Tag: memphis events

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On the Fly: Week of 02/02/24

Confederates
Hattiloo Theatre
Performances February 2-25
Hattiloo Theatre’s latest production opens this weekend. Tony-nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau’s exacting new play explores the reins that racial and gender bias still hold over American educational systems today. Two Black American women – an enslaved rebel and a professor at a contemporary university – are having parallel experiences of institutional racism, though they live over a century apart. Opening weekend tickets cost $20 each (excluding opening night), second-weekend tickets cost $25 each, third-weekend tickets cost $30 each, and closing weekend tickets cost $35 each. Opening night tickets cost $100 and include hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, a red carpet, and valet parking. Purchase tickets here. 

Grind City FROST’D Limited-Release Party
Grind City Brewery
Saturday, February 3, noon
Join Grind City Brewery for some tasty limited edition beers, raffles, food trucks, and live music. From s’mores to pistachio to classic lagers, they’ve got a beer lineup that runs the (winter) gamut, having created the perfect flight for a winter weekend. Get there early to try all the limited edition beers. As for the raffles, odds are, someone in your party will come away with some free beer, merch, Grind City Fest Tickets (you heard that right!), or a Grind City Polar cooler that will be your new party or lake day favorite. The party is free to attend.

All in for Animals Charity Poker Tournament
Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County
Saturday, February 3, 6 p.m.
The River Rat Rounders (no relation to actual river rats) have teamed up with the Humane Society to host the All in for Animals Charity Poker Tournament. There will be plenty of food, drinks, and fun for everyone who participates. Tickets are $60 in advance or $70 at the door, and all of the proceeds will go toward helping furry friends at the Humane Society. (And no, there will be no dogs playing poker. Those paintings — you know the ones I’m talking about — are false advertising.)

The Renaissance Comedy Show starring Comedian Poundcake: Prophet of Comedy
The Halloran Centre
Saturday, February 3, 7 p.m.
Demario “Comedian Poundcake” Hollowell is one of the hottest and most versatile comedians on the circuit today. Poundcake, who grew up in the Raleigh neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee, has been making people laugh his whole life. In school, he was able to make the entire class laugh including faculty and staff at his alma mater, Raleigh-Egypt High School. Although he knew he was the wittiest of all, he never thought that he would one day make a living as a comedian, but here he is and he’s ready to make money off you for his show at the Halloran Centre. Tickets are $65 to $100 and can be purchased here.

Self-Awareness and Self Protection Workshop
Church Health
Sunday, February 4, 1-2:30 p.m.
Open to all women 13 and above, this workshop is designed to help students recognize trouble from predators in time for you to act. You will learn simple but effective protective techniques to escape an attack as well self-defense tactics if you are in fear that your life is in danger. Tickets for the workshop are $45. 

Lunar New Year
Al Chymia Shrine Center
Sunday, February 4, 4-11 p.m.
Lunar New Year is the most significant cultural celebration of Asian Americans. The event, presented by Vietnamese American Community West Tennessee, will be replete with celebratory performances, music, authentic food, ao dai fashion show, and vendor booths.

The Book Mixer
The Cove
Sunday, February 4, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
At the Book Mixer, you’ll have the chance to engage in book swaps, where you can exchange your old favorites for something new and exciting. Don’t forget to bring a book or two to contribute to the swap!

Les Misérables
Orpheum Theatre
Tuesday-Sunday, February 6-11
Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men? It is the music of the Broadway show that just gives you the chills. Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. Tickets are $30-$175 and can be purchased here.

Springfield Music Lecture Series: Jason Isbell 
McNeill Concert Hall at Rhodes College
Wednesday, February 7, 6 p.m.
Jason Isbell, four-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, will discuss his music and career. Isbell also will discuss his thoughts on what musicians can do to transform the surrounding world. The lecture is free to attend. Guests can register here. Due to high demand, seating will be limited for non-registered guests.

MicroCinema: 61st Ann Arbor Film Festival Shorts Tour
Crosstown Theater
Wednesday, February 7, 7 p.m.
Indie Memphis and Crosstown Arts are honored to continue to showcase films from the most recent edition of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the oldest experimental and avant-garde film festival in North America. Using various techniques, from puppetry to mixing digital and analog film approaches, these films explore shades of the relationships between humanity and the natural world, between humans and each other, and speculate on their meaning and changing possibilities. The festival is pay-what-you-can.

There’s always something happening in Memphis. See a full calendar of events here.

Submit events here or by emailing calendar@memphisflyer.com.

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On the Fly: 1/12-1/18

Jam out to ABBA songs with ABBA revisited at BPACC this weekend. (Photo: Courtesy ABBA Revisited/BPACC)

MLK Days of Service
Lots of Places
Through Monday, January 15th
Get your booty up and volunteer this week (or any week) with Volunteer Memphis. They’ve got a host of opportunities you can sign up for, so why not? Learn more here, and if you’re like, ugh, idk. Here are some other volunteer opportunities: 

  • Volunteer Day at Overton Park: Join Ranger Heather in a volunteer project at Overton Park. All participants must be over the age of 18 years old. Old Forest Gate at Rainbow Lake Parking Lot, Saturday, January 13, 10 a.m.-noon.
  • MLK Day of Service at Wolf River Conservancy: Volunteers will expand an unpaved trail, clear streets of litter and debris, remove nonnative invasive plant species, and other onsite projects. Wolf River Conservancy, Saturday, January 13, 10 a.m.-noon. 
  • Pick Up for a Pint: Meet up at Memphis Made, where you’ll receive a trash bag; volunteers will disperse across the neighborhood to pick up trash and meet back at the brewery after it opens at 1 p.m. to receive their free beer (!). Memphis Made Brewing Company, Saturday, January 13, noon-2 p.m.
  • MLK Day of Service at Shelby Farms Park: Groups will be mulching trees, clearing privet, picking up limbs on the Shelby Farms Greenline, and filling potholes in the Outback Off-Leash Dog Park. Shelby Farms Park, Monday, January 15, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Greater Illinois
TheaterWorks
Performances Friday, January 12-28
Memphis, you are about to be treated to the world premiere — I repeat, WORLD premiere — of Steven Strafford’s Greater Illinois, thanks to Playhouse on the Square. The show tells two interwoven stories that examine the intersections of fear, race, and homophobia. Performances run through January 28, Thursday to Saturday with an 8 p.m. curtain and with a 2 p.m. curtain on Sunday. Tickets ($25) can be purchased here. 

Beale Street Monster Club
A. Schwab
Saturday, January 13, 1 p.m.
If you are into monsters, horror, and sci-fi, you might be into this brand-new club. Not like an unce-unce-unce club with the beep bops, but a club for nerds because, let’s face it, that’s what you are. This will be the inaugural meeting, so you can get in at the start, which is a good strategy if you’re joining an MLM, not sure about clubs, but it can’t hurt. For the first meeting, attendees will share monster memories and watch vintage trailers. 

ABBA Revisited
Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center
Saturday, January 13, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Tonight the super trouper lights are gonna find you at BPACC. Why? Because ABBA is coming! Well, not THE ABBA (that’s a lot of capital letters), but ABBA Revisited, a tribute band. They might not be the real deal, but hey, take a chance on them. If you’ve got no place to go, if you’re feeling down, if you’re all alone when the pretty birds have flown, honey, take a chance on ABBA Revisited. At the concert, you can dance, you can jive, you might even have the time of your life. So go on and spend your money, money, money — it’s a rich man’s world at only 40 bucks a ticket (purchase ’em here).

Bonfire and Crafts
Black Lodge
Saturday, January 13, 3-7 p.m.
Celebrate the winter solstice with arts and crafts vendors, cult films, good eats (including s’mores), and live music. 

The Plot Thickens: The Writers and Raconteurs of Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery
Sunday, January 14, 2 p.m.
One day I’ll be dead, and maybe you’ll learn about me in this presentation about Memphis’ novelists, journalists, broadcasters, and poets. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Oh please, no, not the girl, who drags out these On the Fly things, don’t add her to a perfectly good, concise presentation.’ Don’t worry, I’m not dead yet, and I plan on outliving you. So, learn about the (already dead) writers that have made a mark on Memphis this weekend. Tickets which are $20 a person are available for purchase here, but there appears to be some 2 for 1 deal going on at the time of this writing, so get on that — money, money, money, it’s a rich man’s world, ya know? Snacks are included in the ticket price.

A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
National Civil Rights Museum
Monday, January 15, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
The National Civil Rights Museum will celebrate MLK day with free admission and extended hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The daylong event includes local organizations, children’s activities, entertainment by local artists such as vocalist Gerald Richardson, Overton High School choir, and more. Guests are encouraged to give back by bringing canned goods and nonperishables to donate to the Mid-South Food Bank. NCRM has also partnered with Vitalant for a blood drive at local centers from December 15th to January 15th and onsite on January 15th. Donors will receive free admission for two people in 2024.

Laser Tag Night + Screening of Tron Legacy & Starship Troopers
Black Lodge
Wednesday, January 17, 7:30 p.m.
You won’t catch me at this event. Laser tag doesn’t match with my no-sports lifestyle. Also, I don’t like losing, and I know I’d lose at laser tag because I have no sense of aim or whatever and I went to a laser tag birthday party as a kid because no. Anyways, Black Lodge is putting on a laser tag + movie night. I don’t know. They’re going to screen Tron Legacy (never seen it) at 7:30 p.m. and Starship Troopers (never heard of it) at 9:30 p.m. with laser tag happening simultaneously. I don’t think they were thinking of me when they created this event, but maybe this is right up your alley. You’ll need to sign a waiver and be 16 or over. They’re taking no chances. 

2024 Women in Blues Showcase
Alfred’s
Thursday, January 18, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Women in Blues Showcase aims to level the field for female blues artists and musicians by showcasing female blues artists. This year’s showcase MC and opening performer is the dynamic Gina Coleman. Performing artists include Alex Richmond, The Bustle – Sami Chong, Jennifer Swistun, Jenny McPhail, Chantell with Diego Mongue Band, Dawn Lepere – LeFever, Mandalyn And The Hunters, Kiersi Joli, PK Hanna, Sunny Bleau, The Gayle Harrod Band, Niecie, and Sayed Sabrina. The event is free to the public, and donations are accepted. Also, it’s a part of the International Blues Challenge, which is also happening this week and seems like something I should mention.

There’s always something happening in Memphis. See a full calendar of events here.

Submit events here or by emailing calendar@memphisflyer.com.

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Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Brings Their Act to Lafayette’s

This Sunday, August 14th, the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow is bringing its thrilling brand of entertainment to Lafayette’s Music Room. Championing themselves as the “world’s largest and last remaining troupe of sideshow freaks and circus performers,” this group of performers defies death every time they take the stage, from swallowing swords to eating fire to practicing foot archery and more — all in a two-and-a-half hour show. 

As seen on AMC’s Freakshow, Ripley’s Believe It Not, Guinness World Records, the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, America’s Got Talent, and more, these performers hope to inspire audiences in conquering their fears and dwelling in anticipation. Lucky for us, the Memphis Flyer got a chance to catch up with performer Short E. Dangerously in a quick Q&A to ask him all about what it means to join the circus. 

Short E. Dangerously (Photo: Courtesy Great Scott Productions)

Memphis Flyer: What led you to being a part of Hellzapoppin?

Short E. Dangerously: After 15 years in the nightclub business as a DJ, I found myself looking for something different. I had no idea what direction I wanted to go. A mutual friend introduced me to [ringleader] Bryce “The Govna” Graves. He contacted me and offered to have me as a guest on an upcoming show Hellzapoppin had not far from where I lived. I had one skill — I could do an inverted handstand. Now, keep in mind, I don’t have any legs. So, I came out, gave a little speech, and went into a handstand, with the understanding of the audience that the louder they were, the higher up I would go.

What is your act all about?

My signature act is walking on broken shards of glass with my bare hands while it is on fire! It is a demonstration of pain tolerance and mental and physical toughness. I was born with a physical condition that does set me apart from other performers. In the sideshow world, I am considered a half-man. I am also considered a natural born performer, a natural born “freak” if you will. However, I trained and studied for over a year with the glass walking before even attempting it on stage. 

Most of the sideshow stunts are passed down from performer to performer as a generational thing. In order to do what we do, you have to have a knowledge of science, physics as well as anatomy. Whereas a musician plays their given instrument, our bodies are our instruments. For example, in order for Willow [Lauren] to learn how to swallow a sword, she had to know the anatomy and the science of what is going on with her body as well as controlling gag reflexes that are normally involuntary. She has to control those with her mind and suppress them.

Willow Lauren, one of the few women in the world who swallow swords and regurgitate razor blades (Photo: Courtesy Great Scott Productions)

Circuses have a layered history, often exploitative. How have y’all confronted this history? 

Bryce and I get asked this question all the time regarding exploitation. However, there’s no exploitation going on. I am in the show because I have a talent and I’m a performer. It’s not just because of how I look. I have a skill set. My background as a DJ helped me in this field. I run all of the music cues and the production during the show except for when I’m on stage. Then Willow runs my music cues.

Have you ever surprised yourself in being able to perform a certain act?

I can recall one time when I did surprise myself. The big finish to the glass walking act is when I jump down onto the pile of glass from an elevated ladder or stool. This one particular time, the only ladder that was available for us to use was approximately four-and-a-half feet high. I normally jumped from around two or two-and-a-half feet. When I got to the top of the ladder, Bryce came out to me and pulled the microphone away and said, “You don’t really have to do this.” I looked at him. I smiled. I said, “I’m either going to make history or be history.” I looked down, took a deep breath, and sent it! I landed safely with no problems. As I walked off stage, I thought to myself that it was really crazy, but I would love to do it again!

(Photo: Through the Eyes of a Queen/Courtesy Great Scott Productions)

Do you ever doubt yourself or get nervous before doing something that most people wouldn’t dare to try?

I get asked this question a lot and the best way I can answer it is I ask people a question: Do you get nervous before you go to work? This is my job. This is my profession. Ironically, there’s a calmness that comes over me before the show starts. Then, when I hit the stage, everything explodes! All of that fear and anxiety is gone and I am focused on my job, the task at hand.

What does it feel like when you’ve succeeded in performing a death-defying stunt, especially in front of an audience?

It’s the best! It’s an incredible adrenaline rush! There’s nothing like it anywhere! It’s the best drug in the world! I have defied death countless times in my life — injury not so much. A lot of times, audience members and average people fail to realize that we literally torture ourselves for their entertainment. However, when you’re on stage, you don’t feel any pain. We all tend to feel our pain off stage, after the show, when the adrenaline wears off and reality kicks back in. One thing I have learned is that sometimes our audiences are a little bit bloodthirsty. It’s like most of our audiences are the ones that go to a car race just for the crashes!

However, the energy we get from the audience always gives us the energy to get it done. We literally feed off the energy the audience gives us some nights because it’s the only way that we can do it. You do this because you love it and you can’t imagine doing anything else in the world. Only a few people can do what we do, which is what makes us so unique.

Is there anything else that you feel is important to mention?

You can find us all on social media. Make sure to check out www.hellzapoppin.com for all of our tour dates and performer bios!

Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow, Lafayette’s Music Room, Sunday, August 14, 7 p.m., $20 /general admission, $35/VIP, 21+.

Purchase tickets here.