It’s a relatively low key week in Indy, but that’s doesn’t mean you don’t have options. After all, Summit Performance’s “Silent Sky” is still running and you really should get there. 
In addition, here are some upcoming events that sparked my interest and may spark yours.
“Leave No Trace”
You could pull together a mini-festival of films about parents trying to live off the grid coming into conflict with children wanting more. There’s “The Mosquito Coast,” “Running on Empty,” “Into the Wild,” and, recently, “Captain Fantastic.” These differ from flicks like “The Blue Lagoon” and “Cast Away” because the characters are choosing–for a variety of reasons–to stay under the radar.
“Leave No Trace” is somewhere in between. It’s a film about Will (Ben Foster), a man raising his 13-year-old daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) in the Oregon wilderness. The conflicts are not surprising: She gets a taste of civilization and finds she actually interested in connecting to people. What makes this lovely, quiet film transcend is that we’re never certain how much of this back-to-nature lifestyle is Will’s choice and how much is Will’s psychological need. 
Debra Granik, who also wrote “Winter’s Bone” and both wrote and directed the documentary “Stray Dog” clearly has an attraction to those living on the margins. But she also understands that those margins are full of life for the people there. She wisely underwites here, trusting her actors to reveal much of the drama through their performances rather than her lines. It’s trust that pays off.
Opening July 13 at Keystone Art Cinema.
The Skivvies
Yes, the name refers to undergarments. The Skivvies perform in their undergarments.
While they perform without outerwear, they do perform with joy. And with humor. Core members have Broadway credentials (Lauren Molina was in “Rock of Ages” and the “Sweeney Todd” revival while Nick Cearley was an ensemble member in “All Shook Up) and they are bringing along guest Nick Adams, who memorably played a lead in “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
Anyone else up for a mashup of “Alexander Hamilton” and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”?
July 14 at the Cabaret
Janelle Monae
As of my writing this, there are still tickets available for the Saturday concert by this bordering-on-supernaturally talented performer.
Want to give a listen? Here’s an oldie (relatively speaking) but a goodie.
July 17 at the Murat
louharry.com 