Wednesday, Nov. 10
Dallas Art Fair Gallery Late NightTechnically, the Dallas Art Fair is a Friday to Saturday thing, with scores of modern and contemporary art on display throughout the Fashion Industry Gallery (1807 Ross Ave.) and GA tickets from $20-$25 per day (or $50 for all three). But those who like a nosh and some bubbles with their preview can get a Champagne-soaked sneak peek from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, for $150. Ticket proceeds benefit the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Contemporary, and tickets are available online, where you can also find all the details for the full fair, including times and exhibitors. The thing is ... some of us want all the art we can get on as many nights as we can get it. So celebrate our joy as local galleries (some you can visit at the Dallas Art Fair as well) open their doors for a midweek art peep from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10. Participating galleries include 12.26, Cluley Projects, Conduit Gallery, Cris Worley Fine Arts, Erin Cluley Gallery, Galleri Urbane, Green Family Art Foundation, Holly Johnson Gallery, Liliana Bloch Gallery, PDNB Gallery and Site131.
Thursday, Nov. 11
The Mocky Horror Picture Show Presents: Reefer Madness at Dallas Comedy ClubGet ready for a public mockery. No really, join comedians Liz Barksdale, Danny Gallagher and Nicholas Harris for another Mystery Science Theater 3000-style screening of a movie just waiting to be made fun of. This time, at 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, The Mocky Horror Picture Show takes on Reefer Madness at the Dallas Comedy Club (3036 Elm St.). It’s interactive, it’s weird and it’s $15 with tickets available on Prekindle. Doors are at 9:30 p.m. so you can get those drinks ordered.
Friday, Nov. 12
Lit AF Comedy Tour hosted by Martin Lawrence at Texas Trust CU Theatre
Martin Lawrence’s Lit AF Comedy Tour had to sit itself on the shelf for a bit thanks to the pandemic, but just like his eponymous catchphrase ("Maaarrrrrtiiiiiin!), there’s no stopping the super-show or its punchlines. Time only makes zingers stronger; everyone knows that. While the lineup varies by location, Lawrence brings to Texas Trust CU Theatre (1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie) a show including Rickey Smiley, B. Simone, Donnell Rawlings, Chico Bean and Clayton Thomas. The show starts 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, and tickets are $39.75-$179.79 and available via axs.com.
Menopause the Musical at the Eisemann Center
Bring on the hot flashes; the ladies of Menopause the Musical are shopping for undergarments. Now in its 20th year, the story of fellow shoppers and “changers” is taking stage for three shows at the Eisemann Center (2351 Performance Drive, Richardson) and bringing with it the parodies of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s for which it has become beloved. See it 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, or 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. Tickets are $35-$50 and available through the Eisemann Center.
Uptown Night Market at McKinney & Olive
The monthly Uptown Night Market is back, and it comes with a theme of giving and thanks. That’s why it’s the ideal place to start gift shopping early, to donate to North Texas Food Bank (bring four non-perishable food items!) and to spend some quality time with friends enjoying music and games. More than 25 artisans and makers will offer handmade jewelry, home goods, visual art, candles, baked goods and more. This market is 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at McKinney & Olive (2021 McKinney Ave.) and is open to all ages, but psst … the 21+ crowd will probably dig it a bit more. Snag more details from McKinney & Olive.
Saturday, Nov. 13
Aaron Franklin and Meat Fight's Alice Laussade. Bid to skip the line at Franklin Barbecue when Meat Fight takes its annual auction online Saturday.
Brian Maschino
Feeling lucky? Then go ahead and register now to bid on some badass prizes come Saturday, Nov. 13. Meat Fight is known for its epic auction, and this year anyone with a computer can win things ranging from D Magazine’s Tim Rogers telling you you’re right, (believe that when you see it), skipping the line at Franklin Barbecue, Snow’s BBQ and others, chocolate and tequila for six, a Monte Cristo sandwich party for 20, and a hell of a lot more. It’s the insanity the world has come to expect from Meat Fight and co. to help provide epic opportunities and research for those living with multiple sclerosis. The auction takes place entirely online (register before it starts), but you can find out more about Meat Fight and what they do while you decide what you’re going to bid on.
Tacolandia at Energy Square Plaza
It’s baaaaaack! Your very own Dallas Observer returns with Tacolandia, the biggest taco festival the city has to offer. That’s really all we should have to say to get you to Energy Square Plaza (4925 Greenville Ave.) between 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, but we’ve got plenty more to inspire the tastebuds. More than 25 taco vendors will be sampling, including Beto & Son, El Ranchito, Taqueria Taxco and others. GA tickets ($35) include entry, unlimited taco samples and all the music you can take in. VIP tickets ($75) include early admission at 3 p.m., VIP-only tacos, three drink tickets (this is a 21+ event, y’all) and VIP bathrooms. Start drooling and snag your tix online.
Dallas Opera’s Jack & The Beanstalk on the OperaTruck at First United Methodist Church
For those who didn’t think opera could be family-friendly, the Dallas Opera has the beans to prove it. They’re bringing out the OperaTruck and seats for an outdoor presentation of a one-act Jack and the Beanstalk at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at First United Methodist Church (1928 Ross Ave.). Featuring four vocalists and piano accompaniment, it’s geared for all ages and free to watch. Seating is limited, so feel free to bring your own chairs or blankets. Find out more from the Dallas Opera.
Times Change Open House at Barry Whistler Gallery
The incredibly interesting thing about Ann Stautberg’s latest exhibition, Times Change, at Barry Whistler Gallery (315 Cole St.), is that much of her inspiration was drastically altered or even destroyed by Storm Uri before she completed her pieces. Stautberg photographs upward, featuring the sky, but recently began incorporating elements of plants. Naturally, with palms and other tropical botanicals, Uri made quite an impact in her hometown of Houston. Her large-scale photos are printed onto stretched canvass and then hand-tinted, so the process has in effect become a sort of tribute to nature lost. The 11 images are luxe and melancholic, which makes sense given the subjects. Celebrate the opening of Times Change from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. The exhibition shows by appointment through Jan. 8. Find out more from the Barry Whistler website.
Sunday, Nov. 14
The Trains at NorthPark
In Dallas, the holiday season officially begins when the first railcar hits the track on Level 2 of NorthPark Center (8687 N. Central Expressway) between Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. So take a deep breath because the Trains at NorthPark have arrived. The 34-year tradition, which benefits Ronald McDonald House Dallas, is open through Jan. 2. Tickets are available at $10 per adult and $5 per child or senior. If you want to dedicate a railcar ($200-$300), do it before Dec. 7 to ensure it’s on the track by the end of the exhibition. Find out about hours, tickets and more online.
Monday, Nov. 15
Shakespeare in the Bar: Richard II at The Wild DetectivesThere’s a tragedy taking place at the Wild Detectives (314 W. Eighth St.). To be clear, it’s the downfall of Richard II by way of Shakespeare in the Bar, so it’s not really a tragedy for the audience at all. Grab a drink and find a spot before 8 p.m. to watch the Deuce exile some folks, take some wealth, sorta exile himself to Ireland, get imprisoned and, well, there’s a lot of exile — so all the better to gather at the bar-bookstore and share in a great play that enjoyed no rehearsal and all the drinks. Tickets are available in advance online (while they last) for $20, and a few will be available at the event. Seating is first-come.
Tuesday, Nov.16
A bogolanfini work on display at the DMA through December.
courtesy Dallas Museum of Art's Textile Purchase Fund
We’ve seen Bamana mud cloth, just not like it’s exhibited in Bamana Mud Cloth: From Mali to the World at the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.), curated by Dr. Roslyn A. Walker, the DMA’s senior curator of the arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, and The Margaret McDermott curator of African art. The designs of the bogolanfini represent many beliefs and meanings for the Bamana peoples of Mali but have largely been appropriated over the years by designers of fashion and even housewares once they were introduced into Western culture in the 1970s. In the DMA, however, we can view them with respect to their origin and the creative process Tuesdays through Sundays through Dec. 4.
