There are some weekends when theater is the focus, but rarely do you get a weekend like this. It feels like every company in the region is opening a show at the same time. Aside from the plethora of theater options, you can take in some great movies, go through another Instagram-able exhibit, see Dirk and other celebs play baseball, and enjoy visits from big names in dance, comedy, and music.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, June 6
Audacity Theatre Lab presents Dallas Solo Fest
Dallas Solo Fest will feature eight unique one-person shows, a mix of local solo performers and performers from around the country. The festival, taking place through June 16 in the Theatre Too space at Theatre Three, will include performances by Jaye Lee Vocque, Brigham Mosley, Brad McEntire, Justin Lemieux, Jeremy Julian Greco, Carmel Clavin, Melanie Moseley, and Sacha Elie.
Second Thought Theatre presents Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? and Here We Go
The third production of Second Thought Theatre's season will be a double feature of rarely-produced Caryl Churchill plays. Drunk Enough To Say I Love You? is an examination of American identity through the characters of "GUY, a man" and his seducer, "SAM, a country," representing the dual face of America. Here We Go is a meditation on that most universal of human experiences: death. The productions will run through June 29 at Bryant Hall in the Kalita Humphreys Theater complex.
Theatre Three presents The Armor Plays: Cinched and Strapped
The latest from Theatre Three will also be a double feature of two one-act plays by Selina Fillinger. The first, Cinched, is set in during a 19th century high-class, noble dinner party. Fast forward several centuries to Strapped, the second piece that introduces hardened warriors in a dystopian future. Together, Fillinger’s The Armor Plays examine the ever-evolving roles of men and women and question which will lead the way in the future. The productions will run through June 30.
Dallas Theater Center presents Penny Candy
A world premiere from Dallas playwright Jonathan Norton, and set in Dallas’ own Pleasant Grove, Penny Candy follows one family as they seek to balance their responsibilities to their community and to one another. For 12-year-old Jon-Jon, helping his father run Paw Paw’s Candy Tree out of their run-down one-bedroom apartment isn’t quite a dream come true. As their neighborhood sees a surge of violence fueled by epidemic drug use and increasing racial tensions, the business begins to fail and danger looms immediately outside Jon-Jon’s front door. The play will run at Wyly Theatre through July 14.
Dallas Summer Musicals presents Aladdin
Fresh off the release of the live-action Aladdin movie, theatergoers can discover a whole new world as the hit Broadway musical version comes to town. The production, playing at the Music Hall at Fair Park through June 23, features favorite songs from the film as well as new music written by Alan Menken with lyrics from Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and book writer Chad Beguelin.
Oak Cliff Film Festival
The 2019 Oak Cliff Film Festival will showcase some of the best of independent filmmaking in Texas and beyond. The festival, which runs through Sunday, includes 28 feature-length films and 36 short films. Among the notable films will be opening night film Greener Grass, The Farewell starring Awkwafina, Yesterday from director Danny Boyle, and an outdoor screening of The Iron Giant. Screenings will take place at the historic Texas Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Kessler Theater, and numerous other venues around Oak Cliff.
Kitchen Dog Theater presents Reykjavík
As part of the New Works Festival, Kitchen Dog Theater will present the NNPN Rolling World Premiere of Reykjavík by Steve Yockey. This frank exploration of honesty in relationships offers a glimpse into a cold, dark, magical, and sometimes violent world where everyone still hopes to find joy beneath the glow of the Northern Lights. The play will run through June 30.
Imprint Theatreworks presents Ghost Quartet
Ghost Quartet is a fully-immersive song cycle about love, death, and whiskey that features four friends drinking and telling interwoven narratives spanning seven centuries. Audiences will be thrust into the multi-dimensional stories and unique melodies as the actors play dozens of characters and instruments, and nothing is as it seems. The regional premiere of the production will play at Bath House Cultural Center through June 15. Read our critic's review here.
Friday, June 7
Bivins Gallery presents "Psychedelic Robot 2.0"
Last year's "Psychedelic Robot" captured the hearts, minds, and Instagram feeds of thousands of Dallasites. "Psychedelic Robot 2.0" will allow visitors to experience art like never before, as the exhibit will be bigger, with room for more involved activations. Visitors will follow an engaging and immersive pathway through artists' vignettes, resulting in a one-of-kind experience. The exhibit will be on display at The Crescent through September 29.
Dirk Nowitzki's 2019 Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game
Dirk Nowitzki’s 2019 Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game will feature two baseball teams, each made up of celebrity and amateur players, slugging it out for seven innings of hilarious, and, often mediocre, baseball. Participants include Nowitzki, Mark Cuban, Dez Bryant, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Shawn Marion, and more. Game goers are encouraged to come out early to Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco for family-fun festivities and a Heroes Special Olympics All-Star Softball Game.
Derek Hough: Live! The Tour
At this event at The Theatre at Grand Prairie, fans will journey through a true fusion of dance and music, as Hough explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hop-hop and everything in between. Creative team and two-time Emmy winners Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, also known as NappyTabs, co-create, direct, and supervise choreography for the tour.
WaterTower Theatre presents The Ballad of Little Jo
Inspired by the true story of a young woman in the Old West, The Ballad of Little Jo is a lively and compelling musical about one woman’s fearless journey to stake her claim on the American Dream. Josephine Monaghan, stranded in a small mining town in Idaho, disguises herself as a man and finds a job mining silver. Things start looking up for Jo, but the dream of a better life starts to crack when news from back home reaches her. The production will run at WaterTower Theatre in Addison through June 30.
Saturday, June 8
Ilana Glazer: The Planet is Burning
Ilana Glazer finished up the fifth and final season of Broad City, her sketch comedy show with co-creator Abbi Jacobson, earlier this year. She's also co-starred in movies like Rough Night with Scarlett Johansson and The Night Before opposite Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As she awaits the 2020 release of her feature film writing debut, False Positive, she'll perform stand-up twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday at Granada Theater.
Eddie Izzard: Wunderbar
One of the world's most respected comedians, Eddie Izzard comes to Dallas as part of the U.S. leg of his Wunderbar international tour. Wunderbar began life in Paris where Izzard began to improvise his new show in French. He then flipped countries and improvised in German in Berlin. Now after more development in English, Izzard is ready to share Wunderbar with the world. He'll perform once on both Saturday and Sunday at Majestic Theatre.
Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band in concert
For Parrotheads, attending a Jimmy Buffett concert isn't just an experience — it's a way of life. The parking lots around Dos Equis Pavilion will turn into Margaritaville well before the concert on Saturday night, as thousands of people gather to celebrate Buffett's easygoing lifestyle. This concert will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Buffett's Son of a Son of a Sailor album.
Sunday, June 9
Mexican National Team: U.S. Tour 2019
Just as the FIFA Women's World Cup is getting started in France, AT&T Stadium in Arlington will go soccer-crazy as it hosts a visit from the Mexican National Men's Team, facing off against the squad from Ecuador. The match will take place just days before the start of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will include two early round games on June 20 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
Dirk Nowitzki's 2019 Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game will take place at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco on June 7.
Figure skater Mariah Bell. Getty Images 