Gallery hopping is not just the pastime of the art collector. It can also be a great way for anyone interested in art to take a peek at what Dallas artists are creating, and gallerists are curating. This weekend, many of the Design District spots have openings, with receptions from 6-8 p.m. worth attending. We recommend you stop by Zhulong Gallery's group show, Systema, Conduit Gallery's show of Vincent Falsetta, Gabriel Dawe, and Sarah Ball, and Cris Worley Fine Art's exhibition of Paul Manes' newest work.
Thursday, October 9 Dallas VideoFest After kicking off with Expanded Cinema Sunday night, Dallas VideoFest 27enters full swing this week with screenings taking over Alamo Drafthouse through October 19. Thursday's films include 7 p.m. screenings of An Honest Liar - a documentary about world famous magician James "The Amazing" Randi - and Regarding Susan Sontag, a literary documentary that investigates the titular writer's career. Later screenings that evening include the self-referential final film of a documentarian and a flick sponsored by the Press Club of Dallas about journalism and censorship. But the festival continues throughout the next two weeks with numerous screenings rangings from shorts, narratives and more. Tickets to individual screenings are $8. The full schedule is available at dallasvideofest.com.
The Two Character Play When you think of Tennessee Williams, you probably think of The Glass Menagerie or Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. That is, if you think of him at all... One of the stage's most revered playwrights, Williams wrote theatrical masterpieces, which often overshadow his lesser known works. Take The Two Character Play, for example, which Wingspan Theatre Company tackles this month at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther. Performances start at 8 p.m. Thursday and run through October 25. Tickets are $18 to $22; visit wingspantheatre.com.
State of the Arts The Dallas arts scene has a reputation for being panel-heavy. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Reflection and dialogue can be as valuable as action. If nothing else, they often prove interesting. Take these State of the Arts panels for example, during which KERA's Jeff Whittington posts up at the Dallas Museum of Art to converse with some of the scene's luminaries, young and old. This week, we're talking conservation with Mark Leonard, the DMA's Chief Conservator and Jodie Utter, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art's Conservator of Works on Paper. Tickets and more information available dma.org.
Friday, October 10 Black on Black One of the more popular Dallas Black Dance Theatre shows, Black on Black, returns for the company's 38th season. It's an intimate evening of dance that culminates in a lively cocktail party. They give the floor to some of the company's fresh, young choreographers who choreograph works for the dynamic performers showing DBDT at its best. Catch the show at 7:30 p.m. at the Dallas Black Dance Theatre headquarters (2700 Flora St.) and stick around for the cocktail party at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30. For more information visit dbdt.org.
Rodgers & Hammerstein From classics like "Shall we Dance?" from the King & I to stunning ballads like "Bali Hai" from South Pacific, the music writing duo Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein gave American theater some of its great songs. This weekend, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to the greats with a special concert featuring the music performed live while remastered scenes from the movie musicals play on the big screen. Sean O'Loughlin conducts what's sure to be a lively concert. Catch the performance at the Meyerson Symphony Center (2301 Flora St.) 7:30 p.m Friday and Saturday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee Sunday. Tickets start at $29 and are available at mydso.com.
Steve Hirst See the Brit with the wit at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Hyena's Comedy Nightclub (5321 E. Mockingbird Ln.). Tickets are $10-15. Saturday, October 11 Dia de la Raza Every concert should be like a fiesta. Lively music, drinks at the bar, and if you're lucky, the vocal stylings of a Mexican mezzo-soprano like Elda Peralta. For its Dia de la Raza concert, the Orchestra of New Spain brings in Perata to perform alongside the orchestra in a baroque program centered around music central to the Americas. Examples they give are jacaras and seguidillas, which means you're probably going to need to brush up on your baroque music. See the concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for $10-25 at Dallas City Performance Hall (2520 Flora St.). More information at orchestraofnewspain.org.
Carnival of Animals Avant Chamber Ballet has made quite the splash for its focus on pairing live chamber music with ballet. This weekend, artistic director Katie Puder presents her world premiere of choreography to the classical music staple, "Carnival of Animals" by Camille Saint-Saëns. See it at 8 p.m. Saturday or 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $22 at www.eisemanncenter.com.
Beerfeast Hopefully I don't have to explain this one to you. This portmanteau (a fancy word that means words smushed together) is clearly combining "Beer," "Feast" and "Festival" to tell you, the potential attendee, exactly what to expect. If you didn't attend enough Oktoberfest events in September (where were you?!), then the Fort Worth's Flying Saucer (111 E. Third St.) is exactly where you need to spend your Saturday afternoon. This event kicks off at 1 p.m. and ends whenever the hell you say it ends. Tickets run from $30-65, which includes a tasting card good for 12 samples of any of the festival beers. More info at beerfeast2014.com.
Sunday, October 12 Art Talk at the MAC Have you ever wondered about the history of Texas art? When artists started painting in this great state of ours, did they paint tumbleweeds, catci, and oil rigs? What exactly is Texas regionalism or modernism and why does it matter? These are the movements that Dr. Katie Robinson Edwards documents in her book, Midcentury Modern Art in Texas. Using Evertt Spruce's 1936 painting, "Mending the Rock Fence" as a launching pad, she'll explore key moments in the history of this state's art in a talk at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary at 2 p.m. Sunday. The talk is free, but the knowledge is sure to earn you street cred out there on those dusty Texas streets.
