Welcome back to The To-Do List, where Daily Memphian staffers suggest their favorite events and activities for the coming week.

This week, a film at Crosstown Arts could make you see the world differently. And Skinny’s birthday party at the Hi-Tone is guaranteed to give you Nickleback earworms.

Japanese Culture Week at the Children’s Museum of Memphis, through Sunday:

Children’s Museum of Memphis celebrates Japanese Culture Week through Sunday, Aug. 4. (The Daily Memphian file)

This week-long celebration of all things Japanese began this past Tuesday and continues through the weekend. Kids can learn about origami, indigo painting, carp kites, woodblock printing, Japanese gardens and more through daily pop-up activities. There are also story times with readings of “Peach Boy” and “Yoko.” See a full list of events and times here. Included with museum admission. 2525 Central Ave. — Bianca Phillips

‘Carmen Jones’ at Hattiloo Theatre, through Aug. 18:

Hattiloo Theatre opened its 18th season last weekend with “Carmen Jones,” but opening weekend tickets were sold out. You’ll have more chances to see it though since the show runs through Aug. 18. With music by Georges Bizet and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, this adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s opera, “Carmen,” is set in a southern town during World War II. If set in today’s world, “she would be (an) influencer — that would be Carmen,” said director Patdro Harris of the lead character. To emphasize this, the production has something special in store. “When Carmen comes on stage, the whole stage changes colors,” Harris said. “Because she adds color to the world.” You can read more about it in our July theater roundup. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 18. More information and tickets can be found here. — Alys Drake

Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy at the New Daisy, opening Thursday:

If you love pairing spirits with macabre desolation (and who doesn’t these days), grab your tickets for the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy. Get to the cocktell-tale heart of Poe’s classic works as they are reimagined right in front of you as you sip on drinks inspired by “The Raven,” “Masque of Red Death,” “Tell-Tale Heart” and more. Multiple 90-minute sessions are available until Saturday night. Tickets start at $48. 330 Beale St. Click here for times and to purchase tickets. — Kelsey Bowen 

iPhone photography class at Overton Park, Thursday:

Way back when I was majoring in photojournalism in college, our cell phones were the size of bricks and texting was a complicated process that involved tapping a number multiple times to get your desired letter. Needless to say, cell phone cameras did not yet exist. We learned the art of image exposure and shutter speed with film cameras and a dark room. But those days are long gone, and anyone with an iPhone can be a photographer. But proper use of light and framing still require some skill, and photographer Erica Haskett is here to help in this class from Arrow Creative. 6:30-8 p.m. $39.19. Meets at Overton Park outside the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Click here for tickets. — Phillips

‘Playtime’ at Crosstown Theater, Thursday:

Crosstown Arts will screen “Playtime” at Crosstown Theater on Thursday, Aug. 1. (Courtesy Crosstown Arts)

Few films have the ability to materially alter your perception of the world (“man,” he says in a stoner voice), but that’s kind of what happened to me when I watched Jacques Tati’s 1967 near-silent classic “Playtime.” Afterward, I went on a grocery run, and watching cars and people moving around the parking lot hit different. And I saw it off of a VHS print on a small television. Imagine what a big-screen watch might do? “Playtime” is composed entirely of immaculately orchestrated long shots, giving it the kind of quality of a live-action “Where’s Waldo?” picture book. The “Waldo,” in this case, is Tati, the director himself, as his on-screen alter ego Mr. Hulot, a middle-aged man in a gray flannel suit wandering around a high-tech, modern Paris, trying to find his way and make sense of it all. Named the 23rd greatest film of all time in the last “Sight & Sound” international critics/historians poll, I can’t guarantee you can get on its wavelength, but I can tell you there’s nothing else quite like it. 7 p.m. $5. Screening as part of the Crosstown Arts Film Series. See here for more info. — Chris Herrington

Vine and Thread: Champagne tasting and toast to Christian Siriano at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Friday:

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will host a champagne tasting class and toast to close out Christian Siriano’s “People Are People” exhibit on Friday, Aug. 1. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

The Brooks’ “People Are People” exhibition, featuring the iconic fashion of designer Christian Siriano, is closing Sunday, Aug. 4. But first, there’s a party. The Brooks will host a sparkling wine class with four bubblies from around the world, beginning at 5 p.m. And then from 6-8 p.m., there’s a champagne tasting with multiple tasting stations and food, live music and guided tours of “People Are People.” Guests can opt to attend both events or just the tasting. Tickets for both events are $195.38, or a tasting-only ticket is $158.61. 1934 Poplar Ave. Click here for more information. — Phillips

Friends of George’s presents ‘Death Drop at Hotel Le’George’ at Evergreen Theatre, opening Friday:

Courtesy of Friends of George’s

LGBTQ+ theater company Friends of George’s has been busy fighting Tennessee’s ban on public drag performances. But that won’t stop them from putting on a show. In “Death Drop at Hotel Le’George,” FOG’s recurring characters Delta Fawcett, Mary Kay and the gang find themselves in a whodunit after a death occurs in a crumbling seaside resort. As one might imagine, the plot thickens when famous mystery writer Dragatha Christie checks in. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2-3; 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 8-10. 1705 Poplar Ave. Click here for more information. — Phillips

Wolf River Paddle: The Lost Swamp Section, Saturday:

The Wolf River Conservancy will host a paddle on the “Lost Swamp” section of the Wolf River on Saturday, Aug. 3. (The Daily Memphian file)

Here’s your chance to paddle the swamp Ghost River portion of the Wolf as expert guides lead the way. The six-mile section of the Wolf, known as “The Lost Swamp,” isn’t ideal for newbie kayakers or canoers, but that’s where I did my first-ever canoe trip, and I made it out alive. So, take that for what you will. But know this: There are two swamps along the route with lots of tight turns through old cypress stumps, and your boat-handling skills will be challenged. Launches at 9 a.m. Free to Wolf River Conservancy members or $25 for non-members. Meet at the Bateman Road bridge in Moscow, Tennessee. Click here for more information. — Phillips

Grind City Lemonade Stand at Grind City Brewing Co., Saturday:

Grind City Brewing Co. will host a lemonade fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 3. (Courtesy Grind City Brewing Co.)

There’s nothing like a glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. Memphis weather has us covered on the heat, and, as usual, Grind City Brewing is helping out with the drinks. In coordination with St. Jude’s Summer Lemonade Stand Challenge, the brewery is hosting stands run by St. Jude patients and Memphis-area kids under 13. Good news: The team has extended the application. Click here to register your kid for a stand. (Extra good news: Parents get two free drinks when they sign up their kid for a lemonade stand!) Pair your lemonade with barbecue eats from the Yippie Trippie food truck, and try your hand at the games and inflatables. First 30 attendees get a free cookie. It will be a sweet (and tart) treat for a great cause. Proceeds go to St. Jude. Noon-8 p.m. Lemonade stands end at 2 p.m. Free to attend. Click here for more info. 76 Waterworks Ave. — Bowen

Memphis Roller Derby double header at the Pipkin Building, Saturday:

Memphis Roller Derby hosts a double header at the Pipkin Building on Saturday, Aug. 3. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

The Memphis A-Tracks will take on Red Stick’s Capital Defenders out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 5 p.m. And then two Memphis teams — the Ghouls and the Minions — will duke it out at 7 p.m. Pokcha’s Eggrolls will be on-site with food, plus there will be beer and baked goods. Doors open at 4 p.m. $15 for adults, $5 for kids and free under 5. 940 Early Maxwell Road. Click here for more information. — Phillips

Feast on the Farm at the Agricenter International Showplace Arena, Saturday:

This annual “country-chic” gala benefits the Agricenter’s educational programs. Guests will enjoy a dinner prepared by local chefs, live music and dancing and a live and silent auction. VIP tickets ($1,500) include a reserved table for eight people, wine and valet parking. Or, for $250, you can get two tickets with open seating. 6-10 p.m. 105 S. Germantown Pkwy. Click here for tickets. — Phillips

Skinny’s Buttrock Birthday Bash at the Hi-Tone, Saturday:

Brian “Skinny” McCabe will celebrate his birthday at the Hi-Tone with a tribute to radio jams of the 2000s. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file) 

Hi-Tone owner Brian “Skinny” McCabe is turning 43, and as he does every year, he’s throwing a big, weird, open-to-the-public party at the bar to celebrate. This year’s fiesta is ironically dedicated to awful testosterone rock from the 2000s, so several cover bands, including one called With Junts Wide Open, will play cover songs from Nickelback, Creed and the like. Affliction and Tapout shirts are heavily encouraged. Starts at 9 p.m. $10. 282-284 N. Cleveland St. Click here for more information and here for tickets. — Phillips

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