While most big events in and around Fort Worth have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, there are a few that have popped up to offer the masses some entertainment while still adhering to the necessary social distancing measures.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.
Thursday, October 8
Frontiers: Fort Worth Opera Libretto Workshop
Led by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning librettist and lyricist Mark Campbell, this online event focuses entirely upon the text of new operas in-the-making. Fort Worth Opera's workshop will feature a distinguished panel of librettists, composers, directors, and artists, including Héctor Armienta, Nicole Brooks, Octavio Cardenas, Blythe Gaissert, Alison Moritz, Rachel J. Peters, Kelley Rourke, and Talise Trevigne.
Stage West Theatre presents October Playlets
October Playlets will feature three short plays written specifically to be live-streamed. The Playlets consist of Hey Stranger by Steph Del Rosso, Intro to Fiction by Ken Urban, and Boredom, Fear, and Wine by Craig Pospisil. The three pieces were written for online theater, and each is set in a virtual meeting space. There will be eight performances on various dates through October 18.
Hyena's Comedy Nightclub Fort Worth presents Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore tasted stardom in the 1990s thanks to his MTV show Totally Pauly, as well as starring roles in films like Jury Duty, In the Army Now, Bio-Dome, Encino Man, Son In Law, and A Goofy Movie. Apart from actively touring the country with his stand-up comedy, Shore is working on a documentary of his life that spans the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. He'll perform on both Thursday and Friday at Hyena's Fort Worth.
Friday, October 9
Magnolia at the Modern: The Nest
In The Nest, Rory (Jude Law), an ambitious entrepreneur and former commodities broker, persuades his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), and their children to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980s. Soon the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel, and the couple has to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage. The film will screen five times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
UT Arlington Department of Theatre Arts presents Heal the Divide On and Off Campus
Heal the Divide On and Off Campus, presented by The University of Texas at Arlington’s Department of Theatre Arts, is comprised of original one-act plays written and performed by students from the Department of Theatre Arts. The pieces focus on topics that directly concern and impact the millennial and Gen Z generations, such as diversity in politics, colorism, racism, and the LGBTQ+ community, among others. The production will be available to stream anytime between October 9 and 11.
Theatre Wesleyan presents Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play
Spies, murder, love, and other trademarks of Alfred Hitchcock come to life in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast of the master of suspense's earlier films. With The Lodger and Sabotage, Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play is a double feature — complete with vintage commercials — that recreates iconic scenes and chase sequences through the magic of live sound effects and musical underscoring. The live production, taking place in Parking Lot A at Texas Wesleyan University, will have three performances through Sunday.
Mike Ryan in concert
Country singer Mike Ryan is an up-and-coming musician who infuses his songs with Southern rock and soulful rhythms. He's had a handful of No. 1 songs on the Texas music charts, and he's released four albums in his career, including 2017's Blink You'll Miss It. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas on both Friday and Saturday.
Saturday, October 10
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth presents CMSFW Goes Virtual
The Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth will present the second of three virtual performances, this one called A Bridge of Searing Beauty. The concert, featuring Frank Bridge's Piano Quintet and Chevalier de St. George's String Quartet No. 5, will include Michael Bukhman, piano; Gary Levinson, violin; Aaron Boyd, violin; Dmitry Kustanovich, viola; and Allan Steele, cello.
Iliza's Comedy Tailgate Tour
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger will come to Coyote Drive-In to perform a live comedy set in a drive-in setting. The Dallas-raised comedian is the only female and youngest comedian to hold the title of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has five Netflix specials to her credit, including 2019's Unveiled.
Iliza Sheslinger will perform a live stand-up comedy show at Coyote Drive-In on October 10.
