Desire Caught by the Tail — Have you ever heard of Pablo Picasso, the famous playwright? Yeah. Me neither. That’s because almost no one knows that Picasso toyed with literature as well as visual art. His best known play, Desire Caught by the Tail , was scribed in 1942 in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Its first performance was directed by Albert Camus in a salon in front of a handful of literary stars like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simon de Beauvoir, Michel Leiris and Raymond Queneau. For several years, veteran Albuquerque director Jenette Isaacson has dreamed of bringing this weird little dreamy piece to the stage. She’ll have her chance starting this weekend with a production at Sol Arts (712 Central SE). Tickets are $10 general, $8 students/senior. The play runs through Oct. 15. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m. 244-0049.
Culture Shock
Mystery of the Nile — Who would’ve thought in this day and age that the Nile River would still have any mysteries? It does, though. Just ask Pasquale Scaturro, who was one of the first explorers to descend the famous river all the way from its source to the sea. Scaturro will be in town this Saturday, Sept. 30, to sign copies of his book from 2 to 4 p.m. Later on, at 7 p.m., he’ll deliver a lecture on his adventure, and there will also be a screening of the large-format film Mystery of the Nile in the Dynamax Theater. The signing is free with admission to the museum ($6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 kids under 13). The lecture and screening cost $12 general, $10 students/seniors. Stop on by for tales of whitewater rapids, croc attacks, hostile militias and gunfights with bandits. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 841-2872.
Culture Shock
Three Cultures— Designed to explore the literary and artistic traditions of New Mexico’s three main cultures, the Sixth Annual New Mexico Tri-cultural Symposium will take place this Saturday, Sept. 30, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Jemez Valley High School. This year the focus is on New Mexico history with special appearances by authors Thomas Chavez and Ferenc Szasz as well as legendary photographer Lee Marmon. The event is free and open to the public. (505) 829-3109.
