Crowns of Power: Henry IV at the Samuell-Grand Park Amphitheatre
What is it about the name William Shakespeare that makes so many English students groan in frustration? The Bard's stories may be difficult to read on the surface because to some they appear to be not in English but in some kind of coded gibberish. Is Shakespeare trying to keep all of his work a secret? The truth is once those groaning kids get past ye olde English tongue, they'll discover some dark, intriguing and mysterious adventures. The Junior Players will show your jaded teenager just how awesome Shakespeare can be with a performance of Crowns of Power: Henry IV. This special collaboration with Shakespeare Dallas at the Samuell-Grand Park Amphitheatre (1500 Tenison Parkway) focuses on the development of Prince Hal, the future king Henry V, who navigates his way through the treacherous halls of political power. Performances run at 8 p.m. this week from Wednesday, Aug. 2 through Sunday, Aug. 6. The Wednesday show is pay-what-you-can. The remaining performances are $15 ($10 for students and seniors) and can be purchased online at juniorplayers.org.
Thursday, Aug. 3
Newsies at The Firehouse Theatre
We're smack dab in the middle of a strike by the Writers Guild, and it's amazing how some things never change. Super-rich people don't want to pay the folks who actually do the hard work for them. Don't believe us? Google the Newsboy Strike of 1889. Newspaper publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst tried to shortchange a bunch of their newsboys, so the people who deliver the product got together and went on strike. Their actions emboldened paperboys across the country to stand up for themselves and demand proper treatment for their hard work. How did it turn out? We're not going to spoil the ending for you. Find out for yourself at the Firehouse Theatre (2535 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch) with its run of the Disney musical Newsies. Catch a performance at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 3, through Saturday, Aug. 5, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6. Tickets are $36 or $32 for matinee performances and can be purchased online at thefirehousetheatre.com.
Beauty and the Beast Jr. and Seussical Kids at the North Texas Performing Arts Center
Having trouble deciding which of these shows you want to see on Thursday? It's not an easy choice. On the one hand, you've got a timeless tale of love with anthropomorphic housewares trying to play matchmaker to a beautiful, intelligent woman and a snarling beast with a hard heart. On the other, you've got every great Dr. Seuss character together in one gigantic musical experience. The decision gets even harder when you realize both are productions fronted by the talented kid casts and crews of the North Texas Performing Arts Center (NTPA). We don't envy you right now. If you decide to see Beauty and the Beast Jr., you can catch a performance at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, or 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 3, Friday, Aug. 4, and Saturday, Aug. 5. If you choose Seussical Kids, you can get tickets for shows at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, and Friday. Aug. 4, or at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 6. Both shows will be performed at the NTPA's Willow Bend Center of the Arts (6121 W. Park Blvd., Plano). Either way, you can't go wrong. Tickets are $12–$25 for Beauty and the Beast Jr. and $12–$14 for Seussical Kids and can be purchased online at NTPA.org.
Friday, Aug. 4
Anime at the Modern Presents Children of the Sea at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
We live in a time where comics and cartoons aren't just "comics" and "cartoons" anymore. They can be sweeping tales about heartache and loss, victory and triumph and the true meaning of love and kindness that rival the quality of any Oscar-winning movies that didn't require a team of animators to make. One of the most moving and impressive forms of artistic animation comes from the anime presentation Children of the Sea — easily one of the most emotional experiences you can have at a movie theater. This anime classic from director Ayumu Watanabe tells the story of a kid named Tomboy Ruka who takes a trip to a coastal aquarium while trying to pass time during a long summer. That's where she befriends a pair of orphaned brothers with an amazing connection to the sea creatures in the aquarium, who have witnessed some nefarious plans by the scientists who run the place. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St.) is holding a special screening of Children of the Sea as part of its regular Anime at the Modern series. The film starts at 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 4. Tickets are $10 per person or $8 for museum members and can be purchased at the museum's admission or online at themodern.org.
Body Stories at Aura Coffee
If you're finding it hard to accept yourself in these twisted times, being constantly reminded you that you're not "perfect," well, you're not alone. Don't believe us? Make time to catch the Sundown Collaborative Theatre's latest collaborative work with Body Stories (a working title) at Aura Coffee (1306 W. Hickory St., Denton), which examines our feelings about the way we look, act and even feel in our own skins. The Sundown Collaborative Theatre takes stories collected from the community around a certain theme to create a brand-new work that demonstrates that everyone has a story to tell. The theater will host three shows at 8 p.m. from Friday, Aug. 4 through Sunday, Aug. 6. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors. Space is limited. Purchase your tickets online at sundowntheatre.org.
Aski the Mayan Warrior, left, and comic writer Robert Mercado call out El Peso Hero creator and Texas Latino Comic Con founder Hector Rodriguez. Aski and Rodriguez will settle their differences in the ring on Aug. 5.
Screenshot from Facebook
Saturday, Aug. 5
Texas Latino Comic Con at the Latino Cultural Center
Comic books aren't just for kids who use their textbooks to hide what they're really reading in class. They've become a whole new artistic medium with a variety of genres that celebrate stories and cultures across the world. Dallas is home to one of the first Latino comic celebrations, the Texas Latino Comic Con, returning to the Latino Cultural Center (2600 Live Oak St.). The annual comics convention brings some of the biggest names in the Latino comics community — such as Marvel and TMNT writer Henry Barajas and Marvel, DC Comics and Dark Horse artist Rafael Navarro — as well as new and emerging talent, to share their secrets of comics creation. This year's gathering will also feature a full-on grudge match between convention founder and El Peso Hero creator Hector Rodriguez III and Aski the Mayan Warrior, who will settle their differences in a real wrestling ring. The Texas Latino Comic Con runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5. Admission is free.
Samurai Spaghetti Series Features A Fistful of Dollars at The Texas Theatre
Samurai movies AND spaghetti Westerns on the same bill? Why in the hell has no one ever thought of this before? They're perfect for each other. Both are about quiet heroes who often become outlaws in an untamed wilderness of assassins. Both have a long list of classics that are worth seeing in a movie theater. The Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.) is finally matching these two genres of classic cinema for its new Samurai Spaghetti series of films starting on Saturday. The first film in the new series will be Sergio Leone's classic kickoff of his Dollars Trilogy — the Clint Eastwood Western A Fistful of Dollars, in which our nameless gun-slinging hero finds himself in the middle of a gang war in a small Mexican border town. The Texas Theatre will screen the movie at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6. Tickets are $13. Get more info at thetexastheatre.com.
Gary Mullen & The Works have spent the last 20 years performing one of the world's greatest tribute shows to Freddie Mercury and Queen. They'll be at the Winspear Opera House on Sunday, Aug. 6.
Courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center
One Night of Queen at the Winspear Opera House
The world may no longer be able to experience the awesome power and talent of Freddie Mercury, but Gary Mullen & The Works are as close to the real Queen as you can get. They've been performing their two-hour stage tribute to the legendary British rock group for two decades, and beyond playing the hits they re-create the pageantry, spirit and spectacle of a Queen concert that feels just as real and alive as Mercury's musical soul. Mullen and his crew are bringing their One Night of Queen show to the Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St.) to celebrate their 20th anniversary year with the show that's taken them to stages in 20 countries around the world. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6. Tickets are between $29.50 and $75.50 and can be purchased online at ATTPAC.org.
Boho Market's Mini Market at Klyde Warren Park
One of the great things about the summer is all the opportunities to do some outdoor shopping without being confined to some stuffy store with no visible windows to remind you that there's a whole world out there full of fresh air that didn't come from an insulated vent. The Boho Market is one of the summer's brightest shopping spots, situated in the beautiful Klyde Warren Park (2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway). This Sunday, Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Boho Market will host its Mini Market gathering with kid- and teen-owned businesses selling their best crafts and wares. Not only can you pick up something cool, you'll also be helping a future entrepreneur. Admission is free.
Make plans to be at the Alamo Drafthouse Denton for the theater's Grease Sing-a-Long Movie Party.
Courtesy of Fons PR
Grease Sing-a-Long Movie Party at the Alamo Drafthouse Denton
Did you ever catch yourself singing along to the music in a movie theater and immediately start turning down the volume because you're the only one singing? It happens. You get caught up in the spirit of the movie and you already know the words. The Alamo Drafthouse Denton (3220 Town Center Trail) has a perfect solution to this particular problem: sing-along movie parties. Now you can watch some of your favorite film musicals and sing as loud and long as you want because you're in a theater full of people who want to do the same thing. This time, you belt out the tunes of the classic 1978 film adaptation of the musical Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7. Tickets are $15. Find more online at drafthouse.com/dfw.
Tuesday, Aug. 8
Toddler Art: Hooray for Hats at the Dallas Museum of Art
Remember when you were a kid and your folks took you to Burger King? You didn't care about the food. All you wanted was that paper crown you could decorate with whatever crayons you could find in the car. Now you can get your little ones their own crown, or a firefighter's cap or whatever kind of hat they can conjure from their big imaginations at the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.) with this interactive art activity event for toddlers at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Spots are limited, so reserve your free spot at etix.com. If the event is sold out, you can request a spot on the waiting list by sending an email to [email protected].
