan Svankmajer, Czechoslovakia / Switzerland / U.K. / West Germany 1988, 86 min.)
  

  When Alice follows the White Rabbit into Wonderland, so begins this dream expedition into the astonishing landscape of childhood, through many dangerous adventures, and ultimately to Alice's trial before the King and Queen of Hearts. Czech animator Jan Svankmajer has created a masterpiece of cinema, a strikingly original interpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale. Svankmajer's Alice remains true to the absurdity of Carroll's original, but bears the stamp of his own distinctive style and obsessions. Combining techniques of animation and live action, he gives a new and fascinating dimension to the classic tale of childhood fantasies.

  [source: Little Theatre website, 2015-Jan-26]

Saturday, January 31

• From 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Avenue D Recreation Center (200 Avenue D.), Learn to Snowshoe. [source: City of Rochester website, 2015-Jan-28]
• The Cinema's 4 p.m. weekend matinée is Annie (Will Gluck, U.S. 2014, 118 min.) "A foster kid, who lives with her mean foster mom, sees her life change when business tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in." [source: Cinema coming soon page, 2015-Jan-28]
• From 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. is the monthly Community Dinner at the Flying Squirrel. [source: Flying Squirrel website, 2015-Jan-26]
• From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight at The Yards is the January Residency Final Open Studio featuring works by Tina Starr, Korina Shannon Brewer, James Ryan, and Kristina Kaiser. [source: Facebook, 2015-Jan-26]
• Tonight at 8 p.m., the Dryden will screen Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, U.S. 1997, 126 min., 35mm).
  

  Written by the film's stars, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (and winner of an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), Good Will Hunting offered Robin Williams a strong, compassionate, and intelligent character, not unlike himself. Williams's captivating portrayal of a psychologist trying to crack the hard shell of Damon's working class stiff in order to unleash his genius potential shows the actor's extensive range and depth. He more than deserved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor that he received for this remarkable work.

  [source: Dryden website, 2015-Jan-26]

• At 9 p.m. in Strong Auditorium on the University of Rochester Campus is comic Bill Hader as part of UofR's Winterfest. [source: Facebook, 2015-Jan-26]

Sunday, February 1

• Today at the Memorial Art Gallery at 2 p.m., Kitty Jospe presents An Inside, Illustrated Look at Poets Walk. [source: MAG website, 2015-Jan-26]

Monday, February 2

• From 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Rush Rhees Library on the University of Rochester Campus, Rachel Leow will present a Lecture titled Madman in an Electric Age: A Cultural History of Electricity in Shanghai, c. 1880-1940. "Through the letters of a mentally ill Shanghai resident about a deadly electric machine, Leow, lecturer in modern east Asian history at the University of Cambridge, will explore the cultural history of the electrification of Shanghai." [source: UofR website events calendar, 2015-Jan-26]
• Updated: In a super secret meeting not on the Flying Squirrel calendar, the Flying Squirrel will screen 10,000 Black Men Named George (Robert Townsend, U.S. 2002, 95 min.) at 7 p.m. followed by a discussion as part of the Monday Mayhem Series.
  

  10,000 Black Men Named George is the "powerful true story of the first black-controlled union, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. This 2002 production was initially brought to Cyrus Nowrasteh by Executive Producer Stan Margulies (Roots) and Nowrasteh welcomed the challenge to bring this controversial and inspiring tale to life. Controversial because its hero is an African-American socialist, and inspiring because he led a fight against one of the most powerful corporations in America.

  [source: Facebook, 2015-Jan-29]

• Updated: The Little announced it is screening Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, U.S. 1993, 101 min.) tonight at 7 p.m. It's still quite enjoyable—see my mini-review from last year.
  

  Phil (Bill Murray), a weatherman, is out to cover the annual emergence of the groundhog from its hole. He gets caught in a blizzard that he didn't predict and finds himself trapped in a time warp. He is doomed to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right.

  [source: Little Theatre website, 2015-Feb-1]

• The Eastman Philharmonia perform at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar, 2015-Jan-26]

Tuesday, February 3

• From 12:12 p.m. to 12:52 p.m. is a Tuesday Topics talk with the Honorable Renee Forgensi Minarik discussing Human Trafficking in Kate Gleason Auditorium of the Bausch and Lomb Library Building. [source: Monore County Library website, 2015-Jan-26]
• At 8 p.m., the Dryden will continue screening The Phantom Foe (Bertram Millhauser, U.S. 1920, 100 min., 35mm) with live piano accompaniment by Philip Carli.
  

  Chapters 6-10. The mysterious and elusive Phantom Foe (Harry Semels) continues to bedevil our heroine Janet Dale (Juanita Hansen) and Uncle Lew Selkirk (Warner Oland). Tonight's chapters take us deeper into the mystery: The Crystal Ball, Gun Fire, The Man Trap, The Mystic Summons, and The Foe Unmasked. Heralded by its promoters as "a mystery story that the human mind cannot unravel until the last!," The Phantom Foe returns next week for its thrilling conclusion!

  [source: Dryden website, 2015-Jan-26]

• Empire! Empire!, Warren Franklin and the Founding Fathers, Keeler, and Lighters perform at the Bug Jar starting around 9 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2015-Jan-26]

Wednesday, February 4

• The Little will screen The Wiz (Sidney Lumet, U.S. 1978, 134 min.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Cult Musicals series.
  

  Dorothy, a twenty-four-year-old kindergarten teacher born, raised, and still working in Harlem, is celebrating Thanksgiving with her extended family, but she doesn't seem to be thankful for much in life. She lives a self-imposed sheltered life; she is shy and unfulfilled. Things change for her when she is caught in a snowstorm while chasing after her dog, Toto. They are transported to the mysterious Land of Oz, where she is informed that the only possible way to find her way back home is through the assistance of the powerful wizard in the Emerald City.

  [source: Little Theatre e-mail, 2015-Jan-14]

• The Eastman Wind Orchestra performs in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar, 2015-Jan-26]
• The Dryden will screen The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, U.S. 1941, 94 min., 35mm) tonight at 8 p.m.
  

  Aboard a cruise ship leaving the Amazon, woman-shy snake expert Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) finds himself the chosen prey of a father-daughter card shark team. Everything is driven astray however, when the daughter, Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck), falls head-over-heels in love with the sucker. He gets wise and breaks it off. However, she's not done with him . . . Stanwyck is perfectly cast as the hard-edged con woman with a heart in Preston Sturges's clever, fast-moving, hugely entertaining "vexiest picture"!

  [source: Dryden website, 2015-Jan-26]