A big weekend ahead for the arts at Princeton!  Give yourself a couple hours to relax after an epically long (and snowy…sigh) first week back:

• In the mood for a (literally) epic evening of opera? Theo Popov ’11’s senior thesis with the Music department, called Nero Artifex, is an original chamber opera based on the life of the famous Roman emperor.  Written entirely in Latin by seniors Mariah Min and Veronica Shi (it has subtitles projected onstage), it’s shaping up to be an extremely exciting production, and has involved over fifty student actors, designers, musicians, and backstage hands. Thursday and Friday only, 8pm in Richardson Auditorium at Alexander Hall. Admission is free.
• If family dramedy’s more your thing, check out Emma Watt ’13’s production of Brighton Beach Memoirs, a semiautobiographical play by Neil Simon about growing up Jewish in Brooklyn in the 1930s.  Not intrigued yet?  The play’s scenes about growing up (think two teenage boys desperate to see their cute girl cousin naked) are priceless.  Thursday-Saturday at 8pm in Theatre Intime; the show will also play next weekend. Tickets $8 at the door, student events eligible.
• Nuns, mistaken identities, a psychotic wife named Bananas, sixties costumes that look straight out of Mad Men…John Guare’s House of Blue Leaves, featuring Brad Baron ‘11 as his senior acting thesis for the Theater department, has all that and more.  This weekend and next; Friday and Saturday at 8pm in the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center.  Tickets $10, student events eligible.