It's a high culture kind of weekend in and around Fort Worth, as theater, classical music, art, and opera take center stage. Art can be found both indoors and out; you can get some free classical music in an unusual setting; theater is available from professionals, students, and from across the pond; and opera enthusiasts will kick off an annual festival.
Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, April 13
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents "FOCUS: Katherine Bernhardt"
The latest exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is by Katherine Bernhard, whose vibrant and youthful paintings hover between abstraction and figuration. Her recent paintings juxtapose everyday objects, and her subjects abound in popular and consumer culture, depicted in a simplified, flat, gestural style that approaches a cartoonish quality. The exhibit is on display through July 9.
The Cliburn presents Claire Huangci
Pianist Claire Huangci was a semifinalist at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where she also won the Jury Discretionary Award. In advance of the 2017 competition, Huangci performs at the Fort Worth Central Library as part of the Cliburn in the Community series, which provides the experience of live classical music performance for free to a broad audience.
Maverick Theatre Company presents MavPlays 2017
UT Arlington's Maverick Theatre Company presents its annual MavPlays, featuring three different works. On April 13 and 15 is Some of These Days, a play about a jazz trombonist whose past is catching up to his present. April 14 is a double bill of Endgame and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Each of the productions also plays at the Fine Arts Building on the UT Arlington campus April 20-22.
Friday, April 14
Magnolia at the Modern presents Frantz
The latest in the Magnolia at the Modern series is Frantz. In the aftermath of World War I, a young German woman grieving the death of her fiancé meets a mysterious Frenchman laying flowers at his grave. The film, in French and German with English subtitles, screens six times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Stolen Shakespeare Guild presents Sense and Sensibility
Stolen Shakespeare Guild presents the classic Jane Austen story Sense and Sensibility, in which two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, are left penniless and forced to leave the comforts of their home. When John Willoughby, a handsome stranger, arrives one day with a rain-drenched Marianne in his arms, the sisters are convinced that their fortunes are changed forever. The production plays at Fort Worth Community Arts Center through April 30.
Improv Arlington presents Damon Wayans Jr.
Damon Wayans Jr. has continued the Wayans comedy dynasty that started when his dad (Damon), his uncles (Keenan Ivory and Shawn), and his aunt (Kim) burst onto the scene in the '80s with In Living Color. He's established himself in his own right, starring in movies like How To Be Single and Let’s Be Cops, and on the TV series like Happy Endings and New Girl. He performs four stand-up sets at Improv Arlington, two each on both Friday and Saturday.
Saturday, April 15
West 7th Fort Worth presents Crockett Creates
Crockett Creates is a family-friendly arts festival in partnership with the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. The all-day block party at the West 7th development showcases paintings, photography, handcrafted goods, and multidimensional pieces of more than 30 regional artists. There are also performances from numerous local musicians, as well as a kids zone with activities and performances.
National Theatre Live presents Saint Joan
Gemma Arterton is Joan of Arc in Saint Joan, Bernard Shaw’s classic play that follows the life and trial of a young country girl who declares a bloody mission to drive the English from France. As one of the first Protestants and nationalists, she threatens the very fabric of the feudal society and the Catholic Church across Europe. National Theatre Live will show a screening of the play at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
2017 Fort Worth Opera Festival Grand Opening Night Concert
The 2017 Fort Worth Opera Festival commences with a star-studded Grand Opening Night Concert at Bass Performance Hall featuring Fort Worth native Ava Pine (The Daughter of the Regiment, Lysistrata, Silent Night), baritone Michael Mayes (Lysistrata, Glory Denied, Carmen), additional Fort Worth favorites, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Joe Illick.
Stolen Shakespeare Guild presents Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, April 14-30.
Sopes plate at El Garambullo.
El Garambullo