The Listings 

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CHARLOTTE COMEDY THEATER Live Improvised Comedy. Features Charlotte's top improv comedy ensembles in a high energy, interactive show (Rated R). www.charlottecomedy.com. Friday and Saturday, 9 & 11pm. $10. 1308 D The Plaza. 866-467-7681.

THE PERCH Live Sketch Comedy. Rated "R" for verbal content. www.theperch.com. Friday and Saturday, 9 & 11pm. $10. 1212 Central Ave. 704-372-7724.

SPIRIT SQUARE MacHomer. Rick Miller performs Shakespeare's Macbeth while channeling Homer Simpson and at least 49 other members of The Simpsons' extended family. Fri., Nov. 3; 7:30pm; Sat., Nov. 4, 7:30pm. 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000.

DANCE

CINDERELLA North Carolina Dance Theatre will perform Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux's Cinderella with sets designed by NYC Ballet set designer Alain Vaes along with Dwight Rhoden's World Premiére. Sept. 28-Oct. 1. $10-$56. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-972-2000.

INNOVATIVE WORKS This best-selling series will welcome choreographers Septime Webre, Mark Diamond, Dwight Rhoden and Daniel Gwirtzman. In addition NC Dance Theatre dancer Heather Ferranti Ferguson presents a new work. Nov. 2-4, 9-11. $10-$55. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-972-2000.

MOVEMENT THROUGH THE MASTERPIECES Fall Dance Concert that combines classical music by famous composers with choreographed works by UNCC faculty and guest artists. Nov. 15-19. $5-$12. Anne R. Belk Theater, Robinson Hall. 704-687-2599.

NUTCRACKER A Charlotte holiday tradition gets updated. Bonnefoux's Nutcracker will improve on the classic while keeping with its style. Students from The School of North Carolina Dance Theatre will perform in the company of over 100 dancers. Dec. 14-17. $10-$56. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-972-2000.

TANGO FIRE Journey through the history of Tango with Argentinian Tango company, Estampas Portenas. Tue., Nov. 14, 8pm. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-972-2000.

MUSEUMS

CHARLOTTE MUSEUM OF HISTORY Brother, Can you Spare a Dime: Music of the Great Depression. Charlotte Civic Orchestra provides music from that era as visitors are engaged with activities and storytelling from the period. Sun., Oct. 8, 2:30pm. Civil War Lantern Tour. Take a walk back in time and relive the Civil War, as you take an in-depth look into the conditions, hopes and fears that common foot soldiers lived with. Reservations required. Sat., Nov. 4, 6-10pm. $4-$8. Hands-on-History: Harvest Fun. Celebrate the arrival of fall with an afternoon of harvest activities for the kids. Try homemade apple cider, create apple stamp art and learn about how a colonial family would prepare for the winter. Sat., Sept. 9, 2pm. Haunted Homesite. Travel down candle-lit paths at the historic Homesite as you listen to storytellers, enter a costume contest or enjoy fall crafts and cookie decorating. Reservations required. Sat., Oct. 28, 6-9pm. $6. Personal Legacies: Surviving the Great Depression (Charlotte/Mecklenburg 1929-1939) Opening. This exhibit explores the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area during the Great Depression through the stories of its citizens. Sat., Sept. 30, 2-4pm. 3500 Shamrock Dr. 704-568-1774.

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• Peter Schaaf
• JON NAKAMATSU Pianist will open First Tuesday Concerts series

CHARLOTTE NATURE MUSEUM Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! Come learn about these animals from a real entomologist and see how we benefit from their presence. Sat., Sept. 16, 10am-1pm. Amazing Arachnids. Prepare for Halloween by looking at some of the most creepy (or beautiful) spiders, scorpions and arachnids in the world. Sat., Oct. 21, 10am-1pm. Turkey Talk. Come see a live turkey and learn about the Eastern Wild Turkey and why Ben Franklin wanted it to be our national symbol. Sat., Nov. 18, 10am-1pm. 1658 Sterling Rd., adjacent to Freedom Park. 704-372-6261.

DISCOVERY PLACE Action! An Adventure in Moviemaking. Action! is a chance to really get into the movies, featuring interviews with top filmmakers, costumes and scripts. You can even make the trailer for your own movie, Escape from Zircon. Aug. 15-Jan. 2. Meet the Moviemakers free w/ ADM; EfZ, $2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The Charlotte Observer IMAX® Dome Theatre at Discovery Place presents the fourth installment in the beloved Harry Potter franchise; the second full-length feature film to be shown in this format that surrounds the viewer with 15,000 watts of sound and light, creating the effect of being in the film with the characters. Aug. 2 - Sept. 4. $9-$11; free for children under 2. IMAX Dome. Now showing Deep Sea, ending Jan. 15 and Mystery of the Nile, ending Sept. 4. www.discoveryplace.org. 301 N. Tryon St. 704-372-6261.

GASTON COUNTY MUSEUM From Barter to Banks: The American Economy. Explores the impact our economy has on our culture through the various forms of money, from colonial times to present, the rise and evolution of the banking system, and significant changes in the working of our economy. www.gastoncountymuseum.org. Aug. 29-March 4. Kastner/Rhyne Family Bible. Exhibit featuring the German language bible printed c. 1564. Aug. 15-22. 131 W. Main St., Dallas. 704-852-6025.

LEVINE MUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH Cotton Fields to Sky Scrapers. Tue.-Sun. Families of Abraham. Photographic, narrative exhibit celebrating life and faith traditions among the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Dec. 15-May 6. From Cambodia to Carolina: Tracing the Journeys of New Southerners. New exhibit traces the resettlement of Cambodians beginning in 1981 to both Charlotte and Greensboro. Aug. 15-Nov. 27. La Virgen De Guadalupe and Carrying On Hispanic Traditions In North Carolina. Photographic exhibition tracing the religious tradition of the Virgin of Guadalupe -- Mary, Mother of Jesus -- who is said to have appeared in Mexico in 1531. Features the work of Duke University photographer Luis-Rey Velasco. Oct. 27-Jan. 21. www.museumofthenewsouth.org. 200 E. 7th St. 704-333-1887.