Planet Weekend Picks, May 11-13

The Drepung Gomang Monks will be at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health until 5 p.m. today creating a sacred sand mandala, a formal geometric pattern showing the floor plan of a sacred mansion. Millions of grains of colored sand are laid into place in the creation of the mandala. Observe the monks at Princeton Center for Yoga & Health’s new location at the Orchard Hill Center, 88 Orchard Road in Skillman. You can also join them on Saturday a 1 p.m., when the monks will put the final touches on the mandala. The closing ceremony, held at 2 p.m., includes the dismantling of the mandala. Observers can travel with the monks to a body of water in order to spread the healing energies throughout the world. Call to register and find out the location of the closing ceremony at 609-924-7294.

Saturday, May 12

Herb Class, Terhune Orchards – Pam Mount, owner of Terhune Orchards, talks about culinary herbs, how to set up an herb garden, and how to harvest and use herbs. 330 Cold Soil Road, Lawrenceville, 10:30 a.m. Free.

Justin Roberts, McCarter Theatre  – The children’s singer songwriter presents a family show with the Not Ready for Naptime Players. Matthews Theatre, 11 a.m. Tickets $16.

Booksigning with Chef Jim Weaver – Weaver, owner of Tre Piani, signs copies of his new book ‘Locavore Adventures: One Chef’s Slow Food Journey’ at the Barnes & Noble at MarketFair, 2 p.m. Free.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra: Behind the Music – A talk by composer Sarah Kirkland Snider about ‘Disquiet’ to be performed at PSO’s Sunday, May 13 concert. Princeton Public Library, 4:30 p.m. Free.

Songs My Mother Taught Me, The Princeton Singers – Concert with the Princeton Girl Choir featuring a repertoire devoted to mothers everywhere. Trinity Church, Nassau Street, 8 p.m. Tickets $25.

Jazz Ensemble, Princeton University Concerts – ‘Sounds of Revolution or Evolution? The Music of Bebop, Cool Jazz, and Hard Bop.’ Richardson Auditorium, 8 p.m. Tickets $15.

Sarah Donner CD Release Party –  Release party for ‘Fossil of Girl,’ Donner’s fourth studio album released on her label, CatLady Records. Brad Sicotte on drums and Jay Buchanan on upright bass. Joanna Burns opens the show with pop, Motown, and Broadway tunes. Arts Council of Princeton, 8 p.m. Tickets $5.

Are You There, McPhee? – McCarter Theatre debuts John Guare’s play focusing on a playwright sucked into the tangle of lives of a pair of abandoned children. Pre-show talk 45 minutes before the performance. Berlind Theatre, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $20 and up.

Sunday, May 13

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Classical Series – Music by Princeton native Sarah Kirkland Snider, Maurice Ravel, and Johannes Brahms. Richardson Auditorium, 4 p.m. Pre-concert lecture at 3 p.m. Tickets $25-$68.