What's happening this week

This weekend

Pass the paranoia

Theater Exile closes its 11th season with the Philadelphia premiere of Tracy Letts' "Bug," described by the New York Times as "a tsunami of lunatic paranoia." The comic-thriller is set in a fleabag motel where Agnes, a down-and-out waitress hiding from her abusive ex-husband, meets Peter, her mild-mannered protector. Their intertwined past and present paranoia threaten their chance to make a new life for themselves.

Christ Church Neighborhood House, 2nd and Market streets, 8 tonight and tomorrow, 7 p.m. Sunday; opening night 8 p.m. Wednesday, through May 18, $15-$40, 215-922-4462, www.theatreexile.org.

Behind excavated doors

If your curiosity about our first presidents has been piqued by watching the "John Adams" mini-series on HBO, the new photo exhibit at Independence Visitor Center can answer some questions, especially about the use of enslaved Africans to run the households. The pictures by Temple professor John E. Dowell Jr. of the President's House Site, where both Washington and Adams lived from 1790 to 1800, reveal the artifacts and foundations discovered during the 2007 excavation.

Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market streets, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m daily, free, 215-965-7676.

Bark, you're on canine camera

An exhibit of photojournalist Elliott Erwitt's ironic observations of dogs, focusing on their curiously human qualities, comes to the James A. Michener Art Museum this weekend. "Dog Dogs" includes more than 60 black-and-white pictures, photographed between 1946 and 2000 all over the globe by this master of 20th-century photography. Asked once why the dogs in his pictures are so like people, Erwitt replied, "Like them? They are people, just with more hair."

Wachovia Gallery, Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, opens tomorrow through Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, $6.50, $6 seniors, $4 students, under 6 free. 215-340-9800.

Hot pots

The American Art Pottery Association brings its convention, show and sale to Bucks County, a rare chance to see (and even buy) some of the finest examples of both contemporary and antique pottery. The convention is open to the public Saturday and Sunday and will feature informative seminars by experts, including PBS' "Antiques Road Show" appraiser Arlie Sulka. On Friday evening, attend a reception and preview before the 5:30 live auction at Rago Arts and Auction Center, 333 Main St., Lambertville, N.J.

Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, 400 Oxford Valley Road, Langhorne, noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, $6, www.aapa.info.

Play in the street

A daylong celebration of art and science, Parkway Funday brings the activities of some of the city's greatest cultural institutions outdoors, clustered around Logan Square. There will be stages showcasing music and displays by the major Parkway museums, from the Academy of Natural Sciences to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Logan Square, 19th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 11 a.m. tomorrow, free.

Next week

Greek love

"Eurydice," Sarah Ruhl's modern retelling of the Orpheus myth from the heroine's point of view, gets its Philadelphia premiere at the Wilma Theater this week. Music by Toby Twining makes this production the first in which live musicians and original music is incorporated into the play, which traces Eurydice's path to the underworld where she encounters her dead father and must ultimately choose between remaining with him or returning to Orpheus and earthly love.

Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday; opening night 7:30 p.m. May 7, through June 1, $37-$52, 215-546-7824, tickets@wilmatheater.org.

Project Greenway

Students from the fashion design program at Philadelphia University show off their designs in a green-themed "EcoCouture" fashion show Wednesday. The 10! Show hosts Bill Henley and Lori Wilson will emcee the event, at which the winner of the Philadelphia University/NBC10 Runway Challenge - a 10-week-long design competition - will be announced. Francisco Costa, creative director of Calvin Klein Collection for women, will receive the Spirit of Design Award at this gala.

Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, $45-$10, 215-893-1999, www.ticketphiladelphia.org.

Man with the cam

Duane Michaels is in town next week, bringing his idea-infused photographs to the University of the Arts in an exhibit called "Facts of Life." The exhibition, which explores issues facing the gay community, is being held in conjunction with the Equality Forum, a week-long symposium focused on gay civil rights. "When people ask me what I am, I tell them I'm the artist formally known as a photographer," is how Michael describes his creative vision. Hear this innovative thinker discuss his art during a lecture Wednesday afternoon and then view the exhibit in Terra Hall, through May 2.

Elaine C. Levitt Auditorium, Gershman Hall, 401 S. Broad St., 2 p.m. Wednesday. Terra Hall, The University of the Arts, 211 S. Broad St. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Info: 215-717-6300.

"Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penquins," the chilly Arctic exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences, closes Sunday. Experience the world's polar regions through the eyes of great explorers and learn how global warming threatens the icy habitat of its iconic creatures. The Academy, 19th and Race streets, is open from

10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-

5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday.

Admission is $8-$10. Info: 215-299-1060.

Last chance

* Learn about Chinese cooking from master restaurateur Susanna Foo during classes at Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen (555 E. Lancaster Ave.). Make hot and sour soup, thin rice noodles and grilled fish. Classes, at 1 p.m., also will be held May 5 and 12. $50 each. Reservations, 610-688-8808.

Dining deals

* Enjoy chocolate-dipped strawberries, in jam, as pies and smoothies or all by their sweet selves at the 39th Annual Peddler's Village Strawberry Festival (Lahaska, Bucks County), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 3-4.

Music and kids' activities, plus a craft fair, too. Free parking.

* New York's so legendary for its pizza that shops brag about their "New York-style" pies. Now New York-style burgers are heading our way. The Big Apple chain goodburger is slated to open its first Philly location May 3 at 1725 Chestnut St. Though it's a burger joint, it's got china and real cutlery.