Out of the Loop Fringe Festival opens at WaterTower Theatre this weekend. The annual fest up in Addison isn't afraid to take risks on new work from Dallas-based playwrights, like this year's Standing 8 Count by Van Quattro. The fest also brings in outside performers, like the return of Jenn Dodd, who had a packed run for her one-person character show at last year's Loop. They have dance, music, and art. And at 10 bucks a show, it's a cheap risk for the audience to take on the shows. Shows start Friday night (opening night has been cancelled due to weather) with performances nightly for 10 days. See the full schedule at watertowertheatre.org.
Thursday, March 5
Gallerists should always believe in the work they're showing, but not all exhibitions inspire the text message I received Wednesday afternoon from Kettle Art's Frank Campagna. He writes, "You are not going to believe the show we're installing right now... 100 percent of this work is beautiful." Campagna is a man of his word, so if you're out Thursday night, stop in at Kettle from 7-10 p.m.
Larry G(EE) Video Premiere Party
You look old enough to remember Total Request Live. Up until 2008, MTV actually played music videos -- an artifact that will be celebrated at Three Links Thursday night when local soul singer Larry G(EE) releases his new music video, "Days Like This." Party starts at 8 p.m. No cover.
Theater critic Elaine Liner writes of Second Thought Theatre's Bull, "At a brisk 55 minutes, Mike Bartlett's four-character one-act Bull is just the right length. A minute more and the heightened tension in this piece might cause spontaneous human combustion. It's that hot, that fierce. And that good." Liner isn't an easy sell, so you better grab your tickets quickly. It's part of the Elevator Project that puts small theater companies in the Wyly Theatre. Tickets are $20 at ticketdfw.com.
Ben Fountain with Aleksander Hemon
Two literary greats in conversation? This is where the smart people will be Thursday night. Get to the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture (2711 Routh St.) at 7 p.m. Thursday. The event is free, and The Wild Detectives will be on hand selling books. More info at dallasinstitute.org
Fellowship! If you're into outlandish parody with a touch of nerd, Theatre Three has a show for you. Fellowship! is a musical parody to rule them all, with plenty of elves and one magic ring. See it at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets start at $35. Go to theatre3dallas.com for more info.
Friday, March 6
A recent New Yorker review of a contemporary painting show at the MoMA posed the question, "Is There Anything Left to Paint?" In some ways rhetorical, in others sobering. A painter working today wrestles with a medium centuries old, struggling to say something new. Something that Cydonia Gallery's next exhibiting artist, Caroline Mousseau probably knows all too well. The Canadian artist opens her first international solo exhibition at Cydonia (161 Payne St.) with a reception from 6-8 p.m Friday. See her complex exploration of the medium, for which she experiments with surface and manipulates paint. The exhibition remains on view through April 3. Admission is free. More information at cydoniagallery.com.
The Vagina Monologues Every girl I've ever known who called herself a feminist or took an interest in acting has been in a production of the Vagina Monologues. You have to see it at one point or another in your life, so if you haven't had your feminist christening yet, you have a chance this weekend in the name of charity. Show starts at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $10.
The man at the center of Buzzard is the anti-hero sticking it to the man. This 2014 SXSW debut tells the story of a man who scams his employer, which only leads to paranoia. See it at the Texas Theatre at 11:15 p.m. Friday.
Bo Burnham Comedy prodigy Bo Burnham is the youngest person to record a Comedy Central special. See his songs and jokes at 8 p.m. Friday at the Majestic Theatre. Tickets are $35 at ticketmaster.com.
North Texas Irish Festival This annual festival takes over Fair Park this weekend, filling it with kilts, Sheperd's Pie, and a whole lot of beer. There will be music and clogging. Stop in at the Irish festival at 6 p.m. Friday or all day Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $20 per day, $25 for two-day passes and $30 for three-day passes. More information at NTIF.org.
Maya Besier Dallas is in need of a little heat, which is exactly what world-renowned cellist Maya Beiser will bring. Specializing in bringing contemporary sounds to one of music's most beautiful instruments, Beiser's show will bring Dallas debuts of new compositions. She performs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets at attpac.org.
Saturday, March 7
Dallas Flea We've missed you, Dallas Flea. One of the city's best places to find vintage, handmade, and quirky goods pops up in Trinity Groves (2800 Bataan St.) from 12-5 p.m. Saturday. It's $5 to get in a peruse the treasures.
Two words are not foreign to Kelly Kroener: community and collaboration. In the few years that the Cincinnati-born artist has lived in Dallas, she's co-founded multiple artist initiatives and invested time and energy into her adopted neighborhood, The Cedars. With a background in painting, sculpture and fashion, Kroener will exhibit her newest work at RE Gallery (1717 Gould St.) in a solo exhibition, Corework. The opening reception for the show will take place from 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. More information at REGallery.com.
Red, Yellow, and Blue Primary colors might get a bad rap. The newest show at Barry Whistler Gallery was inspired by a piece at the National Galerie in Berlin and the viewing of Barnett Newman's "Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue IV, 1969-70." It makes a splendid argument for the continued necessity of these primary colors in all work. A conversation the Gallery hopes to continue with its new exhibition Blue, Yellow, Red, which features the work of Ellsworth Kelly, Allison V. Smith, Ann Stautberg, and John Wilcox. See the work in an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Saturday at Barry Whistler Gallery (2909 B Canton St.) or during regular gallery hours through April 25. More information at barrywhistlergallery.com.
Lisa Lampanelli Don't wear your sissy pants to the Lisa Lampanelli show at the Majestic Theatre this weekend. Her work isn't for the easily offended, as she upholds the comedic tradition of insult comedy. Tickets are $39.50. More information at ticketmaster.com
Dallas Arts District Spring Break Thanks to record breaking snow fall, adults have seen an unorganized spring break of sorts in Dallas. as offices and roads have closed willy nilly over the past two weeks. But for students, spring break arrives next week and the arts district gets a jump on it this Saturday with family-friendly activities all day Saturday. Stop in at Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Klyde Warren Park and the AT&T Performing Arts Center from 10 a.m. -4 p.m. Saturday.
Kevin James There's a lot of great comedy in Dallas this weekend. Some of the greats are swinging through our fair city with stand-up, jokes, and more jokes. Kevin James will be at the Verizon Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Cutie & the Boxer Artists Noriko and Ushio Shinohara earned international acclaim for their 2013 documentary Cutie and the Boxer, which was nominated for an Academy Award. The film explored the couple's relationship and their artistic practices, following the way they've intertwined life and careers as Japanese artists living in America. Ushio works in painting, printmaking, drawing and sculpture, and Noriko is best known for her "Cutie and Bullie" Series, which includes drawings, paintings and prints based on herself and Ushio. See their work at Kirk Hopper Fine Art (3008 Commerce St.) at the opening reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday or through April 11. More information at kirkhopperfineart.com.
Sunday, March 8
Master Pancake: 50 Shades of Gray This one's just too good. The Austin-based movie hecklers, Master Pancake, may just strike comedy gold this weekend with their real-time mocking of 50 Shades of Gray. There's just too much to make fun of in the film. See it at 5 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Sunday at the Alamo Drafthouse (501 W. Belt Line Road, Richardson). Tickets are $13.50 at drafthouse.com/dfw.
