Pencil This In

EVENT:Tonight Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and actress Summer Bishil will come together at the Apple Store as they discuss their film, Towelhead (pictured). "Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Alicia Erian and written for the screen and directed by Alan Ball, Towelhead follows the dark, bold, and sometimes shockingly funny life of Jasira, a 13-year-old Arab-American girl, as she navigates the confusing and frightening path of adolescence and her own sexual awakening." The movie comes out this Friday.

7 p.m. // Apple Store SoHo [103 Prince St] // Free

FESTIVAL: The 5th Annual Mexican festival of contemporary arts and cuisine kicks off today. Currently there's a choreographer collaborating with actors, musicians, and a visual artist "to transform a swath of City Hall Park." Later you can catch a discussion and reading with "rising young poets Ali Calderón and Xitlálitl Rodríguez, moderated by poet, novelist, and playwright Carmen Boullosa, plus the launch of the fall issue of the Mexican literary magazine, Reverso Revista Literaria, presented by founder/editor Carlos de Alba, and introduced by Raul Zorilla, Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York. Reception to follow."

7 p.m. // St. John's University, Manhattan Campus [101 Murray St] // Free

THEATER: Despite generally favorable reviews (including one from this very website) meta-musical [title of show] seems to be suffering the same fate as last season's money-loser Passing Strange, with half the house still empty on a regular basis. The Playgoer sums up the situation nicely: "So we have another wonderful downtown piece of creativity bloated up to Broadway size, stuck in a huge barn, and forced to sell its wares to tourists who couldn't get into Hairspray." The show is whimsical and certainly worth checking out before it gets the boot; it also has the advantage of performing on Mondays, which is appealing to those wretched souls who have to write a listing for the most theater-starved day of the week. – John Del Signore

8 p.m. // Lyceum Theatre [149 West 45th St] // Ticket prices vary

MUSIC: Three bands for the low, low price of four bucks--can't beat that. Tonight Arboretum, Pontiak and American Buffalo are all at Cake Shop for the bargain ticket price. Go early, stay late, eat one of the venue's vegan cupcakes between sets.

10 p.m. // Cake Shop [152 Ludlow St] // $4