Thursday, April 25-Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.

The battle over California’s Proposition 8 hits the Tulsa Performing Arts Center as three Tulsa theater groups combine talents to present 8, a drama re-enacting parts of a key 2010 federal court trial on the constitutionality of denying same-sex marriage. Theatre Tulsa, Odeum Theatre Company and Theatre Pops will hold a staged reading of the piece by award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar, HBO’s Big Love) just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court heard the debate. 8 premiered in September 2011 and later moved onto Los Angeles with a cast of film actors that included Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Kevin Bacon and others. This production boasts some faces familiar to the Tulsa theater scene, including Craig Walter, Chad Oliverson and Heather Sams. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25-Saturday, April 27, in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Liddy Doenges Theatre, 110 E. Second St. Tickets $12, available at www.myticketoffice.com and at the PAC box office. This play is recommended for a mature audience.

Sunday, April 28, at 1:30 p.m.

Remington Park goes wild Sunday with Extreme Racing at the Oklahoma City racetrack. Presented by the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, jockeys line up at the gate on camels, ostriches and (new this year) zebras. There will also be an event called “Flying” Pig Racing on the plaza. One can only wonder. Extreme Racing is for all ages, and spectators will have a chance to get up close to the animals racing outside of Henry Hudon’s Pub at the track through the weekend leading up to the races. Admission is free to Remington Park, One Remington Place. Extreme Racing begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28. For more details, see www.remingtonpark.com.

Wednesday, May 1, at 8 p.m.

When Stevie Nicks hinted last year that the remaining members of Fleetwood Mac were signed on to tour, the news traveled fast and wide – so proves the appeal of a band that formed in the late 1960s, reached great heights in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and has been on top ever since. While Christine McVie may have retired from the group (at least for now), Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Nicks show they are still tied together through a body of work that has made the band and its music more than just classic. Fleetwood Mac said it best: “Don’t stop.” The band hits the BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave., next week. Show time is at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, and tickets are $49.50-$149.50. Get them online at www.bokcenter.com.

Thursday, April 25-Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.

It’s been marketed as a “laugh-out-loud musical,” and by most accounts, Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody has made good on its claim. The unauthorized musical parody of the steamy bestselling novel 50 Shades of Grey re-imagines the characters of the erotic romance as they were never intended by its author. Naughty? Maybe a little. Hilarious? You bet. Spank is headed for the Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25-Saturday, April 27. Tickets, just $36.50, are available at www.bokcenter.com. Oklahoma Magazine readers can save $5 off tickets. Visit  www.tulsaconvention.com/events/detail/spank and enter the discount code “FIFTY.”

Thursday, April 25-Saturday, April 27

With acts like the Joy Formidable, Samantha Crain, Josh Sallee, J.D. McPherson, King Khan & BBQ Show, Big Sam’s Funky Nation and Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights headlining, this weekend’s Norman Music Festival is going to be formidable in its own right. Now in its sixth year, the event turns downtown Norman’s Gray Street into a cool gathering for music fans. With numerous stages, you’ll find an assortment of bands and singers in all genres, and, it’s all free. Read all about NMF6 and see the full schedule of local and regional acts booked for Thursday, April 25-Saturday, April 27, at www.normanmusicfestival.com.

Saturday, April 27, at 1 p.m.

It took Oklahoma a few decades (try four) to catch on to that Dust Bowl “upstart,” Okemah’s Woody Guthrie, and his folk legacy. But when it happened, Guthrie’s name, image and lyrics were branded onto t-shirts, festivals, media and parks. Tulsa continues to give the traveling troubadour, poet and activist his due with the opening of the Woody Guthrie Center, 102 E. Brady St. At 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27. The center will house the Woody Guthrie Archive purchased by the George Kaiser Family Foundation in late 2011. The collection includes Guthrie’s personal notebooks, letters, lyrics, artwork, photographs, musical instruments and many other personal items. The grand opening will exhibit the original handwritten version of “This Land is Your Land,” Guthrie’s everyman anthem of Great Depression-era America. The 12,000-square-foot center will be the permanent home of these and other items and memorabilia for exhibition, education and research as well as a permanent exhibit on the Dust Bowl.

Also look for concerts on opening weekend at the Guthrie Green, 111 E. Brady St., across from the new center. Following the 12:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 27, favorite acts such as Jimmy LaFave, the Red Dirt Rangers and more take the stage through 6 p.m. On Sunday, April 28, from 2-6 p.m. rising Oklahoma recording artists Ripple Green, Samantha Crain, Ramsay Midwood and J.D. McPherson are featured.

Opening weekend events are free and open to the public. After the weekend, regular admission is $6-$8 with children under 5 admitted free. Visit www.woodyguthriecenter.org for hours and other information.

Thursday, April 25

You’ve been waiting for an excuse to try out that restaurant everyone’s been raving about, so why not stop in Thursday, April 25? That’s the day when nearly 30 Tulsa-area restaurants, pubs and cafes step up and donate 25 percent of their food and beverage sales to support HIV/AIDS prevention and research. Benefiting HOPE Testing in Tulsa, this annual event takes place in cities across the country, which means there’s continued awareness for the need to support such nonprofits as HOPE. Among the establishments participating are Hey Mambo, The Vault, Fassler Hall, Joe Momma’s, Back Alley, Andolini’s on Cherry Street, India Palace, Shades of Brown, Laffa, Keo South and more. Visit www.hopetesting.org for a complete list.

This week

We’ve waited nearly a year for this to happen, and as the Oklahoma City Thunder makes its way through the NBA playoffs to the ultimate goal – the finals – fans will be watching oh so carefully. Sunday’s win over the Houston Rockets (lead by former teammate James “The Beard” Harden) quickly brought back the rush of last year’s run at the championships. Kevin, Russell, Serge, Thabo, Nick, Kendrick and the rest of the Thunder go into the second of a possible seven games tonight (April 24) at 6 p.m. at Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., once more against the Rockets. Unless the team wins the next three games, look for the Thunder and Rockets to return to the Peake Wednesday, May 1. We’re a little conflicted – who wouldn’t love to see the team sweep Houston, yet who could pass up that magic play on the home court that moves the Thunder into the semifinals? Tickets start at $36. Go to www.chesapeakearena.com for pricing and availability. Stay with www.nba.com/thunder/ for team up dates and schedules.

Musical theater sometimes gets a bad rap for simply being what it is – artful entertainment that includes exuberant dance, frequent bouts of singing and an abundance of orchestrated energy. Musicals aren’t everyone’s cup of honey green-ginger tea, but West Side Story, which broke the mold of Broadway musical theater way back in 1957, still brings in converts arrested by its storytelling. Celebrity Attractions brings a new touring production of this tale of New York City street gangs, racial prejudice and true love to Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., April 23-28. The show strikes on to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 101 E. Third St., April 30-May 5. The collaboration of Leonard Bernstein’s pulsing composition, Stephen Sondheim’s sharp lyrics, Arthur Laurents’ smartly-paced book and Jerome Robbins’ lightning choreography prove not only timeless, but positively resurgent. Tickets are $20-$60, available at www.celebrityattractions.com