Sunday, April 30

Fresh Pond City Nature Challenge from 1 to 3 p.m. starting at the Water Department facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond. Free. Compete with other cities to see who can make the most observations of nature and find the most species in Lusitania Meadow for use by researchers nationwide – all that’s needed is a smartphone with the free iNaturalist app. Information is here.

“Ink in Motion” dance from 2 to 3 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $20. The Alive Dance Collective explores themes in literature, day-to-day reading and children’s books with troupes Detritus Dance and Monkeyhouse and music by Ben Cuba, Christian DeKantel and Graham Peck. After this show, audiences will be invited to engage with the performers in literary-inspired movement. Local children’s author Toni Buzzeo, whose new “Eat Your Superpowers!” inspires the opening choreography, will sign pre-purchased books. Information is here.

“This Love Unbound” dance at 3 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Pay what you wish. Emmanuel Music, Urbanity Dance and choreographer Shura Baryshnikov collaborate to present Britten’s “Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings,” “Phaedra” and “Les Illuminations”; Harbison’s “For violin alone” selections; and Shaw’s “Limestone and Felt.” Information is here.

Double Bill, a Meta-Shakespeare Extravaganza from 4 to 6 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and returning next week). $22.69. The Theatre@First company presents short scenes on the classics, how to inhabit them and how they inhabit us, described as a “fast-paced garage-punk show with mashups blurring Shakespeare scenes into modern works,” including a Tolstoy vs. Orwell rap battle, what Toussaint L’Overture thought of “The Tempest” and scenes on the awkward collision of 16th century politics with modern progressive theater. Information is here.

Kenji Bunch (via the artist’s website)

Shared Spaces at 7 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Pay what you can. Music and spoken word reflecting on the Japanese-American experience with internment survivor David Sakura sharing the stage with the premiere performance of Kenji Bunch’s “String Quartet No. 5, Songs for a Shared Space,” commissioned by the Sheffield Chamber Players. Also on the program: Kenji Bunch’s “Minidoka,” a viola work commemorating survivors of an infamous Japanese prison camp; and a cello solo by Bunch. Information is here.

aMaSSiT Pitch Sessions dance from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Pay what you can. Choreographers Libby Bullinger, Mira Göksel, Simon Montalvo and Nora Stephens present works in progress and take feedback in these “Make it, share it, show it” events. Information is here.

Monday, May 1

May Day Celebration at 5:30 a.m. at the John W. Weeks Footbridge, 948 Memorial Drive, in the Riverside neighborhood. Free. NewTowne Morris and The Country Dance Society-Boston Centre come together at dawn to welcome the spring with singing, maypole dancing and other forms of traditional dance, including some that can be taught to newcomers. Be vaccinated and boosted. Information is here.

Learning Night from 7 to 9 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free, but 21-plus. Like a casual version of TED Talks with a diverse group of folks in a freeform jam of ideas and stories. Information is here.

Blacksmith House Poetry Series at 8 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 56 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $3. Readings by Ilya Kaminsky, whose latest collection is “Deaf Republic,” and Katie Farris, author of “Standing in the Forest of Being Alive.” Information is here.

“Dumb Blonde: The Songs of Dolly Parton” at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. $22. Maxfield Anderson and his band take fans through Parton’s humble beginnings to her rise as a global icon. Information is here.

Tuesday, May 2

Chef Nagisa Ikemura. (Photo: Iaritza Menjivar)

Cooking Concepts Series: Make a Bento from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. A beginner-friendly workshop on Japanese cooking and bento, a Japanese-style packed lunch that includes rice, vegetables and protein, with chef Nagisa Ikemura. You get to take a bento home. Information is here.

Maxim D. Shrayer reads from “Immigrant Baggage: Morticians, Purloined Diaries and Other Theatrics of Exile” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. If you missed him in Porter Square last month, the Boston College professor delivers a literary memoir about the cultures that nourished him – Russian, Jewish and American. Information is here.

Half-O-Ween 7 to 10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $18. Games, prizes, burlesque, laughs and scares and the uniquely theatrical and beautiful music of Thou Merciless Graves. Information is here.

Smut Slam from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 suggested for this 18-plus show. Real-life, first-person sex stories from eight to 10 tellers drawn at random, competing for the best five-minute tale of debauchery before a panel of local celebrities. They can’t use notes, props or hate speech – but pretty much anything else goes. “Stories are often funny and/or epic wins, but we want to encourage people to consider sharing their sad, disturbing, poignant, serious, simple and/or ’fail’ experiences too,” organizers say. Lucas Brooks hosts. Masks required. Information is here.

Wednesday, May 3

An image of the Charles River in one of Jennifer Regan’s “stitched narratives.”

Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan’s Stitched Narratives from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the lobby and second floors of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (and continuing through July 31). Free. A display of some of the 100 pieces sewn between 1989 and 2006 by the author, whose “stitched narratives” reworked traditional quilt themes such as biblical stories into tableau of femininity, marriage, motherhood and society through a feminist lens. Cambridge itself is the subject of some works. Other works by Regan are in the New England Quilt Museum and Burchfield Penny Art Center collections. A reception is May 11. Information is here.

Sex-Positive Zine Making Workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free, but 18-plus. Nicole Mazzeo, founder of the organization Pleasure Pie, teaches about the role zines have played in activism over the years and how to make an empowering and informative little publication. Information is here.

Emily Franklin reads from “The Lioness of Boston” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. The poet and author has the story of Isabella Stewart Gardner and how her art-filled Italian palazzo-style home came to be many people’s favorite place – through Gardner learning not to care what society thought of her and instead traveling, meeting kindred spirits as Henry James and Oscar Wilde, collaborating with 19th century feminists and even walking a pair of lions in the city’s Public Garden. Franklin will be in conversation with Jessica Shattuck, author of “The Women in the Castle.” Well-fitting masks are required. Information is here.

Debut Series with the Aizuri Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. $55. The Celebrity series hosts the lauded string quartet as it performs Clara Schumann’s “Ich stand in dunklen Traumen” (“I stood in dark dreams”), Bartok’s Quartet No. 4, “Sivunittinni” by the Canadian Inuit composer and throat singer Tanya Tagaq and Haydn’s “Sunrise.” Information is here.

Thursday, May 4

Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan’s Stitched Narratives (continued) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the lobby and second floors of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (and continuing through July 31). Free. Information is here.

Premiere ’23: Lesley student films from noon to 4 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square. Free. Eighteen seniors and juniors premiere short thesis films, from love stories to horror and war documentaries to surreal dreams. There’s a 6 p.m. reception at Lesley University’s Lunder Arts Center, 1801 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square. Information is here.

Somerville Open Studios first-look exhibit from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood (and continuing Friday and Saturday). Free. See artists’ work and plan visits for the actual upcoming Open Studios around the city. Information is here.

Maria Sansone reads from “Oh $#!% What’s for Dinner?: No-Fuss Weeknight Recipes You’ll Swear By” at 6 p.m. at the The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square.$6, or $26.75 with a copy of the book. The Emmy award–winning TV host, social media personality, lifestyle expert and mom shares 65 go-to, no-fuss, kid-friendly weeknight recipes in conversation with journalist Colton Bradford of NBC10 Boston in a Harvard Book Store event. Masks are required. Information is here.

Zine Machine: a Zine-Making Workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., on Central Hill. Free. Graphic novelist Dave Ortega runs a Comix Con lead-up program with some brief ’zine history and advice on how to make your own small publication. Attendees will leave with copies of each other’s work. Information is here.

“The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice and the American City” reading from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Nicholas Dawidoff of New Haven, Connecticut, on his eight-year investigation into a summer evening in 2006, when a retired grandfather was shot point-blank by a young stranger and a hasty police investigation culminated in an innocent 16-year-old being sentenced to prison for 38 years. Information is here.

Poets Nicole Callihan, Tina Cane and Matthew Lippman read at 7 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square. $5. The poets read after an introduction by Anna V.Q. Ross. Masks are required. Proof of vaccination is requested at the door. Information is here.

Bonsai Bar Class from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port. Tickets are $75. Come create your very own tiny tree to take home. Information is here.

Cliff Notez during a performance at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge. (Photo: Cliff Notez via Facebook)

“Genre Bending and the Power of Collaboration” performance and conversation at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. $20. An in-house effort to re-diversify the folk music and culture of Club Passim called the Folk Collective presents the music of multi-digital media artist, musician, entrepreneur and filmmaker Cliff Notez, who believes “genre is something slowly becoming a thing of the past,” before a conversation with producer and engineer Will Dailey. Information is here.

Marimba open mic from 10 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square. $10 donation. Anyone is welcome to apply to play … the marimbas. Information is here.

Friday, May 5

Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan’s Stitched Narratives (continued) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the lobby and second floors of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (and continuing through July 31). Free. Information is here.

Somerville Open Studios first-look exhibit from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Free. Information is here.

“Ray’s Magic: Reimagining” short plays at 7 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing Saturday and Sunday). $20. Four short plays in Bengali with English subtitles based on the short stories of filmmaker Satyajit Ray by Off-Kendrik, a Norton-based experimental theater group. Information is here.

Aaron Sachs in a 2018 lecture. (Photo: Harvard Graduate School of Design via YouTube)

Aaron Sachs reads from “Stay Cool: Why Dark Comedy Matters in the Fight Against Climate Change” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. Cornell University’s Sachs looks at the macabre tradition of laughing during great suffering, from the Black Plague to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and offers some of the earliest examples of superlative dark comedy on the way to arguing for laughter as climate activism. He’ll be in conversation with writer and historian Megan Kate Nelson. Well-fitting masks are required. Information is here.

“Activate” dance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and repeating Saturday). $20. The Infinity Dance Collective employs dance styles including contemporary, modern, artistic pole, structured and contact improvisation, with video and live music, singing and poetry. Information is here.

Double Bill, a Meta-Shakespeare Extravaganza (continued) from 8 to 10 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing Sunday). $22.69. Information is here.

Saturday, May 6

Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan’s Stitched Narratives (continued) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the lobby and second floors of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (and continuing through July 31). Free. Information is here.

A Dos Manos Kitchen pupusa. (Photo: Dos Manos Kitchen via Instagram)

Pupusa-making workshop from 10 a.m. to noon at the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free. Dos Manos Kitchen does a cooking demonstration and sampling of Salvadoran pupusas, with the recipe provided to attendees afterward. Information is here.

“The Song Alone Is My Delight”: secular music of Heinrich Isaac and Ludwig Senfl at 11 a.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. Free, with registration required and donations of $10 or up welcomed. A class performance of joyous German Late Renaissance popular tunes and love songs. Information is here.

Somerville Open Studios from noon to 6 p.m. throughout Somerville (and repeating Sunday). Free. Explore the work of hundreds of artists of all sorts at dozens of locations all over Somerville, with a trolley to get around and four indoor and outdoor shows. Information is here.

Rambax drumming concert at 3 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Oval, 70 Massachusetts Ave. Free. Master Senegalese drummer Lamine Touré leads an ensemble dedicated to learning the art of sabar, a West African tradition. Information is here.

“Ray’s Magic: Reimagining” short plays (continued) at 6:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing Sunday). $20. Information is here.

“Activate” dance (continued) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $20. Information is here.

Folk Collective inaugural celebration at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. $20. In-the-round musical performances by the artists making up this in-house effort to re-diversify the folk music and culture of Club Passim. Information is here.

“Click” dance at 8 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square (and repeating Sunday). $28.32. A first show from The Click collective, formed in 2021, presents works by its founding members, inviting the silly, sad and weird: “My Guide to Feeling It All” by Angelina Benitez features live music to explore sensations of bittersweetness and letting all the emotions in at once; “Edge of Aquarius” by Alexandria Nunweiler uses the lens of a birthday party to process aging experiences and coming-of-age tales. Information is here.

“A … My Name is Alice: A Musical Review” at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square (and repeating Sunday). Free, with registration required and donations of $10 or up welcomed. The Opera Experience class presents a slick and lively revue about contemporary womanhood created by a variety of comedy writers, lyricists and composers. It’s been called “sophisticated, bawdy, funny and insightful.” Information is here.

Double Bill, a Meta-Shakespeare Extravaganza (continued) from 8 to 10 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing Sunday). $22.69. Information is here.

Rock & Roll Rumble semifinals from 9 p.m. to midnight at The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $25 and 18-plus. Anngelle Wood’s Boston Emissions Rumble institution, begun in 1979, enters the finals with a faceoff between Eddie Japan, One Fall, The Chelsea Curve and Ruin The Nite. Information is here.

Sunday, May 7

Somerville Open Studios (continued) from noon to 6 p.m. throughout Somerville. Free. Information is here.

Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan’s Stitched Narratives (continued) from 1 to 5 p.m. on the lobby and second floors of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (and continuing through July 31). Free. Information is here.

“Ray’s Magic: Reimagining” short plays (continued) at 3 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing Sunday). $20. Information is here.

MayFair from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Harvard Square. Free. This 38th annual spring kickoff features three stages of live music, more than 30 artisan booths with eclectic art, clothing, jewelry and more, and a mass of international food vendors and beer gardens. Information is here.

“Bridgerton” afternoon tea from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., on Central Hill. Free. A celebration of the show “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” arriving on Netflix. There will be a tea tasting, light refreshments and a “Bridgerton” trivia challenge. Fancy dress is encouraged, Information is here.

“A … My Name is Alice: A Musical Review” (continued) at 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. Free, with registration required and donations of $10 or up welcomed. Information is here.

“The White Raven/Inspiring Music for Troubled Times” at 3 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. $25. Coro Allegro, Boston’s award-winning LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus, celebrates the centennial of composer Daniel Pinkham with the cantata “The White Raven,” a Coro Allegro commission, and other works, followed by a gala celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Information is here.

Double Bill, a Meta-Shakespeare Extravaganza (continued) from 4 to 6 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing Sunday). $22.69. Information is here.

“Click” dance (continued) at 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $28.32. Information is here.

Damon & Naomi (via the artists’ website)

Damon & Naomi with Meg Baird at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $22. Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang – the rhythm section, co-songwriters and sometime singers of the now-defunct Galaxie 500 – bring their folk psychedelia to the stage with Meg Baird, of Philadelphia’s psychedelic folk collective Espers. Information is here.