Artsquicks

More stuff going on this week...

art

Ur, the capital of Mesopotamia, now modern Iraq -- a site so old and full of civilization, its name has become a byword for "forerunner" -- shows the royal tomb treasures of its cultural v.1.0 this week, in a touring exhibit that has come home to the UPenn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. March 13-Sept., opening reception (including 2 p.m. lecture by British Museum's ancient Near East department keeper Dr. John Curtis), Sat., March 13, 9 a.m.-noon, $5-$8, Dietrich Gallery, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St., 215-898-4000.

theater

The Guthrie Theater, on its first national tour in 17 years, brings a production of Othello to the Zellerbach Theatre for four performances. The tour is part of the NEA's Shakespeare in American Communities program, which brings professional productions to small and mid-sized communities, along with educational outreach initiatives, symposia and artistic workshops. Director Joe Dowling has set this Othello in British-ruled Cyprus in the 1880s, choosing to focus on the psychological motivations of the characters and what brings them to such states of jealousy and betrayal. Wed.-Sun., March 17-21, $26-$42, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900.

theater

Taking dinner theater to a whole new level, the Triangle Theater gives us two plays about food. In conjunction with the 20th annual Book and the Cook Festival, Jane Stojak will direct Arje Shaw's A Catered Affair, a romantic comedy set in a kosher catering business, and Michael A. Carson's Front of House, about what the catering staff is really up to in the kitchen. A Catered Affair runs through Sun., March 14; Front of House, March 18-28, $20-$25, Triangle Theater, 1220 N. Lawrence St., 215-763-0110.

performance

The interdisciplinary talents behind PIMA Group present their latest experiments in dance, music and visual arts in a free performance this weekend; segments include dance by Melisa Putz and Gabrielle Revlock and music by Michael Barker and Thomas Clark. Sat., March 13, 12:30 p.m., University City Arts League, 4226 Spruce St., 215-382-7811.

dance

Cedar Lake Ensemble, a collaborative, individual-centered dance group, comes to Philadelphia this weekend. The group performs original pieces by its members in both classical and contemporary veins. Fri., March 12, 8 p.m., Sat., March 13, 2 and 8 p.m., Sun., March 14, 2 p.m., $15-$25, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900.

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