Arts: the week ahead

THE FARM In this taut and absorbing new drama by 27-year-old Brookline playwright Walt McGough, a spy tries to come in from the cold after something went terribly wrong on his last assignment. Through Oct. 23. Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston. 866-811-4111, www.bostonplaywrights.org

TINY KUSHNER Turns out that Tony Kushner doesn’t need to work on an epic scale to have a pronounced impact, and neither does David J. Miller’s excellent cast of four in this production of five one-act plays by Kushner. Through Oct. 22. Presented by Zeitgeist Stage Company. At Plaza Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.zeitgeiststage.com

NEXT FALL Arlington native Geoffrey Nauffts has crafted a humane and emotionally resonant play, superbly acted by a cast of six and insightfully directed by Scott Edmiston, about a gay couple struggling to sustain a relationship amid stark religious differences (one is a fundamentalist Christian, the other is a nonbeliever). Through Saturday. SpeakEasy Stage Company, Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com

CANDIDE Adapted and directed by Mary Zimmerman, this is a vivid and robust production of Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 musical, with stellar performances by Lauren Molina as Cunegonde, and Geoff Packard as Candide. Through Sunday. Huntington Theatre Company, Boston University Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org

DON AUCOIN

TWELFTH NIGHT William Shakespeare’s last festive comedy is a metaphor for an England whose ship of state was sinking in the final years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. This new production has the measure of the Bard’s water music, not to mention a crew of actors who can float the boat. Through Oct. 22. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project. At Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 866-811-4111, www.actorsshakespeareproject.org

JEFFREY GANTZ

DANCE

KINGS OF SALSA World Music/CRASHarts brings on the irresistible moves of mambo, rumba, and cha cha cha in this Boston debut, which features some of Cuba’s top young dancers performing choreography by Roclan González Chávez to the beat of the live, 10-piece band Cuba Ashire. Direct from Havana, this show should have you bouncing in your seat. Oct. 13-15. $40-$65. Cutler Majestic Theatre. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org

SYNCHRONICITY & THE SACRED SPACE For this new work by Weber Dance, choreographer Jody Weber collaborates with storyteller/adventurer Jon Turk, whose work as an explorer is reflected in tales of cultural loss and alternative lifestyles. The new piece contrasts Western and non-Western perspectives. Oct. 13-15, 8 p.m. $35, $25 students. Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge. 617-577-1400, www.weberdance.com

PERCEPTIONS CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY Choreographer Melissa Gendreau and her spirited troupe return to Boston to show what they’ve been up to since moving to New York City two years ago. This one-night-only performance showcases the premiere of “Will/Work.’’ Oct. 15, 8 p.m. $20, $18 seniors and students. Boston University Dance Theater. 617-358-2500, www.perceptionsdance.org

BHAKTI: DEVOTIONAL DANCES OF THE GODDESS For most of the past decade, Colleena Shakti has lived closely with semi-nomadic snake charmers in Rajasthan, India, learning their distinctive movement style. She shares her experiences in the 5 p.m. lecture “Living With the Kalbelia Gypsies,’’ followed by an 8:30 p.m. show with guest artists, tracing the lineage of goddess worship through forms ranging from classical Indian dance to tribal belly dance. Oct. 14. Lecture $5-$15 (sliding scale), performance $15-$25. Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.brownpapertickets.com

KAREN CAMPBELL

GALLERIES

RESIDUE The 22d Drawing Show comes to the Boston Center for the Arts. Guest curator Steve Holmes asked 16 artists to examine the idea of traces, and what is left behind during the process of making art. Oct. 14-Nov. 27. Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts, 551 Tremont St., 617-426-8835, www.bcaonline.org

JALAL SEPEHR: CARPETS UNBOUND Sepehr, an Iranian photographer, places Persian carpets in unexpected environments, such as on beaches and floating in water and on air. Liberated from their role as home furnishings, the carpets take on deeper metaphoric value. Through Nov. 10. Khaki Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-423-0105, www.khakigallery.net

CATE McQUAID

MUSEUMS

DANCE/DRAW Work by 40 artists exploring the multilayered connection between drawing and dance in contemporary art. Through Jan. 16. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.com

PRINTS AND THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE A rich and scholarly exhibition delving into the connections between artists and science through the dissemination of prints, maps, books, and scientific instruments in the 16th century. Through Dec. 10. Harvard Art Museums. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org

AMERICAN VANGUARDS: GRAHAM, DAVIS, GORKY, DE KOONING, AND THEIR CIRCLE, 1927-1942 A look at the influence of John Graham’s circle on American modernism. Sept. 21, 2012 - Dec. 21, 2012. Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover. 978-749-4015, www.andover.edu/Museums/Addison

SEBASTIAN SMEE

EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of a reporting error, a critic’s pick for the art exhibit “American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, de Kooning, and Their Circle, 1927-1942” at the Addison Gallery of American Art was mistakenly included in Sunday’s Arts section, the Oct. 13 “g” section, and the Sept. 11 Fall Arts Preview. The show does not open until Sept. 21, 2012.