This weekend in and around Fort Worth will be a tale of comedy and beasts. Comedians will bookend the next four days, and in between you'll find short films from an acclaimed filmmaker, four local theater productions (including two focused on humans-turned-creatures), a rodeo competition, a vampiric ballet, a few concerts, and a beer festival.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 5

Improv Arlington presents Jess Hilarious
Jess Hilarious is an accomplished stand-up comedian who is best known for her appearances on season 9 of MTV's Wild ‘N Out, as well as various shows on VH1, BET, and more. She has opened for comedy legends such as Martin Lawrence, Rickey Smiley, and Bruce Bruce. She'll perform five times through Saturday at Improv Arlington.

Hyena's presents Josh Wolf
Comedian, actor, and writer Josh Wolf is known for his quick-witted commentary. He was a regular round table guest and writer on the E! series Chelsea Lately. He also wrote the 2013 book It Takes Balls: Dating Single Moms and Other Confessions from an Unprepared Single Dad, in which he details his adventures as a struggling stand-up comedian while juggling being a single parent in Los Angeles. He'll perform five times through Saturday at Hyena's Comedy Club.

Friday, October 6

Magnolia at the Modern: Strange Way of Life and The Human Voice
Instead of one feature film, Magnolia at the Modern will feature two short films this week, Strange Way of Life and The Human Voice by writer/director Pedro Almodóvar. A short Western drama, Strange Way of Life (2023) stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as two gunslingers who reunite after many years. In The Human Voice (2020), a woman (Tilda Swinton) watches time pass next to the suitcases of her ex-lover (who is supposed to come pick them up, but never arrives) and a restless dog doesn’t understand that his master has abandoned him. There will be six screenings through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Theatre Arlington presents American Son
In American Son, an estranged bi-racial couple must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Their disparate histories and backgrounds inform their assumptions as they try to find out what happened to their son. The production runs through October 15 at Theatre Arlington.

Texas Rattlers presents PBR Rattlers Days
The Texas Rattlers are Dallas-Fort Worth’s first-ever professional bull riding team, competing in the PBR Team Series, which transforms bull riding from an individual to team-formatted competition. During their annual homestand, PBR Rattlers Days, the eight founding teams compete in head-to-head, five-on-five bull riding games, with the team with the highest aggregate score the game winner. The final event of the season will take place through Sunday at Dickies Arena.

Stolen Shakespeare Guild presents The Miser
Molière's hysterical farce, The Miser, showcases the conflict between love and money through the escapades of multiple pairs of lovers and one hilarious, stingy old miser. Stolen Shakespeare Guild will present the production at Arts Fort Worth through October 21.

Texas Ballet Theater presents Dracula
For the premiere production of its 2023-2024 season, Texas Ballet Theater will enter the terrifying domain of the legendary vampire, whose insatiable bloodlust wrecks horror and destruction on his unwitting victims. The production, which is suitable for mature audiences, will have four performances, through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Hip Pocket Theatre presents The Fly
Science played with the atom and a monster has emerged from the disastrous experiment. Hip Pocket Theatre will use music, practical effects, and whimsy to present The Fly. Adapted by Shawn Gann from James Clavell's screenplay, the special Halloween production runs through October 29 at Hip Pocket Theatre.

Justin Moore in concert
Country singer Justin Moore has been a big success ever since his debut album in 2009. That No. 3 album on the Billboard Country charts was followed by three straight No. 1 albums and another one that went to No. 2. Moore comes back to Fort Worth in support of his new album, Stray Dog. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, October 7

Casa Mañana presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. tells the story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. The production runs through October 29 at Casa Mañana.

BTX Brewfest
Burleson's very own Brewfest was started by a few girls who had a dream of bringing a day filled full of music, cold beer and drinks, food trucks, and supporting local businesses. Participating breweries include 903 Brewers, Fort Brewery, Martin House Brewing Company, Panther Island Brewing, Four Corners Brewing Company, Revolver Brewing, Texas Ale Project, and more. Performers will include The Dick Beldings, Seven 6 Band, Poo Live Crew, and Josh Weathers Band. The one-day festival takes place at Mayor Vera Calvin Plaza.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Game ON! A Mesmerizing Celebration of Symphonic Game Music"
Featuring concert premieres of symphonic music from an unprecedented lineup of blockbuster video games, Game ON! combines symphonic arrangements with never-before-seen HD video. The epic universes of The Elder Scrolls, Assassin‘s Creed, Guild Wars 2, The Witcher 3, World of Warcraft, Ori, BioShock, and others will be on display. The performance takes place at Will Rogers Auditorium.

Eli Young Band in concert
Eli Young Band is a prime example of how some college bands can actually make it big in the music world. After forming at the University of North Texas, they quickly gained notoriety, opening for the likes of Miranda Lambert. Six albums later, three of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Country charts, the band remains one of the bigger success stories to come out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas in support of their 2022 album, Love Talking.

Sunday, October 8

Hyena's presents Ralph Barbosa
Dallas comedian Ralph Barbosa was named 2019’s Funniest Comic in Texas, 2021’s Winner of the New York Latino Film Festival Stand Up Comedy competition, and recently made his HBO debut on the HA Festival Comedy Special. Barbosa has also worked with comedians such as Dave Attell, JR De Guzman, Mark Normand, Adam Ferrara, Dusty Slay, Jesus Trejo, and Anjelah Johnson. After recently selling out six shows in Dallas for his upcoming Netflix special, he'll perform twice on Sunday at Hyena's.

  

Photo by Steven Visneau

Texas Ballet Theater presents Dracula at Bass Performance Hall, October 6-8.