Illustration by Lauren Wendell

WED 12.3
Future Boston Fun-Draiser
support the arts

A few reasons why you should come out tonight for Future Boston’s fundraiser, aptly and cheesily titled Fun-Draiser. 1) The fun will be raised to stupidly high levels. 2) Future Boston was built on the mission to foster and celebrate Boston’s creative economy, and you probably are interested in seeing nothing but growth from that sector. 3) Catwalks. 4) DJs. 5) No dress code. 6) Booze … You get the idea.

The Good Life, 52 Kingston St., Boston. 9pm-1am/21+/$20. futureboston.com

THU 12.4
Comfortable Control
varied vulnerability

Here’s something you can probably relate to—and don’t think you’re exempt just because you’re reading this in print. Comfortable Control: Vulnerability in the Digital Age, a multimedia, multi-artist exhibition, explores the vulnerabilities fueled by digital technologies as well as their role as tools in creating and fueling relationships and identity. If you’re reading this online, this is the moment you desperately resist the urge to thumb through your social media timelines.

Boston Cyberarts, 141 Green St., Jamaica Plain. On view through SUN 12.21, opening reception THU 12.4. 4-6pm/all ages/FREE. bostoncyberarts.org

THU 12.4
Captive Beauty
from boston filmmaker

Pablo Escobar may be Medellin, Columbia’s most notorious criminal, but he’s not the subject of Boston filmmaker Jared Goodman’s new documentary, set in the world’s most dangerous city. Captive Beauty follows a handful of convicted criminals in Medellin’s women’s prison as they compete for the title of Miss Penitentiary. In following the pageant, Goodman offers an intimate look into the convicts’ upbringings, experiences, and quests for redemption.

Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., Boston. 7pm/NR/$12, $8 students. icaboston.org

FRI 12.5
The Slutcracker
praise the parody

Tchaikovsky’s classic gets the tassel treatment. Again. Now in its seventh year,“The Slutcracker,” a burlesque parody of the classic Christmastime ballet, has earned its must-see stamp for its impressive creativity, choreography, and dynamite ensemble cast. Those things and the tits, of course. Whether you’ve already seen it once or twice or countless times, ’tis the season to see it again.

Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville. FRI 12.5 through WED 12.31. For showtimes and tickets, visit theslutcracker.com

FRI 12.5
Distant Neighbors
extraterrestrial theater

In Fresh Ink Theatre Company’s latest, a group of neighbors are alien to each other. That is, until a UFO crash-lands and conjoins their separate suburban backyards, sparking a space age love story about longing, loneliness, and the roadblocks to connection. And in keeping with the theme of breaking down barriers, Fresh Ink invites you to cash in on a “Distant Neighbors” Date Night buy-one-get-one admission deal on December 10.

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, 949 Comm Ave., Boston. FRI 12.5 through SAT 12.13. For showtimes and ticket prices, visit freshinktheatre.org

SAT 12.6
Angaje
sneak peek

While Mouse Kings and Dewdrops are all the rage this time of year, allow us to point you in Jean Appolan Expressions’ direction for an alternative. As part of their BCA residency showcase, JAE—a contemporary dance company that combines modern technique, Haitian folkloric dance, and live traditional drumming—presents Angaje, a sequence of dances reacting to the recent surge in violence against homosexual young men, set in the context of contemporary Haiti.

Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston. 8pm/all ages/$10. bcaonline.org