Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is finally in theaters. I’m pretty tempted to say that’s the only thing you absolutely must do this weekend. I know it’s the first day of summer. All the more reason to go hide in a dark, air-conditioned cave for a few hours.
Friday
A couple of months ago, the Dallas Theater Center hired Austin-by-way-of-Denton band Foe Destroyer to perform on stage in the production of their new rock musical Fly By Night. I loved the show, and I also really loved the band, which our musical authority Christopher Mosley describes as “classically trained pop rock.” Happily, I soon learned that they were planning a stop at Prophet Bar on their summer tour. Nashville’s Photo Ops opens, and tickets are nice and cheap. This line up repeats in Denton tomorrow night, so if you can’t catch Foe Destroyer here, you can make the trek to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio.
In the Arts District, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Crow Collection, and the Dallas Museum of Art join forces for a free block party-style evening along Flora Street, which always means lots of food trucks and artsy fun for everyone. Hop from the DMA, where there’s gallery tours and music, to the Nasher for an outdoor screening of Moonrise Kingdom. The Crow Collection offers cool traditional dance performances and crafts for kids.
Saturday
Hopefully everyone watches Archer, FX’s raunchy, foul-mouthed comedy about a spy agency and its off-color, morally ambiguous employees. If not, the first couple seasons are on Netflix Instant, so you have no excuse not to get into it before the live stage show at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie. Archer Live features a moderated panel discussion, an audience Q&A with the cast, and a live reading of a few of the more hilarious scenes. According to the organizers, “talent appearances include H. Jon Benjamin as Agent Sterling Archer, Aisha Tyler as Agent Lana Kane, Jessica Walter as Malory Archer, Chris Parnell as Cyril Figgis, Amber Nash as Pam Poovey, Lucky Yates as Krieger, series creator/executive producer Adam Reed as Agent Ray Gillette and executive producer Matt Thompson.” Jessica Walter, guys. And well, everyone. But Jessica Walter. Come on!
Meanwhile, we’re lucky enough to enjoy a visit from Chicago’s all-Latina theater, Teatro Luna, Saturday afternoon at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. They’ll do a one-off performance of Luna Unlaced, an “anything goes” sort of show that combines sketch comedy, improv, and song. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door.
If you are a fan of beer and the places that sell it, the Bottle Shop is throwing an all-day two year anniversary party, complete with live music and two firkin tappings. One’s Peticolas Velvet Hammer, the other is a secret Austin beer. Fun starts at 3 p.m.
Sunday
Over at the Angelika, the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas and Refugee Writers have teamed up for a screening of Faisal Goes West, a dual-language (Arabic and English) indie film about a Sudanese immigrant family and the son who gives up his dreams of an American university education to work on a Texas chicken farm.
For more to do with your weekend, go here.
