DIASPORA Calendar: September 21 – September 27, 2026

MUSEUMS AND ART

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art – September 22: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens on September 22! It’ll be crowded for a while, but I’m sure it’s amazing! The new museum in L.A. celebrates the power of visual storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum explores how images move us and shape our collective memory. From Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait to Norman Rockwell’s scenes of everyday life to Charles White’s portraits of dignity. Each invites reflection. Each tells a story. One Lucas Plaza, 3800 S Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind – through October 11: Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind traces more than seven decades of Yoko Ono’s groundbreaking career, from her early text-based works in the 1950s and ’60s to recent large-scale installations informed by her ongoing campaigns for world peace. Organized in collaboration with Tate Modern, London, the exhibition—Ono’s first solo museum exhibition in Southern California—explores her radical approach to art, language, and participation, challenging conventional ideas about the roles of artist and audience. The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. 

Willie Birch: Stories to Tell – through October 21: The first-ever career retrospective of renowned artist Willie Birch, this exhibition brings together groundbreaking works from 1968 to the present that chronicle his unique vision of Black American life and the interconnected nature of global art forms. Born and raised in New Orleans and trained in Europe, Baltimore, and New York, Birch often speaks about “retentions,” a term he uses to describe evidence of one culture’s narratives and traditions within another. Throughout his career, Birch has explored particularly how African traditions have been retained in music, art, and culture in America as part of the Black experience and beyond. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles.

Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation – through February 28, 2027: Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation presents California as a pioneering site of sustained, Black-led struggles for LGBTQ equality, civil rights, and recognition. The exhibition recovers histories largely excluded from existing narratives and exposes powerful ways that print culture, artistic practice, and performance styles shaped, advanced, and interpreted Black queer social movements alongside political and legal activism. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles.

Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon – through February 28, 2027: Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon celebrates Marilyn Monroe—born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926—as a visionary actor and image-maker, examining how she created and shaped her public image in the context of the classical Hollywood studio system. Presenting hundreds of original objects, including posters, portraits, photographs, production documents, letters,… and rarely seen personal materials—many on display for the first time—the exhibition offers unique insight into her agency in becoming a Hollywood icon. The exhibition also features an extensive array of Monroe’s screen-worn costumes, ranging from a dress featured in Love Happy (1949) to items from her final and unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give (1962). Major highlights include two costumes by Orry-Kelly from Some Like it Hot (1959), as well as the rarely exhibited famous pink dress by William Travilla from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures ASL Interpreted Tours: American Sign Language (ASL) tours of select galleries are always offered at noon on the same day as the museum’s monthly Calm Morning program and accommodative Family Matinee film screening. Join a museum educator and ASL interpreter to experience cinema’s wide-ranging contributions to the world. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles.

THEATRE

Before It’s Too Late – through October 6: A clock counts down as Christopher Moncayo-Torres, a habitually late Ecuadorian-American live-storyteller, rushes to make up for lost time with his born and bred Ecuadorian parents, Nancy Moncayo and Abel Torres in this heartfelt, comedic solo-ish show. Showing up for Christopher as best they can, Abel, his once estranged, 82-year–old father, will fly in from Queens, NY, and Nancy, his 78-year-old mother, will video call in from her home in Ecuador.

Making their performance debut as a duo (yes, really), Abel and Nancy will co-parent Christopher for the first time and unpack their complex relationship throughout this epic evening of attempted belated bonding despite their language barrier- Christopher only knows so much Spanish, his parents only know so much English. This recovering no sabo kid ( a Latino or Hispanic individual living in the U.S. who does not speak Spanish well or at all) from Queens will need your support as Christopher juggles translations, true stories, too many boxes, hopefully-reliable video calls, a pair of backup moms (his eldest sisters, Natalie & Catherine might make a cameo) while actually preparing delicious Ecuadorian food from his mother’s recipe book. Despite the cultural, geographical and linguistic chasms between them, can these two aging immigrant parents and their child experience forgiveness, empathy and generational joy while actually understanding one another before time runs out? Outside In, 5317 York Blvd., Los Angeles.

2026 LA Writers’ Workshop Reading Series – through September 27: Since 2005, CTG has invited a cohort of local playwrights to spend a year researching and writing new works with feedback from the artistic staff and their fellow writers. The program is designed to foster important voices, inspire playwrights to create their best work, encourage bold writing, and build relationships among local playwrights, CTG, and the Los Angeles theatre community. CTG’s growing list of LA Writers’ Workshop alumni is currently comprised of more than 100 playwrights. Various locations.

Antigone: In the Language of Kings – through October 3: Set in the vibrant world of pre-conquest Tenochtitlan, Mexico, this powerful reimagining of a classic tragedy confronts themes of loyalty, familial duty, and the clash between divine law and state edict. Weaving in pre-Hispanic music and poetry, this timeless story brings Aztec mythology to life in a rich historical tapestry that resonates across cultures, pitting love and defiance against tyranny. Adapted from Sophocles by Evelina Fernández, Directed by José Luis Valenzuela, Co-produced by Latino Theater Company. Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades.

The Visit – through October 4: A DESPERATE TOWN. A DETERMINED WOMAN. AN IMPOSSIBLE OFFER. When the richest woman in the world returns to her struggling hometown, she’s ready and willing to rescue it from ruin… on one condition. In this haunting, twisted, and truly grotesque comedy, an entire community is forced to confront an unthinkable question: how far are you willing to go for a billion dollars? Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena.

Into The Woods – through October 18: When the Baker and his wife venture into the forest to break a witch’s curse, they encounter Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack (of beanstalk fame)—and familiar tales take on clever new lives. But be careful what you wish for, because “happily ever after” is never the whole story. With a Tony Award-winning book and score, this poignant musical comedy masterpiece celebrates its 40th anniversary with a fabulous new SCR production. South Coast Repertory, Emmes/Benson Theatre Center, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

FILM

Filipiñana – through September 22: Join Vidiots in the microcinema for one of the best films of the year and a masterwork of international cinema – Rafael Manuel’s phenomenally composed deadpan social satire Filipiñana. Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.

Raising Victor Vargas – 7:30 PM, September 24: Vidiots is excited to welcome screenwriter Eva Vives, and cast member Melonie Díaz for a special screening of the coming-of-age classic Raising Victor Vargas! A warm, funny, and intimate look at growing up and getting down on the Lower East Side, this coming-of-age classic is an undeniable treasure of indie cinema. Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – 4 PM, September 25: Vidiots is easing our heartbreak over the loss of the eternal Goddess Dolly Parton with a special screening of her rootinest tootinest big screen musical extravaganza The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Texas has a whorehouse in it! Nothing spells big summer fun like a Dolly Parton musical about sex-workers fighting against the man! Dolly and Burt – two iconic caricatures of femininity and masculinity – star as the local madam and the local sheriff – and sometime lovers. When a big TV crusader Melvin P. Thorpe threatens to expose the Chicken Ranch to public scandal and close it down, Miss Mona doesn’t go down without a fight. Give in to the mesmerizing charisma of Dolly Parton singing such bangers as A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place, Sneakin’ Around, Hard Candy Christmas, and I Will Always Love You – not to mention the men’s locker room dance number – you will never look back! Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.

Dazed and Confused – Dazed Day! – 3:45 PM, 7 PM, September 26: Air raid!!! Yes, it’s that time of year, join us and our besties down the block from Walt’s  for Vidiots’ Fourth Annual Dazed Day! Wiggle into your best bellbottoms and bring all your buds for a full day of Richard Linklater’s singular, stoney classic Dazed and Confused! Our all-day Emporium Takeover features vintage pinball on freeplay courtesy of Walt’s, plus all-vinyl DJ sets from DJs Dan Wilcox and KCRW’s Tyler “Boogie” Boudreaux, 16mm psychedelic celluloid mini-shows between screenings, all followed by a late-night screening of The Who’s tripped out pinball rock opera Tommy from the always audacious auteur Ken Russell! Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.

Pee-wee’s Big Adventure – 7:30 PM, September 24: When eccentric man-child Pee-Wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life. Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena.

9 to 5 – September 25-26: Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him. Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena.

COMEDY

Extended Sizes Presents… – 7 PM, September 22: A comedy variety show featuring a lineup of fat performers and diverse body types! Extended Sizes Presents… is a comedy variety show hosted by a dream team of stars in their own right: Cara Meyers, Aricia Skidmore-Williams, Danya Granado, Simone Mariposa & Kati O’Hearn Featuring a rotating lineup of fat performers, UCB favorites, and new voices, each show puts plus-size talent front and center with stand-up, characters, sketches, dance, short films, music, and improv. Come for the comedy, stay for the community. At this show, extended sizes are still available in person. Featuring: Hoja Lopez, Jess Uhler, Vanessa Gonzalez, and more! Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 5919 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles.

Sam Oh: The Unbearable Tightness of Being…GAY VIRGIN – 7 PM, September 23: From Born Again to Born 2 Bottom! Sam Oh takes you on an incredible journey from his youth as an evangelical Christian through his sexual revelations amidst a global pandemic to finally doing it in the butt in his third decade. It’s a main pop girl concert hidden inside a stand-up comedy special—a Trojan Horse for gays. Directed by Tyler Cunningham. Musical Direction by Sebastian Lee & Sterling Gavinski. With special guest, Atsuko Okatsuka. Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 W. Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

Kalean Ung Voice Workshop  – 7 PM, September 24: Kalean Ung Voice Workshop: The Barrantes Voice System is a revolutionary vocal technique that is based on the use of the “Multi-Octave Vocal Range Technique” stemming from the vocal traditions of Alfred Wolfsohn and Roy Hart. The voice is ancestral and without the tools to uncover what lies beneath, we are only scratching the surface of what we are capable of as performers. This class offers an entryway to character through the voice, specifically through the expansiveness of the voice past the daily octave. This training links the physical, vocal, and breath with image, allowing the voice to be “visible” and a performer to be fully realized. In this three hour workshop, we will cover foundational breath and vocal exercises, experiment and play vocally as an ensemble, and learn key vocal textures that will give you the tools to make grounded and bold vocal choices. Outside In, 5317 York Blvd., Los Angeles.

Life is Shorts: An Hour of Comedy Films – 6:30 PM, September 26: Life is Shorts brings an hour of comedy shorts created by the UCB community to the screen at the UCB Annex, produced by your pals Christan Leonard and Ezra Parter.

• A Little Chemistry by Mark David Christenson
• Ranch by Courtney Karwal
• Bad Texter by Christan Leonard
• Terminally Ill by Chris Cole
• Mountain Friends by Jon Mackey & Jon Millstein

DROP – 9 PM, September 26: DROP is the ultimate hip-hop improv showdown, where freestyle meets fire and comedy meets competition. Each night, a dozen emcees battle it out across themed rounds—spitting verses about love, loss, lunch, and lava lamps—vying for points, pride, and the crowd’s roar. Part game show, part cypher, part fever dream, DROP blends the energy of 8 Mile, the playfulness of Wild ’N Out, and the theatricality of The Voice—but unscripted, unfiltered, and unforgettable. Only one can claim the crown. The rest… get dropped. Cast: Derek Jeremiah Reid, Robin Driscoll, Alba O’neil. Outside In, 5317 York Blvd., Los Angeles.

Happy Hour Saturdays with Jenny Yang, 6 PM, Saturdays: Work-in-progress stand-up comedy shows at a reasonable hour. Comedian Jenny Yang will work out new material about her Chinese medicine fertility experiences in Taiwan, the necessity for women to be single, childless and moisturized, and what it means to be more gay, Mexican and immigrant every single day in 2026. These work-in-progress standup comedy shows feature a pay-what-you-can suggested ticket price of around twenty bucks, a 5PM pre-show happy hour, 6PM comedy show AND you can be on your way home or to dinner by 7:30PM. Outside In, 5317 York Blvd., Los Angeles.

BOOKS

“Racist By Design” by Kelly Lytle Hernandez – 7 PM, September 24: A revolutionary new history that exposes the “whites-only” roots of the American immigration regime. In Racist by Design, award-winning historian Kelly Lytle Hernández reveals how generations of lawmakers and law enforcers built the American immigration system to encourage white immigrants while targeting nonwhite migrants for exclusion, punishment, and removal. The goal, often explicitly stated by the system’s architects, was to create a permanent caste of undocumented and criminalized workers to provide cheap labor for the American economy. Author Kelly Lytle Hernandez has a conversation with Gustavo Arellano.  Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

“Against Tech Oligarchy” by JS Tan & Clarissa Redwine – 7 PM, September 25: As tech bosses fall in line with the right, tech workers are fighting back. This is the rousing inside story of their movement–and the way it spawned an anti-worker backlash now reshaping the industry. After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, the tech industry sprang into action to oppose his right-wing agenda, with workers and CEOs alike joining mass mobilizations against the new president’s anti-immigrant policies. But it wasn’t long before the tech bosses started to fall in line with the new administration.

In response, tens of thousands of tech workers protested against their own employers for betraying the progressive values that once defined the industry–including organizing against military contracts, walking out to protest sexism, and even launching a wave of union drives. By the early 2020s, these workers had sparked what observers were calling the tech worker movement, one that seemed capable of checking the industry’s reckless growth and reactionary drift. Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

COMMUNITY

Queerceañera 2026: Siempre Contigo – 5:30 PM, September 26: The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s signature Latine Heritage Month celebration returns on Saturday, September 26 at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood. Under the theme Siempre Contigo (“Always With You”), this year’s Queerceañera celebrates queer and trans Latine leadership and the community, heritage, and chosen family that carry us forward. Entering a new chapter, the celebration is evolving into a signature philanthropic event supporting the Center’s programs and services. The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Pl., Los Angeles.

Gay Ass Trivia at Precinct – 7 PM, Thursdays: Queen Sheeba hosts this weekly trivia night with prizes including bar tabs, shots, and bar apparel. Maximum team sizes of six people. No cover! Precinct, 357 S Broadway, Los Angeles.

May the Balls be with You: Drag Queen Bingo 7 PM, Tuesdays and Wednesdays:  Legendary Bingo is LA’s most popular Drag Queen Bingo & charity event! Come play at Hamburger Mary’s every Tuesday and Wednesday!  Hamburger Mary’s, 8288 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.

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