Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, organizations have pivoted to virtual or socially distanced events to continue offering the masses some entertainment while we need it the most.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While not every event is out of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from everyday life.

Thursday, April 15

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Mlima's Tale
Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Profile Theatre’s production of Mlima’s Tale as a virtual event. The play tells the provocative story of Mlima, a majestic elephant trapped in the clandestine international ivory market. Beginning in a game park in Kenya and traveling around the world to a billionaire’s penthouse in the West, the play tracks the trajectory of Mlima’s tusks through real-life consequences of animal poaching. The production, directed by Reginald L. Douglas, will be available to stream at any time through May 8.

Cirque Italia Water Circus
In this brand-new production from Cirque Italia, ringmaster “Clown Rafinha” unexpectedly catches a bottle with a treasure map stuffed inside while fishing. His ensuing journey takes the audience through storms on the high seas, dreams of angelic aerialists, pirate fights, and more. The production, playing in a tent at Grand Prairie Premium Outlets through Sunday, will see swashbucklers balancing upside down on a rum barrel, juggling knives, and even one having a run-in with a mermaid. The production includes the suspenseful crossbow act and dangerous Wheel of Death performances.

Texas Ballet Theater presents The Poetry of Expression: Part II
Texas Ballet Theater will present The Poetry of Expression: Part II, featuring new works created specifically for a digital format by company dancers in this all-digital mixed repertoire production. The production, which will be available to stream at any time through April 30, features Andre Silva’s Bloom and Jiyan Dai’s Horizon.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Ax Plays Mozart
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will welcome American piano legend and DSO Artist-in-residence Emanuel Ax, who will take the spotlight in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. The concert, which will have three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center, will also feature Ruth Crawford Seeger's Rissolty Rossolty and Berio’s Rendering, a restoration of Schubert’s material for an incomplete 10th Symphony.

Street Corner Arts presents The Spin
In Street Corner Arts' The Spin, politics are at a boiling point, COVID is rampant, and Zoom calls are still the absolute worst. When the public works director of a major city confesses to a horrible crime, a team of spin doctors are brought in at the last possible second to pull off a tough assignment: prepare the Mayor’s top aide for a crucial news interview, distance City Hall from the controversy, and point the public’s attention elsewhere. The production will stream Thursdays-Sundays through April 25.

Friday, April 16

6th Annual Indie Meme Film Festival
The 6th annual Indie Meme Film Festival will be a virtual event, featuring 20+ South Asian features, documentaries, and shorts. Festival badges allow access to all screenings and filmmaker Q&As. From socio-political dramas to animated adventures and incisive documentaries, the festival's mission is promoting socially relevant independent cinema from South Asia. The festival will take place Fridays-Sundays through April 25.

EarthxFilm
EarthxFilm will present 10 days and nights of drive-in, outdoor, and online screenings during this year’s hybrid edition of the Dallas-based environmental film festival. The festival, which showcases films and emerging media that explore science, conservation, climate change, and the environment, will feature opening night film Playing with Sharks about groundbreaking diver Valerie Taylor, and closing night film Percy Vs. Goliath, starring Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci, and Zach Braff. The majority of the festival will be online, with drive-in/outdoor screenings taking place in The Cedars behind Four Corners Brewery, Victory Park, and Klyde Warren Park. The festival runs through April 25.

Saturday, April 17

Dallas Gallery Day
A select group of Dallas art galleries and the Dallas Art Fair are partnering to present Dallas Gallery Day in celebration of the spring exhibition season. Dallas Gallery Day is an opportunity for the community to come together and support Dallas galleries and their respective artists and programming. Select galleries in the Dallas Design District will activate their spaces by hosting artist/curator talks, live music, and performances.

Cara Mia Theatre Co. presents ¡Soltar!
Cara Mía Theatre and Teatro Dallas will present ¡Soltar!, the first co-production in the two companies’ history. The production is an interactive pageant and procession, marking the spring equinox and a period of hope after 12 months of the pandemic. The outdoor, arts experience features an eclectic array of Mexican masks, mojigangas (large puppets), dance, and theater with costumes provided for audience members to actively participate in the festivities. There will be performances on April 17 and 24 at Exall Park.

Dallas Arts District presents Changing Perspectives ~~Block~~ Party, A Celebration of Dallas Artists (Date changed due to expected weather on April 16)
The Dallas Arts District will present live, in-person performances by reimagining its signature event, Changing Perspectives ~~Block~~ Party, A Celebration of Dallas Artists. The district’s traditional block party will become a socially-distanced night of performances by 10 Dallas arts companies. Performers will include Percussion Things, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Cry Havoc, Texas Ballet Theater, B. Moore Dance, Bandan Koro African Drum & Dance Ensemble, Bruce Wood Dance, The Dallas Opera Orchestra members, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and Dezi 5. The performances are free, but capacity is limited due to the pandemic.

Addison After Dark
The Town of Addison brings back After Dark, a monthly series that features live music, dance lessons, costume contests, food, and more. Each month features a different theme, and the series will kick off with Fiesta Noche, featuring a Selena look-alike contest and performances by Mariachi de Oro, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, and Bidi Bidi Banda.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DBDT: Encore! Rising Excellence
In this virtual production, choreographer Nycole Ray creates a unique new work that explores the personal struggles of women as they balance families, work, and other commitments with their pursuit of equality in Nineteenth. Choreographer Joshua L. Peugh restages his romantic comedy Slump that traces the trials and tribulations of courtship. In Shedding Skin, the dancers move through the strenuous and athletic work by Jess Hendricks of New York. The production will be available to view at any time from 7 pm on Saturday to 11:59 pm on Sunday.

Sunday, April 18

George W. Bush Presidential Center presents A Conversation with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger & President George W. Bush
In this virtual event, President George W. Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will discuss the need for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. This special edition of Engage at the Bush Center complements the publication of President Bush’s new book, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants, which features Schwarzenegger's own immigrant story. In part two of the program, a panel of immigrants featured in the book will share their thoughts on what it means to be an American. Both conversations will be moderated by NBC DFW anchor Meredith Land.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DBDT: Encore! Rising Excellence, streaming on April 17 and 18.

Photo By Brian Guilliaux

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents DBDT: Encore! Rising Excellence, streaming on April 17 and 18.

event-planner

Movie Review

Reminders of Him blends trauma and romance in slight but effective story

Photo by Michelle Faye / Universal Pictures

Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers in Reminders of HIm.

Texas author Colleen Hoover has gone from being a popular writer to a full-on celebrity in the 2020s, with the new film Reminders of Him marking the third adaptation of her books in just 19 months (a fourth, Verity, is scheduled for release in October 2026). All of her books that have been adapted so far - most notably It Ends With Us - are female-led stories that feature elements of romance and trauma, catnip for studios looking to appeal to the underserved demographic of women.

Leading the way in this film is Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe), who returns to her hometown of Laramie, Wyoming after spending years in prison for killing her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow), in a car accident. That relationship resulted in a daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), whom Kenna gave birth to while imprisoned and is now being raised by her grandparents, Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham).

Yearning to be a part of Diem’s life, Kenna tries to reconnect with Patrick and Grace, only to be rebuffed by Scotty’s best friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a former NFL player who now owns a local bar. In running interference, Ledger starts to become closer to Kenna, discovering that her tragic mistake shouldn’t be the only thing that defines her.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Lauren Levine, the film features mostly surface level examinations of its themes and average performances, yet it winds up being effective thanks to a willingness not to rush through its storytelling beats. The filmmakers take the slow and steady approach toward the coupling of Kenna and Ledger, setting up their bond through a series of heart-to-heart conversations that makes any romance feel earned.

The majority of the focus is on Kenna reclaiming her place in the world, and on Ledger coming to terms with the fact that the person who killed his best friend is not inherently a bad person. The film definitely could have gone deeper in its explorations of grief and anger, but the sheer amount of time it takes in addressing the characters’ doubts and fears turns out to be sufficient for a film that’s not aiming to be considered a dramatic masterpiece.

It also helps that Caswill and Levine do a solid job of establishing the variety of characters that inhabit the film. Kenna and Ledger don’t always feel like fully-formed people, but they become so through their interactions with each other and the other townspeople. Lady Diana (Monika Myers), a girl with Down syndrome who lives in Kenna’s apartment complex, and Roman (Nicholas Duvernay), Ledger’s co-worker at his bar, help to broaden the appeal of the two leads.

Monroe has, to this point, been best known for starring roles in horror films like It Follows and Longlegs. While she does somewhat well in this role, her delivery is often more flat than you’d expect for a character going through what she does. Withers thankfully doesn’t remind viewers of his recent bomb Him, demonstrating a crossover appeal that should serve him well in the future. Whitford and Graham don’t get to do much, but their combined experience gives their roles exactly what is needed.

It may sound like damning with faint praise, but Reminders of Him is a competently made film that knows how to serve its core audience without insulting anyone who may not automatically be all-in for such a story. The filmmakers don’t try to force any of the key moments down the audience’s throat, and that stands out in a genre that’s not always known for its subtlety.

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Reminders of Him opens in theaters on March 13.

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