This Week in Geek (06/15/15–06/21/15)
Posted in Events By Sean Patrick Casey On June 15, 2015
Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, June 15th through Sunday, June 21st.
Pundamonium: The Twin Cities Pun Slam
What: Theater & Comedy
When: Wednesday, June 17th at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Club Underground
Pundamonium is a Wall Street Journal–featured "slam-style punmaking contest" that started right here in the Twin Cities and has since spread to locations all across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Madison, Milwaukee, and Seattle. How does a slam-style punmaking contest work, you ask? Art Allen, creator of Pundamonium explains: "One by one, 10 contestants have two minutes each to make puns based on prompts they have received ahead of time. Each contestant is immediately judged by five members of the audience, who have been selected before the show to be judges. They rank each punner on a scale of 1 to 10, often with hilariously long decimals and other commentary. Then they do it again, only this time contestants get their prompts on stage and only have 30 seconds to think and another two minutes to make puns. The top four contestants go head to head in a final pun-off."
Third Thursday: Myopia
What: Meet-Up, Arts
When: Thursday, June 18th at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The MIA's Third Thursday event this month centers on an early look at the new exhibit of work by Mark Mothersbaugh, the visual artist, Devo co-founder and lead singer, and Yo Gabba Gabba! host, among other credits. You can also "become your own 'beautiful mutant' in the photobooth," create a postcard based on Mothersbaugh's work, listen to tunes spun by Transmission dance-night founder and MPR DJ Jake Rudh, and "watch out for a surprise performance."
Crafty Geek/Make It Sew
What: Meet-Up, Crafts
Where: The Waterbury Building
The Geek Partnership Society's Crafty Geek club and its sub-club Make It Sew meet Thursday evenings and invite you to "bring your crafty stuff to do" or to "hang out and work with the crafty stuff we have here!" This week's meeting of these clubs will provide attendees with a specific project to work on, as they do the third Thursday of every month.
Tape Freaks Presents: June 18th Mystery Movie!
What: Screening, Movies
Where: Theatres at Mall of America
The Tape Freaks ask, "Do you like surprises, B-movies, and free stuff? Then this is the event for you!" The event in question is their "monthly exploration into the strange side of cinema," for which they pick "a movie that is near and dear to their hearts to share with an audience who doesn't know what they're in for until the title hits the screen!" While the title of this month's movie won't be revealed until it hits the screen of the Theatres at Mall of America at 7:30 this Thursday night, two clues about the film have been revealed: it is a "classic eco-horror" and a "Roger Corman mock-buster classic."
Agent Carlisle
When: Friday, June 19th–Sunday, June 21st
Where: The Historic Mounds Theatre
The creators of Don't Shoot the Masseuse and I (Heart) Brains invite you to a new original comedy: Agent Carlisle. "A once-fearsome federal agent demoted to secretary after a witch hunt gone wrong, Martin Carlisle is finally convinced there are no communists and no conspiracies—just in time to find himself entangled in a vast Soviet plot." This "Cold War caper of mayhem, madness and redemption" is being performed at the Historic Mounds Theatre in St. Paul this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well as next Friday and Saturday.
World War Brick Minneapolis 2015
What: Arts, Convention, Meet-Ups
Where: Brickmania Toyworks
For the third year, World War Brick is bringing its meticulously crafted historical and military Lego scenes to Brickmania in Northeast Minneapolis. The public exhibit runs Saturday and Sunday, but for the hardcore Lego-er, the full weekend pass allows access to a "gathering of like-minded builders who gather to share techniques, show off their creations, and work on collaborative projects. This includes setting up displays, creating collaborative builds, networking, workshops, speakers, games, and more." According to the WWB website, "Brickmania is planning to unveil our biggest creation yet built at World War Brick Minneapolis 2015!"
Anime Twin Cities at the Vali-Hi Drive-In
When: Friday, June 19th at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Vali-Hi Drive-In
Anime Twin Cities is going to the Vali-Hi Drive In in Lake Elmo this Friday for a screening of three movies for the price of one! If you are interested in accompanying them, they suggest that you bring "lawn chairs, maybe a boom box or two, and blankets." What they will be bringing is their grill as well as burgers and brats to put on it, but they will need "plenty of people to eat them!" Keep in mind that you can't pay with plastic, though there is an ATM on-site.
Midsommar Celebration 2015
What: Festival, Arts
When: Saturday, June 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: The American Swedish Institute
If you like handcrafts, live music, Maypoles, folk dancing, face painting, outdoor games, ice cream, or anything relating to Swedish food and culture, there will be something for you at this annual event held at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Fun for both kids and adults, the festival is free for ASI members and anyone under five.
KA-BAAM!!: The Improvised Comic Book
When: Saturday, June 20th at 8:00 p.m.
Where: HUGE Theater
KA-BAAM!!: The Improvised Comic Book is an "improvised superhero adventure" based on attendees' suggestions. The first half of the show will see performers improvising the origin stories of superheroes collaboratively created with the audience, and the second half will feature these characters coming together to fight a supervillain. A live artist will also be in attendance, drawing a cover to a KA-BAAM!! comic book during the show that will then be given to the audience member who provided performers with the best superhero suggestion.
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!
Sean Patrick Casey
Sean was placed in a local comic shop at age eight and sent hurtling in the direction of comic-book collecting and culture just as the comics industry exploded. Now, disguised as a mild-mannered library media specialist for a great metropolitan school district, he fights a never-ending battle for the Twin Cities Geek way.
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