Literature is coming. It’ll arrive this fall in all of its diverse forms: poetry, storytelling, readings from novels, performance art, and expressions of culture and diversity. And WordSpace Dallas, local literary gatekeeper that it is, will usher it in and dole it out with a full slate of events that stretch far into next spring. It will kick off a season of poetry slams, readings and discussions with the WordSpace 2017 Launch Party from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth St. Wordy revelers can expect live music from Inferno Texino, poetry and readings by members of the Dallas Poetry Slam and by novelist Brian Allen Carr, $1 tacos from Tacos El Padrino, and drink specials throughout. Admission to this book-laden bash is free; learn more about upcoming events from WordSpace at wordspacedallas.com. Wild Detectives, 314 W. 8th St., 7-9 p.m., free, wordspacedallas.com. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Never mind the new-fangled fanfic about a Downton Abbey beast loving a Hogwarts genius; Beauty and the Beast has always been about loving what’s inside. Texas Ballet Theater presents the ballet version of the romantic story, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Lew Christensen, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7; 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8; and 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. Something about dance helps to bring out the true message of looking beyond one’s cover and deep inside the soul … before the rose loses all its petals, of course. TBT wants audiences of all ages to enjoy the timeless tale, so it has created a space in the third-level broadcast booth to take young wiggle worms for a break without missing a beat of the accompanying Dallas Opera Orchestra. Tickets start at $20. Visit texasballettheater.org. Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., 7:30 p.m., $20 and up, texasballettheater.org. – Merritt Martin
It’s become pretty obvious lately that America has a complex relationship with its history. One glance at the headlines makes clear that what happened in the South more than a century ago still looms large in our national identity and seeps into the current climate like so much poison. And that poison is plentiful in Boo Killebrew’s world-premiere play, Miller, Mississippi, which spans two decades in the lives of the Miller family. As the Civil Rights movement begins to take root in Jackson, Mississippi, the family’s legacy starts to tear it apart in this timely tragedy presented by the Dallas Theater Center at the Wyly Studio Theater, 2400 Flora St. The production kicks off with a pay-what-you can performance at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, and continues through Oct. 1. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20 to $67 at dallastheatercenter.org. Wyly Studio Theater, 2400 Flora St., 7:30 p.m., $20-$67, dallastheatercenter.org. – Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Friday
At the center of the concrete landscape that is downtown Dallas sits a cozy little urban green space that regularly hosts food trucks, concerts, art installations and various other activities on the cheap. Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, is no doubt a local favorite for lazing around on a warm afternoon. It also doubles as an outdoor dance studio for those who want to work up a little sweat at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, when pros from Studio 22: A Ballroom & Social Dance Club, host Salsa in the Park. Join others on the park’s main stage at the Muse Family Performance Pavilion (facing the lawn) for a cool evening of salsa music and dancing. Can’t find a partner to tag along? That’s OK; no partners or experience is needed. For more information, including parking directions and nearby restaurants, visit the event’s Facebook page. Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, 6:30 p.m., free, see Facebook. — Diamond Victoria
Beer is a miracle. It turns a bad party into something somewhat tolerable. It makes hot days more bearable. It transforms boring concerts into reasons to head bang. Beer is also more than just a magical, transformative liquid. It comes in many varieties, styles and flavors. Discover your new favorite transformational liquid at one of the most anticipated beer gatherings of the year. The seventh annual Dallas Observer BrewFest brings together local favorites such as Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Humperdinks and Tupps Brewery with national brands including Shiner, Modelo, Fat Tire and Guinness. BrewFest will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood St. Each $42 general admission ticket comes with 12 beer samplings, 2 ounces each, and a commemorative glass. VIP passes are $75 and come with everything in the general admission package, as well as access to the fest an hour early; admission to the VIP lounge and restrooms; and food from Bucky Moonshine's, Chiloso Mexican Bistro, Full Circle Tavern and Pollo Campero. Tickets can be purchased at ticketfly.com. Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood St., 7-10 p.m., $42, ticketfly.com. – Danny Gallagher
It’s brown, it’s silky, it’s delicious and it has a festival dedicated to it. Sink your teeth into the Dallas Chocolate Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Fashion Industry Gallery, 1807 Ross Ave. Enjoy expert demos and educational talks and a section just for the little ones. The really, really good part: dozens of vendors offering samples of chocolatey goodness (and even more for purchase). Whether 72 percent dark is your bag, or the smoothest of milk, or any kind as long as it’s speckled with crunch — hell, even white “chocolate” — this festival will have it all for the tasting. It kicks off with a Midway Cocktail Party ($50) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, and concludes with a day of workshops ($60 to $200) from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Passes for all events are $275. Tickets to Saturday’s main event are $35 to $75 ($5 for children) and must be purchased at dallaschocolate.org. Fashion Industry Gallery, 1807 Ross Ave., 7 p.m., $35 and up, dallaschocolate.org. — Merritt Martin
Saturday
Colin Hay first found success as the lead singer for Australian band Men at Work. After the band's break up in 1985, Hay embarked a solo career but didn't quite receive the acclaim he was hoping for until much later. In 2004, his song "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" was featured in the film Garden State, reviving Hay's career tremendously. Hay's live sets are filled with anecdotal breaks, familiar hits from his time with Men at Work and new material off this year's album, Fierce Mercy. Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St., 8 p.m., $88 and up, liveatthemajestic.com. – Diamond Victoria
It is both strange and inspiring how two entirely different styles of painting can reflect upon and speak to one another. Take, for instance, Elsewhere, the exhibition featuring the works of Danny Rose and Haylee Ryan at Jen Mauldin Gallery, 408 N. Bishop Ave., Suite 103. The show, opens with an artist reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, and runs through Oct. 7. It showcases Ryan’s exploration of the human figure and Rose’s distinctive approach to color and shape. Although Ryan’s forms are much more realistic, they and their color-blocked backgrounds hold a natural aesthetic conversation with Rose’s bold graphic movements, which have as much an organic, breathing quality to them as a human body. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Visit jenmauldingallery.com. Jen Mauldin Gallery, 408 N. Bishop Ave., Suite 103, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, free, jenmauldingallery.com. — Merritt Martin
Letitia Huckaby bypasses Twitter fights and Facebook narratives to present a complex, sobering and historical perspective on race, the American South, and the intersection of past disappointments and current realities. Her exhibit at Liliana Bloch Gallery, 2271 Monitor St., titled 40 Acres Gumbo Ya Ya puts images of Southern landscapes and homesteads in vintage embroidery hoops — framing Deep South agrarian scenery once promised to freed slaves in a way that makes the disappointment and the gap between dreams and actualities palpable. The term “gumbo ya ya” is a colloquialism that means everyone is talking at once. Southern racial heritage is a screaming match these days, but when it’s framed and presented this way, it becomes a quiet contemplation and a singular, solemn reality. This timely and thoughtful exhibit kicks off with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, and continues through Oct. 7. Liliana Bloch Gallery is open from noon to 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; find the event page on Facebook or visit lilianablochgallery.com. Liliana Bloch Gallery, 2271 Monitor St., 6-9 p.m. Saturday, free, lilianablochgallery.com. – Jennifer Davis-Lamm
The Oak Cliff Cultural Center presents an exhibit showcasing a spectrum of eclectic local artists. From DFW mainstays to locally grown international talents, Voice has the potential to be a serious snapshot of Dallas’ underground art scene. Sam Lao, Jeremy Biggers, Sammy Rat Rios, Drigo, Hatziel and Odessa Buggs are all contributing to this exhibit. Voice kicks off with an artist reception at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, and runs through Oct. 13 at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson Blvd. The reception and exhibit are free to the public. For more information, visit occc.dallasculture.org. Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson Blvd., 5:30 p.m., free, occc.dallasculture.org. — Jonathan Patrick
Houston-based visual artist Melinda Laszcsynski is fascinated by liminal spaces. Process and the concept of art as a journey, not an endpoint, animates\her work. The artist’s latest exhibition, A Hole A Pool A Moon, takes place at local Galleri Urbane, 2277 Monitor St. A sculptor, a painter and everything in between, Laszcsynski makes art imbued with a colorful, absurd sense of play that examines the contrasts between low and high art. (“I'm partial to shiny stuff, bright colors, and everyday things from the dollar store,” she explains on her website.) Like the abundance of textures, surfaces and mediums she explores, Laszcsynski’s pieces speak to the oversaturation of modern, internet-enhanced living — 21st century commerce, media and cultural detritus. The free exhibition opens with a reception at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, in Galleri Urbane’s Gallery 2 and ends Oct 7. For more information, visit galleriurbane.com. Galleri Urbane, 2277 Monitor St., 6 p.m., free, galleriurbane.com. – Jonathan Patrick
Art Beef presents Cleaver, an exhibition of fresh material from Dallas’ Cassandra Emswiler Burd and Lucia Simek — the former best known for transforming opulent tile work into miniature masterpieces, and the latter an essential figure in nearly all facets of the Dallas art community. After sharing adjacent cubicle space, the two visual artists sparked up a friendship in 2014. On the bedrock of family, art-as-lifestyle and a shared experience of deep political turmoil, their art-making became indirectly intertwined. Cleaver runs Sept. 9-30 at Beefhaus studio, 833 Exposition Ave., starting with a reception at 7 p.m. opening night. For more information, visit facebook.com/artbeeftx. Beefhaus, 833 Exposition Ave., 7 p.m., free, facebook.com/artbeeftx. – Jonathan Patrick
There’s no end to the fascination that surrounds Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the Texas duo that somehow managed to conjure a legacy of romance and mystery that persists 83 years after a cruel rampage that left people across four states dead. Bonnie and Clyde were outlaws who photographed well, which cemented their history as proper American rebels despite the bodies they left in their wake. PDNB Gallery, 154 Glass St., presents a collection of images of the pair as they flamed out, reducing the notorious fugitives to flesh and blood and documenting other elements of the final ambush that claimed their lives. In Bonnie & Clyde: The End, see graphic photos of the police ambush that put a two-year crime spree to an end, including the lawmen involved, the getaway car and postmortem shots, as well as earlier photos of the couple in, er, happier circumstances. The exhibit, which opens with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, will be on view through Nov. 11. PDNB is open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; visit pdnbgallery.com for more information. PDNB Gallery, 154 Glass St., 5-8 p.m., free, pdnbgallery.com. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Robocop (Peter Weller) entering Dallas City Hall, where a Q&A with the actor will take place on Sunday.
Robocop Still
Have you ever driven by Dallas City Hall and wondered where you’ve seen that neatly angled building somewhere else? Well, if you read our cover story last month, you’d know that the Dallas City Hall building played a key role in the classic 1987 action sci-fi film RoboCop as the headquarters of the OCP corporation, the private military firm that builds the metal crimefighter. Thirty years later, Dallasites can see the film on an outdoor screen in the shadow of Dallas’ iconic center of local government, thanks to the Alamo Drafthouse, Birth.Movies.Death and SYFY, followed by a Q&A with the film’s star, Peter Weller. The event runs from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St. Tickets are $50 to $150 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com. Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St., 7:30-11 p.m., $50-$150, eventbrite.com. — Danny Gallagher
Just over a month ago, Atlanta-based Manchester Orchestra released its fifth full-length studio album, A Black Mile to the Surface. Critics hail it as the band's most emotive record, filled with grandiose narratives. The indie rock band also wrote and recorded the almost-entirely a cappella soundtrack for the 2016 film Swiss Army Man, receiving two nominations the same year at the International Film Music Critics Association. House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 6 p.m., $40-$86, houseofblues.com. – Diamond Victoria
Monday
Cartoons, especially those on Cartoon Network’s weekly late-night block Adult Swim, aren’t just for kids. Among the string of foul-mouthed, risqué humor that plays during the time slot is one of its most popular cartoons, Rick and Morty — a series following the misadventures of a mad scientist and his reluctant grandson. Since 2013, the show has garnered a cult following with its Back to the Future-style goings on, and it’s in its third season. If you can’t get enough of the time-traveling duo, Rick and Morty's Don't Even Trip Road Trip swings through town in its “Rickmobile” at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, at Alamo Drafthouse Cedars, 1005 S. Lamar St., with all the Rick and Morty swag you could want. This pop-up shop offers limited, never-before-released merchandise and only accepts credit or debit cards. (Even if you don’t buy anything, the oversized Rick that covers almost the entire truck offers a great photo opportunity.) For more information on the tour and what’s up for grabs, visit adultswim.com/rickmobile. Alamo Drafthouse Cedars, 1005 S. Lamar St., 6 p.m., free, adultswim.com/rickmobile. — Diamond Victoria
OneRepublic’s last album damn near sent lead singer Ryan Tedder into a tailspin. The “Undercover King of Pop” found himself floundering under pressure to feed the so called beast that’s sucked many creatives dry. Instead of letting the business drag him down, Tedder has decided to adapt his process to the attention deficient world of social media by releasing songs when they’re finished, as opposed to waiting for an album’s worth of material. Singles like “Rich Love,” “No Vacancy” and a cover of Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova” have already been released with this new approach. Supporting OneRepublic for this show is the complementary neo-soul sextet Fitz and the Tantrums. Fresh off an eponymous third album, FATT gives a greater sense of energy to the set with a more uplifting and traditionally poppy sound, compared with the more irregular style of OneRepublic. Starplex Pavilion, 3839 S. Fitzhugh Ave., 7 p.m., $20 and up, ticketmaster.com. – Nicholas Bostick
Tuesday
Although Richard Linklater’s classic coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused takes place in Texas, it’s not really a Texas movie. The story of these rebellious 1970s teens is one that an American kid from almost any generation can identity with. It’s all about enjoying the time you have, even if that time includes running from paddle-toting seniors who have an unhealthy obsession with spanking freshmen and hanging with an aging stoner who has a thing for girls who are fresh out of high school. Now you can relive the first time you saw this classic film and heard Matthew McConaughey say “all right, all right, all right” with screenings at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the Magnolia Theatre, 3699 McKinney Ave. in the West Village. Tickets are $11, with discounts for children and seniors, and are available at landmarktheatres.com. Magnolia Theatre, 3699 McKinney Ave., 7:30 and 10 p.m., $11, landmarktheatres.com. — Danny Gallagher
Thick, blubbery synths, a remarkably versatile voice, and a heady pop sensibility form the bedrock of Tei Shi’s ambitious take on R&B. The last few years have seen the Brooklyn-based, Buenos Aires-born singer and producer mine the smoky textures of the ‘80s to find a path forward in her songwriting. Yet, while dream pop and shoe gaze still inform her work, Tei Shi’s recent LP, Crawl Space, finds the artist in more confident and genuine territory. Lyrics on the cruel march of time and young love might point to Tei Shi’s worldview as an artist, but it’s the affecting vulnerability of her music that hammers the point across. Lost in the swirl of Tei Shi's sultry ballads, the listener doesn’t so much understand her feelings, as experience them firsthand. Gorgeous sound design and moody, late night vibes might be its nuts and bolts, but when it comes to Tei Shi’s art, it’s really all about empathy. Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., 7 p.m., $14-$18, dadadallas.com. – Jonathan Patrick
Fun Home opens at the Winspear Opera House this week
courtesy ATTPAC
Cartoonist and author Alison Bechdel’s comic-memoir, Fun Home, offers a coming-of-age, fresh narrative on sexual orientation, gender roles and dysfunctional family situations. The book spent two weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list after its 2006 debut, pioneered a new kind of storytelling technique unlike typical biographies and was turned into a Tony Award-winning musical that hit Broadway two years ago. The critically acclaimed production hits the Dallas stage beginning at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. The musical runs through Sept. 24 and offers various matinee and evening performances. For more information and to purchase tickets that range from $25 to $158, visit attpac.org. Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., 7:30 p.m., $25-$158, attpac.org. — Diamond Victoria
Samuel T. Herring may not look or sound like the typical frontman of a synth-pop act, but he’s a captivating, expressive performer with an impressive vocal range, and one of the most distinctive voices in the world of indie pop, which is why Future Islands’ sound is so memorable. Herring’s unique vocals sound gravelly, guttural and raspy like some musical lovechild of Tom Waits, Tom Jones and Bruce Springsteen turned to synth-driven pop paired with confessional lyrics. (In interviews, Herring says he laughs when people compare his vocals to a “drunken Muppet” or Dracula.) Future Islands launched into popularity following the release of their fourth album Singles, which was released by British indie label 4AD who also released the band’s fifth album, The Far Field, in April 2017. Earlier this year, a Consequence of Sound writer described Future Islands as "one of the best live bands around," and the synth-pop trio from Baltimore, Maryland, continues to attract fans impressed by their live performances. Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 8 p.m., $25, thebombfactory.com. – Daniel Rodrigue
