An art party in a Silver Lake mansion, a spooky cemetery tour, a celebration of L.A.'s most famous mountain lion, and more fun stuff to do and see in L.A this week.

fri 10/20

Comedy is no longer a white man's game, though a lack of diversity remains a persistent issue. Second City, the famed comedy school and theater that helped launch the careers of John Belushi, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Bill Murray, Joan Rivers, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and other famous alumni, gives voice to underrepresented comedians from various racial, sexual and gender identity backgrounds at its second annual Diversity in Comedy Los Angeles Festival. Held at Second City, Hollywood Improv and 3 Arts Stage, the three-day schedule features resident improv, sketch and stand-up shows from Second City, the Improv and elsewhere. It also offers panels and workshops, such as "Real Women Have Verbs," "Writing Your Late Night Packet" and "Hosting: Your Guide to the Basics." New this year the LADCF 2017 Scholarship, which awards a winner training at Second City. Various locations, Hollywood; Fri.-Sun., Oct. 20-22; $10-$25 for individual events. secondcity.com/los-angeles-diversity-comedy-festival. —Siran Babayan

In a Silver Lake mansion, a group of Los Angeles musicians and composers are gathering for an evening of sonic exploration. The Echo Society, as they call themselves, will present a three-day festival dubbed VI: Family, where seven musicians enact original pieces in seven rooms of the estate. To find this home hidden in the hills, adventuresome attendees will first meet on a street corner, whence a shuttle will swoop them up to a lavish compound once inhabited by silent movie stars during the golden age of Hollywood. More than a dozen musicians will appear over the weekend, including indie rocker Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear and Morgan Kibby, the songstress who provides ethereal vocals for synth-stars M83 and her own act, White Sea. Atmospheric electronic musicians and soundtrack composers fill out the bill, featuring Deru, Eskmo and scorer Joseph Trapanese, who has made music for films ranging from Tron: Legacy to Straight Outta Compton. Secret location, Silver Lake; Fri., Oct. 20, 5 & 8 p.m.; Sat. Oct. 21, 4 & 8:30 p.m.; Sun. Oct. 22, 2 & 6:30 p.m.; $75. theechosociety.com. —Drew Tewksbury

Released in the autumn of 1978, John Carpenter's independently financed Halloween introduced ghostly babysitter-killer Michael Myers to the world, thereby establishing a pattern for numerous slasher films that has persisted to this day. Truth be told, nothing else in the movie matches the ingenuity of the opening shot, a tour-de-force extended take that places the audience in the shoes of a murderous tot. Yet Carpenter's signature use of the widescreen frame — coupled with Jamie Lee Curtis' sympathetic performance — keeps the tension at a constant low boil. The Nuart will screen this modern classic a minute before midnight as part of its perpetual Cine Insomnia series. Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Fri., Oct. 20, 11:59 p.m.; $12. (310) 473-8530, landmarktheatres.com. —Nathaniel Bell

sat 10/21

A world premiere from Chinese choreographer Menghan Lou, an L.A. premiere from Alejandro Cerrudo and the timeless Balanchine classic Four Temperaments are the opening salvo in Los Angeles Ballet's 12th season. Later in 2017-18, LAB goes classical with The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, but the season starts with a more contemporary flair under the banner Pushing Dance Boundaries. Keeping its promise to bring great professional ballet to all of the metropolis, the company continues to tour among home theaters throughout L.A.; after opening at UCLA, the show moves to Glendale this week (Oct. 21) and Redondo Beach next (Oct. 28). The Alex Theater, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Sat., Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.; $29.50-$104. losangelesballet.org. —Ann Haskins

Burbank Beer Festival is our neighbor to the north's big annual beer-focused event. It's part of a street fair that's open to the public, but wristbands and tickets are needed to get into the "beer tasting blocks." There are two sessions: The afternoon one is $5 cheaper than the evening one. For both sessions, though, designated driver tickets are $10. There will be 85 beers available to sample (not for DDs, of course), including brews from Angel City, St. Killian, Elysian, Mt. Lowe and so many more. Downtown Burbank, San Fernando Boulevard & Olive Avenue, Burbank; Sat., Oct. 21, noon-7 p.m.; $10-$45. burbankbeerfestival.com. —Katherine Spiers

The Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation offers a selection of recent and vintage cartoon works bearing the influence of avant-garde cinema and the stylistic stamp of alternative comix. Showcasing abstract animation and unorthodox character animation, two programs of films screened on 16mm and video combine classic and contemporary work by masters including Barbara Hammer, Jan Svankmajer, Jaakko Pallasvuo and Annapurna Kumar. Following the two programs of short films will be a screening and conversation with performance and 3-D animation artist Jacolby Satterwhite, who discusses his use of video/film to address issues of technology, fantasy, the body and queer culture. (Note that the festival programs contain adult themes and adult content.) REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., downtown; Sat., Oct. 21, 3, 5 & 8 p.m.; $6-$12. (213) 237-2800, redcat.org. —John Payne

Lois Smith has been brightening movie screens since 1955, when she made her cinematic debut after a promising start on Broadway. She picked up a National Society of Film Critics Award for playing Jack Nicholson's sister in Five Easy Pieces and lent credence to key supporting roles in Twister and Minority Report. She is the subject of a special tribute by the American Cinematheque heralding her latest film, Marjorie Prime, a high-concept, lo-fi piece of science fiction in which she plays the title role. Directed by Michael Almereyda, the film centers on an octogenarian given a living holograph of her dead husband (Jon Hamm) to slow the effects of memory loss. Smith's own memory will be the subject of a Q&A for which the talented performer will appear. Elia Kazan's brilliant Steinbeck adaptation, East of Eden, Smith's aforementioned debut, completes the double feature. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Sat., Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com. —Nathaniel Bell

Creepy ventriloquist dummies have been a horror-film staple ever since Michael Redgrave got jilted by Hugo in the final segment of Dead of Night. Magic, a relative latecomer to this uniquely unsettling subgenre, makes a strong impression due largely to Anthony Hopkins' jittery, stressful performance. The New Beverly pairs it with the Welsh actor's most iconic performance, as an intellectual serial killer with refined taste for human flesh in The Silence of the Lambs, guaranteeing a sweaty evening at the movies. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax; Sat., Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m.; $8. (323) 938-4038, thenewbev.com. —Nathaniel Bell

His dad wrote a porno — find out more on Thursday.; Credit: Courtesy My Dad Wrote a Porno

sun 10/22

Shmuel Gonzales is an advocate and liaison for L.A.'s burgeoning Jewish-Latino community. Otherwise known as Shmu the Jew, aka the Barrio Boychik, Gonzales also has a passion for unearthing and reviving the faint traces of L.A.'s fading past, particularly when it comes to the dead. In this "spirit," he's leading a 3-mile walking tour of the Lost Cemeteries of Los Angeles, exploring a few of the city's nearly forgotten resting places, such as La Placita Church's Campo Santo and Fort Moore Hill, an erstwhile military outpost from the Mexican-American War. Dust off those athletic shoes and get ready to redefine the meaning of "walking dead." Meets in front of La Tienda at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St., downtown; Sun., Oct. 22, noon; $18. eventbrite.com/e/lost-cemeteries-of-los-angeles-walking-tour-with-the-barrio-boychik-tickets-38609029647. —Tanja M. Laden

Last year, the Los Angeles City Council declared Oct. 22 P-22 Day. As part of Urban Wildlife Week, a team of hikers led by the National Wildlife Federation's California regional executive director Beth Pratt-Bergstrom will retrace the famous mountain lion's 40-mile trek, beginning in the Santa Mountains in Agoura Hills and culminating in his current home in Griffith Park, where today's P-22 Day Festival takes place. The event features photo ops with P-22's likeness, VR experiences, ranger-led walks, workshops, live music, dance performances, exhibits, food and wildlife experts, namely the biologist who discovered P-22, Miguel Ordeñana. Shane's Inspiration Universal Playground, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Griffith Park; Sat., Oct. 22, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; free. savelacougars.org/page/urban-wildlife-week. —Siran Babayan

mon 10/23

In 2014, a short story by Tom Hanks turned up in The New Yorker. Called "Alan Bean Plus Four," it's the tale of ordinary folks in Oxnard who take a trip to outer space. The story is what you might expect from the movie star, whose early career was marked by genial comedy and whose big hits include Apollo 13. It also shows his knack for placing ordinary yet oddball characters in extraordinary situations. Now Hanks is ready to release his first short story collection, Uncommon Type: Some Stories. To mark this milestone, the actor will appear at Bovard Auditorium for a conversation led by David Greene, co-host of NPR's Morning Edition. Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Pkwy., University Park; Mon., Oct. 23, 6 p.m.; $45-$75. (213) 740-4211, nprpresents.org. —Liz Ohanesian

The popular narrative of the development of art in Los Angeles is dominated largely by white figures, but that's only part of the story. Throughout the '60s and '70s, African-American Angeleno artists were forming their own vibrant communities, blazing a path outside of the mainstream institutional art world. South of Pico, a new book by art historian and curator Kellie Jones, features pioneering artists like Betye Saar, Charles White, Noah Purifoy and Senga Nengudi, setting their stories against the backdrop of the era's civil rights movements and urban unrest. To celebrate the book's release, Leimert Park art space Art + Practice hosts a book signing and author talk featuring Jones in conversation with Naima J. Keith, deputy director of the California African American Museum. Art + Practice, 4334 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park; Mon., Oct. 23, 7-9 p.m.; free. (323) 337-6887, artandpractice.org/public-programs/author-talk-and-book-signing-kellie-jones-south-of-pico. —Matt Stromberg

tue 10/24

In July, the Smithsonian hosted "Tuku Iho Living Legacy," an exhibit of more than 70 Maori works of art; before that, the show made stops in China, Malaysia, Chile and Brazil. For more than a week this fall, "Tuku Iho" stops by the Rose Room in Venice for an immersive look at New Zealand's indigenous art and culture. Largely carved from wood, the weapons, idols, utensils and vessels on display feature mesmerizing designs that mimic the swirling, impossible patterns that are recognizable from ta moko, the art of M0x0101ori tribal tattoos. There are also contemporary works on display that were created by teachers and students at the New Zealand M0x0101ori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua. The Rose Room, 6 Rose Ave., Venice; daily through Nov. 2, 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; free. facebook.com/events/1129862033813033. —Gwynedd Stuart

LACMA's Tuesday Matinees series continues its romp through the Universal classic horror catalog with The Invisible Man, James Whale's brilliant adaptation of H.G. Wells' pioneering sci-fi novella. Claude Raines' forceful performance blends beautifully with Whale's impish sense of humor and some of the best trick photography of the 1930s, compliments of special effects wiz John P. Fulton. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Tue., Oct. 24, 1 p.m.; $4. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org. —Nathaniel Bell

The Mexican silent classic El Automóvil Gris retells the true story of a gang of vandals who caused a panic in Mexico City, and the detective who sought to restore law and order. The Skirball Center will host a special screening with a live score by innovative Mexican funkadelic jazz group Troker. Arrive early to view the new exhibitions (free to ticketholders), including "Another Promised Land: Anita Brenner's Mexico" and "Surface Tension by Ken Gonzales-Day: Murals, Signs and Mark-Making in L.A." Doors open at 6:30. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles; Tue., Oct. 24, 8 p.m.; $25. (310) 440-4500, skirball.org. —Nathaniel Bell

wed 10/25

One of the biggest literary gatherings in Los Angeles, the fifth annual L.A. Lit Crawl spans the entirety of hip NoHo Arts District's nearly 40 theaters, galleries, restaurants, bars and tattoo shops and attracts some 3,5000 visitors. Divided into three, 45-minute rounds, the daylong schedule features readings by more than 200 local authors, poets and artists from the Los Angeles Review of Books, Santa Monica Review, Red Hen Press, Los Angeles Poet Society, Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore, Sisters in Crime and other literary presses and organizations, in addition to panels, workshops, the Los Angeles County Library's Bookmobile and Los Angeles Public Library's Library Store. All events are walkable and free, with the exception of the closing party at the Eclectic, sponsored by Amazon Studios. NoHo Arts District, North Hollywood; Wed., Oct. 25, 6 p.m.-mid.; free. litcrawlla.org. —Siran Babayan

Actor-director Bruce Campbell, famous for playing Ash Williams, the hero with a chainsaw for a hand in The Evil Dead horror movie franchise, signs his new book, Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor. Campbell writes about his life and career during the 15 years that followed his first memoir, 2002's If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, which include starring in the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead and Burn Notice, as well as in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Tonight, Campbell also hosts Last Fan Standing, a touring game show that takes place at Wizard World conventions across the country, where four contestants answer trivia about horror, sci-fi, fantasy and superheroes until only one winner is left standing. Regent Theater, 448 S. Main St., downtown; Wed., Oct. 25, 7 p.m.; $15-$75.(323) 284-5727, spacelandpresents.com/event/1544985-bruce-campbell-his-new-book-los-angeles. —Siran Babayan

thu 10/26

When Jamie Morton discovered his 60-year-old dad wrote an erotic novel, he did what many people with good ideas do these days — he started a podcast. Morton is a British TV producer who has worked on the U.K. version of The Apprentice and The X Factor. In 2015, he launched My Dad Wrote a Porno, a podcast where each week he reads a chapter from the book series called Belinda Blinked, which is written under the pen name Rocky Flintstone, and stars a naughty, 30-something character named Belinda Blumenthal. (The first novel's complete title is Belinda Blinked 1: A Modern Story of Sex, Erotica and Passion. How the Sexiest Sales Girl in Business Earns Her Huge Bonus by Being the Best at Removing Her High Heels.) On the episodes, Morton's co-hosts James Cooper and Alice Levine help dissect and poke fun at the bad writing and steamy plot. The podcast has become so popular that Morton has taken it on the road and last year published his own book of the same name. For his first live taping in Los Angeles, Morton will read a "lost chapter," screen videos and ask audience members to re-enact scenes from the story. Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway, downtown; Thu., Oct. 26, 8 p.m.; $37.50. (877) 677-4386, laorpheum.com. —Siran Babayan

It's been more than 40 years since The Rocky Horror Picture Show hit the big screen, and by all appearances, it's never left. The cult film's beloved characters come to life at Queen Pins: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, featuring performers from Highland Park Bowl's monthly drag night. The bowling lanes of L.A.'s oldest alley temporarily turn into catwalks for a fierce and fabulous runway competition, all part of a fitting tribute to the film's trademark cross-dressing. If you're inclined, try the brand-new bourbon-and-brandy-based Moonchild cocktail, inspired by Christina Ricci's dance scene in another, more recent cult flick, Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66. Highland Park Bowl, 5621 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park; Thu., Oct. 26, 9 p.m.; free. (323) 257-2695, facebook.com/events/1917723498450007/?ti=icl. —Tanja M. Laden

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