Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’, Photography in the Gardens among events in West U.

THURSDAY 26
Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’
View the opening performance of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” 7:30 p.m. at Main Street Theater-Chelsea Market, 4617 Montrose Blvd., Houston. The play will run through May 13, with performances on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. This production is presented by Main Street Theater and Prague Shakespeare Festival. Tickets start at $20. Call 713-524-6706 or visit www.mainstreettheater.com.

SATURDAY 28
Photography in the Gardens
A special opportunity for amateur photographers to capture the blooms, woodlands and formal landscapes 1:30-4:30 p.m. at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 Memorial Drive, Houston. Admission to the gardens is $3.

THURSDAY 26
Latin Wave: Opening day of this film festival begins with three screenings 5 p.m. at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts’ Audrey Jones Beck Building, 5601 Main St., Houston. Films are selected from the best film festivals in the world, such as Berlin, Venice, New York, Cannes, San Sebastian and Sundance.

Crawfish Boil and Pool Party: University of Houston students may participate in a number of interactive activities including a crawfish peel-and-eat contest, sand volleyball and various lawn activities 4-7 p.m. at the University of Houston’s Recreation Outdoor Leisure Pool, 4500 University Drive, Houston. Call 713-743-9501 or email mavila2@uh.edu.

Rienzi Spring Party: Spend a lovely evening of poolside cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment 7-10 p.m. at Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European Arts, 1406 Kirby Drive, Houston. $150. Call 713-639-7523 or email rienzispringparty@mfah.org.   

FRIDAY 27
Kinesthetic Symphony: Dance aficionados may attend this dance show featuring the contemporary works of the University of Houston faculty and guest artists, and the UH Dance Ensemble 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts Building, University of Houston 209 CWM Center, Houston. $20 for general admission, $15 for UH faculty and staff, $10 for students. Email mlrobinson2@uh.edu.

Book Signing: Christopher Farnsworth will sign and discuss his newest book, “Red, White and Blood” 6:30 p.m. at Murder By The Book, 2342 Bissonnet St. Houston. Call 713-524-8597 or 888-424-2842.

SATURDAY 28
Young Readers Club: Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders are invited to the new Young Readers Book Club, which launches 11 a.m. at Barnes and Noble in the River Oaks Shopping Center, 2030 W. Gray St., Houston. The club meets the last Saturday of each month through October to discuss different selections. 713-522-8571.

Spring Heavy Trash Day: Properly dispose of your heavy trash, including items that are too large for curbside pickup 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Public Works Department, 3825 Milton St., West University Place.  Call 713-662-5839.

MONDAY 30
‘The Eichmann Trial’: Join professor Hanna Yablonka as she discusses the impact of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in a free lecture from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater, 5401 Caroline St., Houston. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so reservations are requested. www.hmh.org/registerevent.aspx.

WEDNESDAY 2
Book Discussion: The West University Book Discussion Group will meet to discuss John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley,” 11 a.m.-noon at West University Branch Library, 6108 Auden St., Houston. 713-668-8273.

Bird Conservation Lecture: Adults can learn about bird conservation with Mary Anne Weber, education director for the Houston Audubon Society 7-8:30 p.m. in the Hana and Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center Classroom, 7112 Newcastle St., Bellaire. Free. 713-667-6550.

THURSDAY 3
Thursday Concert Series: Come join Grammy Award-winning Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma in a night of hip-shaking, horn-blaring and mind-blending music 6:30 p.m. on the Anheuser-Busch Stage at Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney Houston. Singer/Actress Patricia Vonne will open the show. Free. 713-400-7336.

FRIDAY 4
‘Goldilocks’: The Express Children's Theatre will present “Goldilocks” 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Heinen Theatre, 3517 Austin Street, Houston. This modern retelling of the “Three Bears” fairytale finds the bears returning home to find Goldilocks in their home using their computer to access the Internet. The show is written by Pat Morgan and directed by Benito Vasquez.

SATURDAY 5
Book Signing: Amanda Stevens will sign and discuss the two newest books in her “Graveyard Queen” series, “The Kingdom” and “The Prophet” 4:30 p.m. at Murder By The Book, 2342 Bissonnet St. Houston. Call 713-524-8597 or 888-424-2842.

Tree Identification Walk: Learn how to identify trees that live in Russ Pitman Park with master naturalist, tree lover and bird watcher Jim McKee 10-11 a.m. at Russ Pitman Park, 7112 Newcastle St., Bellaire. Call 713-667-6550 or email mbeauch@naturediscoverycenter.org.

SUNDAY 6
Art Improv: Families and guests are invited to stroll through the museum and bond with and contemplate art through sketching, writing and conversing 1-4 p.m. at the Beck Building of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 5601 Main St., Houston. Following the activity, guests may visit the studio and work on a craft based their experiences. Occurs intermittently on the first Sundays of the month.