The Essentials | City Weekly's Entertainment Picks Jan 8-14 

Recollections of life with special-needs individuals can easily turn into big bowls of sentimentality, but Dougan gives hers a surprising bite. A Salt Lake City native and long-time Deseret News humor columnist, Dougan has lived the kind of life that allows her to do a little name-dropping: dinner with Glenn Miller as a child, thanks to her dad’s marketing career; joining the proto-Sundance Film Festival board with Robert Redford; meeting Kim Peek, the autistic-savant model for Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man.

But Dougan is more interested in telling a complicated tale of dealing with Irene as both a source of joy and an endless font of frustration. From the awkwardness of a 1950s adolescence where “retarded” kids were often hidden from view, through adulthood and a crucial role in organizing community services for special-needs individuals, Dougan tracks the evolution of her own feelings as the nation itself was evolving in its dealings with the differently-abled. Her journey—full of frustration at needing to do so much, and guilt that she hasn’t done enough—becomes both uniquely hers, and beautifully representative.

Terrell Harris Dougan: That Went Well @ The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, 484-9100, Thursday, Jan. 8, 7 p.m. KingsEnglish.Booksense.com

COMEDY
nBy Tawnya Cazier
nSUZANNE WESTENHOEFER probably shouldn’t be coming here, what with all the demands to boycott Utah ever since Prop 8 passed with heavy support from members of the LDS Church. But I say, “Who cares if it is Utah? We deserve some hilarity.” And this openly gay comedian is just the person to bring it.

Westenhoefer sees the world a little differently than the rest of us, while poking fun at situations we’ve all been in. Of course, she never planned to become a comedian; she just won a comedy contest she entered on a dare. Everything that’s happened since has been something of a whirlwind, catapulting her to the top of her industry. She was the first openly gay comedian to land an HBO special, as well as perform on Late Night With David Letterman.

However, unlike a lot of comics who have a funny script of jokes, Westenhoefer tends to shoot from the hip, working, as she says, “extemporaneously.” She simply turns smart observations into damned funny insights: “Try not acknowledging that you’ve been groped by airport security, or tried to have sex under your parents’ roof on a visit,” she has said.

When you look at it like that, life becomes pretty amusing. And realizing that we’re not so different is something that can unite everyone. We could all use a little bit more of that.

Suzanne Westenhoefer @ Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, 355-ARTS, Friday, Jan. 9, 8 p.m. $27.50 advance, $30.50 day of show. ArtTix.org

VISUAL ARTS
nBy Ehren Clark
nHidden beneath the popular 1,000-square-foot Sego Art Center is a lesser-known 1,600-square-foot basement. What could have been discarded as useless space has been renovated and divided into units accommodating up to 10 artists with room to paint, sculpt and work. This subterranean world is itself art, a veritable installation of works in progress, artists’ materials, personal embellishments, music, a vintage lounge area complete with compact refrigerator and, of course, artists. The ambience is energetic, colorful, bohemian, vibrant, appropriately cluttered and ultimately conducive to the creative process.

Sego’s new show at Provo’s Gallery Stroll will reveal to the public the secret of what lies beneath the Sego. The first annual ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE EXHIBITION will feature the work of the artists comprising the Sego studio. The Sego roster thus far has been comparable to the best of Utah’s contemporary galleries. Those artists inhabiting the Sego studio who have not been shown yet on this roster now will be featured with a selection of the best work. The exhibition, if my perusal of the studio is any indication, will be eclectic, inventive, thoughtful and enjoyable.

The studio is a key element of what makes the Sego special: a holistic enterprise faithful to its mission of promoting good contemporary art. Justifying the accolade “Best New Gallery” by City Weekly, the show signifies Sego’s heart and its inner workings: the little gallery that could.

Artists in Residence Exhibition @ Sego Art Center, 169 University Ave., Provo, Jan. 9-30. SegoArts.org

Here & Now Other New Happenings This Week

RABBIT HOLE Pinnacle Acting Company presents David Lindsay-Abaire’s drama about a grieving couple dealing with the death of a child. Midvale Performing Arts Center, 695 W. 7720 South, 309-8934, Jan. 8-24. PinnacleActingCompany.org

HOME SCHOOL MUSICAL Hey kids! Let’s put on a show to prevent a demented congressman from abolishing home schools! Desert Star Theatre, 4861 S. State, 266-2600, Jan. 8-March 21. DesertStar.biz

THE YELLOW LEAF A world-premiere by PTC’s Charles Morey, about the summer 1816 gathering of writers that led to the creation of Frankenstein. Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, 581-6961, Jan. 9-24. PioneerTheatre.org

DEREK DYER: EARTH PEOPLE The artist continues his long-running photographic series exploring connections between people and their environment. Utah Arts Alliance Gallery, 127 S. Main, 347-1282, Jan. 9-31, reception Jan. 9, 6-10 p.m. UtahArts.org

RING AROUND THE ROSE: BALLET WEST A youth-friendly opportunity for the aspiring dancer in your family to learn what it’s really like to be a ballerina. Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, 355-ARTS, Saturday, Jan. 10, 11 a.m. ArtTix.org

9TH ANNUAL SLUG GAMES Brighton’s Majestic lift becomes a Candy Land for a lively competition in skiing and snowboarding categories. Brighton Resort, Big Cottonwood Canyon, 521-2686, Saturday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. SLUGMag.com

BOHEMIA 1930-1960: LIFE AT A DIFFERENT PACE Black-and-white images by Czech-born photographer Fantisek Oliverius. Main Library Gallery, 210 E. 400 South, 524-8200, Jan. 10-Feb. 24. SLCPL.org

BILL KERIG The author and filmmaker introduces his new book The Edge of Never, chronicling the world and psychology of big-mountain skiers. Jewish Community Center, 2 N. Medical Dr., 581-0098, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 7 p.m. SLCJCC.org

BAMBOO PERU Peruvian one-man-band Jaime Alvaro plays traditional songs in a family-friendly interactive performance. Draper Library, 1136 E. 12400 South, 944-7548, Monday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m. SLCo.Lib.UT.us