SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Here is your weekly roundup of events, sure to keep your weekend busy with fun — in art, music, theater, comedy, pop-up markets and more.
All events featured were scheduled as of Thursday; however, it’s wise to check in ahead of attending any one. Inclement weather, changes in schedules and unforeseen circumstances may shift for organizers at the last minute.
Thursday, July 21
Mickey Dolenz
Kenan Auditorium, 515 Wagoner Dr.
Tickets: $57.50-$87.50
A two-time Emmy Award winner as well as Billboard-charting pop artist will make his way to Kenan Auditorium on Thursday evening. Most may remember Mickey Dolenz from his time on the famed show “The Monkees,” which aired from 1966 to 1968.
The band — consisting of Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork — generated a dozen top 20 singles and four top-charting albums. The members also made a feature film, “Head,” and were the first to use the famed Moog synthesizer, even ahead of the Beatles’s utilization on “Abbey Road.”
After the band went its separate ways, Dolenz continued working in film and TV and onstage in musicals, both as an actor and director. He would reunite with his bandmates for anniversary performances and also recorded solo albums.
He is the final standing Monkee and currently touring to honor his former bandmates. Dolenz will play on UNCW’s campus, joined by a seven-piece band.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. with tickets starting at $57.50.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
“PUFFS!” Auditions — Pineapple Shaped Lamps, a local comedy troupe, is hosting auditions at 7 p.m. for the return of “PUFFS! or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” by Matt Cox. The show will be directed by Beau Mumford and will take place Sept. 1 to 4 and Sept. 8 to 11 at Wilson Center Studio Theatre. Auditions include a cold reading from the script — no singing or dancing — for five roles, aged between 20 and 30. Actors of all genders and ethnicities, ages 16 to 116, are welcome. Find role breakdowns here.
“Lost In Transition” — An art exhibit focusing on Black educators that taught in WIlmington pre- and post-desegregation is on display at 210 Princess St. The opening is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring 10 portraits in charcoal by Alexandria Clay. Also included will be a film showcasing performances by UNCW students enacting the oral histories of local educators and their students, which were used as research for the exhibit. Read more about it from PCD here.
Friday, July 22
Emotional Visibility Project
Burgwin-Wright House, 224 Market St. • Free
As part of downtown’s Fourth Friday Gallery Night, which keeps the doors open at local galleries and businesses after hours, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Burgwin-Wright House is hosting Minnu Paul’s “Emotional Visibility Project.” The artist tackles a journey of self-expression on display through Aug. 20.
“With ink and patience, I draw,” Paul said in a press release. “My art expresses more eloquently than my words as my paradigm shifts and my value system builds.”
Minnu’s intricate line drawings are the result of her journey to finding “self.” She said in an artist’s statement the work represents love, acceptance, worth and security.
Yet none of the works carry names. She is welcoming viewers to name them at the July 22 opening. The show is part of Burgwin-Wright’s mission to showcase local artists in its art gallery space on the ground floor of the museum. The exhibition is free and open for the public to explore from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A percentage of proceeds from the sale of Minnu’s works benefits the ongoing preservation of the 1770 Burgwin-Wright House, 224 Market St.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Jobs Plus Job Fair — As sponsored by the Wilmington Housing Authority, Wave, New Hanover County, Novant, Port City United, New Hanover County Schools, NC Works, and Cape Fear Group Homes, a job fair will be held at Creekwood South Learning Center, 714 Emory St. The event will feature local employers and raffles, and takes place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Folkstone String Band with Brewer Brothers — Waterline Brewing is hosting a night of strings and pickin’ along the Cape Fear River. There will be traditional and contemporary bluegrass played and WilmyWoodie will be parked to sling the pies. Music is always free to enjoy from the beer garden stage, starting at 8 p.m.
Comedian Clifton Cash — NC-based standup comedian Cliff Cash will host a show in Porters Neck at 8 p.m. His humor touches on Southern culture, family and politics, all available on his 2021 album “Half Way There.” It was recorded in 2016 at Dead Crow Comedy Room in downtown Wilmington. Tickets to his show Saturday are $20. Click here to read PCD coverage about his album release last year.
The Magic Flute — Opera Wilmington has opened its summer performance of “The Magic Flute” by Mozart. The opera, sung in German with English subtitles — though dialogue is in English — features star-crossed lovers, the Queen of the Night (performed by Diana Thompson-Brewer), a mysterious magus and two quirky feathered friends. Tickets are $25 to $60 and the show has additional performances on July 24, 29, and 31; showtime is 7:30 p.m. at UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium.
Saturday, July 23
Jesse Jones
Dead Crow Comedy Room, 511 N. Third St. • Tickets: $18-$28
The Charlotte, N.C.-based comedian is touring through Wilmington for four shows this weekend, two each on Friday and Saturday night at downtown’s Dead Crow Comedy Room. Jones has been traversing the nation on his “Get Out Of My Head” tour.
Jones’ performances are packed with high energy — and tend to be loud — as he tackles life’s most relatable situations. He talks about teacher-parent meetings — having to sit in “those condescending little desks” — and the hurdles of parenting in the modern-day world.
Jones has been featured on MTV, Laughs on Fox, the 3V network. He also appears weekly on the Bourbon Showdown Show on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube.
Tickets are $18 to $28.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
GRiZmas in July — The Detroit-based DJ and producer, Grant Kwiecinski, performs dubstep, trip hop, and electronic sounds for dancing fans aplenty. He is returning to Live Oak Bank Pavilion both Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are $54.
READ MORE: In Photos: GRiZ electrifies Riverfront Park Friday, gets rained out Saturday
Hwy 17 Septet— Taking place at 7:30 p.m., as part of the Beckwith Summer Music Festival, Hwy 17 Septet, directed by Jerald Shunett and Brad Merritt on piano, will perform at Kenan Auditorium (515 Wagoner Drive). Selections played include “Little Ones,” “Alex in the Garden, “Waltz for Sue,” “The Gauntlet,” created by Merritt, as well as Mercer/ Arlen’s “My Shining Hour,” Miles Davis’ “Freddie the Freeloader,” and Joe Henderson’s “Serenity Personnel.” Joining the stage will be Benny Hill and Ryan Mulder on saxophone; Al Strong on trumpet; Jerald Shynett on trombone; Doug Irving on bass; and Jon Hill on drums. The show is free!
“Grease” – It’s automatic, it’s systematic, it’s hydromatic – it’s “Greased Lightning!” Opera House Theater Company is putting on the 1971 Broadway musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey over the next two weekends at Thalian Hall. The popular musical follows 10 teenagers – five greasers of the T-Birds gang and five Pink Ladies – as they face peer pressure, rebellion and all the growing pains of high school. Read PCD’s full coverage here. Tickets have been moving fast, so secure them for $ 32 here.
Sunday, July 24
All Things Groovy Hippie Fest
Waterline Brewing, 721 Surry St. • Free
Twenty-six vendors will be ready to show off their wares at All Things Groovy Hippie Fest this weekend. Taking place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the free-to-attend festival will have food trucks and live music.
Parked will be Stairway to Veggin’, Papadom’s Sangwich Truck and Sweet Cleo’s Frozen Desserts, serving food all individually prices.
During the day, live music will be performed by The Number Nines (4 p.m.) and Free Drinks Band (5 p.m.). It’s free to attend and hosted by Downtown ILM’s Market.
OTHER SUNDAY HAPPENINGSx
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” — Big Dawg Productions, a local nonprofit theater company, has opened the award-winning play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Adapted by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon, the story revolves around 15-year-old Christopher, an autistic young man, who is determined to find out how a neighbor’s dog wound up dead. The show will run at Thalian Hall’s Ruth and Bucky Stein Theater over the next two weekends, July 21 to 24 and July 28 to 31, directed by Gina Gambony. Tickets are $34.
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