If your calendar is looking a little too empty for late October, the Valley has helpfully stepped in with a stack of options. Because apparently one week wasn’t enough to remind everyone that plans are now a competitive sport.

1. AZ Craft Beer Fest in Downtown Mesa

The big beer event on this week’s list is the AZ Craft Beer Fest on October 31 at The Post & Macdonald Plaza in Downtown Mesa. It’s tied to the 5th Annual AZ Craft Beer Awards, with VIP entry at 11 AM, general admission at 12 noon, late admission at 1 PM, and the event ending at 4:00 PM.

2. Broadway comes to Tempe with *Water for Elephants*

From October 27-November 1, Water for Elephants is at Gammage Auditorium in Tempe. The musical is based on the bestselling novel by Sara Gruen and mixes musical numbers with acrobatics, which is a polite way of saying this one is not content to just stand there and sing.

3. The Addams Family heads to Peoria

Through November 8, The Addams Family is playing at TheaterWorks at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. The story centers on Wednesday bringing home an ordinary boy for dinner, which is exactly the kind of social event the Addamses would consider a crisis.

4. Black Theatre Troupe stages *Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope*

Also through November 8, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope is at Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center in Phoenix. The Broadway musical revue touches on the struggles and joys of Black life, and tickets are listed at $52.

5. Suffs keeps the conversation going in Phoenix

At Hormel Theatre in Phoenix, Suffs runs through November 29. The production is about the history-making individuals who challenged sexism to secure the right to vote, which is the sort of reminder that progress rarely arrives quietly or conveniently.

6. Annie brings a familiar favorite back to the stage

Annie is also on the Valley calendar through November 21. The listing describes it as the story of an optimistic orphan on her way from a hard-knock life toward something better, which is still one of the more durable setups in musical theater.

The nice thing about a week like this is that it gives you options without demanding a personality test first. Pick your lane, buy the ticket, and let the Valley do what it does best: keep everyone mildly overbooked.

— Bill Farr