Awesome Things to Do in Dallas This Weekend, July 30-Aug 2

Thursday, July 30
The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams did reality TV before Survivor was a glimmer in Jeff Probst’s eye. He didn’t live his life on stage, but he did sneak a large portion of said life in the play, The Glass Menagerie. In it, Williams is Tom, son of Amanda and brother of Laura. Tom works at a shoe factory but is wholly dissatisfied with his life. He helps pay the bills and provides general support for his mother and horrifically shy sister, but all he really wants to do is write. Mother Amanda has two goals – marry off her daughter and turn back time so she can be young and desirable again. Daughter/Sister Laura is seemingly immune to it all and instead focuses on her…glass menagerie. Will these sad sacks ever catch a break? Only time and a four-act play will tell. The Glass Menagerie opens in previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and runs through Sunday, August 23rd at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh Street. Tickets available at theatre3dallas.com. -Nikki Lott

Junior Players' A Midsummer Night's Dream
If we were pressed to define the characteristics of Shakespearian comedy, we’d certainly list melodrama and romance, perhaps families long separated, coincidence, reversal of fortune, and trickery… and let’s not forget vibrant costumes, and energetic choreography combined with meaningful gesture. Wait, wait, we know what you’re thinking: We’re making that age-old mistake of confusing the works of Shakespeare with Bollywood cinema. At least, we would be without the Junior Players. It’d all stayed drab velvet-shortpanted farce if weren’t for those meddling’ kids, directed by Valerie Hauss-Smith and Anastasia Munoz. At 8:15 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through August 2, 25 promising actors from 15 North Texas high schools will take the Samuell-Grand Park Amphitheater, 1500 Tenison Parkway, stage to regale audiences with the Bard’s comic twists and turns, along with some imported direct from Hindi cinema. It’s a theatrical mash-up, friends, and it’s about to bounce across an open-air stage near you. Tickets are $10 Thursdays and Sundays, and $15 Fridays and Saturdays. Visit juniorplayers.org to purchase. -Merritt Martin

Motown the Musical
In September 1959, former featherweight Berry Gordy created Motown Records and basically changed the way music sounds forever and ever. But first, Berry Gordy was a boxer?!? Who knew? Historians probably. And Charles Randolph-Wright, the director of Motown the Musical, a behind-the-scenes true story of how Motown got its start. But not like a seedy, E! True Hollywood Story style version, a real version with real struggles. Hey guys, you kind of can’t racially integrate music and reshape American culture without a few bumps along the way. Of course, Motown is also responsible for the careers of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and pretty much all your KLUV favorites so you know that soundtrack is on point. If you go to the show, feel free to whisper sing-a-long…at least until the guy next to you elbows you real hard. Motown is playing Tuesday, July 28th through Sunday, August 16th at Winspear Opera House. Tickets start at $30 and are available here. -NL

Two Rooms
That saying about how if you’re gonna do it, do it big? That’s how Proper Hijinx is rolling with their debut as an independent theatre company—not content to play it safe on their first outing, they’re tackling the tense, bleak and politically charged drama Two Rooms. The Lee Blessing-penned play is a simmering piece of commentary about world affairs, focused on unrest in the Middle East, political frustration and a love story caught in the crosshairs. It’s a bold choice for an inaugural production, but it’s also a great way to highlight your company’s talents—the stark set required by the narrative lays bare the emotional range of the actors, and those titular rooms will give the play’s director lots of creative opportunities for lighting and blocking. You can have a front row seat (or a middle aisle seat, if you prefer) to Proper Hijinx’s unveiling in the basement space of Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, 5601 Sears, beginning with a preview at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $12, and reservations may be made by emailing [email protected]. -Jennifer Davis-Lamm

We are Summer: Presented by CentralTrak Air
This event at CentralTrak sounds a little bit like artist speed dating. A number of artists (slots remain available) will present their work and discuss their practice in quick spurts. It's a way to learn a little bit about the artists who comprise the Dallas scene. Starts at 7 p.m. Thursday. Free.

HÄXAN
This 1922 Criterion Collection film is a silent film made as a documentary to explore the misunderstandings of mental illness in Middle Ages that led to the persecution of "witches." Described as, "a witches' brew of the scary gross, and darkly humorous," the film reads more like a horror flick than a documentary. See it at 9 p.m. Thursday at the artist-run space, BEEFHAUS in Expo Park. Admission is free; they are requesting you bring booze, snacks, pillows, and evil spirits.

Bar Art at the Texas Theatre
This grown-up version of a “kindergarten art class” is perfect for relieving all the pent-up stress of adult life, and it’s even better because you can drink while you draw. Oil and Cotton will provide arts supplies for your booze-fueled creativity, even if you’ve not progressed much beyond the stick-figures you first drew 20 years ago. Coloring and art as meditation are all the rage among stressed out yuppies, so it’s definitely worth a shot. - Amy McCarthy


Friday, July 31
Confetti Eddie's Magic and Burlesk Show
If your name is Confetti Eddie, you’ve already got a lot going for you. Clearly, you’ve positioned yourself as the life of the party (“Hey, look! It’s Confetti Eddie!”), leaving a trail of brightly colored paper dots in your wake and just generally living a charmed life. Add in a gift for the sleight of hand and a bevy of burlesque beauties by your side…and you’ve probably won the life lottery, you know? But Confetti Eddie is not content to keep his gifts to himself…he’s magnanimous that way. In fact, he’s opening the doors to his private workshop at 823 Exposition for Confetti Eddie’s Magick Burlesqe and Sideshow at 9 p.m. Friday, and inviting you in to learn a little about the history of magic and see where he builds his collection of tricks. And if that’s not enough, the workshop tour will be followed up by magic and illusions galore from Confetti Eddie himself and Trigg Watson in a plush parlor setting, punctuated by performances by Jai Le Bai and Bethany Summersizzle. After the show, the performers all stick around to answer all your pressing questions about conjuring tricks and charmed lives. Tickets are $20 to $30 at prekindle.com - JDL

Podcast Movement
Everyone and their mother has a podcast these days. iTunes and Stitcher are filled with poorly recorded, spoken word shows of two “mavericks” sharing a $30 Blue Microphone and a laptop as they spout off opinions that just subconsciously came from either Fox News or MSNBC’s gaggle of talking heads depending on which way they swing. Why do so many people who start podcasts sound the same even though all of them think that what they’re doing is a new idea? If you find yourself behind the mic of one of the thousands of podcasts that offer the same material and tone, get a fresh start at the Podcast Movement, the largest podcast convention in the country, at the Omni Fort Worth hotel on 1300 Houston St. The two-day convention kicks off Friday, July 31st with a long list of panels and speakers covering every aspect of podcast producing from developing show ideas, producing quality sound and getting the word out about your show. The convention will also feature keynote addresses from the most famous podcasters in the world such as comedians Aisha Tyler and Marc Maron and “Serial” host Sarah Koenig. All access passes to the two-day convention are available at podcastmovement.com. - Danny Gallagher

Saturday, Aug. 1
Retreat
It's always a special thing when a gallerist invites an outsider curator in to play with the space. That's precisely what Lilliana Bloch has done for the next show at her namesake gallery. Dallas-based curator Rachel Rogerson takes over the reins for Retreat, an exploration of human interaction with nature. She's invited a group of artists including Sally Warren, Allison Starr and Leigh Merrill to display work that asks the questions “What remnants of civilazation do we impose on our environment? What features of nature do we attempt to possess?” It seeems an especially pertinent question in the age of the adventure vacation, the rise of sustainable living, and the witnessing of the early effects of climate change. See the work in an opening reception at Liliana Bloch, 2271 Monitor St, from 6-10 p.m. Saturday. More at lilianablochgallery.com. 

Sausage Fest
Get all the summer fun, encased meat, and phallic punnery you can handle at Sausage Fest 2015—a blazing hot, beer soaked bash that kicks off at Main Street Gardens, 1902 Main, from 4 until 10 p.m. Saturday. 105.3 The Fan kicks the bro factor up a notch for a brat-centric celebration that includes grilled sausages galore, cold beverages at a cash bar, and live music from the Velvet Pygmies. The rest of the schedule is linked together with sausage-centric games, a celebrity dunk tank, bikini bull rides, tunes from DJ Melissa Richey and an appearance by Twiggy the Water Skiiing Squirrel…it’s the wurst time you’ll have all weekend, promise. Tickets are $15 at sausagefestdfw.com. -JDL

Chaos!!!
Want to see more art at the same time than your brain can process? The walls of Ro2 Art will be filled up and down, right and left, and – if it's possible – inside out for the annual summer show, Chaos!!! Gallerists Jordan Roth and Susan Roth Romans invite artists they show and then some to help them fill the downtown space with paintings, photography, sculpture and more. This year the artists number more than 100 and it will become a veritable treasure trunk to track down the one you're looking for, whether it be Liz Trosper, Jeff Parrott, Terry Hays, Daniel Birdsong, Jesse Meraz, Cassie Phan. I could go on forever, baby. See the work in an opening reception from 7-10 p.m. Saturday at Ro2 Art, 110 N. Akard St. More at ro2art.com. 

Los Patos Poderosos
One of the best nights I had last summer was dancing in the backyard of the Wild Detectives to the sounds of this Denton Chica band. The folks at WD describe this Peruvian musical style as a mixture of  Cumbia and Andean music with Psychedelia and Surf Rock. Wear your dancing shoes. Starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Free. 

Lakewood Brewing Co.'s Third Anniversary
Lakewood Brewing Co. is celebrating its third birthday with not one but two parties. Tickets ($30) are required for the Saturday celebration at Lakewood's Taproom. This event is limited to 500 guests and will include a souvenir glass and four 10-ounce pours. The Sunday event, meanwhile, will be at Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House and is open to the public. -Kathryn Debruler

Sunday, Aug. 2
Uncork for a Cause with Prince Fielder
Calling all baseball/wine fans (which, until now, I thought were mutually exclusive groups) Prince Fielder, otherwise known as No. 84 of the Texas Rangers, is hosting a fundraiser for Promise House and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. This fundraiser will include the launch of Fielder's very own Sonoma Reserve Red wine. Event-goers will also be treated to dinner, wine and beer, a well as a bottle of Sonoma Reserve to go.  -Kathryn Debruler

Explore Urban Dallas by Bike
If you’ve been wondering how to bike Dallas’ more urban areas — including Deep Ellum, downtown and The Cedars — head to this social bike ride and panel on the state of cycling hosted by Dallas Morning News reporter Robert Wilonsky. A group of local leaders and cycling enthusiasts, including Dallas’ own bicycle engineer, will lead a 10-mile social ride through Dallas, followed by a panel on Dallas’ bikeability. If you’re a dedicated cyclist, it’s a can’t-miss.-AM