Events for the week

thursday
october 24
Resuscitating the Virgin: Gretchen Swen and her nonprofit Extra Virgin Performance Theatre Cooperative enjoyed considerable success with their previous work, Sappho's Symposium (not bad for a left-leaning political theater troupe in the buckle of the Bible Belt); but their venue troubles, as in not having a reliable one, persist. Swen and her talented stable present a four-day fund raiser--a grab bag of music, monologue, and performance--entitled "Resuscitating the Virgin." Patrons are invited to wear costumes, enjoy beer and wine, and watch Dalton James offer Malignant Redemption and Tim York perform original compositions, among other delights. Performances happen October 24-26 at 8 p.m. and October 27 at 4 p.m. in the Swiss Avenue Theatre, 2700 Swiss Ave. Tickets are $25-$40. Call 941-3664.

Films by Bill Schwarz, Bill Bolender, and Ken Harrison: "But the book was better" is about the oldest audience complaint in the free world. The Writer's Garret and the McKinney Avenue Contemporary bring you an evening of Texas short films by filmmakers who struggle to overcome the limitations of transferring literature to film, in the process attempting to exalt both. Ken Harrison and Bill Schwarz are present to introduce their own works, The Last of the Caddoes and Viewfinder, respectively, the latter of which was co-directed by Bill Bolender. The evening kicks off at 8 p.m. at the MAC, 3120 McKinney Ave. Donations of $5 are gratefully accepted to help cover costs. Call 828-1715.

Wayne Broadwell: The maitre d' for the dining room of Dallas' most celebrated restaurant, The Mansion, stops to give a talk about his celebrity-studded experiences. We can only assume that Wayne Broadwell is stockpiling the real dirt for his post-retirement tell-all. The stuff we really want to know probably won't be covered in his public talk at the Dallas Country Club--things like how many people he has seen Sinatra punch or whether Liz's pharmaceutical case was heavier than all the rest of her bags combined. Broadwell's expurgated talk happens at noon at the Dallas Country Club, 4100 Beverly Drive. For ticket info call 520-0206.

friday
october 25
Daddy's Maybe: Fort Worth's Jubilee Theatre had such a hit with its summer 1995 comedy by diannetucker, Hershey With Almonds, it decided to serve a second dish by ms. tucker with three Hershey cast members on board. Daddy's Maybe is the tale of a rowdy son whose momma loves him probably more than she should; his antics pull the entire family into a cauldron of trouble from which only the matriarch can save them. Although Daddy's Maybe is a comedy for and about family, Jubilee warns that it contains some mature language. Performances happen Fridays at 8:15 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.; and Sundays at 3:15 p.m. through November 24 at 306 Main in Fort Worth. Tickets are $8-$14. Call (817) 338-4411.

saturday
october 26
Boo at the Dallas Zoo and Haunted Gardens: These days taking night walks without a semiautomatic in almost any city neighborhood makes you feel like you're wearing a red target T-shirt. Carting young trick-or-treaters around can make you feel even more vulnerable. The Dallas Zoo and the Dallas Arboretum come to the rescue with weekend activities in a safe, controlled environment. Boo at the Zoo features trick-or-treating, a haunted castle, a children's entertainer, mask-making, and more. The arboretum's Haunted Gardens features hundreds of costumed volunteers working a haunted forest, games, activities, fortune tellers, and specially prepared treats. Boo at the Zoo happens October 26 and 27, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Dallas Zoo, 621 E. Clarendon Drive. Admission is $5 per person (kids younger than 3 get in free); parking is $3 per car. Call 670-6842. Haunted Gardens happens October 25 and 26, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the Dallas Arboretum, 8617 Garland Road. Admission is $5 per person and $2 per parking vehicle. For info call 823-7644.

Oak Lawn Halloween '96: In keeping with the general influx of heteros into homo culture (especially the bars, where the drinks are cheap, the music is cool, and a boy and a girl can enjoy the company of the opposite sex, no strings attached), the annual Oak Lawn Halloween celebration has started to resemble a Hockaday prom--except, of course, for the 6-foot drag queens. More than one straight woman has been known to scream in pain because her boyfriend is clutching her hand so hard. Still, you won't find a cheaper, more outrageous, more good-natured Saturday-night soiree anywhere in town. General hours for the revelry are 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the intersection of Cedar Springs and Throckmorton. It's free, but come prepared for a mob (and parking troubles). Call 559-4190.

The African-American Cultural Heritage of Jazz Music: Preserving a Tradition: Musician and all-around culture guy Steven Meeks took advantage of the city's excellent Neighborhood Touring Program to create a two-day jazz event for other musicians and fans. The first part is a conference entitled The African-American Cultural Heritage of Jazz Music: Preserving a Tradition and features demonstrations, lectures, and master classes by nationally recognized jazz masters. The second part is an afternoon concert featuring Marchel Ivery, Earl Harvin, Sylvia Williams, Claude Johnson, James Gilyard, and others. The conference happens October 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and the performance happens October 27 at 4 p.m. at the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters, 650 S. Griffin. Both are free. Call 426-1683.