Set the stage
Soak in some local theater this week, starting with Truckee Meadows Community College Theatre’s production of Annie Baker’s Obie Award-winning play The Aliens, which explores themes of a lost generation and the search for connection. Show times are 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday, Jan. 29-30; and 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Performance Lab, RDMT 240, in the Red Mountain Building at TMCC, 7000 Dandini Blvd. Tickets are $5-$18. Go to tickets.tmcctheatre.rltix.org to purchase tickets.
Reno Little Theater continues its 91st season with Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage, a comedy inspired by the plays of Noël Coward that celebrates the absurdity of romance and the art of theatrical farce, blending classic style with contemporary humor. Performances start at 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 1 and 8, at RLT, 147 E. Pueblo St. Tickets are $20-$33. Visit www.renolittletheater.org.
Finally, Brüka Theatre will wrap up its production of Steven Dietz’s Lonely Planet, a story of friendship, love and survival during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. (Read Jessica Santina’s review.) Show times are 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 29-31, at Brüka Theatre, 99 N. Virginia St. Tickets are $26-$35. Check www.bruka.org for more info.
It’s Ull-r nothing
It seems the weather gods are being a little stingy with the precipitation, and it’s up to us mere mortals to appease them with acts of supplicance. So put on your best cold-weather gear, and implore a higher power to bring more winter storms our way at the Ullr Fest Parade and Community Party. Diamond Peak’s annual celebration is named after Ullr, the Norse god of winter. Whether or not you believe in Norse gods, you can still partake in the festivities, which include a torchlight parade, bonfire, music, costume contest and raffles. Food, drinks, raffles, Ullr hats and other merchandise will be available for purchase. Proceeds benefit the Diamond Peak Ski Team. The party takes place from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, at the Base Lodge deck and Loft Bar deck at Diamond Peak Ski Resort, 1210 Ski Way, Incline Village. Admission and parking are free. Go to www.diamondpeak.com/event/ullr-fest/ for more information.
Get it while it’s hot
The Holland Project hosts a closing-day reception for its group exhibition The Walls Are Lava. The show brings together local, regional and international artists and features pieces that are either on the ceiling, the floor or in between. (Why? Because the walls are lava!) The free, all-ages party takes place from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, in the HP Gallery, 140 Vesta St. Later that evening, KWNK will host and broadcast a tiki bar afterparty with DJ Alex Korostinksy, open to those age 21 or older. It starts at at 8 p.m. at Pele Utu, 1275 Stardust St. There’s no cover charge. Go to hollandreno.org or kwnkradio.org.
Find your voice
Spent enough time belting out those high notes in front of a mirror? Show off that set of pipes in front of a live audience during Broadway Karaoke Night. Singers of all ages are invited to flaunt their vocal skills at this open karaoke event hosted by the Reno Radio Dolls, who will also treat the audience to a few renditions of popular Broadway hits. Prizes will be awarded for standout performances. The free showcase starts at 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, at the Reno Public Market, 299 E. Plumb Lane. Visit www.renopublicmarket.com.
Bach and beyond
The Reno Chamber Orchestra presents a concert of Baroque-inspired works titled “Americans and the Baroque.” Guest conductor Sara Aldana will lead the orchestra as it performs two contemporary classical pieces written by American composers, as well as two works written by the German composer and Baroque-era master of counterpoint, Johann Sebastian Bach. The program features Clarice Assad’s Suite for Lower Strings and Caroline Shaw’s “Stucco & Brocatelle,” as well as Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major. The concerts start at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Harlan O. & Barbara R. Hall Recital Hall, 1338 N. Virginia St., in the University Foundation Arts building at the University of Nevada, Reno. Tickets are $55. Youth and student tickets are $5 and can be purchased over the phone. Call 775-348-9413, or visit www.renochamberorchestra.org.
Seeing green
Longtime residents of Northern Nevada know that you can’t rely on the calendar when it comes to the seasons. Spring-like temperatures in February can also mean winter-like storms in April (or even May). Despite the false starts, gardeners look forward to that first week when they can finally break up the soil and start planting. So, until that time comes, local green thumbs can bide their time brushing up on their gardening knowledge or skills with “Gardening in Nevada: The Bartley Ranch Series.” The University of Nevada, Reno, Extension’s Washoe County Master Gardeners and Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space host this series of free classes open to gardeners of all levels, covering a variety of topics ranging from pest management to pruning woody shrubs to container gardening. Bryn Lapenta and Liz Morrow will present the first class in the series “Seeds: Collect Them, Save Them, Grow Them,” on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Classes run from 6 to 8 p.m., every Tuesday, through March 31, at the Western Heritage Interpretive Center at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road. Go to extension.unr.edu/master-gardeners/washoe.aspx for more details.
Soul stirring
Legendary vocal group Blind Boys of Alabama will bring their mix of gospel and Americana to Carson City next week. Founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, the multi Grammy Award-winning band has gone through a changing roster of members over its 75-plus year history, but has gained fans over the years performing gospel standards as well as their interpretations of songs like “Amazing Grace,” “People Get Ready” and “Way Down in the Hole.” The Blind Boys have crossed genres and generations, having performed or collaborated with musical artists as diverse as Eric Clapton, Prince, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Susan Tedeschi, Ben Harper, Patty Griffin and Taj Mahal. Their latest release, Echoes of the South (2023), won a Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album. The band performs at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Swan Music Hall inside the Nashville Social Club, 1105 S. Carson St., Carson City. Tickets are $60-$75. Visit thenashvilleclub.com.
Feather alert
Bird watchers will flock to the Carson Valley next week for the annual Eagles and Agriculture event, which coincides with that time of year when bald eagles and other birds of prey make the valley its winter home. It is also calving season at area ranches, and the birds make quick work of the afterbirth and carcasses of the calves that did not survive birth. Participants will get to observe the connection between agriculture and wildlife through bird-watching tours, photography workshops and other events scheduled to take place from Thursday, Feb. 5, through Sunday, Feb. 8. Costs vary from $45 to $200. Visit www.carsonvalleynv.org/eagles-ag for more details.
11 Days a Week is written and compiled by Kelley Lang. Want your event included in 11 Days a Week? Email 11days@renonr.com for consideration. Email advertising@renonr.com for advertising info!
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