Wednesday, July 13
Food Trucks & Lawn Games at Pacific Plaza
“Shaded seating available” is a magical phrase these days. With temps in triple digits, people are missing their outdoors time. Downtown Dallas Inc. has a solution with a rotating offering of food trucks, live entertainment and lawn games — oh, and that shaded seating — every Wednesday through Friday in July at Pacific Plaza (401 N. Harwood St.). It’s a great break from the usual lunch haunts and a nice way to blow off some steam after the client says for the fourth time they want their logo even bigger. Downtown is also offering up yoga nights, brunch and night markets and more July fun, so find all the details online.
Thursday, July 14
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Greenville Avenue Pizza Company's Crackaroni and Cheese Calzone.
courtesy of GAPCo
Celebrate National Macaroni and Cheese Day at GAPCo
Thursday, July 14, is National Macaroni and Cheese Day! So, who should be rocking the most decadent, freaking ooziest, gooiest mac-n-cheese fan art available for consumption? A pizza place, naturally. No, really. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, or GAPCo, as the kids call it since there's more than one and they aren’t all on Greenville, is serving a Crackaroni and Cheese Calzone on Thursday only at all locations. Their beloved pizza dough and mozz? Check. Then there’s ziti noodles, Velveeta cheese sauce, more mozzarella and Pizza Crack (we didn’t name it) seasoning. It’s a disaster in the best, napkin-requiring way. Oh, and it comes with a side of pizza sauce because of course we are going to need to dip. Get online to find the location nearest you and order early to be the hero of your work lunch.
Friday, July 15
Black Comedy at Theatre Arlington
A little dark humor, anyone? Theatre Arlington (305 W. Main St., Arlington) takes the question literally with Peter Shaffer’s British farce Black Comedy. There’s a party to impress a fancy father, stolen furniture and a neighbor who shows up when least expected. And as many of us in DFW fear, there’s a blackout that throws the whole thing into darkness. The show opens 7:30 p.m. July 15 with a post-show reception and runs 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through July 31. Tickets are $29, available online.
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Spark Fest opens with Light Up the Runway, a live costume design contest.
courtesy of Kris Ikejirif
Spark Fest begins at Amphibian Stage
Amphibian Stage (120 S. Main St., Fort Worth) is doing the most to inspire. Starting Friday, July 15, the company presents a 13-day festival to light creative fires and bring joy to the theater. The kickoff celebration, Light Up the Runway, starts at 7 p.m. and lets six great Fort Worthians create teams to compete to be the best amateur fashion designer. Other events include storytelling and playwriting workshops, performances and readings, comedy classes, audition tutorials and more throughout the month. These glorious events are free for members, so find out all the details and get yourself an Amphibian Membership online.
Saturday, July 16
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These are Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
Mike Morgan
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at Irving Arts Center
We love that none other than beloved local director B.J. Cleveland is turning out this feisty offering based on Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 comedy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. For those who haven’t seen the film, we’re at a complete loss over if we should recommend seeing it first or going into the musical adventures of Pepa, Lucia, Candela and all the others in 1980s Madrid totally blind. It’s all chaotic, suspicious and totally fun. MainStage Irving-Las Colinas presents the farce at Irving Arts Center (3333 N. MacArthur Blvd.) through July 30. Tickets are $25-$32, available online.
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Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons tribute group, The Four C Notes.
courtesy of Coppell Arts Center
The Four C Notes at Coppell Arts Center
If your ideal Thursday includes screaming like a teenage girl for shiny suits, smart choreo and a falsetto that won’t quit, we recommend getting to the Coppell Arts Center (505 Travis St.) at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 16, for The Four C Notes. This Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tribute act was concocted by none other than Jersey Boys' own John Michael Coppola and drips with authenticity … not to mention hits such as “Sherry,” “Workin’ My Way Back to You (Baby),” “Oh, What A Night (December 1963)” and others. Tickets are $30, available online. Walking like a man, not required.
Sunday, July 17
TimTheTatman’s Tailgate with Kane Brown at Ford Center
The Ford Center at the Star (9 Cowboys Way, Frisco) is about to get played in a way it’s not quite used to as online gamer/streaming superstar TimTheTatman presents his two-day tailgate Saturday and Sunday. There are car contests, lookalike contests, Fortnite battles, laser tag, retro arcades, field goal kickoffs, LAN tournaments, obstacle courses and even Tim Pong (which is way less like the arcade game and more like beer pong). Kane Brown headlines the whole thing at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17. Passes start at $99, available online.
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Matilda and Miss Honey are kindred souls.
Donna Covington
Matilda by Company of Rowlett Performers at Plaza Theater
Don’t miss the final performance of Company of Rowlett Performers’ family-friendly musical, Matilda, at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 17, at Plaza Theater (521 W. State St., Garland). Roald Dahl’s beloved character is as brilliant and precocious as ever, and her relationship with teacher Miss Honey as sincere. The story of the pair has always had a bittersweet undercurrent, and the musical manages to retain that integrity while celebrating the strength of its main characters. (Always a bonus for parents who grew up on Dahl books.) Tickets are just $15, available online.
Monday, July 18
Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses at NorthPark Center
There are lots of new and awesome things to browse at NorthPark Center. It’s time for the 27th annual Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses, and as always, it is magical. Architects, designers, organizations, corporations, teams (ahem, Dallas Mavericks) and individuals donate absolutely brilliant, fun and sometimes funky playhouses for the annual fundraiser. For a $5 raffle ticket, you can win a playhouse and help support abused and neglected children find safe homes thanks to the volunteer advocates of Dallas CASA. The playhouses are on display from July 15 through July 31. Purchase raffle tickets and find out more about Dallas CASA online.
Tuesday, July 19
Arts & Letters Live: Silvia Moreno-Garcia at Dallas Museum of Art
Silvia Moreno-Garcia hooked us with her supernatural mystery in Mexican Gothic, and now she’s luring us into a sci-fi tinged social commentary within a novel with The Daughter of Dr. Moreau. Her language is full-throttle alluring even when she’s describing something as seemingly banal as a table, and her women are strong, pushing against the stereotypical traps some historical books could fall into. It would be a mistake to pass up the chance to hear this author in conversation with Theatre Three’s Christie Vela, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, for the Arts & Letters Live series at the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.). Tickets are $40 and include the book, or get two tickets and one book for $60. Virtual tickets are also available. Find them all online.