While disenfranchisement is hardly cause for celebration, it’s certainly a reason to practice creative catharsis. We’re now three months into an unremitting state judicial race battle, in which Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin has sought to block incumbent Justice Allison Riggs’ recertification, despite her lead over Griffin being upheld by two recounts.
In response, Griffin mounted a campaign to cast out 60,000 valid votes that he claims are illegal. If you are one of the 60,000 North Carolinians whose vote is being challenged—or if you simply love democracy—this Haw River Ballroom event is a chance to dance under the ballroom’s famous disco lights and “dance, plan, rejuvenate, make friends, and make a difference.” The three-hour-long event is free. —Sarah Edwards
The mad scientist of culinary television is hanging up his lab coat, but not before one final performance. Alton Brown, whose iconoclastic show Good Eats forever changed food TV with its blend of quirky humor and scientific explanation, is bringing his farewell tour to Durham for a night of gastronomic mayhem.
Known for his methodical approach to cooking and playful demeanor, Brown promises a variety show packed with comedy, music, and the “culinary mega-hacks” that have become his hallmark—like using a fire extinguisher to make flash-frozen ice cream or repurposing everyday hardware store items into specialized cooking equipment.
A promo video for the tour shows Brown calling 911 to calmly report “a fire, a large condiment spill, and a runaway robot,” which should give you an idea of the controlled chaos to expect. After 16 seasons of Good Eats plus memorable stints hosting Iron Chef America, Cutthroat Kitchen, and Food Network Star—all while collecting James Beard and Peabody awards—Brown is serving up his last course. —Lena Geller
August Wilson’s lively ensemble drama Jitney transports theatergoers to the 1970s-era Hill, a predominately Black neighborhood in Pittsburgh where a group of unlicensed cab drivers navigate life, love, and struggle in a jitney station. Jitney is one of Wilson’s 10-edition “Pittsburgh Cycle” plays capturing life in the Steel City; this production is directed by Ron Foreman and features a robust cast, including former INDY Week staff writer Thomasi McDonald. The Pure Life Theatre show has a run of eight dates and tickets are $32.50, with discounts for students and seniors, and will be followed by productions of Bright Star and The Jungle Book in late spring and early summer. —Sarah Edwards
If you are a film buff and lover of the “dark, terrifying, and fantastic,” then your weekend is about to be booked. The very scary Nevermore Film Festival is a juried competition so long-running that it could (in human form) legally rent a car this year.
Programming kicks off on February 28 with The Damnation and continues with seventeen more films that dabble in classic themes—exorcisms, time travel, Ouija board, vampires, and the like. Nevermore is hosted online and in-person, so if you’re not able to make it out to the Carolina Theatre, you can still buy virtual passes. Individual tickets are $10 and for the very committed, a full festival pass is $100. —Sarah Edwards
This is America is a five-part series produced by Carolina Performing Art’s first-ever curator-in-residence, Johnny Gandelsman. Developed in the fraught months of 2020, the series, Gandelsman writes in the event program, is a “vivid counterpoint to the idea that this land can be understood through a singular, dominant point of view” and will offer perspectives on “universal topics like separation, loneliness, hope, and love.”
Violinists Christina Courtin and ensemble Layale Chaker & Sarafand feature in this second installment in the series; tickets start at $29 and the following three installments in This is America will take place on March 4, April 23, and April 24. —Sarah Edwards
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