TGIF! Here are 11 awesome arts and cultural events you don’t want to miss this weekend including Italian Film Weekend at the Wadsworth, The Pianist of Willesden Lane at Hartford Stage, and Playhouse on Park’s Stop/Time Dance Theater. Scroll through for more! And don’t forget to tag your weekend adventures with #LetsGoArts on Twitter and Instagram.
When you see [UA] in the heading, it means the organization is supported by the contributions made to the Arts Council’s Annual United Arts Campaign.
Friday
The Unwanted Crisis [UA]
When: Friday, March 27, 7:30PM (through March 29)
Where: Hartbeat Ensemble
Presented by Hartbeat Ensemble Youth Play Institute. When a white police officer, a black youth and American racial histories collide, can we draw a line and define who is the enemy?
Admission: $5. 860-548-9144. www.hartbeatensemble.org
4th Friday @ the Arts Café
When: Friday, March 27, 7:30PM
Where: Marlborough Arts Center
Featuring Handler and Levesque, award-winning guitarists who play various guitars and mandolin during their concerts that range from Classical Swing and Folk, to Gypsy, Brazilian, and Latin American music. Their audiences say their music brings “uplifted spirits” to all as they talk very openly about their international experiences. BYOWine. Other refreshments available.
Admission: $10. 860-295-9389. www.marlborougharts.org
Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours [UA]
When: Friday, March 27, 6PM, 7PM, 8PM, 9PM
Where: Mark Twain House and Museum
Filled with haunted history, dark tales and Victorian traditions surrounding seances and spiritualism, these nighttime tours are as educational as they are goosebump-inducing.
Admission: $13-$20. Reservations required. 860-280-3130. www.marktwainhouse.org
Saturday
Playing the Assassin [UA]
When: Saturday, March 28, 7:30PM
Where: TheaterWorks
Decades ago, NFL star Frank Baker was dubbed “The Assassin” for his brutal tackles. Inspired by a true story, this new play tackles the NFL’s thorniest issues: race, hero worship, violence and its repercussions.
Admission: www.theaterworkshartford.org
DancEnlight Presents “Lines Beyond Form”
When: Saturday, March 28, 7:30PM (through March 29)
Where Herbert Gilman Theater, Mandell JCC
The newest work by international artists and twins Lorelei Chang and Mai Nakanishi is a creative exploration of lines inspired, in part, by Paul Klee’s whimsical definition “A line is a dot that went for a walk”. Unlike many of Mondrian’s stark line paintings, dancEnlight uses lines as a springboard for invention, pushing the limits of movement in ways that will fascinate and delight viewers.
Admission: $15-$25. www.dancenlight.org
Captain and Mrs. Howard are at Home and Request the Honor of Your Presence!
When: Saturday, March 28, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM
Where: Windsor Historical Society
History truly comes alive as you visit Windsor Historical Society’s Strong-Howard house museum and meet Captain and Mrs. Howard in their 1810 home. Costumed actors portraying this historic couple will welcome you into their newly renovated historic house, where yes, you CAN touch everything!
Admission: $10. 860-688-3813. www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org
The Pianist of Willesden Lane [UA]
When: Saturday, March 28, 7:30PM
Where: Hartford Stage
An expression of hope and the life-affirming power of music, The Pianist of Willesden Lane tells the true story of a young Jewish musician, who was sent from Nazi-ruled Vienna to the relative safety of London during the Blitzkrieg. Based on the book, The Children of Willesden Lane.
Admission: $20-$85. 860-527-5151. www.hartfordstage.org
Italian Film Weekend [UA]
When: Saturday, March 28, 1PM, 3PM, 7:30PM
Where” Wadsworth Atheneum
1 pm, Film: The Mafia Only Kills in Summer
3 pm, Food & Film: Big Night
7:30 pm, Film: Long Live Freedom
Admission: $7-$9. www.thewadsworth.org
Sunday
Stop/Time Dance Theater
When: Sunday, March 29, 2PM
Where: Playhouse on Park
The show consists of a variety of music—including original arrangements—dancing, and a live band, so audiences can “count” on a night of entertainment!
Admission: www.playhouseonpark.org
CONCORA Bach Concert [UA]
When: Sunday, March 29, 4PM
Where: Immanuel Congregational Church, Hartford
This concert includes two motets,“Lobet den Herrn” and “Jesu, meine Freude,” and Cantata #147, “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mind and Deed and Life), which contains Bach’s much-beloved choral-orchestral movement, the chorus “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
Admission: $10-$50. www.concora.org
Let’s Go Arts card member discount: 2-for-1 general seating
Improv’d Cinema: Sea Tea Improv Fixes a Movie
When: Sunday, March 29, 2PM
Where: Real Art Ways
Here’s how it works: an outside source will secretly pick 5 of the worst flicks they can find, and the audience will vote on which one to play. Then Sea Tea Improv will dramatically improve this terrible film by voicing over the entire movie — with original score and sound effects — on the spot!
Admission: $5-$11.
Support the arts! Every contribution goes a long way.
