Best of the week: 'We Are Proud to Present,' Patti Smith, Twin Cities Ballet, more

In "We Are Proud to Present ... " a troupe of actors tries to stage a play about how the Germans ruled part of Africa between 1884, when European countries divided the continent into colonies, and 1915, when the Germans lost their hold on the territory. Not your regular Guthrie show with the cast taking a bow at the end, this psychologically gnarly drama is a fraught think piece on history, theater and our responsibilities to truth. ROHAN PRESTON

7 p.m. Sun.; 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Fri.; 1 & 7:30 p.m. Sat.; 1 p.m. next Sun. Guthrie, Mpls. $9, guthrietheater.org

The year 1975 was one of the best ever for rock albums. "Blood on the Tracks," "Born to Run," "Tonight's the Night," "Physical Graffitti," "A Night at the Opera," "Atlantic Crossing," "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and "Young Americans," to name a few. One that rises to the top is punk poet Patti Smith's "Horses," a perfect combination of art and attitude, poetry and passion. She'll play the album in its entirety plus some other standouts from her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career.

JON BREAM

8 p.m. Wed. Northrop, Mpls. $40-$55, ticket.umn.edu

Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota's "Classical Connections" features everything from a technically challenging pas de deux to a world premiere dance inspired by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." The program offers an appealing mix of European classicism and American modernity, including the company's take on "Rodeo," a cowboy ballet from 1942 scored by Aaron Copland with choreography by the legendary Agnes de Mille.

SHEILA REGAN

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Cowles Center, Mpls. $25-$35, thecowlescenter.org

In her new novel, Christina Baker Kline draws inspiration from Andrew Wyeth's iconic painting "Christina's World." "A Piece of the World" is the story of the woman in the painting, her life and her friendship with the great artist and his wife. Kline's previous historical novel, "Orphan Train," was a bestseller.

LAURIE HERTZEL

6 p.m. Mon. Barnes & Noble, Galleria, Edina, and 7 p.m. Tue. River Falls Library, River Falls, Wis.

The American Choral Directors brings its annual convention to Minneapolis, with three concerts open to the public. Twin Cities choirs VocalEssence and the Singers perform Dominick Argento's "Te Deum," plus a singalong with Garrison Keillor. The storied Stuttgart Kammerchor offers a 16-part mass by Carl Fasch. Orphei Drängar, the Swedish male choir, gives a ticketed recital.

TERRY BLAIN

7:30 p.m. Tue., Convention Center, Mpls., free; 7:30 p.m. Fri., Bethel University, Arden Hills, free; 2 p.m. Sat., Plymouth Congregational Church, Mpls. $20, acda.org/conferences.asp

To commemorate Women's History Month, the Bakken Museum salutes female trailblazers in science, technology, engineering and math. Participate in a day of robotics demonstrations and hands-on activities for all ages. Experts from the STEM field in Minnesota, including a zoologist, engineer and chemist, will share their experiences and insights as women in science.

MELISSA WALKER

10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sat. Bakken Museum, Mpls. $5-$10, thebakken.org

Social snobbery, marital infidelity and financial chicanery: The plot of "Dinner at Eight" could have been written yesterday. Instead, it dates from a 1930s play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, which librettist Mark Campbell has adapted for William Bolcom's new opera. Despite the shady thematic content, "Dinner at Eight" sparkles with comic elements, Broadway pizazz and sassy rhythms. Conductor David Agler leads Minnesota Opera's world premiere staging.

TERRY BLAIN

7:30 p.m. Sat., Ordway, St. Paul. $25-$200, mnopera.org

Mac Sabbath is a Black Sabbath tribute band whose members dress up as Hamburglar and other McDonald's characters. Metalachi is a mariachi group that offers horn- and violin-laden, borderland cantina revisions of classics by Ozzy, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, et al. The two California acts really are a match made in kitsch-metal heaven. Metallagher, the Twin Cities' own watermelon-smashing Metallica tribute band, is the perfect opening act. So fun.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, Mpls. $10-$15, eTix.com

The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company presents the 12th of the duo's operas, "The Gondoliers," a satire of class distinctions featuring just married Venetian gondoliers who discover that one of them is actually the king of Barataria. Complications, misunderstandings and happy resolutions of the G&S variety soon follow. The production is directed by Lesley Hendrickson, with musical direction by Randal A. Buikema.

Cynthia Dickison

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., through April 2. Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, Mpls., $12-$22, gsvloc.org