You can get a different perspective on San Jose through an exhibition of photographs on display at City Hall starting Thursday. “This is San Jose” features 50 photos, spanning all 10 of the city’s council districts, that were selected from hundreds submitted for a juried competition this summer.

“History San Jose’s archive has more than 75,000 images — dating from the 1850s to the 1950s — but few contemporary images,” said Alida Bray, CEO of History San Jose, which held the contest. “We think having a city-wide photography exhibition is a wonderful way to celebrate this great city and its artists, as well as a way to document and preserve its visual record.”

Some photos feature the faces that make up the community, whether it’s a pair of San Jose Police officers walking the streets during Silicon Valley Pride, the impressive visage of Dr. Harry Edwards or a family strolling through the Rose, White and Blue parade. There are places too — the quiet wetlands around Alviso, the bright lights of Lincoln Avenue and downtown and even City Hall itself.

The exhibition will be on display in the City Hall Wing Gallery through April. Many of the featured photographers will be at an opening reception Thursday night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall Rotunda. The reception is free and open to the public, and you can register to attend online.

MEET ‘EDITH STEIN’: Coming off the success of its season-opening musical, “Memphis,” Tabard Theatre Company is really switching gears for its next show, “Edith Stein,” which opens Friday at downtown San Jose’s Theatre on San Pedro Square.

The haunting drama tells the story of a Jewish woman who converted to Catholicism and became a nun. Her journey leads to the concentration camp at Auschwitz after the Catholic Church denounced the Nazi Party.

“Edith Stein’s story is compelling on every level,” Tabard Artistic Director Cathy Spielberger Cassetta said. “If it weren’t a true story, one may be tempted to say the account of her life is far-fetched, couldn’t happen. And, yet, it did — it all happened. The choices she made are, indeed, courageous in hindsight. For her, the choices, though, were just the next step in her journey of faith.”

And that makes it a great choice for Tabard’s 16th season, which is themed “Courage.” Details and tickets are available at www.tabardtheatre.org.

IT’S BACK!: It might be hard to believe, but “The Milpitas Monster” is rising again from the murky depths to celebrate its 40th anniversary on Sunday. The horror spoof directed by Robert Burrill has a serious anti-pollution message that’s still relevant four decades later. Created as a student project at Samuel Ayers High School, where Burrill taught, it’s also a wonderful love letter to the city of Milpitas and the Santa Clara Valley.

The anniversary screening will take place at 7 p.m. at the Century Great Mall in Milpitas — of course — and tickets are available for $10 at www.milpitasmonster.com. (Proceeds from the screening benefit the Milpitas High School art department.) A pre-party featuring San Jose’s favorite cheerleader, Krazy George Henderson, gets going at 4:30 p.m. at the Outback Steakhouse at the Great Mall. Henderson, who taught at the school with Burrill, appears in the movie and doesn’t look like he’s aged a day.