Contemporary art can be scary, but we've got your back. Here's this week's TBA highlights.

Thursday September 4

Anna Halprin recreates Blank Placard Happening, a processional piece originally performed in San Francisco in 1968, and officially kicks off the festival. Anyone can join in, but participants are encouraged to wear white and carry blank white signs.

Begins at PNCA, 1241 NW Johnson, ends at Leftbank, 240 N Broadway, 8:30 pm, free

Friday September 5

Longtime TBA fave Reggie Watts wants to disorient you and then make you rethink your understanding of time—with beat boxing—in TRANSITION.

Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 6:30 pm, continues Sept 6 & 7 at 9 pm, $20-25

Neal Medlyn likes to show off his unit by wearing metallic short shorts. He also likes Beyoncé enough to recreate her live concert in The Neal Medlyn Experience Live!

The Works at Leftbank, 240 N Broadway, 10:30 pm, $8-10

BUILT, a piece by Sojourn Theatre, combines experimental theater with city planning. What's more Portland than that?

South Waterfront Discovery Center, 0680 SW Bancroft, 4:30, 6:30, & 8:30 pm, continues Sept 6 & 7 at 2:30, 4:30,

& 6:30 pm, free

Saturday September 6

Only a gifted storyteller like Mike Daisey could artfully weave together topics like Thomas Edison, board games, and Wal-Mart. See him perform MONOPOLY!

Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th, 8:30 pm, continues Sept 7, $15-20

Mike Kelley explores why going to high school is a lot like participating in a pagan ritual with his film Day is Done.

Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, 2:30 pm, continues Sept 7 at 4 pm, Sept 13 at 2:30 pm, & Sept 14 at 3:30 pm, $6-7

Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno take a unique look at French soccer star Zinedine Zidane (with help from a Mogwai soundtrack) in Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.

Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, 9 pm, continues Sept 11 at 7 pm, Sept 12 at 6:30 & 8:30 pm, & Sept 14 at 7:30 pm, $6-7

Sunday September 7

Jérôme Bel, a controversial French contemporary dancer, has teamed up with Pichet Klunchun, a classical Thai dancer, in Pichet Klunchun and Myself.

PSU's Lincoln Hall, 1620 SW Park,

6:30 pm, continues Sept 8, $20-25

Monday September 8

Fans of both experimental and pop music can all agree on the staggering beauty and compelling strangeness of Au, a loose ensemble that explores the divide between comfort and innovation.

The Works at Leftbank, 240 N Broadway, 11 pm, $8-10

And be sure to check out the Mercury's TBA:08 Blog!

Hit our TBA blog (portlandmercury.com/tba) for more up to the minute reviews and commentary. It might even explain why the names for so many pieces end with exclamation marks.