Cry Out Loud

Time was, the Castro District was about dumpster diving for costumes, puttin' on a show, and expressing yourself in opposition to a stultifying, consumer-driven status quo. Monthly open-mike night "Smack Dab"'s co-producers, Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts, are dedicated to bringing some of that back. March's featured reader, Chelsea Starr, is wild, odd, and brilliant — a perfect choice. Her stories of poverty and misunderstood Up With People dreams sent everyone rolling on the floor at "K'vetsch" a while back, and her wardrobe was as lovely and bizarre as people say it is. "Smack Dab" is open to everyone, so if you agree with the organizers about the state of the Castro, Read's calling your bluff. "Get out of your damn apartment and make some art," he wrote recently. "Or come clap for the freaks who are out here fighting with mojo." Sign-ups start at 7:30 p.m.
Third Wednesday of every month, 7:30 p.m., 2006