Things to do: Queer skate night, Tank and the Bangas and ‘Harry Potter’ in concert

Happy end of January, Lookout readers. Our roundup this week largely falls into just two categories — shows to attend and activities to get involved with — so I’m skipping our choose-your-own adventure style and jumping right into this week’s list. 

Let’s get into it:

Queer Skate Night at the Farmers Market Pavilion

I am too clumsy to embrace roller skating, but this might be a great way to spend your evening: This queer-friendly roller skating night will also feature tunes from Eugene’s DJ Cumulus, for a funky soundtrack to skate and groove your heart out to.

• When: Thursday, Jan. 29, from 6 to 10 p.m.
• Where: The Lane County Farmers Market Pavilion, at 85 E. Eighth Ave. in Eugene.
• How much: Entry is $10, and rental skates will be available from $5 to $10.

Nicole Byer at Olsen Run

Byer — a standup comedian, actress and host of Netflix’s baking-fail reality show “Nailed It!” — is coming to Olsen Run this week. I’m a fan of her podcast, “Why Won’t You Date Me?” It’s a delightful and frank take on dating life. My favorite moment came when she asked comedian Lou Wilson if he would date her, as she asks all her guests, and he reminded her that he already had.

She’ll be performing five times while she’s in Eugene, but two of her shows are already sold out. If you want to see her while she’s in town, act fast. 

• When: Byer will be performing five times: Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
• Where: Olsen Run Comedy Club and Lounge, at 44 E. Seventh Ave. in Eugene.
• How much: Tickets are available online for $35.

‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ in concert

Confession: I am not now, nor have ever been, a Harry Potter fan. (No bad blood, but plucky wizards were just never my jam.) But the Potterheads on the Lookout staff were buzzing about this “Harry Potter” film screening and concert, produced by CineConcerts, which will bring the fifth installment of the franchise to the big screen in the Silva Concert Hall this week. 

• When: There are two performances, on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m.
• Where: The Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall, in downtown Eugene.
• How much: Tickets are available online, starting at $45.

Soul Vibrator + Bendre the Giant

Are you ready to have your soul vibrated? How about some neo-soul pop music? You’ll have an opportunity for just that with this concert at the Hybrid Gallery, where the eight-piece funk ensemble Soul Vibrator and Eugene musician Ben Estrada will groove their way into the audience’s hearts. 

• When: Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.
• Where: The Hybrid Gallery, at 941 W. Third Ave. in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood.
• How much: Tickets are available online for $15 in advance and $18 on Saturday.

Tank and the Bangas at WOW Hall 

Tank and the Bangas, fronted by musician and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball, exploded onto the musical scene with a 2017 viral NPR Tiny Desk concert and last year won a Grammy award for best spoken word poetry album for “The Heart, The Mind and The Soul,” where Ball looked to emphasize poetry as a music genre with the group’s signature energetic style.

I actually spoke with Ball five years ago when she was first going on tour as a poet, and I can tell you firsthand she’s a cross-discipline dynamo. You won’t want to miss this one. 

• When: Doors open at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1.
• Where: WOW Hall, at 291 W Eighth Ave. in Eugene.
• How much: Tickets are available online for $25 in advance and $30 on Sunday.

Queer and trans figure drawing at the Hybrid Gallery

The Hybrid Gallery’s inclusive figure drawing sessions have been expanded to include queer and transgender figure models, a community that is not often represented in traditional figure drawing; I wrote about the body positive figure drawing sessions when they started up, and it’s lovely to see the sessions expand even more. 

You’ll need to bring your own materials and a sketchbook or other drawing pad, though limited art materials may be available onsite.

• When: Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m.
• Where: The Hybrid Gallery, at 941 W. Third Ave. in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood.
• How much: Admission is on a sliding scale, either online or at the door, from $5 to $15. 

What’s playing at the movies?

New at the box office

I’ve been excited for “Send Help,” a Sam Raimi-directed island horror thriller, since I saw the first trailer; Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien respectively play a neurotic office worker who has always dreamed of being on “Survivor” and the company’s new CEO, who doesn’t think she has much to offer the company. When their company plane crashes and the two are the only survivors, the chain of command is inverted to what looks like wicked ends. (“Triangle of Sadness” but with more violence and less toilet humor is as good a pitch as any in my book.) 

Playing at Metro Cinemas, Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene-Springfield 17.

Our other big release this week is “Iron Lung,” which I’m pleasantly surprised exists. It’s a film adaptation of an independent horror video game made by a one-person team, about a convict trapped in a submarine exploring a world entirely covered by a blood-red ocean. Its path to a film adaptation is an unusual one. It’s written, directed, produced, edited and financed by its lead actor, Mark Fischbach, better known as the gaming YouTuber Markiplier. He’s known for his Let’s Play videos bringing independent horror games like “Iron Lung” to a fanbase of more than 38 million YouTube subscribers … (which I must admit, included me when I was in middle school). Video game knowledge aside: if I’m a movie theater chain executive and I see those numbers, I’m all in.

Playing at Art House, Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene-Springfield 17.

Special screenings

Oscar nominations: If you want to catch up on nominees for Best Picture ahead of the Oscars, I rounded up local showtimes for you to fill out your Academy Awards ballots. (It looks like Metro Cinemas will be picking up some more titles, including “The Voice of Hind Rajab” and “Sirat,” in coming weeks, but nothing to call out yet for this edition. 

‘National Theatre: Hamlet’: This recording of the Royal National Theatre in London’s production of “Hamlet,” starring the Olivier Award-winning actor Hiran Abeysekara, will play three times at the Art House this weekend. 

Thanks for checking out this edition of our roundup, Lookout readers. May flights of angels sing thee to… whatever fun event you’d like to check out in the week ahead!