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The term "fundraiser" conjures mind-numbing images of dry, desperate public television beg-athons, but Pig Iron Theatre Co.'s annual event is actually one of the acclaimed avant-garde company's biggest, craziest productions. This year's timely "In-hog-ural Ball" features Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (New York's all-male prima ballerina company), Nichole Canuso Dance Co., James Sugg (reprising a part of his Fringe hit The Sea), the Philly Circus School and a Project Runway-inspired contest pitting three local designers against one another to costume Pig Iron's own first lady, Dito van Reigersberg's drag persona Martha Graham Cracker. Add a silent auction and a specially created drink, "The Swearing-In," and you've got one wild hope-and-change event.

- Mark Cofta

Fri., Jan. 16, 8 p.m., $20 before Jan. 9, $30 after, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-627-1883, pigiron.org.

Emma Salamon was born in France, raised in Italy and Argentina, and studied glass-blowing all across America — but it was one month in Philly about a year ago that inspired her latest work. "November 2007" offers a harrowing step inside a portrait of creative psychosis: Black glass bubbles connected by torn fabric appendages lie strewn across the floor, while a nearby wall is consumed by more than 200 sheets of ink-blotted abstractions. A typewriter on a desk gushes incomplete thoughts and papers next to a medicine cabinet nursing glass vials of thick ink. A hint of how she made it through the month: a glass-blown heart sitting next to the typewriter, filled with glitter and hope.

- Jakob Dorof

Opening reception Fri., Jan. 9, 5-9 p.m., free; exhibit through Jan. 30; Da Vinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine St., 215-829-0644, davinciartalliance.org.

One Book, One Philadelphia Kickoff

The Soloist did not come easily for Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez. It took convincing, humility, sacrifice; it took spending a night on skid row to get his subject to open up. But Lopez knows a great story when he meets one, and hard-knock street musician Nathaniel Ayers is just that. To kick off the seventh annual installment of One Book, One Philadelphia, the former Inquirer columnist will describe how a Juilliard-trained violinist-turned-paranoid schizophrenic came to influence his writing — and his life.

- Nikki Volpicelli

Wed., Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322, freelibrary.org. Read a review of The Soloist on our A&E blog (citypaper.net/criticalmass).

Lar Lubovitch Dance Co.

When it premièred in 1986, Lar Lubovitch's Concerto Six Twenty-Two caused quite a stir. Partially inspired by the then-raging AIDS epidemic, the work featured two male dancers performing a romantic duet. The piece jolted many viewers in the '80s — but how does it fare today? See for yourself when Concerto is reprised with Lubovitch's distinctive lyrical blend of classical and modern dance at the Annenberg Center. Expect a beautiful, sweeping performance created by a master choreographer, who, after 40 years in the biz, is still making waves.

- Deni Kasrel

Thu., Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Jan. 9, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 10, 2 and 8 p.m.; $32-$48, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-636-9000, pennpresents.org.

Orange Flower Water

Playwright Craig Wright charmed Philly with comedies produced by the Arden (Molly's Delicious, The Pavilion) and 1812 (Recent Tragic Events) before writing for Six Feet Under, Lost, Brothers & Sisters, and Dirty Sexy Money. Luna Theater Co. now presents his 2002 drama Orange Flower Water, about two couples twisted by infidelity. Expect an intense and intimate experience — not only because Luna produces in the in-your-face 55-seat Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, but because Wright sets all the action on and around a single bed.

- Mark Cofta

Jan. 17-Feb. 14, $20-$35, Luna Theater Co. at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St., 866-811-4111, lunatheater.org.