Alex Gallagher

W hen legendary San Francisco thrashers Exodus come to Tucson on Sunday, Nov. 26, vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza is looking forward to the foodie scene.

When Mike Munroe was a kid, he dreamed about the Old West, but saguaro cactus and desert landscapes were in short supply in New England. : “My heroes were Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger and Gene Autry and Roy Rogers,” the Sierra Vista resident said. : Life is full of surprises, however. After a long career with the American Red Cross, Munroe moved to the West and became a reenactor with the Tombstone Vigilantes. He also serves as a Western movie extra and an actor. : Now he has written a story that is being made into a movie. “Vengeance: A Tombstone Remembrance.” Munroe is the executive producer, writer and star. It’s something he never expected to happen when he was working and raising a family. : “It’s like a dream come true,” he said. “I didn’t ever think that I would do something like this. Just being in Tombstone and being in the Tombstone Vigilantes was a real big thing for me because of my interest in the Old West since the time I was a kid. I didn’t expect to write a script.” : Filming for this 90-minute movie is 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, at Harker Western Town and Museum. The scenes include a shootout between the bad guys and the sheriff and townspeople. The public is invited to watch for free. : Set in an 1890s Western town, the movie is about “a retired sheriff who opens a mercantile with his wife, Elizabeth, and while he’s away one day getting supplies, a gang comes into town, and they rob the mercantile and kill his wife,” Mike Munroe said. : “The story is about him tracking down this gang,” he said. : Diane Munroe, Mike’s real-life wife, plays Elizabeth. Being in a film wasn’t Diane’s dream, but she’s game. : “I die halfway through (the movie),” she said. “We were practicing that the other day, and we both started crying. They said, ‘Great! That’s what we need — the emotion to show.’” : Munroe came up with the idea for the story one sleepless night. The initial draft was 18 pages, but turning the story into a movie required more work. : “I soon found out that that’s nowhere near enough (material),” he said. “A movie is about a minute per page of script, so if you’re going to have a movie that’s 90 minutes, you need 85 pages or so of script.” : To get from the page to the screen, Munroe called in the big guns. Enter Tucson resident Mark Headley, whose acting credits include “The High Chaparral,” a 1960s-'70s-era TV Western series that was filmed at Old Tucson Studios. : These days, he’s behind the camera more than in front of it. Still, acting was a good education, because movies are more complex yet simpler than it looks like on TV. For example, the actors have a lot of downtime, while the crew works on solving technical issues. : Directors also do not say, “Lights, camera, action.” There’s more to it, according to Headley: : “Before you start shooting the first day, the director yells, ‘Quiet on the set!’ That’s for everybody: cast, crew and spectators,” he said. “Then the director says, ‘Roll camera, roll sound.’ The camera (operator) says, ‘Speed,’ when they’re shooting. Then I (as director) look at the actors and say, ‘Action.’ When the scene is over, I yell, ‘Cut!' If I want to do the same scene over again, I would say, ‘Everyone back to one.’” : The set, Harker Western Town and Museum, is owned by Rick Harker and managed by Headley. It’s a true surprise. : Passersby would never guess that behind a tall, wood fence in the middle of a South Tucson neighborhood stands the Old West. On 1 acre of ground is an Old West downtown, complete with a saloon, a dry goods mercantile, a post office, a saloon and a boot hill (which is actually flat). There are even carved wood headstones. It looks like the real deal. : Harker built it with friends’ help. To build the town, he and a friend rode around town in a truck looking for scrap lumber. : Munroe said he is surprised and gratified that folks are interested in being in the film. Some would give pause to being the main character — but not so much for Munroe. : “Being an actor, you have to have a certain amount of ego,” he said. “I’m not a person who blows my own horn, but I felt like I could do it. I could have a major role in a movie even though I’m 77 years old. I feel pretty good about it.” : The filming of “Vengeance: A Tombstone Remembrance” : WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17 : WHERE: Harker Western Town and Museum, 6031 S. Fontana Avenue, Tucson : COST: Free admission : Hollywood wants you: casting call for paid actors : Actors are still being cast for several paid roles in“Vengeance: A Tombstone Remembrance.” : This is a non-union production. : Four men are needed and if cast, must be available for filming from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17 at Harker Western Town and Museum. : Roles include: : - Dick, 40s to 70s, mean, cold-blooded but smart. : - Ray, 30s to 50s, younger brother to Dick, whom Ray looks up to and wants to be just as mean and cold-blooded. : - The Kid, 18 to 30, brash and arrogant, defiant and disrespectful to everyone : - Carlos, Hispanic, fast and clean with a gun, not quite so ruthless. He is not Mexican but from Panama and gets mad when people call him Mexican. Much more intelligent than the others. : Auditions may be held in person, by Zoom, Facetime or a self-tape. : For information or to schedule an audition, email your name, age and the role you are interested in to director Mark Headley, markheadley12@yahoo. : Other parts will be cast after Christmas.

(Atsushi Nishijima/Searchlight Pictures) Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo star as Bella Baxter and Duncan Wedderburn, respectively, in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.”

With all the hubbub and stuff to do during the holidays, it’s entirely possible that you forgot to make your New Year’s resolution. : I never do it for a couple of reasons. One is that I find the date to be completely arbitrary, not unlike the made-up date that (we) Christians assign to the birth of that Jesus guy. : Second, I find it odd to pick one day to start on a self-improvement plan. Second, I see my life as an ongoing project, with self-improvement being like interest, compounded daily. : But, here are a few people’s resolutions for your perusal: : I, Kari Lake, resolve to keep talking about how Donald Trump got cheated in the 2020 presidential election. That’s obviously a winning strategy. I mean, I won in 2022, but I got cheated, too. Seriously, how is it even possible for me to lose to Katie Hobbs? I could have won that race if I hadn’t said a word during the general election. Talking over and over and over again about how the president and I got cheated should have given me a margin in the hundreds of thousands of votes. I used all the right words — “rigged” and “stolen” and “voter fraud.” Arizonans love talkers. Even those 1.7 million Arizonans whom Fox News falsely claimed voted for Joe Biden in that election that was rigged and then stolen through voter fraud love talkers. Especially if the talker has a winning message and keeps repeating that same message in every speech and every interview and at every crackpot right-wing gathering and… : I also resolve to keep up with my cardio because I was able to say all that without pausing to take a breath. : I, Jedd Fisch, resolve to stay at the University of Arizona for the rest of my career, until (as Richard Pryor said) my toes is old and my fingernails is doity. I’ll keep doing miraculous things, winning four or five more games than the year before until we max out, and I’ll stay at Arizona because I’m super loyal to the people who gave me my first head coaching job. And I further resolve to not care that coaches who are vastly inferior to me are making five to 10 times more money than I do. : In one of the many memorable scenes in “The Karate Kid,” Daniel-san’s mentor gives a life lesson as he mentions grapes. He says, “Walk on road, hmmm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, get squished like grape.” : I, Kyrsten Sinema, would really like to take Mr. Miyagi’s advice, but I can’t seem to make up my mind. Should I resolve not to make any resolutions? And if I do, will everybody else in the U.S. Senate follow my lead (as they should)? : As in every new year, I, Benjamin Neganyahu, resolve to do everything in my power to keep my chicken ass out of prison. I’ll try to destroy my nation’s Constitution. I’ll pretend that the Oslo Accords don’t exist. I’ll continue supporting the building of illegal Israeli settlements on West Bank land that doesn’t belong to Israel and then I’ll use the Israeli military to back up the illegal occupation of that land. I’ll make deals with racist devils to keep myself in power and out of the slammer. : Most importantly, I resolve to drag out this war as long as possible. I’ve read “1984.” I know that it’s unpatriotic to attack Bitch Brother while the country is at war. I also remember when the Argentine junta attacked the British Falkland Islands and started a war so that they could stay in power for another couple months. Yeah, I’ll keep this going as long as I can. : I also resolve to learn how to say “L’Etat, c’est moi” in Hebrew. For, I am Israel and Israel…c’est moi. : There are also a few other resolution suggestions that I have for people. : Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel should resolve to sue the unvaccinated crap out of NFL jackass Aaron Rodgers after the blowhard quarterback suggested that former Tucsonan Kimmel was somehow linked to dead criminal perv Jeffrey Epstein. : Politician Abe Hamadeh should resolve to cut his considerable losses and end his campaign in the race for the 2022 attorney general’s office before he starts to run in the 2026 election. : It sucks to have lost by a few hundred votes out of more than a million cast, but sometimes it jus’ be’s like dat. He should console himself with the realization that his incessant screaming about “illegal aliens” led to the discovery and disclosure that his own father was in the U.S. illegally. That tidbit probably cost him more than a few hundred votes. : Pop singer Taylor Swift should resolve to get out more and maybe be seen by a few more people. : University of Arizona President Robert Robbins should lean into the school’s “Wonder” PR campaign, as in “I Wonder what happened to that $150 million.” : Rudy Giuliani should resolve to beg those two election workers whom he defamed to let him keep some of that $148 million that he owes them so that he can build a time machine and go back to a time when he wasn’t the most-reviled and pathetic man in the entire country. It’s not even any fun to ridicule him anymore. : Happy New Year!

Incubus have announced a US arena tour with Coheed and Cambria, during which they'll perform 2001's 'Morning View' in full.

Growing up within the rolling hills of Laurel Highlands, Southwestern Pennsylvania, mosaic/mixed-media artist Dee Ruff has always been inspired by nature. : The Tucson resident brings together color, texture, space and light, conveying her love of the natural world. She creates her contemporary abstract mosaic and mixed media artworks as Black Cat Mosaics. : “I had horses and I loved to go out and look at the buttercups in the field,” she said about her formative years. : She will host an art exhibition with more than 60 pieces from Sunday, Feb. 25, to Friday, March 8, at De Grazia in the Sun Museum’s Little Gallery. An opening reception, with food and refreshments, is set for noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 25. Admission to the reception, and the 13-day exhibition is free. : During her early adult life, Ruff found creative joys in combining colors in large-scale needlepoint designs and in creating layers of color in her home gardens. Since 2012, Dee has embarked on an artistic journey of creating mosaics, an ancient and durable form of art. Through intensive self-study and professional studies with internationally renowned mosaic artists, including classes in the United States and Europe, Ruff has developed her artistic voice. : Ruff has had a rich and varied background. Earning Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Social Work degrees, she worked for many years in maternal and child health care, domestic and international adoption and hospice services. : “I always had an interest in health and well-being,” she said. “My mom passed away when I was 14 of cancer. When I was in college, you have memories and emotions as a bratty 14 year old. : “I was able to integrate some of the intellectual research in with my feelings, which was an interesting way to process things. I was able to help a lot of people who lost a loved one. I could put my own perspective into more of an adult way of processing it.” : Her career path also eventually led her to become a nationally certified licensed massage therapist where she created a busy private practice. : Unexpectedly, she developed pain and neuropathy, as well as back and spinal problems. Doctors found degenerative disk disease. Practicing massage for six hours a day was straining her body. She was also diagnosed with thyroid issues. The two-year battle to find a diagnosis led her to lose her private practice. : “I discovered mosaic art,” she said. “I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a book on mosaic art. From that moment on, I was so interested in finding out more about it.” : Since 2012, she has been practicing the art. She was embraced by the global mosaic art community, meeting innovative artists in Italy, Belgium and Argentina. : In her illuminated shards style of art, Ruff combines textures and materials from the natural world with color (utilizing meticulously cut and placed art glass) and employs embedded reflective elements that create unique effects of light within the mosaics. : She created her Earth Elements Collection, following her move from the East Coast to the American Southwest. These designs feature hand-cut natural stone and oxidized copper, bronze, or iron metal coatings. : Her Color Field Collection explores and celebrates the manifestation and energy of colors. These works incorporate semi-precious minerals and gemstones, glass, vintage beads, shells, natural stone, metals, glazed ceramic, and other creative tesserae. : Many of her newer artworks feature handmade substrates, rather than standard wooden boards or typical purchased mosaic panels. Some contain non-biodegradable polystyrene, which if just thrown away, could remain in a landfill indefinitely. Instead, Ruff combines materials to create lightweight, yet sturdy substrates for her art with an environmentally respectful method. : As an artist, Dee has enjoyed being a member of local, national, and international art organizations. She is an active participant in global online contemporary art groups and has served as a mentor for beginning artists. She has contributed to four public art mosaic murals in the United States. : “Art is much more freeing for me,” said Ruff about her previous occupations. “I have three different home collections. Not everybody wants color or rusty décor. I feel like I can accommodate contemporary people who have minimalist homes with clean lines.” : Beyond that, Ruff donates artwork to nonprofits, like those that work with abused children in Phoenix; and the Southern Arizona Arts Guild. “I try to give back as much as I can,” she said. : Dee Ruff Exhibition : WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, to Friday, March 8; opening reception noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 25 : WHERE: De Grazia in the Sun Museum’s Little Gallery, 6300 N. Swan Road, Tucson : COST: Free admission : INFO: www.degrazia.org : www.blackcatmosaics

“The Curse of the Pirate’s Gold” continues through March 31.

Movement artist, curator, writer and facilitator Haas is interested in how anger manifests in the body and is policed by societal constructs meant to control that emotion. : Through their Anger Project workshops and events, they are trying to provide a platform for others to express and work through their anger in different ways. : In March, the Anger Project will hold a series of events at the Catalyst Creative Collective. Many of them will be hosted by Haas, who is the March artist in residence. : Haas is also working with guest artists and facilitators. : Set for Saturday, March 9, Undercurrent-A Community Grief Workshop was created and will be facilitated by Maria Renée Johnson. The Sunday, March 10, OUTCRY Scream Workshop was conceived of and is led by Whitney Bradshaw. : The events include a smashing workshop on Thursday, March 7, a performance on Sunday, March 10, a workshop series from Saturday, March 16, to Sunday, March 17, and a workshop and DJ dance party on Sunday, March 31. : Attendees are required to RVSP for the workshops, as space is limited. The workshop showing and dance party are open to the public. : The Anger Project has received funding from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. : Haas said through the project, participants can explore and work through not only anger but other related emotions. : “I think it’s a really important project. I think it’s a really transformative process… It is really important to healing, creating community spaces that do have really clear boundaries, where people have opportunities to express these things and to move through them. Another part, too, is it isn’t just about anger either. Anger is a tipping-off point… I chose anger because that’s so often been used against me to shame and silence me,” Haas said. : Haas has a background in dance, but they have also worked as a family support counselor for foster kids, as a caregiver and in drug rehabilitation centers. : They have also built a tiny mobile house on wheels and used it as a performance space. In Northern Arizona, they operated Rosie’s Ranch, an art residency and retreat space, from December 2015 to January 2021. : March 10 is the Anger Project’s debut public performance. It will feature movement-based work, directed by Haas and created and performed by Debby Urken, Haas and Helen Lee. : Haas will also be showing portions of two films, which they refer to as “visual podcasts.” : “Each visual podcast is right around 15 to 20 minutes, but you’re only going to see bits and pieces of those films,” Haas said. “Each visual podcast highlights someone’s anger story through movement and conversation. : “There is one for Helen Lee, who is an artist who lives in Chicago who went through one of the Anger Project series workshops, and then there’s one for me… So, you’ll basically see two different stories being highlighted, bits and pieces of the stories, as people are also moving onstage.” : The performance will deal with heavier topics such as physical and sexual assault and suicide. Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault crisis advocates will offer support and resources. : During the public showing and DJ party, the full-length visual podcasts will be shown. : As part of a series of Anger Project workshops led by Haas, participants can dance, write, scream, play, draw, smash items, share stories and sing. : “We engage in embodiment activities designed to bring us in deeper relationships with ourselves and one another. All of the workshops rely heavily on movement improvisation, writing, sharing and grounding exercises,” Haas said. : During the workshops, Haas will give prompts that encourage participants to think more deeply about anger. They will focus on topics such as the ways people were taught to engage or not engage with anger; how the expression or suppression of anger was conditioned by race, sex, gender identity, gender expression, class, religion or something else and the ways that participants feel anger in their bodies and the deeper needs tied to that emotion. : Haas said although they are not an expert on anger, they have been thinking and talking about it since they were in their mid-20s. They said that learning how to listen to, respect and honor their anger, and in turn their body, has been a lifelong practice. : Haas said that “anger is often pathologized, racialized, gendered, classed, deemed “unspiritual” and “lowly” when it is actually “one of our most revealing and powerful emotions.” : Haas said anger can alert us when something is wrong and can help us to move forward. It can also be a symptom of deeper traumas and can manifest when it is not acknowledged or expressed. : Haas said at the heart of the project is their desire to shift antiquated anger narratives, create spaces where anger is welcomed and celebrated, to learn and grow personally from it and to engage in meaningful conversations around the topic. : After the workshops, participants can share their work on a project website or performance events. : “The people who are part of these workshops can decide whether they want to remain anonymous or whether they want to present their work publicly if they want to bring their work into public spaces… There are so many stories that people won’t be able to hear or see, which I also think is important. I’m not going to bring other people’s stories into the public space unless somebody explicitly asks me to do that,” Haas said. : Haas had the idea for the Anger Project in 2005 and started to envision the project in 2017. : “Whenever I would talk to people about it, they would get so excited. We would have these long conversations about anger,” Haas said. : Haas hosted the Anger Project’s first small-scale pilot study from January through March 2019, and from January through June 2021, they put on forums and movement workshops in Northern Arizona and Texas. : The early workshops were small and by-invitation only. From the start, Haas wanted to provide as safe of a space as possible for participants. : Haas has always emphasized that participants are in therapy or have a therapist number handy for support, if needed. Others have told Haas the process was helpful. : Haas said that while they want to give others a platform to share their stories, they can share as much or as little as they like. Sessions are timed so that everyone gets the same amount of time to share. : “I take a lot from group therapy sessions that I was in in my 20s. You don’t give people feedback. You’re not trying to help anybody fix anything. There’s nothing to be fixed here. We’re really here to witness one another, and that’s it, and focus on our own stories,” Haas said. : Undercurrents-Community Grief Workshop : WHEN: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, March 3 : OUTCRY Scream Workshop WHEN: 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 10 : Anger Project Performance Event : WHEN: 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 10 : AP Workshop Series : WHEN: Various times March 16 to March 31 : AP Workshop Showing and DJ Dance Party : WHEN: 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 31 : WHERE: Catalyst Creative Collective, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 110, Tucson : COST: Free Admission : INFO: : www.angerproject.org/events

(Lee Millward/Contributor) Steve Hackett plays the Celebrity Theatre and the Rialto Theatre in mid-April.

(The Gawnes/Copyright The Gaslight Theatre/Submitted) Full cast of the Gaslight Theatre’s production of “Harlie’s Angels.”