Black and Tan

If you’ve been walking past ACT Theatre recently, your ears may have picked up the sound of a jazz quartet, raising the question: What’s a jazz club doing in a theater? That question stems from another one that a lot of theaters are asking right now: How do you turn your venue into a destination and your show into an event? ACT is trying all sorts of stuff, and some of the most interesting projects come from the Central Heating Lab, which has started featuring special events themed to their mainstage productions. To tie in with their production of Fathers and Sons, Michael Bradford’s smart drama about three generations of an African-American family, they’re presenting Black and Tan, a “juke joint” curated by Laura Kelley-Jahn and featuring a jazz quartet backing up local poet luminaries like Tina LaPadula, Matt Gano, and Angela Dy. Bradford’s play has some harsh twists and turns, and an evening epilogue with jazz and cocktails sounds like a great way to unwind afterwards. ACT Theatre (Bullitt Cabaret), 700 Union St., 292-7676, www.acttheatre.org. $10. 10 p.m. Sat., May 17 & 24. JOHN LONGENBAUGH
Sat., May 17, 10 p.m.; Sat., May 24, 10 p.m., 2008