STUART PIMSLER DANCE & THEATER

Friday-Saturday: This weekend the troupe marks 35 years as a source of witty and poignant performance works. It will reprise the stunning "Swimming to Cecile," a 1983 creation exploring meaning after profound loss. The program also features SPDT repertory favorites "The Men From the Boys" and "Joy," a solo for Pimsler showcasing his wry humor. Enjoy a broad range of emotions on this program — including love — as is fitting for a show opening on Valentine's Day. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $29, The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-206-3600, thecowlescenter.org.)
CAROLINE PALMER

Elephant's Graveyard

Opening: George Brant based this play on the bizarre case of an elephant that killed one of her handlers in a small Tennessee town in 1916. The townspeople cried out for the beast to be executed. So Mary the elephant was hanged from a giant crane. The script mixes fact, legend and thirst for spectacle. Wade A. Vaughn leads a cast for Theatre Pro Rata. Amber Bjork directs. Pro Rata is producing the show at Nimbus Theatre. (7:30 p.m. Sat.-Mon. Ends March 2, Nimbus, 1517 Central Av. NE., Mpls., $14-$41, 612-234-7135 or www.theatreprorata.org)
Graydon Royce