This Week in Geek (3/22/21–3/28/21)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, March 22, to Sunday, March 28.

Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in following current health guidelines recommending both social distancing and limited travel, this column will exclusively share virtual and drive-through events. During this time we will be including local, national, and international events, as well as separating them into weekly and daily categories. As time goes on and guidelines change, in-person events may be reintroduced.

One-Time and Weekly Events

Profs & Pints: How Diseases Drive History

What: Educational
When: Monday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Crowdcast

COVID-19 has disrupted and altered our daily lives over the last year, but it’s certainly not the only illness to do so. During this free interactive talk, Professor Andrew Latham will discuss major pandemics from the past, their impacts on society, and what that might mean for a post-COVID world.

Online Creative Night

What: Arts, Community
When: Monday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Google Meet

Let your creativity shine with drawing, painting, crafting, or whatever your heart desires at Creative Night, a weekly event put on by Crafty Geek and the Geek Partnership Society. This is a free event and a great opportunity to work on projects in great company.

Virtual Art School: Open Studio

What: Arts
When: Tuesday, March 23, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Virtual via YouTube

Create your own art inspired by the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s collection. Each week, an MIA teaching artist will feature works from the museum and lead an art-making experience. This free session features items from the Unexpected Turns: Women Artists and the Making of American Basket-Weaving exhibition. Check out the event post for more information, including suggested materials.

MPR Broadcast: The Barber of Seville

What: Music
When: Tuesday, March 23, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Classical MPR

Catch this special broadcast of The Barber of Seville as performed by the Minnesota Opera. Listeners can tune into Classical MPR on the radio (check their website for your local station) or through their online player.

Minnesota Zoo Virtual Yoga

What: Sports & Fitness
When: Wednesday, March 24, at 7:45 a.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Start your morning with yoga at the zoo! Each week the instructor teaches a yoga routine live from different exhibits around the zoo. These classes are appropriate for both beginners and experienced yogis. Each class is $8 for nonmembers, with additional reduced rates available for zoo members or when registering for multiple classes at the same time.

MinneAMA: VR/AR: Designing the Future of Experience

What: Science & Tech, Community
When: Wednesday, March 24, at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Crowdcast

MinneAMA is a free event series where the community can “ask the TECHxpert.” Hosted by the nonprofit MinneStar, each event features a specific technology topic and a panel of local experts. This month is “VR/AR: Designing the Future of Experience,” which focuses on specific use cases of virtual-and augmented-reality projects, including the why, what, and how behind these experiences.

Helen Oyeyemi Talk & Discussion

What: Books
When: Wednesday, March 24, at 4:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Author Helen Oyeyemi is discussing her latest novel, Peaces, with the University of Minnesota’s Department of English. She has received both the PEN Open Book Award and the Somerset Maugham Award. Oyeyemi’s other works include Mr. Fox, White is for Witching, and Boy, Snow, Bird. This event is free and open to the public.

The Broadway Cast Reunion Series: Dear Evan Hansen

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Wednesday, March 24, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual; details provided with ticket

The Hennepin Theatre Trust is reuniting casts of popular Broadway productions with a series of nights filled with backstage stories, gossip, and unscripted chats. This week is Dear Evan Hansen, featuring Jordan Fisher, Jessica Phillips, Christiane Noll, Gabrielle Carrubba, and more. Tickets are $15 and includes on-demand access to watch the event over the following four days.

Online Books & Bars: The Cold Millions

What: Books, Food & Drink
When: Wednesday, March 24, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Books & Bars is an “open public book club show” hosted and moderated by former Minnesota Public Radio 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 discussed this meeting is The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. The next meeting’s book is Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks.

Virtual Transmission

What: Music, Nightlife
When: Wednesday, March 24, and Saturday, March 27, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Twitch

The popular Transmission dance night is moving to virtual space every Wednesday and Saturday. DJ Jake Rudh will be bringing New Wave, Alternative, and more ’80s-centric greats to the safety of your homes. So, dance, dance, dance to the Radio (or, in this case, Twitch stream).

SDG Global Festival of Action

What: Educational, Community, Science & Tech, Music, Movies
When: Thursday, March 25, through Friday, March 26
Where: Virtual via website and Zoom

Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the United Nations and be inspired to improve the world for future generations. This free festival aims to explore SDG topics, highlight advancements, and empower people toward action. Programming features workshops, talks, performances, knowledge-sharing sessions, exhibits, and film screenings. Guests include international representatives, social entrepreneurs, youth activists, non-profit leaders, artists, United Nation staff, and more. Please note that registration is required and all festival-event times are in CET (six hours ahead of Minnesota). Some festival content will be available for viewing after the event.

Book Launch: Minnesota Native American Lives Series

What: Books, Family
When: Thursday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual

Celebrate the launch of the Minnesota Native American Lives series! These three children’s books published in partnership between the Minnesota History Center and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council feature the biographies of Ella Cara Deloria, Charles Albert Bender, and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. During the free event, hear from native youth who’ve read the books, as well as the authors, editors, and illustrators.

Twin Cities Geek Art Club

What: Arts
When: Thursday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Discord

The Twin Cities Geek art club meets every Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the Twin Cities Geeks Discord. Hop on voice or video and chat while you create art, then share your finished pieces on the #art-club channel! This event is open to all. You can join by visiting twincitiesgeek.com/discord.

GalaxyCon Live

What: Community, Convention
When: Friday, March 26, through Sunday, March 28; various times
Where: Virtual via video chat

GalaxyCon, a convention for fans of various genre properties, will be returning to live virtual events throughout the year. These events are a great way to bring the convention experience home with a mix of free and premium panels, chats, autographs, virtual shout-outs, and more. Check the website for full details and pricing information, but this week includes events for fans of Pokémon, Star Trek, and more.

Atlas Obscura: Dino 101—Welcome to Garassic Park

What: Science & Tech, Nightlife
When: Friday, March 26, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Dino 101 is an interactive, socially distanced party for adult dinosaur and science fans. This event series is hosted by Dustin Growick from the YouTube channel the Dinosaur Show and features weekly activities like trivia, drawing, scavenger hunts, and games. This week, learn about the gar, a type of fish that’s been around since the Jurassic, and enjoy a birds-versus-fish pun-off. Tickets are $7–10.

Vilification Tennis Has Cabin Fever

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Friday, March 26, at 10:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook

Vilification Tennis, a local structured-improv show focused on insult contests, is taking its show online with a night of comedy targeting their state of cabin fever brought on by a long winter and an even longer pandemic. This show is free, but a virtual tip jar is available for those who’d like to contribute.

Zoom Conversation with P. C. Hodgell

What: Books
When: Saturday, March 27, at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

The Rivendell Discussion Group of the Mythopoeic Society is hosting an online discussion with author P. C. Hodgell about By Demons Possessed, her latest novel in the Kencyrath Chronicles series. This event is free and open to all.

Fika & Slöjd: Folk Art Eggs

What: Arts, Community
When: Sunday, March 28, at 1:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Get ready for Easter by creating art eggs with Duluth’s Nordic Center. Follow along with the Fika & Slöjd (coffee and crafts) presenter or make it your own with their inspiration ideas. Tickets are $5 for the public, or free for members.

Daily Events

MSP Film Society Virtual Cinema

What: Movies
When: Daily, various times
Where: Virtual via video stream

The MSP Film Society is continuing to make independent films available to the community while theaters are closed and under reduced occupancy through their virtual cinema. Check out their website for full details, including current and upcoming films, as well as ticket pricing.

Alamo Drafthouse OnDemand

What: Movies, Community
When: Daily, various times
Where: Virtual via Scener

The Alamo Drafthouse has taken its curated approach to film online to keep bringing the weird, great, bad, and amazing to the public in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check this space for live events like watch parties, exclusive releases, and more (only this time you’ll be required to provide your own snacks and drinks). Check the website for all of the current and upcoming films, events, and prices.

Sofi Tukker Presents Daily DJ Sets

What: Music
When: Daily, at 12:00 p.m., and Tuesdays, at 9:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Twitch, Instagram, and Facebook

House-music duo Sofi Tukker present live DJ sets every day that include popular dance tracks, original music, and community interaction. Noon sets are performed by the duo and guest DJs from around the world. On Tuesday, Sofi Tukker plays an extended evening set. These shows are a great opportunity for a dance break, to interact with other music fans, and see new music evolve before it hits streaming services. Be advised that the music and hosts are not censored and this may not be the best livestream for younger music fans.

Kidz Bop Daily Dance Break

What: Family, Music
When: Weekdays, at 2:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via YouTube

Get your little ones moving with Kidz Bop’s daily dance break. Every weekday, they’ll be livestreaming a different dance-along video to help kids stay active and burn off some energy.

Met Opera Streams

What: Theater & Comedy, Music
When: Daily, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via video stream

Even though the Metropolitan Opera in New York has gone dark in these challenging times, the show will go on. “Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website.” Check the website for this week’s schedule. Streams will be available for a full 23 hours and can also be accessed through the Met Opera On Demand apps.

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!