Week’s highlights include a variety of concerts; and talks on books, death and extraterrestrial life.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11, AND SATURDAY, SEPT. 12

Catbirds, Lewis perform at Payomet

The Catbirds, one of several band incarnations led by Chandler Travis, and Provincetown musician Zoe Lewis will fill the ballfield with music this weekend at Payomet Performing Arts Center’s drive-in stage. The outdoor show will be the Catbirds’ only live show this summer, according to Travis. Lewis will play as Zoe Lewis and the Souvenirs, with Liam Hogg on drums and Ron Siegel on bass, both from Sarah Swain & The Oh Boys.

When: Catbirds, 6 p.m. Friday; Lewis, 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Payomet Performing Arts Center ballfield, 29 Old Dewline Road, North Truro

Tickets: $20-$50

Reservations and information: payomet.org

SATURDAY, SEPT. 12

Paddle Out continues without party

Supporters of the Live For Lou Fund to support groups that fight the opioid epidemic on Cape Cod will hold a Paddle Out/Prayer Circle this year without the usual in-person party fundraiser at the Beachcomber. Participants are asked to wear a mask to the scaled-down event, and donations will be collected there. Donations are also welcome at Live for Lou Fund, P.O. Box 1567, Orleans, MA 02653. The annual event memorializes Louis LeBart, who died at age 25.

When: 1 to 3 p.m., with paddle-out at 1:30 p.m.

Where: Long Pond, Wellfleet

Admission: Free, but donations collected

Information: 508-776-6485 and www.liveforlou.com

Hughes poetry explored in BLM talk

Robin J. and James W. Miller will continue the monthly Black Lives Matter series at Cotuit Center for the Arts with “The Negro Speaks – Langston Hughes,” written by and featuring art by Robin J. Miller. The presentation looks at the work of 20th-century poet Hughes and how his words resonate today. Due to Covid-19 limitations, seating will be limited but the presentation may be viewed later online. All proceeds from donations will be split between the Cotuit center and the Millers, who will give their share to the Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis.

When: live at 7 p.m. Saturday; available for streaming Sept. 18

Where: Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28; streaming at the Cotuit On Demand YouTube Channel

Tickets: $30, $28 for seniors/veterans, $25 for members; free to stream but donations encouraged

Reservations and information: artsonthecape.org

SUNDAY, SEPT. 13

Art Ensemble plays at cultural center

The Art Ensemble of Cape Cod, offering music described as “rooted in improvisational performance and a variety of styles that reflect the fusion of traditional music from a diverse world,” will perform a live show for a socially distanced audience. The foursome’s repertoire also includes the Great American Songbook and Cape-based originals. The ensemble: Wayne Naus on piano, Gary Gross on guitar, Rick Cain on bass, and John DiSanto on drums. Masks must be worn during the concert.

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth

Tickets: $20

Reservations and information: www.cultural-center.org or 508-394-7100

MONDAY, SEPT. 14

Williams to lecture on public hangings

As part of the Tales of Cape Cod’s virtual theater series, retired judge/historian Greg Williams will present “Hangings — Melville, Lemuel Shaw & 4 Killers,” a story of historical figures and death. Author Herman Melville attended one of the most famous public hangings in 19th-century London. Not long afterward, his father-in-law, West Barnstable’s Lemuel Shaw, presided over two capital cases in Boston, including the famous “murder at Harvard.” Williams will explore how the executions connected.

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Where: Via Zoom teleconference

Admission: $10 for live or on-demand five days after the original show

Reservations and information: talesofcapecod.org

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15, AND THURSDAY, SEPT. 17

Authors talk about sports, life online

Falmouth Museums on the Green will continue its author series this week with two very different virtual talks, one on sports and one on a woman’s difficult journey. On Tuesday, Jeff Benedict will discuss his “The Dynasty,” about the football success of the New England Patriots. On Thursday, Ryan Leigh Dostie will discuss her “Formation: A Woman’s Memoir of Stepping Out of Line,” about her career in the army and what happened after she was raped by a fellow soldier.

When: Benedict at 7 p.m. Tuesday; Dostie at 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Online

Admission: $10, $5 for members

Reservations and information: museumsonthegreen.org

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16

Panelists to discuss life beyond Earth

Three scientists and a comedian will talk on “Oceans Beyond Earth: From Earth’s Deep Ocean to the Search for Extraterrestrial Life” as part of a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Ocean Encounters virtual talk. The discussion explores whether the water beneath the icy shells of moons in our solar system might have spawned life. Panelists: Lunar and Planetary Institute astrobiologist and geomicrobiologist Kennda Lynch, WHOI marine microbiologist Julie Huber, WHOI marine geoscientist Chris German, and comedian Eugene Mirman.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Via Zoom teleconference and on WHOI’s YouTube Channel

Admission: Free

Registration: https://whoi.zoom.us/webinar/register/3215985450137/WN_n4iH6QRjRe2gwTKbj2ZiGA

Information: https://www.youtube.com/user/WoodsHoleOceanInst

Compiled by Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll