THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR SEP 24 - 30 

• Equality Utah

Temporary Museum for Permanent Change: Refiner's Fire
This bizarre year has been defined by the pandemic, to be certain, but also by a spirit of rebellion against injustice. While protests have understandably and justifiably focused on systemic racism, it's always worth paying homage to those who have fought for all causes insisting on basic humanity and equality.

Craft Lake City and the Temporary Museum for Permanent Change have collaborated with Equality Utah for Refiner's Fire, an exhibition on the Temporary Museum's 14 "billboards" on 300 South downtown between 200 East and 200 West. These images draw attention to LGBTQ Utahns who have worked for—and accomplished—social change in this state and beyond. Among the subjects are Dr. Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder, who fought the AIDS crisis in the 1980s; Nikki Boyer, pioneer of Utah's Sun Tavern gay bar in the 1970s; and those who fought the recent battle to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth. In a press release, Equality Utah's Troy Williams says, "This is a time of many great challenges. We are facing multiple fires. We have an opportunity to choose love over fear every time. We hope this project inspires and uplifts your heart during this difficult time."

While the outdoor exhibition provides a generally safe environment for socially-distanced viewing, those who require an extra layer of safety can view all of the images from the exhibition online at equalityaudiotour.org. That online presentation also includes audio segments for each image, produced in conjunction with KRCL. With so much more work still to do for social justice, explore a celebration of the reality that individuals can create change. (Scott Renshaw)

• 20th Century Fox

Salt Lake Film Society Studio Backlot Motor Cinema: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
In most "normal" years—and we've had to use air-quotes around "normal" a lot lately—the Halloween season in Salt Lake City wouldn't be the same without the live-cast performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Tower Theatre. Of course, that's not possible in 2020, as movie theaters themselves don't always feel like the safest places to be, especially for those in higher risk groups. If only there were a way to do the "Time Warp" again in a responsible way ...

Fear not, for the Salt Lake Film Society has a backup plan. Launched in September as a way to present communal viewing experiences in a makeshift drive-in, the Studio Backlot Motor Cinema (Redman Movies & Stories, 1075 S. 700 West) presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m., including live (safe) performance featuring members of the Out of the Shadows Theater Company; gates open at 7 p.m. Patrons are asked to remain in vehicles except when using restrooms, and parking spaces will be appropriately distanced. Tickets are available via advance online purchase only, for $27 per vehicle, at slfs.org, along with the opportunity to pre-purchase concessions packages. Toast, rice and other Rocky-specific goodies are all up to you.

And the opportunities to enjoy drive-in viewing in downtown SLC don't stop there. Enjoy the shot-in-Utah Sundance comedy Brigsby Bear on Friday, Sept. 25, with additional upcoming offerings including Mad Max: Fury Road (Black and Chrome Edition), GalaxyQuest, Get Out and They Live. Get a little taste of "normal" again—if that word ever applied to Rocky Horror. (SR)

• Dan Evans

Sackerson: Cherry Wine in Paper Cups
When playwright Morag Shepherd and the creative team at the Sackerson theater company began contemplating in the late spring what kind of theatrical presentation would be possible during a pandemic. And beyond logistics, there was a question of offer up to audiences, according to Shepherd: "Something that deals with COVID and what's going on, or something that's lighter and more hopeful? We opted for a more upbeat romance story."

The result was Cherry Wine in Paper Cups, a light-hearted love story where both audience and performer safety considerations are prioritized. For the show itself, there were only three roles in the double-cast production: the main romantic couple, and a narrator. Sackerson chose actors who were already living together for their romantic leads, with the narrator always at a distance of at least 10 feet. For the spectators, the venue is outdoors—in the grassy public park area of downtown's Library Square (200 S. 400 East), with the dialogue broadcast over sanitized headsets with single-use ear covers, to insure that the socially-distanced audience members can all enjoy the show.

Shepherd acknowledges that it wasn't always easy getting into the creative headspace to write something frothy. "I had to definitely stop following the news obsessively in the morning, ... and started listening to more upbeat music at that time," she says. "I was pretty in the muck when it started." Help pull yourself out of that muck with one of the performances running weekends through Oct. 18; visit sackerson.org/tickets for individual showtimes and to purchase $25 general admission seats. (SR)

• via YouTube

Salt Lake Acting Company: Digital Shorts and "49-3/4 Season"
"Figuring it out as you go" is the mantra for every performing arts organization in 2020, and that includes Salt Lake Acting Company. While the season beginning in fall 2020 would have marked the local theater stalwart's historic 50th anniversary season, they're diving into the year in a way that makes sense: with a "49-3/4 season that includes several virtual ways to enjoy the company's amazing work.

Things are kicking off even now with the first of 10 SLAC Digital Shorts available via the company's YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/saltlakeactingcom/videos). Online (pictured) finds SLAC Producing Director Justin Ivie providing parody lyrics to Little Shop of Horrors' "Skid Row," in an energetic five-minute musical homage to the way we've all been living through our phones for the past several months. Coming soon, writer Olivia Custodio and director Topher Rasmussen present Good Enough for Costco, in which God Herself (Annette Wright) has to deal with a new arrival to the afterlife (Eric Lee Brotherson) from Utah County with stubborn ideas about personal freedom.

Those online morsels provide a delightful appetizer for other upcoming SLAC offerings that will be available for safe at-home viewing. In October, Leila Buck and Tamilla Woodard's American Dreams presents a speculative satire about U.S. citizenship only being available via participation in an online game show, with audience participation part of the experience. In November, revisit SLAC's 2016 world-premiere production of Climbing With Tigers in a recorded performance, with another virtual production to be determined coming in February, and live-stream options for in-person spring productions. Visit saltlakeactingcompany.org for tickets and more info. (SR)