For a fun fall arts scene – take it outside
We get it. You want art and joy and a fall breeze blowing through your hair. And you deserve all this.
But music clubs and performance halls are closed. Movie theaters and museums might not make you feel at ease just yet. Well, here are some smart, safe and cool options from blockbusters to dance to improv comedy you can indulge in over the next few weeks.
Art, education and escape at Starlight, ongoing, starlightsquare.org/events
Central Square Theater, Dance Complex, ImprovBoston, Global Arts Live, Studio at 550 and more have found a temporary home at Starlight — a new Cambridge community space with an emphasis on safety (84 Bishop Allen Drive). Pioneered by the Central Square Business Improvement District, Starlight hosts everything from kids’ storytime to contemporary dance classes to comedy shows.
Pickin’, strummin’ and singing on the Porch, ongoing, theporchsouthern.com
Medford’s new-ish music club has moved the action out on its porch at 175 Rivers
Edge Drive. Dig into the rock, soul, r&b, blues and roots acts the Porch serves up. Hot, fresh, live and tasty.
Drive-in domination, ongoing, check specific venues online calendars
Drive-in options have exploded across New England. Whether at traditional drive-in venues or on stages put together in parking lots, the art and entertainment infrastructure has adapted to meet unprecedented demand. For top notch rock ’n’ roll and ace comics, check out the lineups coming to the Yarmouth DriveIn, Falmouth Drive-In, Tupelo Drive-In in Londonderry, N.H., and Drive-In Live in Swanzey, N.H. For theme nights, new releases and classic cinema, look up the offerings of the Mendon Twin Drive-In, Rustic Tri View Drive-In in North Smithfield, R.I., and Northfield Drive-In in Northfield, N.H.
“Godspell,” now through
Sept. 20, berkshiretheatregroup.org
One of the original rock operas returns to retell the Gospel according to St Matthew. But the production won’t depend on the power of prayer to keep audiences safe. Set in a tent in the Colonial Theatre’s parking lot, the show has the blessing of the Actors’ Equity Association and state and local health departments: Temperature scans, no-contact scanning stations for tickets, free-standing hand sanitizer stations, mandatory mask, and more precautions are all in place at 111 South St., Pittsfield.
Jurassic Quest, now through
Sept. 13, JurassicQuest.com/ events/drive-thru-boston
Gillette Stadium (1 Patriot Place, Foxboro) welcomes budding paleontologists and wannabe time travelers. Jurassic Quest invites visitors to drive through an interactive exhibit featuring over 70 moving and roaring dinosaurs. Paired with an
audio tour, Jurassic Quest features fearsome beasts from a 50-foot Megalodon to an 80-foot Spinosaurus.
“Selena” under the stars, Sept. 17, mfa.org
While most of the Boston Latino International Film Festival has moved on line — check out its great virtual offerings Sept. 23-26 at bliff.org — the fest has teamed with the Museum of Fine Arts to show “Selena” on its Huntington Avenue Lawn. It’s free but advanced tickets are required to meet strict social distancing guidelines (sorry, you’ll have to cumbia in place if you go).
Hyper Linked, Sept. 24-26, urbanitydance.org
Urbanity Dance celebrates 10 years of dancing in the streets (and in the schools and theaters) with a fall crawl. The company will take audience members in self-selected small groups of four to five people on a unique journey through the South End. Director Betsi Graves’s Hyper Linked will feature collaborations with poets, visual artists, musicians and dancers from Urbanity’s Professional Company and Creative Class.