Why So Serious?
Thursday 9
Independent filmmaker Vera Drew’s meticulously fair use-compliant masterpiece The People’s Joker screens at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Film House in Burlington. Parodying modern superhero franchises, incorporating crowdsourced animation, and skillfully integrating themes of gender identity and fascism, this 2022 remixed riff is triumphantly low-rent and surprisingly moving.
True Blues
Friday 10
Buffalo Nichols brings the blues into the 21st century during an exuberant concert at the Barre Opera House. Nichols’ juke-joint growl and driving guitar rhythms lend themselves equally well to painful meditations on Black history and sublime joy, all of which are present on tunes from his recent, self-titled debut album.
Bird’s-Eye View
Saturday 11
Avian enthusiasts of all ages spread their wings at World Migratory Bird Day, a celebration of all things flying at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee. Visitors meet raptors and songbirds, learn about loons and New England bogs, and take a deep dive into the world of insects, on which many birds depend.
Empire State of Mind
Saturday 11
New Inca Son‘s spring residency with BarnArts Center for the Arts culminates in an outdoor, all-ages concert at Barnard Town Hall. The Peruvian Bolivian band draws on its members’ Indigenous heritage and the long musical traditions of the Inca Empire. Food is available for purchase from local food trucks.
Take the Pancake
Wednesday 15
Dummerston’s Scott Farm Orchard kicks off its monthly summer Crêpe Night series with a picnic-style community supper. The ticket price includes one savory galette, one sweet French pancake and a salad, and benefits Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing. Future dates support other local nonprofits.
Live Studio Audience
Wednesday 15
Readers may have heard in this very paper that Burlington’s comedy scene is on the rise. Standup supporters do their part at Good Tape!, an opportunity for local jokesters to film a solid 10-minute set at Vermont Comedy Club. At this show, laughing your butt off could actually help up-and-coming comics further their careers.
Blue Paint Special
Ongoing
East Middlebury artist Leigh Harder presents her solo show “The Blue Between Day and Night” at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater. Created with the relatively new medium of alcohol ink, Harder’s landscapes depict the textures and shifting shadows of woodlands, mountains and gardens in layered shades of indigo and green.
This article appears in May 8-14, 2024.
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