It's rather frightening, really. Somewhere, somehow it'll be happening, and you can't do anything to stop it. At any given 20-minute-or-more pre-planned slot this weekend, it will be going on. And when it's not going on, people will be thinking about it. You're probably thinking about it right now: ARTS FIRST.

ARTS FIRST '97 marks the fifth anniversary of the festival, begun by former Overseer John Lithgow '67 in 1993. The weekend provides the singular opportunity of concentrating on arts and arts alone. Forget about that last paper and enjoy the arts: You're soaking in it.

With so much to choose from, you might be overwhelmed, and that's understandable and perfectly normal. To narrow the field, here are some selected highlights of ARTS FIRST weekend. Enjoy!

Today

7:30-9:30 p.m. Asian American Film Festival. Three days of screening begin with the internationally award-winning Banana Split. Emerson, Room 205.

8 p.m. Official Kickoff Event: Screening of A Perfect Candidate. Savvy feature documentary about the "heart of darkness" of the current political process as illustrated by the 1994 Virginia Senate race between Oliver North and Charles Robb. Carpenter Center, Room B-04.

8 p.m. Assassins. The Sondheim musical that deals with--i.e. glorifies--the killing of political leaders. Tickets: $3, PfoHo residents; $4, the rest of us. Pforzheimer House Dining Hall.

8 p.m. The Glass Menagerie. An old chestnut by our favorite postmodern American playwright, Tennessee Williams. Tickets: $5 students, $7 everyone else. Agassiz Theater.

Friday

11 a.m.-8 p.m. Outdoor Music Stage at the Holyoke Center. Ongoing performances of damn good music, including the blues-funk-rock quarter Blue Tantrum and the Harvard Drumming Ensemble (all drumming done by hand). Holyoke Center, Forbes Plaza.

4 p.m. A Midsummer Night's Dream. What fools be these mortals? Puck & co. answer in this spirited outdoor performance. Memorial Church steps.

4:30 p.m. Make-Your-Own-Instrument Workshop and Parade. Interactive art has never been so fun: get it, build it, play it. Harvard Yard outside of Dudley House.

8 p.m. Don't Try This At Home. The Harvard Magic Society provides entertainment "not appropriate for young children." Tickets: $5, students, available at Sanders Box Office. Agassiz Theater.

8 p.m. Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Student performance of the Terrence McNally favorite, with Sarah Burt-Kinderman '97 and Peter Friedland '98. Loeb Ex.

8 p.m. Bach's Mass in B minor. Performed by the Harvard University Choir and the Baroque Chamber Orchestra. Tickets: $6 students, $10 general. Memorial Church.