Sunday, May 7

Somerville Open Studios from noon to 6 p.m. throughout Somerville. 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.

Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan’s Stitched Narratives 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. 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.

“Ray’s Magic: Reimagining” short plays at 3 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing 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.

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” 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. 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.

“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. $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.

“Click” dance at 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $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.

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.

Monday, May 8

Isabella Hammad reads from “Enter Ghost: A Novel” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. A Palestinian expat returns and finds herself bringing Shakespeare to the stage – a play with higher than usual stakes and bigger questions. Hammad will be in conversation with Andrew Martin, author of “Early Work.” Information is here.

Tuesday, May 9

Barry Schneier presents “Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Roll Future” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. The photographer looks at the May 9, 1974, show in which Bruce Springsteen opened for Bonnie Raitt at the Harvard Square Theatre – seen by Jon Landau, a music critic for Rolling Stone magazine and Cambridge-based The Real Paper, whose writeup changed the trajectory of Springsteen’s career and rock itself. Information is here.

Holly Goldberg Sloan reads from “Pieces of Blue” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Free. This book about a family trying to restore a ramshackle beachside motel in Hawaii has drawn Henry Louis Gates Jr. to serve as moderator. Information is here.

Derrick Brown (via the author’s website)

Derrick Brown comedy album recording from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and repeating Wednesday). $20. Comedian and “Bob’s Burgers” voice actor Eugene Mirman hosts Brown, a former paratrooper now on a mission to blend poetry and comedy and “show that poetry doesn’t have to be annoying and soul crushing.” Information is here.

Wednesday, May 10

The escape from Afganistan of Homeira Qaderi, right, is captured in “The Secret Gate” by Mitchell Zuckoff. (Photo: author website)

Mitchell Zuckoff reads from “The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, or $31 with a copy of the book. Young diplomat Sam Aronson saved more than 50 Afghan people as the country collapsed in 2021 – and the final lives he saved, under the most dangerous circumstances, were those of Homeira Qaderi and her 8-year-old son. Zuckoff and Qaderi speak in a Harvard Book Store event to explain how it happened. Masks are recommended, and required to get a book signed. Information is here.

Books and Brews from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. at either Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, for “How High We Go in the Dark” by Sequoia Nagamatsu, about humanity struggling to rebuild in the aftermath of a climate plague; or Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville, for “Somebody’s Daughter” by Ashley C. Ford, a memoir of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana. Both free, but 21-plus. These events are in collaboration with public libraries in the location’s respective cities. Information for Cambridge is here and Somerville is here.

Derrick Brown comedy album recording (continued) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20. Information is here.

Thursday, May 11

Somerville Open Studios 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 the works of artists from the city’s Open Studios event. Information is here.

Alexandra Petri (Photo: Lisa Allen)

Alexandra Petri reads from her “US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up) ” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $6, or $30 with a copy of the book. The Washington Post humor columnist’s imagined documents illuminate – or refract – history from the Spanish conquistadors to the Salem witch trials, from Paul Revere’s ride to the exclamation mark in “Oklahoma!” She’ll be in conversation with Randall Munroe, author and illustrator of the“xkcd” webcomic and “What If?” books in this Harvard Book Store event. Masks are required. Information is here.

MIT Museum After Dark: Space from 6 to 9 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square. $20 and 21-plus. The monthly event adds demonstrations, tastings and interactive play to access to galleries, live music, a cash bar and food and drink, this time with the recording of voices being sent to the International Space Station by graduate students, hands-on activities that explore the mysteries of new exoplanets and a close look at objects from a collection that includes items related to the Apollo moon missions. Information is here.

Cooking Concepts Series: Cajun from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Chef Anthony Haley of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts shows how to make a Cajun roux and spice mix, the foundation of gumbo. Information is here.

“Symbolism and Subversion” exhibition opening reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the lobby and second floors of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (and continuing through July 31). Free. Quilting expert Pamela Weeks and educator Jane Regan discuss the rise of art quilts and the role of Jennifer Regan, 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 on display. Information is here.

Poets Timothy Liu, Ed Madden, and Kevin McLellan 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 Liu and Vinay Arun. Masks are required. Proof of vaccination is requested at the door. Information is here.

Hubbub Comedy from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 North First St., North Point. Tickets are $20 for this 21-plus show. A rotating crew of comics whose sets usually include riffing from questions asked by customers at the door. Information is here.

Friday, May 12

Somerville Open Studios exhibit (continued) from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood (and continuing Saturday). Free. Information is here.

Begin Anywhere Festival from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. Free, with registration required and donations of $10 or up welcomed. A choose-your-own-musical-adventure-style map lets visitors sample opera, chamber, works by the Historical Performance Ensemble and jazz, and there’s a chill-out room, raffle with prizes and lots of free food. Information is here.

Andrew McCarthy reads from “Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain” at 6 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $30 with a copy of the book. The actor, director and travel writer explores his new memoir with Emiko Tamagawa, senior producer for NPR’s “Here and Now,” in this Harvard Book Store event. Masks are required. Information is here.

Santo Cristo festivities in 2022. (Photo Saint Anthony Parish via Facebook)

Santo Cristo Portuguese-American festival from 6 p.m. to midnight at Saint Anthony Parish, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., in the Wellington-Harrington neighborhood (and continuing through Sunday). Music, dance, games, food and a bazaar. Information is here.

Crossfaded Improv comedy from 8 to 11:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. The After School Snacks troupe fronts two teams who perform under the influence – one drunk and the other high – to see which makes for better improv. Both teams will have a “designated driver” to keep things on track and, at the end, will perform together as a Crossfaded super team. Information is here.

Saturday, May 13

Friends of the Somerville Public Library spring book sale from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., on Central Hill (and repeating Sunday). Free. Everything is $1. Information is here.

Somerville Open Studios exhibit (continued) from noon to 5 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Free. Information is here.

A performance at PorchFest 2019 in Somerville. (Photo: KrisNM via Flickr)

PorchFest from noon to 6 p.m. Free. Audience members experience live music by traveling around Somerville to see performers on porches and in yards. Musicians perform from noon to 2 p.m. in spots west of Willow Avenue; from 2 to 4 p.m. between Willow Avenue and Central Street; and from 4 to 6 p.m. in areas east of Central Street. Information is here.

“Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It” story time from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. Sara Levine presents her new children’s nonfiction book with an activity about the digestive system. Information is here.

Saturday Spin in the Courtyard from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square.DJs Brenda Ceja, Diana Meza and Pranjal Singh of the After Hours collective set up in the Calderwood Courtyard and spin cumbia, disco and funk for gallery strollers. Information is here.

Santo Cristo Portuguese-American festival (continued) from 3 p.m. to midnight at Saint Anthony Parish, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., in the Wellington-Harrington neighborhood (and continuing through Sunday). Information is here.

Staged reading of a new play at 7 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. The Lilac Players present Trevor Turnbow’s “Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents,” about a scientist learning to navigate relationships and her passion for science and discovery, journeying to an undersea world in which deep-sea creatures reflect the culture and experiences of a queer club. An audience talkback follows. Masks are encouraged. Information is here.

Andy Cohen reads from “The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up ” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Memorial Church, 1 Harvard Yard, Harvard Square. $45 with a copy of the book. The television personality talks about being a single dad to two young kids in balance with starring on “Watch What Happens Live” and a revolving door of famous faces. Cohen will be conversation with radio’s Robin Young in this Harvard Book Store event. Masks are encouraged. Information is here.

Dance Now Boston at 8 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $29 (and repeating Sunday and next weekend). The ninth year of this two-weekend New York-Boston celebration – a partnership between The Bang Group and choreographer David Parker – includes “Schlemeizel,” Parker’s dance for two men in Velcro suits, the sequel to his Bessie-winning “Slapstuck” of a decade ago. This weekend adds Janelle Gilchrist, Meghan McLyman and Kristen Duffy Young, and Jenny Oliver to The Bang Group. Information is here.

Conspiracy Live! comedy show from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 for an 18-plus show. Sketch, and potentially sketchy, comedy. Information is here.

Sunday, May 14

Santo Cristo Portuguese-American festival (continued) from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Saint Anthony Parish, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., in the Wellington-Harrington neighborhood. Information is here.

Friends of the Somerville Public Library spring book sale from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., on Central Hill (and repeating Sunday). Free. Everything is $1. Information is here.

Duo Maresienne: A Masque of Characters from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $20. Court entertainment for James I and Queen Anne with music by Dowland, Lanier, Bartlet, R. Johnson and others performed by mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal with the viol and lute of Duo Marisienne. Information is here.

The Metropolitan Chorale. (Photo: Metropolitan Chorale via Facebook)

“Carmina Burana” from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. $35. The Metropolitan Chorale brings Carl Orff’s musical drama to town with soprano Caroline Corrales, baritone Bradford Gleim and tenor Jonas Budris, with theatrics by the Pazzi Lazzi Troupe, a Boston-based Commedia dell’Arte company. Information is here.

Gather In the Clearing: Jamming for Solidarity from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Augustine African Orthodox Christian Church, 137 Allston St., Cambridgeport. Free. A Mother’s Day jam session by the Black Cotton Club in memory of Arif Syed Faisal. Information is here.

Dance Now Boston (continued) at 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $29 (and repeating next weekend). Information is here.