LIFELINE: A DOSE OF REALITY

AJ WHITE (GODSPELL)

ONGOING

ONGOING

GODSPELL

It’s gospel in the park. The early ’70s produced two stage productions based on the new testament, Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. Of the two, Godspell diverges furthest from its source material, the Gospel of Matthew — a good fit for an outdoor performance from Matthews Playhouse. The actors portray non-biblical characters, and the plot is structured as a series of parables. With lyrics drawn from traditional hymns and an eclectic score drawing from show tunes, rock and pop, the show is arguably catchier than Jesus Christ Superstar. The song “Day by Day” reached #13 in the Billboard pop charts. More: $10; June 4–13, 7:30 p.m., Stumptown Park, 120 South Trade St., Matthews; matthewsplayhouse.com

CON CAROLINAS

6/4

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ART AFTER DARK CON CAROLINAS

After Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death by white supremacists while jogging, photojournalist E. Mackey turned to the tools of his trade to affect change — his camera, his talent, and his social platform. The resulting exhibit, Choose Your Weapon, documents the Black Lives Matter movement and strives to inspire everyone to identify the tools at their disposal to fight for equity. Mackey’s presentation is the centerpiece of the first Art After Dark celebration in two years, which honors Black Music Month with art workshops, discussions, live music, and more. More: Free; June 4, 6 p.m.; Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org Cosplay, gaming and geekery return with Charlotte’s first post-COVID con. Featured guests include alien actor and man of a thousand faces Bill Blair (Westworld, Tales of Frankenstein); bestselling, cross-genre novelist Quincy J. Allen (Chemical Burn); science/tech speaker and paranormal romance writer Jeanne Adams; Menopausal Superheroes series scribe Samantha Bryant and more. Panel discussions topics range from “Filmmaking in a Pandemic” to Bram Stoker descendant Dacre Stoker’s search for the real Castle Dracula. More: $40; June 4–6, times vary; Hilton Charlotte University Place, 8629 JM Keynes Drive; concarolinas.org

SILENT STREETS OPENING CEREMONY

Mint Museum Uptown is hosting an outdoor shindig to celebrate a new exhibition coming in June. Artists Amy Bagwell, Stacy Lynn Waddell, and Antoine Williams will lead a panel discussion, and indierock band Junior Astronomers have sets planned for 3 and 5 p.m. Food trucks will pull up outside and will join Reid’s Fine Foods and Fin & Fino’s outdoor dining setup. Bring your family, your kids, your dog, whatever you got and hit the streets for an outdoor, COVID-conscious, not-so-silent gathering. More: Free; June 5, 12 p.m.; Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St.; mintmuseum.org

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY CELEBRATION

The annual American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day kicks off the summer with the country’s largest celebration of trails featuring a series of outdoor activities designed to promote and celebrate the importance of trails to our communities. The local event, co-hosted with the city of Mount Holly, takes place on segments of the Thread Trail on land and water. Festivities include artisans, vendors, live music, kayak rentals, bike tours, guided walks, food trucks and a farmers market. More: Free; June 5, 10 a.m.; Catawba Riverfront Greenway and Tuckaseegee Park; 165 Broome St., Mt. Holly; carolinathreadtrail.org/ntd

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STORIES FROM HOME WITH HANNAH HASAN

Much like her Muddy Turtle Talks events, which share the stories of west Charlotte’s Enderly Park residents who often go unrepresented in media, Hannah Hasan’s Stories of Home also draws stories from Charlotteans, but there the similarities end. In a story slam format, Charlotte youth and adult leaders perform their own true tales centering on themes of home and belonging, with hopes that through storytelling they can bridge the generational gap. More: Free; June 11, 7 p.m.; The Square at Spirit Square, 345 N. College St.; blumenthalarts.org

VISART VIDEO PRESENTS MOVIES ON THE WALL

VisArt Video presents an outdoor screening of Big Top Pee-wee on the wall of Tommy’s Pub. This 1988 sequel to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, the 1985 film that launched Tim Burton’s career, Paul Reuben’s wideeyed childlike character and the surreal Saturday morning show Pee-wee’s Playhouse, has big shoes to fill. Happily, the sequel is every bit as guileless, cheerful and magical as its predecessor, featuring trees that grow hotdogs, and a storm-blown circus that shows up at Pee-wee’s door. More: $5; June 11, 7 p.m.; Tommy’s Pub, 3124 Eastway Dr. Ste. 710; facebook.com/visartvideo

SELTZER WORLD FESTIVAL

Fun Fact: Seltzer is not club soda. Club soda’s mineral taste is due to chemical compounds, like sodium bicarbonate, while most seltzer is simply carbonated water. That is unless it’s at The Seltzer World Festival hosted at Summit Seltzer, Charlotte’s (and the East Coast’s) first seltzery. The venue is a hard-seltzer taproom, which means the festival’s two scheduled tastings will include alcoholic, or spiked, seltzers made with real fruit, as well as local craft beer, wine and traditional non-alcoholic seltzer. More: $35-$50; June 12, 12 p.m.; Summit Seltzer, 2215 Thrift Road, Ste. B.; tinyurl.com/SeltzerFest

IT TAKES A VILLAGE OPENING

Mint Museum Randolph is celebrating the vibrant, grassroots art scene in Charlotte with their new exhibit It Takes a Village, featuring Charlotte artists from a range of different demographics and mediums. Highlighting contemporary art from around the Charlotte metro area, the exhibit opening will allow visitors to grab a bite to eat and enjoy live DJ sets as members of BLKMRKTCLT, Goodyear Arts, and Brand the Moth host a discussion later in the afternoon. More: Free; June 12, Noon, Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; mintmuseum.org

IT TAKES A VILLAGE OPENING

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PHOTO BY: JAMEL SHABAZZ

6/15

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OPEN AIR: JAMEL SHABAZZ

Photographer Jamal Shabazz is best known for his iconic images of New York City during the 1980s documenting the emerging hip-hop culture. As a Brooklyn insider, Shabazz gained full access and captured city’s street life and burgeoning scene unfiltered. Curator Dexter Wimberly, who has organized exhibitions and programming in galleries and institutions around the world, will lead this Open Air conversation, which explores Shabazz’s passion and perspective on building community through photography. More: Free; June 15, 7 p.m.; Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture; 551 S. Tryon St.; ganttcenter.org