THEATER‘Jeffrey Dahmer: Guilty but Insane’Sunday through May 9BrainSpunk Theater2825 Ormes St.$10-$20, 215-278-9504www.brainspunktheater.comBrainSpunk Theater presents this new one-man show written and performed by Josh Hitchens, providing an up-close and personal encounter with one of America’s most notorious serial killers — perhaps, for some, too close for comfort. Hitchens focuses on one of the first questions we ask whenever a person commits such monstrous acts: Where is the line between insanity and sanity, confusion and guilt?‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’Through May 17Plays and Players Theatre1714 Delancey St.$25-$50,215-218-4022www.theatreexile.orgTheatre Exile presents Edward Albee’s notorious 1962 play about a bitter, married couple who draw a younger couple into the madness of their relationship, which resembles trench warfare far more than a marriage. Lost in shared illusions and drowned in booze, they’re the perfect picture of the dysfunctional and are examples to live against. Bottles are broken, but hearts seem to have been shattered much earlier.COMEDYKaren’s DreamFriday and SaturdayPlays and Players Theatre1714 Delancey St.$7, 800-838-3006karensdream.brownpapertickets.comThe all-female sketch group ManiPedi performs this comedy show, mixing dance, spoken word and music in with their theatrical stylings, all to delve deep into the subconscious of Karen. Who is Karen? You’ll just have to find out. Other performers include the Wire Mothers, performing a tribute to fictional would-be Broadway composer Mel Buttermench, and Baltimore’s Wham City Comedy.BOOKSMichelangelo SignorileThursday, 7:30 p.m.Free Library of Philadelphia1901 Vine St.Free, 215-567-4341www.freelibrary.orgThis author on LGBT issues will discuss his latest book “It’s Not Over,” in which he claims that, while the gay rights lobby has won many important victories over the last few years, full-on social acceptance of LGBT individuals is still a ways off. Signorile should know — he’s been one of the most prominent and outspoken commentators on these issues since the ’80s.ARTPhiladelphiaArt Book FairFriday and SaturdayThe Annex on Filbert830 Filbert St.Free, phlartbookfair@gmail.comwww.phlartbookfair.comFeaturing 50 exhibitors from 10 states, this fair, presented by Philadelphia Photo Arts Center and the Print Center, will be a treat for lovers of art books and independent publishing, with books from individual artists as well as larger institutions. Scheduled events also include artist talks and bookmaking discussions. Photographer Emmet Gowin is the keynote speaker.MOVIES‘Kicking and Screaming’Thursday, 7:30 p.m.Roxy Theater2035 Sansom St.$9-$10, 267-239-2941www.filmadelphia.orgNoah Baumbach’s first film, from 1995, tells the stories of a group of college graduates who remain on campus, desperate to avoid a confrontation with the so-called “real world” — because, as another film of the era declared, reality bites. Despite its two-decade vintage, this Generation X tale seems just as relevant as it did back in the day.ARTTyler Lyke: EclectiqueThrough May 3Twenty-Two Gallery236 S. 22nd St.Free, 215-772-1911www.twenty-twogallery.comTyler Lyke paints taut circles of color that have a vibrant, burning energy, as if they’re a bunch of tiny galaxies in a Universe zoom-out, or atomic particles bonded together. If viewed from far enough away, they produce a slight optical illusion, buzzing with excitement. Their passionate vitality reflects Lyke’s stated concern for existential and spiritual seeking.DANCEProject Moshen: The Hidden TruthFriday and SaturdayThe Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St., $20www.danceboxoffice.comJazz dancer/choreographer Kelli Moshen and her company present her latest work, “The Hidden Truth,” exploring “the most unique and mysterious inner workings of woman’s psyche.” Sigmund Freud famously despaired of finding an answer to the question, “What does a woman want?” Perhaps dance can succeed where mansplaining failed.MUSICTim Berne’s SnakeoilFriday, 8 p.m.Barnes Foundation2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy$15www.arsnovaworkshop.orgAvant-garde alto sax player Tim Berne has been keeping true to his small-group style since the 1980s. His band, Snakeoil, has been celebrated for its improvisational hive-mind and Berne’s freewheeling, but carefully constructed compositions.Vienna TengFriday, 8 p.m.World Cafe Live3025 Walnut St.$30, 215-222-1400www.worldcafelive.comSinger-songwriter Vienna Teng graduated from Stanford with a degree in computer science, and even after her career took off, she found time to earn two master’s degrees from the University of Michigan — allwhile recording her most elaborate album to date, 2013’s “Aims.”ComposingOur LivesSaturday, 8 p.m.Gould Rehearsal Hall1616 Locust St.$15, 267-402-2055ticketing.artsphilly.orgThe classical music students at the Curtis Institute of Music will tell personal stories to accompany the musical pieces they’ll perform, giving listeners a hint of the person behind the player.
