Pete Correale

Dog ownership, marital tiffs and Ikea furniture are standby topics for New York-based comic Correale. His "everyone's crazy but us!" breed of observational comedy isn't revolutionary, but he makes it work. A lot of that has to do with Correale's emotional honesty; when he riffs on the minutiae of drinking beer or relationships, it's coming from a real place. His model looks and fuggedaboutit NYC accent don't hurt, either. Correale's everyman act has scored him plenty of success, including appearances on Leno, Letterman and his own 2009 Comedy Central special. --Jay Boller

'Lay of the Land'

With Minnesota on the cusp of voting for a same-sex-marriage ban, it's appropriate timing for Los Angeles-based queer performance artist Tim Miller to bring his politically driven show to the Twin Cities. The influential artist has toured the country with the New York Times-approved show, which ruminates on gay rights issues like marriage equality, bullying, hate crimes legislation and "Don't ask, don't tell," while offering up double entendre-laced stories from his childhood and his travels. Don't expect it to be all biting satire -- Miller is known for bringing sunny optimism and outright patriotism to the proceedings. --Jahna Peloquin

24:00:00 Xtreme Theatre Smackdown

Formerly known as the 24 Hour Play Project, Theatre Unbound's event combines 40 playwrights, directors and actors in six new plays to be produced in only 24 hours. Like the 48 Hour Film Project, the teams are required to incorporate ingredients such as a line of dialogue, an emotion, a prop or a stage direction, and are given only 24 hours to write, create a cast and rehearse before showtime. While there's sure to be a few flops, expect the amped-up pressure to invigorate the experienced performers to entertaining ends. --Jahna Peloquin

'Julius Caesar'

Kathleen Wise and William Sturdivant rehearsed for a Guthrie Theater/Acting Company production that plays in the Guthrie studio for three weeks before heading out on tour. The partnership between the Guthrie and the New York-based Acting Company is in its fourth year. This year's staging of "Julius Caesar" features alumni from the Acting Company, the University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA program and the Guthrie Experience. Rob Melrose, who directed "Happy Days" at the studio three years ago, puts this Shakespeare classic into a contemporary setting intended to capture the turmoil of current politics. --Graydon Royce