Bayou Kitchen Comedy. Extreme Improv: Fridays 8pm - Chicago Style long form improv "The Gallery"; Saturdays 8pm - "Who's Line Is it?" style improv; Psychotic Pooch at 10pm. Fridays and Saturdays. www.extremeimprov.comwww.psychoticpooch.com. $10. 1958 E 7th St. 866-467-7681.

CJ's, Adams Mark Blue Light. Talent show with stand-up, musicians and more. Thursdays, 8pm. 555 S. McDowell St. 704-506-3156.

The Comedy Zone Upcoming Performances:. May 28-30: Lavell Crawford & Spanky Brown; June 2-5: Mike Armstrong & Naughty. www.thecomedyzone.net. 516 N. College St. 704-348-4242.

Ovations Comedy Variety Show. "The Waki Tiki Show" featuring the Kahunas of Comedy. In the Luau Lounge. Fri & Sat, 10pm. 3014 East Independence Blvd. 704-602-2595.

The Perch Theatre New Location. Sketch comedy club/theater. www.theperch.com. 1111-P Hawthorne Ln. 704-372-7724.

Visulite Theatre The Perch Presents. Sketch comedy theater. www.theperch.com. Thu., May 27, 9 p.m. $10. 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200.

Dance

Spring Repertory Performance The North Carolina Dance Theatre (NCDT) Student Ensemble's annual performance featuring works by Balanchine and Tchaikovsky. www.ncdance.org. Thu., May 27, 7:30 p.m. $12-$15. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000.

Museums

Charlotte Museum of History The Faces of Our State. Through June. Powerful Persuaders: World War II Posters. An exhibit of propaganda posters. Through Sept. 1. Soldier's Stories: War in the First Person. Through Sept. 30. 3500 Shamrock Dr. 704-568-1774.

Discovery Place Omnimax. Now showing: Ocean Oasis, NASCAR: The IMAX Experience, T. rex: Back to the Cretaceous, and Lost Worlds: Life in the Balance. Call or visit website for times. A T. Rex Named Sue. A fully articulated cast of a T. Rex fossil now on display. www.discoveryplace.org. 301 N. Tryon St. 704-372-6261.

Levine Museum of the New South Cotton Fields to Sky Scrapers. Tue.-Sun. Courage: The Carolina Story That Changed America. Brown vs. Board of Education exhibit. Through Aug. 15. 200 E. 7th St. 704-333-1887.

Mint Museum of Art Fashions of the Crinoline Era: 1840-1865. Through May 2004. Jazzy Ladies 2004. A series of evenings featuring picnics, live jazz and classic New York City films. June 1: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bill Gerhardt Trio performs; June 8: Tootsie, Evans & Coppola perform. www.youngaffiliates.org/events/jazzyladies. $5-$7, free for Young Affiliates members. Revelation: A Fresh Look at Contemporary Collections. May 29-Sept. 19. VantagePoint II. Julie Heffernan: Interior Transformations, featuring large scale paintings. May 19-Sept. 5. 2730 Randolph Rd. 704-337-2000.

Mint Museum of Craft & Design The Art of Gold. Exhibit presents 80 contemporary gold objects. Apr. 3-Aug. 8. The Artful Teapot: 20th Century Expressions from the Kamm Collection. Through May 30. Tradition & Change: 19th and 20th Century Craft At The Mint. Ongoing exhibit. Tue.-Sun. 220 N. Tryon St. 704-337-2009.

Museum of York County Rock Hill From A to Z. May 22-Aug. 15. Summer Movies for Children. This year's theme: Awesome Animals. June 8-9: Pete's Dragon; June 15-16: A Bug's Life; June 22-23: The Fox and the Hound: June 29-30: Brother Bear. Tues. & Wed. at 11am & 2pm. Vernon Grant. An exhibit of Grant's work, Storybook Village. Through Oct. 31. 4621 Mount Gallant Rd., Rock Hill. 803-329-2121.

Schiele Museum, Gastonia 2 for 1 admission for Veterans. The museum will offer 2-for-1 general admission to veterans all through Memorial Day weekend. May 28-31. 1500 East Garrison Blvd. 704-866-6900.

Readings & Signings

Gaston County Public Library World War II - Hometown and Homefront Heroes. Readings and discussions by editor Margaret Bigger and local authors. Thu., May 27, 7 p.m. Free. 1555 East Garrison Blvd, Gastonia. 704-868-2167.

Park Road Books Sheri Lynch. Author of Hello, My Name is Mommy. Wed., May 26, 5:30 p.m. Park Road Shopping Center, 4139 Park Rd. 704-525-9239.

Queens University Queens MFA Readings. The low-residency M.F.A. program in creative writing at Queens presents its next series of faculty readings. May 27: Daniel Jones & Suzannah Lessard; May 28: Elizabeth Strout & Cathy Smith Bowers. All readings will begin at 8pm in Accenture Auditorium, The John H. Sykes Learning Center. Free. 1900 Selwyn Ave. 704-337-2335.

Spoken Word

Afro-American Cultural Center Harambee Tuesday. Spoken word poetry and creative expression gathering. First and third Tues., 7-9pm. Free. 401 N. Myers St. 704-374-1565.

Maggiano's Little Italy Soulful Sundays. A brunch event featuring gospel singer John Crowe and several local poets. www.bgbb.org. Sun., May 30, 11 a.m. Free. 4400 Sharon Rd. 704-552-6565.

Mama's Caribbean Grill Uptown Saturday Nite. Featuring singers, rappers, and poets. Sign up for the Open Mic Showcase. Details: www.freewebs.com/motifentertainment. Every second and last Saturday of the month at 10pm-until. $7 cover. 1504 Central Ave. 704-375-8414.

Tonic The Soul Movement. An underground nite for Spoken Word/Poetry, Soul Classics, Neo-Soul, Deep/Soulful House, Urban Grooves & Underground Hip-Hop. www.thesoulmovement.com. Sundays. $5 before 9:30pm. 1427 E. 4th St. 704-580-7187.