BOO, HISS The Bad Plays Festival, which celebrates terrible theater, kicks off with performances of “Blood Astounds Me” and “Expletives Deleted,” among other gems. Each of its three programs includes several short plays, and afterward the audience votes on the best of the worst. Opening reception: Wednesday, 6 p.m. Awards: Sunday, August 28. Series: Wednesday through Saturday, August 27, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 8 p.m., Downeast Arts Center, 203 Ave. A, between 12th and 13th streets, 212-228-2886, $10 each evening, $25 all three programs.

HOME SWEET HOME The annual American Living Room Festival, a forum for theater, music, and dance works, takes as its theme this year the “carousel of American progress,” with pieces that explore the country’s past, present, and future. Highlights include “In the Belly of the Beast With Two Backs,” an adaptation of “Othello” that incorporates mambo, erotica, and hymns, directed by Lisa Jackson (Friday and Saturday), and “Fresh Kills: A Waste Is a Terrible Thing To Mind,” a multimedia meditation on garbage in New York City, with a focus on the Staten Island landfill, directed by Lanny Meyers (Tuesday, August 16, and Wednesday, August 17). Festival: Through Sunday, August 21, all performances at 8:30 p.m., HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Ave., between Spring and Dominick streets, 212-868-4444, $15. For a full schedule, go to www.here.org.