We’ve got your weekend: It is time to improv

Event pick of the week: Improv Conference New Orleans

Louis Armstrong, one of our favorite improv players. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

What: Improv Conference New Orleans: A Festival of Ideas

When: November 8-10

Where: Museums, halls, and spots all over the city. Check out their website for a full rundown of the schedule and locations.  

Why: Because we love living at the edge of life, and that means being willing to improv life. Now, this conference is a bit more specific with a focus on improv in food, music, and art. You can talk with and hear from best-selling author, Michael Pollan or take in a lecture about ice cream. And just think, if you attend the music portion, when someone says, “Take it away,” you don’t have to launch into a bland version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” This conference is aimed at giving you the education and chops to make Mary’s lamb shake and shimmy in its woolly fur. Conference times and entry prices differ each day, so check out the schedule here.   

And now for the rest of the WEEK(end)

Three Rivers Festival in downtown Covington. (Photo: Three Rivers)

Wednesday, November 6/The Cove at UNO (Founders Road, 2000 Lakeshore Drive): Jazz at the Sandbar is in full speed, and they are continuing their UNO series with pianist Roberto Carcasses on Wednesday. Jazz at the Sandbar, held at UNO’s the Cove, is designed to provide UNO Jazz Studies students an opportunity to get real life experience performing with respected professional musicians in front of a live audience. The series is presented on Wednesday nights during the fall and spring semesters and features a different respected jazz artist each week. The concert is free for the UNO community, and there is a suggested donation of $10 to the general public. The concert begins at 7:00 PM.

Thursday, November 7/Urban South Brewery (1645 Tchoupitoulas Street): Make Music NOLA is having their  third Annual “Adopt-An-Instrument Drive.” Make Music NOLA provides tuition-free music instruction to local students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and this fall, interest in MMN’s string programs doubled and the organization is currently fund-raising to purchase additional string instruments, specifically quarter size violins and cellos. The event will run from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM with T-Ray the Violinist (Trenton Thomas) performing from 6:30-8:30 PM with advanced Make Music NOLA students. The event is all ages, so bring your family and friends! To find out full details, you can visit their website here. 

Thursday, November 7/New Orleans Art Center (3330 St. Claude Avenue): Come to the cabaret, old chums! Hmm…we really don’t use the word “chums” anymore, but you can starting Thursday because See ‘Em On Stage, is putting on Cabaret  (1998 Version) with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb and book by Joe Masteroff. Cabaret is based on the true stories of Christopher Isherwood, which he documented in his book Goodbye to Berlin, and those stories are now coming to you. Cabaret runs on November 8 -10; 15-17; 22-24. The shows are at 8:00 PM, tickets will cost you $22, and you can purchase them here. 

Saturday, November 9/The Second Story Gallery (2372 St. Claude Avenue): It’s the second Saturday in November, which means it’s time to walk down St. Claude Avenue and take in some art. At the Second Story Gallery, they will be exhibiting Remember(?), which features the works of the first-place winners of Thirty New Orleans Artists, Gason Ayisyin, Emery Gluck and Marta Rodriguez Maleck. This exhibit challenges viewers to remember childhood, and will have the artists work on display to help start some memories. The opening will be from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM, and it is free and open to the public.  

Saturday, November 9/downtown Covington (Columbia Street): Shopping season has started, and what better way to put a smile on someone’s face than with a handmade Louisiana craft? And, you can buy them all in one area this Saturday and Sunday. The 23rd annual Three Rivers Art Festival, one of the largest  art festivals in the region will be open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Attendees can stroll down Columbia Street in the city’s Cultural Arts District and shop from more than 200 artist tents with work ranging from painting to metalwork and everything in between. There is also a Children’s Village, Live Music Tent, Food Court, Arts Alive Tent and more. And, admission is free. 

Sunday, November 10/The Tigermen Den (3113 Royal Street): It’s back! They Bywater Cajun Brunch. This is a family Fais Do Do where you feel you are in the heart of cajun country right here in NOLA. (it helps that you’re in an old corner store from the early 1800’s to set the mood). Come on out and bring a sweetie, a cousin, your mom, the kids, your neighbor, your bestie or just your dancing hungry self so you can have a brunch and two-step between courses. The dance floor will be popping’ with the sounds of Bobby Michot + Band. Dance lessons begin at 12:00 PM (beginners); 1:30 (intermediate); and the brunch runs from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM. For full details, you can check out their event page here.