21 Things To Do in Dallas This Week

Wednesday

Signe Pierce describes herself as a reality artist who uses the concept of reality as an artistic medium and believes an artist’s life and work can be viewed within the same context. In her work, she often explores what is real in the era of hyper-reality, new media and technological change. She is co-creator and star of the short film American Reflexxx and at 7 p.m. Wednesday, she’ll be at SMU as part of the school’s visiting artist lecture series. She’ll be in O’Donnell Hall, Room 2130, in Owen Arts Center, 6101 Bishop Blvd. Admission is free. For more information, visit smu.edu. Paige Skinner

Vince Staples peaked at No. 36 on Billboard’s 200 in 2018 with his third album in four years, FM!. Earlier that year, Staples had fans convinced he was retiring from his music career. However, he opted to put out the heavy-hitting, dynamic, 20-minute release and embark on a new tour in 2019. His Smile, You're on Camera Tour will start making its way through 37 cities in February. Staples’ fourth stop will be at House of Blues Dallas’ music hall Wednesday. Traveling with him are openers Buddy and JPEGMafia. Although he just recently put out an album, Staples is already back in the studio gearing up for another one with help from rapper/singer-songwriter/producer Pharrell Williams. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., $35 and up at livenation.com. Jacob Vaughn

Buffalo Black is one of the area's best rappers. His talent is immense, as is proved by a collaboration with Spike Lee, numerous Dallas Observer Music Award nominations and skillful songwriting that springs from a fascination with poetry. He'll headline a Wednesday night show at The Prophet Bar with one of the area's best hip-hop/funk acts, RC and the Gritz. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 at The Prophet Bar, 2548 Elm St. Diamond Rodrigue

Thursday

Jubilee Theatre presents Obama-ology, a story of identity politics, self-discovery and cultural bias. An African-American college grad working for the 2008 Obama campaign discovers the oppressive hardships facing a young person of color seeking to help change the face of an East Cleveland community, and ultimately the nation. This production is not suggested for audience members under the age of 15. The next performance happens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb 7 at Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St. Additional dates run through Feb. 24. Tickets start at $26. More info at jubileetheatre.org. Jonathan Patrick

Claim that perfect seat at Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, because Dallas VideoFest 31 is burning up the screen with the Alternative Fiction Fest February 7-10. Attendees will get four days of features, “TV-focused” special events, shorts and more. With a focus on North Texas filmmakers, films made in North Texas, women filmmakers and Black History Month, the range of offerings is vast. Those into new tech will also appreciate the Big D Mobile Phone Film Fest block of programming, with films shot exclusively with mobile phones. Screenings kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday with Autonomies, followed by A Ship of Human Skin at 9:15 p.m., and again at 7 p.m. Friday with a tribute to Ken Harrison, followed by True Stories at 9 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, enjoy full days of screen time starting at noon. Individual screenings are $10, but a full AltFiction pass is just $50 at prekindle.com. Find a full schedule of screenings with summaries at spdemo.co/videofest/altfiction. Merritt Martin

A shoutout to Black History Month and a special tribute to the late Aretha Franklin’s gospel roots will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performs Gospel Goes Classical. The one-night-only event at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., benefits Project Unity, a nonprofit dedicated to improving race relations in Dallas-Fort Worth. Conductor is Jeri Lynne Johnson, founder and artistic director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia; featured artist will be Marvin L. Winans, member of the Winans family gospel singers. Joining the orchestra will be an interfaith choir of 200. Tickets start at $29; a VIP package at $149 includes a meet-and-greet with Winans, the conductor and other dignitaries. Visit mydso.com, yearofunity.com or call 214-849-4376. Reba Liner

Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, and John and Christine McVie are ready to rock Dallas once again for their 2019 North American tour. There are some changes to the lineup. After clashes within the band over tour dates, songwriter and former guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was replaced. Instead, Neil Finn of Crowded House and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell will be lending Fleetwood Mac a hand on the AAC stage. It will be one of the first times in over 40 years that the band has played without Buckingham. 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., $122 and up at ticketnetwork.com. Jacob Vaughn

East Texas native Lee Ann Womack will return to The Kessler Theater after playing the venue last April. In fact, it seems she’s made returning to her home state a bit of a habit after her 2017 album The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone. The album was recorded in Sugar Land, partly as a change of pace from Womack’s usual Nashville recording schedule and partly to reflect upon her roots. Her upcoming trip to Dallas is likely to be twice as nice as Womack will perform two nights. Despite her not having a new album to promote this time around, a lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers presented to her last November should make the occasion just as celebratory. Joining Womack as her opening act is Waylon Payne, son of country music singer Sammi Smith and longtime Willie Nelson guitarist Jody Payne. 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 7-8 at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St., $38 at prekindle.com. Nicholas Bostick

Sealion has one of the strongest local fan bases. After four years of studio silence, fans were delighted to hear some new music from the punk band in the June release of their latest EP, Nothing Nowhere with Dreamy Life Records. Also on the bill is sub-pop punk band Upsetting, formerly Teenage Sex, and Kolga. 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., $5. Diamond Rodrigue

Lucy Dacus is a young, alternative singer-songwriter whose star has been on the rise for about a year. Her debut single, "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore" off the album No Burden, earned her offers from multiple record labels. She ultimately signed with Matador and this year released her second album, Historian, and formed the indie rock band boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. with illuminati hotties, 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at Ruins, 2653 Commerce St., sold out. Diamond Rodrigue

Friday

A lot can happen in a year and a half. In the summer of 2020, we could be enjoying the spoils of political anarchy. Who knows how that could affect our Summer Olympics viewing plans? So, we recommend front-loading your gymnastics viewing experience, just in case. The 2019 World Olympics Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) Classic/Valeri Liukin Invitational is the perfect opportunity to get a hearty dose of all the athleticism/choreography/probably black magic you crave. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 8-10, see rising stars in women’s and men’s artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, trampoline and tumbling at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, 9 Cowboys Way. Get weekend passes for $65 and see it all, or for $30, come to the elite competition at 7 p.m. Saturday. For more information and tickets, visit woga.net/woga-classic-liukin-invitational. Jennifer Davis-Lamm

Sinbad doesn’t perform how conventional wisdom says a stand-up comic should. He doesn’t write jokes and claims not to even know any, at that. His set is unscripted, and outside of having an idea of a few topics he wants to touch on during a performance, is improvised. Rather than construct a tight set with a defined beginning, climax and end, he just goes for two or three hours until the audience grows weary. And unlike most comedians — who ignore hecklers, have them ejected or fire back with vitriol — audience participation is so much a part of his show that he concedes with a smile when an interrupter gets a good insult in. The legendary ’90s comic performs Friday at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8. Tickets are $30 to $47.50 at houseofblues.com/dallas. Jesse Hughey

One of the most acclaimed modern dramas to hit the stage is running right at the Studio Theatre, 15650 Addison Road in Addison. The Outcry Theatre’s performance The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on the novel by Mark Haddon, runs Feb. 8-10, with one performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, two performances Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and one final performance at 2 p.m. Sunday. The play tells the story of a mathematically gifted teen named Christopher who struggles with social situations, but when the mysterious murder of a neighbor’s dog forces him to find the killer, he must venture out into the world. The play, written by Simon Stephens, won the 2013 Laurence Olivier Award and the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play. Tickets are $10 for general seating and $20 for premium reserved seating and can be purchased online at OutcryTheatre.com. Danny Gallagher

Saturday

The Book of Moron is an off-Broadway hit by Robert Dubac in which he asks the simple questions: Who am I? What do I believe? What’s the point? But he doesn’t have any answers, just an inner monologue that he spews out in witty one-liners. “When we say just kidding, we’re not. When we say we’re not kidding, we are. No lie. And when we say no lie, it is. I’m not kidding. You know? Of course you don’t because when people say you know, like you know, you don’t, they do, you know?” That’s just a taste of what to expect at The Book of Moron playing Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 9-10 at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts, 2351 Performance Drive, Richardson. Saturday’s performances are at 4 and 10 p.m. Tickets start at $60 at eisemanncenter.com. Paige Skinner

It’s no secret that Dallas loves brunch, which is why Dallas goes nuts for the city’s lone food festival dedicated to all things brunch: The Morning After. VIP tickets have already sold out, but a $40 general admission ticket gets you unlimited brunch dish samples from restaurants like Barley & Board, Meso Maya and AllGood Cafe, along with brunch cocktail samples and three drink tickets (you can buy more drink tickets if you’re feeling extra thirsty). The Morning After has sold out in the past, so grab tickets while you still can. It happens 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood St. Find more info at dobrunchthemorningafter.com. Beth Rankin

Ian Carney and Corbin Popp are the creators of Dino-Light, a glow-in-the-dark puppet production about a scientist who uses magic to bring a bunch of friendly dinosaurs together, only to have them turn vicious and ravage ... no, just kidding. They send the scientist/magician on a journey to find the true meaning of love, as velociraptors are wont to do. It’s a mix of tech, puppetry and dance that scores about a 10 on the coolness meter. See it 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. Tickets start at $17 at attpac.org. Patrick Williams

Neko Case knows how to twist and turn a phrase to make her lyrics sparkle and crackle, conjuring tender, fading memories and gossamer dreams in listeners’ minds. A sonic storyteller for more than 20 years as a member of Canadian indie rockers The New Pornographers, Case’s work with the Pornographers, with her band (Her Boyfriends) and as a solo artist has firmly established her as indie rock royalty. Released in June, Case’s self-produced Hell-On is her eighth studio album and seventh solo LP. In 2016, she teamed up with k.d. lang and Laura Veirs for case/lang/veirs, which received rave reviews. Hell-On has been described by reviewers as one of her best and appeared on a handful of year-end 2018 best-album lists. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., $44 at prekindle.com. Daniel Rodrigue

The members of Reik, pronounced "Rake" — a reference to the "raking" of guitar strings — are huge stars in their native Mexico. Since 2003, the pop trio has released five wildly popular studio albums, toured internationally and earned a bevy of Latin Grammy nominations. Over the last few years, Latin music has expanded into the American market by establishing a robust presence on online platforms like Vevo, Spotify and YouTube. Reik has been at the forefront, garnering millions of page views that have led to high-profile spots on music industry panels and showcase events. Those curious about the group's sound and reach would be wise to check out the videos for the ballad "Ya Me Entere" or the more upbeat "Que Gano Olvidandote.” With its star rising and expanding beyond Mexico, it's a safe bet that the Saturday night show at The Bomb Factory will be an affair filled with loyal enthusiasts and new converts in equal measure. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6501 or thebombfactory.com, $55.50-$112. Jeff Strowe

Copeland jumped onto the emo/indie rock scene around 2003, and in 2008 announced they were calling it quits after a string of exceptional albums. They reunited in 2014 and released a great album, Ixora. The band is perhaps best recognized by lead singer Aaron Marsh's falsetto vocals and has drifted from emo to some harder rock and back again over the years. Each album comes out charged with gut-wrenching emotion. 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at Curtain Club, 2800 Main St., $23. Diamond Rodrigue

Blake Ward is one of the busiest DJs in Dallas, with four weekly events and recently having taken up management of his new Four Four Booking agency. He has a long-standing Saturday night Glamorama gig at Beauty Bar. As far as promotion goes, Ward is relentless, a perfect example of how to connect, inform and grow a DJ audience. 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at Beauty Bar, 1924 N. Henderson Ave., free. Wanz Dover

Sunday

So, how does Casablanca go over with contemporary “woke” audiences? The classic romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as star-crossed lovers trying to survive among Nazis in French Morocco is considered one of the greatest screenplays in film. Then, it also has Bergman referring to Dooley Wilson, a black man, as “boy.” And let’s face it, Claude Rains’ character, Capt. Louis Renault, is not so much a charming rake as played in the movie, but kind of a rapist. Ah, different times. If you can overlook a little historical sinning, it’s still a great flick. See it at 5 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St. Tickets are $11.50 at prekindle.com. Patrick Williams