PARTYMudball 2014Saturday, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.World Cafe Live3025 Walnut St.$25-$35, 215-925-3453www.theclaystudio.orgWhen we first saw the name of this event, we imagined a game of dodge ball in a gym filled with mud, but it’s actually a dance-a-thon and costume party benefitting the Clay Studio’s arts education programs — which sounds just as fun, and a lot less messy.ARTDoug HerrenThrough Nov. 1iMPpeRFeCT Gallery5601 Greene St., GermantownFree, 917-957-4504www.imperfectgallery.comWhen you think ceramics, you probably think pottery (or Mudballs: see right), but for Doug Herren, the medium has infinite possibilities. Many of his ceramic sculptures look like whimsical machines, making you wonder what they’re supposed to do or how they work — a reaction that suggests sly satire on our fascination with novel technology.‘Complementary Colors’Through Nov. 1Pentimenti Gallery, 145 N. Second St.; Free, 215-625-9990www.pentimenti.comThe concept of complementary colors is one of the basic ideas in color theory. These pairs of seemingly opposing colors have a surprisingly dynamic effect when placed beside one another. This show’s featured artists, Peter Combe, Alexis Granwell, Clint Jukkala and Donald Martiny, demonstrate different ways of exploiting, and sometimes deconstructing, these visual harmonies.THEATER‘Detroit’Through Nov. 9Suzanne Roberts Theatre480 S. Broad St.$52-$59, 215-985-0420www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.orgNo matter where you lived at the height of the Great Recession, as long as it wasn’t Detroit, you knew things could be worse. This play takes us to that most beleaguered of metropolitan areas, where a drifting family moves into an abandoned home, leading to a candid exploration of the ruins of the suburban American dream.'Bad Jews' Credit: Mark GarvinThrough Nov. 30Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St.; $37; 800-745-3000www.ticketmaster.comThis comedy centers on a conflict between two Jewish cousins: Daphna, who’s all about her Jewish identity, and Liam, who’d just as soon forget it. They’re fighting over a “chai” necklace that belonged to their deceased, Holocaust-survivor grandfather — but what’s really at stake is the meaning of their heritage itself.MUSICWampireSaturday, 8:30 p.m.MilkBoy Philly1100 Chestnut St.$10, 21+; 877-987-6487www.ticketfly.comFor good or ill, most bands tend to pick one sound and run with it, but Portland, Oregon’s Wampire play in an unusually wide variety of styles, from blue-eyed soul ballads to edgy, aggressive post-punk scorchers to shimmering psychedelic excursions. The slightly eccentric vocals tie it all together, as well as the kaleidoscopic keyboard work.Mohsen NamjooSaturday, 8:15 p.m.Trinity Center for Urban Life2212 Spruce St.$15-$30, 267-809-3668www.albustanseeds.orgMohsen Namjoo has been called the Iranian Bob Dylan for his highly poetic songs, which bring classical Persian poetry into a dialogue with blues, rock and jazz, as well as his long and diverse career, which has seen him tackle all kinds of styles. He also has pretty wild hair, which has changed almost as much as his sound.MOVIESFirstGlance Film FestivalFriday through SundayFranklin Institute222 N. 20th St.$10-$80, 215-448-1200www.firstglancefilms.comThis annual festival showcases a bevy of independent features, shorts, Web series and documentaries from across the world, ranging from the silly to the romantic to the dead serious.DANCEBeau Hancock/Stone Depot and Chris MastersFriday and SaturdayThe Iron Factory118 Fontaine St.$10-$15, theironfactory@gmail.comwww.theironfactory.orgThe Iron Factory continues its monthly Presenting Series with a double feature from local choreographer Beau Hancock and New York-based Chris Masters. Hancock’s Stone Depot will performs his “Mooring Field” and Masters’ dancers will take on his work “Evergreen.”BOOKSBill T. JonesThursday, 7:30 p.m.Free Library of Philadelphia1901 Vine St.$7-$15, 215-686-5322www.freelibrary.orgBill T. Jones, a living legend among modern dancers/choreographers, will discuss his book “Story/Time: The Life of an Idea.” The book focuses on his process creating a dance set to music by John Cage, but touches on his whole career in the process — a career that’s won him countless awards and has seen him working with some of the world’s top performing arts companies.
