Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Oct. 18

Awesome web intern Carol Shih has been writing a regular blog for SideDish called “Good Asian Grub.” Quite a bit of Asian grub involves seafood. I’m not a fan.  So when I saw Carol’s post this morning, my first pre-coffee thought was, “Man, I want a waffle iron that makes fish-shaped pancakes, but I really do not want to eat a pancake that tastes like fish.” My friend helpfully reminded me that gingerbread men do not actually taste like people. Which made me think about the fact that gingerbread men definitely do taste better than gingerbread stars or moons. Which brings me to my point: it’s officially cold enough today to bake holiday cookies. Excited? I am.

Not ready to fire up the oven just yet? The Dallas Wind Symphony takes over the Meyerson tonight with a concert featuring John Mackey’s Hymn to a Blue Hour, billed as one of the composer’s more subdued concerts. Fun bit of trivia: Not only is Mackey a living, breathing human, but he also wrote the accompanying music for the Dallas Theater Center’s production of Twelfth Night way back in 2001. Don’t worry, though. Richard Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi fills the evening’s long-dead musical genius quota. You can still find seats on the orchestra level, and also in the upper tiers.

Over at the Bath House Cultural Center, the Echo Theatre kicks off their fall staged reading series featuring three lady playwrights. The theme is acting on impulse. As I’m sure you know, us lunatic females are prone to do every once in awhile. But seriously, folks. I know people hear the words “staged reading” and think, “boring.” I’m here to tell you that two of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever had have been staged readings. Produced and directed well, they’re a fun way to see new work or something that you might not here otherwise with a unique focus on the strength of the script. Tonight’s play is Brilliant Traces, by Cathy Lou Johnson. It’s set in Alaska during a blizzard, in which a hermit responds to a pounding on his door only to be cruelly devoured by a rare Russian sub-species of the Yeti named Sarahpalinsnowmobilemonster. It really is set in Alaska, during a snow storm. The rest you’ll just have to find out for yourself.

For more to do tonight, go here.