'Sunset Baby,' Carmen Maria Machado, SUPPER, and Five Dollar Comedy highlight Veterans Day weekend

Another robust fall weekend is here to serve as a reminder that this is the best time to be in Philly. The Museum of the American Revolution is also reminding us of service. Azuka Theatre is primed to tell a riveting father-daughter story, and Carmen Maria Machado is launching a new book following up her bestselling debut Her Body and Other Parties. Drexel’s Department of Performing Arts dances about dislocation and immigration, and Five Dollar Comedy Week begins on Sunday at Good Good Comedy Theatre.

It’s a weekend with honor, craft, comedy, theater, and good reads. Sounds like a curiously great time to me, don’t you think?

Sunset Baby

Azuka Theatre’s Sunset Baby debuts tonight and runs through November 24 at the Drake. Directed by Amina Robinson, Dominique Morisseau's Sunset Baby revolves around the reunion of a former Black revolutionary and political prisoner with his estranged daughter, Nina. A tug-of-war sparks over letters Nina’s mother wrote to her father while he was in jail, and father and daughter must confront their shared past. The performances are pay-what-you-wish.

Veterans Day Weekend at MoAR

The Museum of the American Revolution is hosting a variety of special events to coincide with it’s the Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier exhibit. A panel discussion, Recalling Trauma: History and Healing in Veterans Affairs, opens the weekend on Thursday, November 7 at 6pm. A walking tour of the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary Soldier is on Saturday and Sunday, and the museum will offer free admission to veterans, those currently serving, and Blue Star Families through Saturday through Monday. See all the special events online.

Carmen Maria Machado in conversation

Author of the bestselling short story collection Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado will be in conversation with Emma Eisenberg, author of the forthcoming book The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia on Thursday, November 7 at 7:30pm. The Artist in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania and a Guggenheim Fellow will be promoting her new book, In the Dream House, a candid account of Machado’s relationship with a charming but psychologically abusive woman.

Hosted by the Free Library at the Parkway Central location, the event is free.

SUPPER, People on the Move!

Drexel University’s Department of Performing Arts presents SUPPER, People on the Move! from November 8-10. Featuring choreography by Philadelphia-based artist Silvana Cardell, SUPPER explores the complex experience of dislocation and the immigrant journey. Each performance culminates in a communal feast and a moderated discussion. Catch it at Drexel’s URBN Center Annex Black Box Theater, 3401 Filbert Street. Grab tickets ahead of time.

CraftMonth kicks off

CraftNOW has a list of events for November that kick off this weekend. It begins with a symposium at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on Friday, November 8 at 12-6pm, offering critical discourse in contemporary craft. On Saturday from 11am-4pm, CraftNow Create arrives at the Kimmel Center for an afternoon of hands-on exploration and take-home activities. The Curator’s Tour is also Saturday afternoon, giving attendants a chance to discover the glassworks of the WheatonArts and Culture Center, 1000 Village Drive, Millville, New Jersey. For a full list of things to come, including this weekend’s Craft Show at PMA, check out CraftNOW online.

Second annual PlayFest

On Sunday, November 10 at 11am-2pm, Pop-up Play is hosting its second annual Playfest at Cherry Street Pier. The “showcase of play” brings organizations from all over the city, including The Clay Studio, Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, Momo’s Tree House, and many more, for a day of free games and activities. The family-friendly event is a chance to explore maker spaces, STEAM activities, crafts, music, and more.

Our Time Machine

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is in full-effect, and you should check out Mina Reinckens roundup. I’d like to add Our Time Machine to the list of must-sees. The film, directed by Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang, follows influential Chinese artist Maleonn, whose father is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Maleonn invites his father, an accomplished Peking Opera director, to collaborate on his most ambitious project to date: a haunting, magical, autobiographical stage performance featuring life-size mechanical puppets called “Papa’s Time Machine.” The film, screening at Lightbox Film Center on Sunday, November 10 at 6pm, is in Mandarin with English subtitles. PAAFF alumni Chiang is expected to be in attendance for a post-film Q&A. Pick up tickets online.

Five Dollar Comedy Week

The independent comedy festival returns for its fifth year with 23 brand new, original comedy shows November 10-16. The week begins on Sunday with Gossip’s Delight, the opening night performance billed as a "delightfully mind-rotting celebrity bullspit freshly churned from grandpa’s hand crank rumor mill." Think TMZ with a twist of Philly.

Yes, all shows are $5! And they take place at Good Good Comedy Theatre. Check out a full list of shows online.