Calgary Entertainment: 5 things to do this weekend

We're almost through the doldrums of winter, and with the temperature forecast to reach the high single digits above zero this weekend, Homestretch director Tracy Fuller outlines five things that will get you up off the couch.

1. High Performance Rodeo

After almost a month of amazing performances, the High Performance Rodeo is heading into its final weekend. Topping the list of three-to-see-this-weekend is Shakespeare, an adaptation of All's Well That Ends Well going at The Studio in Vertigo Theatre which wraps Saturday.

There's also a play called Mouthpiece out of The Collective in Toronto. It's the story of one woman's quest to find her voice amid the noise of memory, expectation, desire and guilt. It's part play, part concert, part dance performance and was nominated for six Dora Mavor Moore Awards, winning two. It's on at the West Village Theatre until Sunday.

Third is two totally free events, the first called Hashtag Boxtape — a performance art piece for anyone who ever wanted to be Spiderman as a kid. Hashtag Boxtape is basically a human-sized spiderweb built in various locations in the Plus-15s downtown and it's part sculpture, part jungle gym and super fun. It's open to the public at noon daily, with Saturday being the last day.

The second is 5-Minute Therapy — which is pretty self-explanatory. It's happening at noon Friday and Saturday at Bankers Hall and the Simmons building, respectively.

More info on the shows can be found at the High Performance Rodeo website.

2. Brian Blade and The Fellowship

This one is for the music lovers. New Orleans jazzman Brian Blade is in town on Sunday with his Grammy nominated collective, The Fellowship, for a show at the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University.

Blade has had a storied career, including playing backup for the likes of Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Norah Jones.

His show is part of a series running this weekend put on by JazzYYC and the MRU Conservatory.

If Sunday night is out for you then be sure to catch Cory Weeks and Harold Mabern at the TransAlta Pavillion on Satuday night.

For seats to see Brian Blade and The Fellowship, head to the MRU ticket website before they're gone.

3 Wait Until Dark

This one is for everyone who was, or still is, afraid of the dark.

Vertigo Theatre's new offering Wait Until Dark had everyone in the theatre screaming out loud. It was intense. For the unfamiliar, Wait Unit Dark was a classic stage play turned into a movie starring Audrey Hepburn in 1967, who plays a housewife who gets tangled-up in a murderous plot. For tickets, visit vertigotheatre.com/wait-until-dark.

When: It runs until February 19th.

4. Chinese New Year

Celebrating the Chinese new year isn't just a one night affair. Head down to the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre, next to Eau Claire Market, where they're hosting the Chinese New Year of the Rooster 2017 Carnival each weekend until Feb. 12.

There will be traditional dragon and lion dances, music, Chinese lantern displays, martial art demonstration, singing, folk art, food and an indoor bazaar. You can also catch dragon dancing in East Village on Saturday — that's New Year's Day — at 4 p.m. on the River Walk Plaza. The Dean House is also featuring a special New Year's Menu on Saturday night by Chef Matthias Fong, paying close attention to tradition with steamed buns, moon cakes and more.

5. Pavlo

This one is for the flamenco fans.

Pavlo — the Juno Award-winning guitar player from Toronto — is playing a show at River Park Church on Friday starting at 7:30 p.m.

With files from the Homestretch