This Week in Geek (11/11/19–11/17/19)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, November 11, to Sunday, November 17.

The Final Frontier Festival: In A World

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Monday, November 11, through Sunday, November 17; various times
Where: Rosedale Center

Gadfly Theatre Productions is “an inclusive queer [and] feminist organization hoping to highlight issues and showcase stories important to those communities in a way that everyone can relate [to] with uniquely universal plays anyone will love.” The theme of their Final Frontier Festival this year is “In A World,” which they will be using to explore “dystopian dreams, futurist fantasies and so much more” through a series of collaborative works and one-act plays. Tickets are $21.99 including service fees. Read more about Gadfly and the festival in our interview with cofounder Cassandra Snow!

Twin Cities Monday Night Backgammon

What: Gaming
When: Monday, November 11, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Richfield American Legion

Enjoy a night of backgammon with two tournaments. Entry to this event is $5, and this is a great chance for both pros and newcomers to learn this classic game of strategy.

Creative Night

What: Arts, Community
When: Monday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

This event invites participants to let their creativity shine with drawing, painting, crafting, or whatever their hearts desire at Creative Night, a weekly event put on by Crafty Geek and the Geek Partnership Society. Meet at the Waterbury Building at 6:30 and carpool or walk to see creativity in action.

Action Movie: The Play

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Monday, November 11, through Saturday, November 16; at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Strike Theater

There’s nothing more thrilling then a looming deadline and a project that just won’t come together. Follow the journey of a screenwriter climbing a sort of creative Nakatomi Plaza, facing the Hans Grubers of overplayed tropes, and story threads that just don’t click. This satire features serious homage to beloved ’80s and ’90s action-movie tropes. Tickets are $10–15. See Twin Cities Geeks take on the play here.

Pokémon Go Trainer Tuesdays at Parkway Pizza

What: Gaming, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, November 12, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Parkway Pizza

A trainer strives to catch them all, and gain prowess and respect. This weekly event at Parkway Pizza is an opportunity to catch fun drink and food specials, meet other aspiring trainers, and square off against worthy opponents to win status and power. You can and will win, even if winning may just mean having a good time meeting other pocket-monster fans.

Books & Bars: My Sister. The Serial Killer

What: Books, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, November 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Moon Palace Books

Books and Bars is an “open public book club show” hosted and moderated by Minnesota Public Radio senior producer Jeff Kamin that provides attendees with “a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food, and social lubrication.” The book being read and discussed this month is My Sister. The Serial Killer, a novel by Oyinkan Braithwaite. This dark satire handles difficult sibling relationships and a sister with the unfortunate habit of slaying her boyfriends.

Mystic Dawn/Amtgard: Park Days

What: Gaming, Sports & Fitness
When: Wednesday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Oak Grove Park

Amtgard, a global organization focused on the sport of medieval-fantasy combat, will be hosting a gathering in Oak Grove Park. Participants can take part in glorious quests, battle, and more, all with the use of foam weapons for the sake of safety. Garb is encouraged, but not required, and loaner weapons are available. This is a free-to-play event, but long-term players are expected to support the organization with $6 or $10 dues.

TC Trek Trivia: It’s Not Me, It’s Q

What: Trivia
When: Wednesday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Driftwood Char Bar

Hosted by Master Trekkie, TC Trek Trivia consists of five rounds: General Trek (questions covering all things Star Trek); Identify the Image; Ships, Technology, and Cultures; Complete the Quote; and a “Wild Card” round. Questions for each of these five rounds are drawn from all Star Trek-television series and all 12 films. According to Master Trekkie himself, TC Trek Trivia is “all ages, no cover, food, drinks, and a whole lot of Trek!” This month’s theme is “It’s Not Me, It’s Q,” so expect some focus on the omnipotent alien who formed a frame and foil in TNG, a punching bag in Deep Space Nine, and an unwanted love interest in Voyager. Hopefully this month will answer the question of whether Q knows Kevin Uxbridge and Trelane.

What: Nightlife, Food & Drink, Books
When: Thursday, November 14, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Fine Line

Enjoy a wizarding experience that might as well have apparated out of thin air. This pop-up experience will feature a variety of Harry Potter-related fun, including trivia, a dance party, a costume contest, and more. This is you chance to show your house colors and have fun with other fans. Tickets start at $15, with a number of other packages available.

Crafty Geek/Make It Sew

What: Arts, Meetup
When: Thursday, November 14, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

The Geek Partnership Society’s Crafty Geek club and its sub-club Make It Sew meet Thursday evenings at the Waterbury Building, and invite you to “bring your crafty stuff to do” or to “hang out and work with the crafty stuff we have here!”

The Mads Are Back!

What: Screening, Movies, Comedy & Theater
When: Thursday, November 14, and Friday, November 15; at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse

Join Mystery Science Theater 3000‘s Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu for a night of movie riffing in classic MST3K style. This will be a two-evening event, with different movies being screened each night, and you can enjoy meet and greets before and after the showings. Tickets are $20.

GPS UGG Open Gaming

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Saturday, November 16, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

The Geek Partnership Society’s United Geeks of Gaming group offers its open-gaming session, to which gamers of all ages and abilities are invited to “spend the day hanging out with fellow geeks playing, learning, and teaching games.” Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite board games, card games, and role-playing games, but the group has amassed an impressive library of its own games as well.

UHF

What: Movies
When: Saturday, November 16, at 1:00 p.m.
Where: Parkway Theater

Get ready for a cinematic dose of Weird Al! The Parkway will be screening the cult-classic ’80s film about a struggling TV station that decides to play it weird, including performances from Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, and Michael Richards. Tickets range in price from $5–8 based on age and time of purchase.

Weekly Comics Chat

What: Meetup, Comics
When: Saturday, November 16, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Midtown Global Market

The Girls Only Comic Club hosts a Weekly Comics Chat on Saturday afternoons where there will be shared opinions, drinks and fries for comics fans. Additional information about this event is posted on the Girls Only Comic Club’s Facebook group. Individuals interested in attending are encouraged to join.

Classic Albums Live Presents Pink Floyd’s The Wall

What: Music
When: Saturday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Ordway

The Ordway’s Classic Albums Live series continues with a celebration of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In this series, classic albums are brought back to life note by note, live on stage—a real treat for fans. Tickets for this event run from $32–64.

Reverend Matt’s Monster Science: Demons of the Deep Blue Sea

What: Comedy & Theater, Educational, Family
When: Saturday, November 16, at 10:30 p.m.
Where: Phoenix Theater

Reverend Matt’s Monster Science, a recurring comedic-lecture series with a focus on monsters, will be descending into the briny deep for a lecture on sea monsters. Everything from mermaids, to the Kraken, to great sea serpents will be on deck for this illuminating and comedic lecture. Opening entertainment will be provided by Karen Pool. Tickets are $12—wetsuits are not provided.

Okee Dokee Brothers

What: Music
When: Sunday, November 17, at 11:00 a.m.
Where: The Ordway

Nature lovers and fans of American-folk music are in for a treat with this performance by the Okee Dokee Brothers, a band that celebrates adventures in the great outdoors. These musicians found inspiration for their albums out on the Appalachian Trail, on horseback, and on long canoe trips. They seek to inspire others to connect with nature and adventure as well, hoping to connect with adults and kids alike. Tickets are $19–27.

Shieldmaiden Sunday

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Sunday, November 17, at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Source Comics & Games

Shieldmaiden Sundays are a dedicated space for female nerds and geeks at Source Comics & Games. This is a recurring weekly event providing a space for women to play games, chat about comics, cosplay, or just enjoy the company of other geeks. See the calendar for more events!

Maria Bamford

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Sunday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Ordway

Minnesota’s comedy legend Maria Bamford, best known for her semi-autobiographical Netflix series Lady Dynamite, returns to the Ordway after last year’s sold-out performance. This is your chance to catch up with the comedian in the aftermath of her hit show and see what comes next. Tickets to the event run from $37–48.

So, which of these events will you be attending? What events would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us via email. And don’t forget to add your events to the Twin Cities Geek Community Calendar!