Get a head start on those weekend plans! 10 things to do in Columbus

This weekend in Columbus, residents will have the opportunity to win big, eat up or laugh out loud.

"The Price is Right" is returning to the Palace Theatre, the Donut & Beer Festival is happening at Huntington Park, and comedian Joe Gatto is coming to town.

If those events aren't your speed, there also is plenty of theater and music happing in Ohio's capital city. Read on for details about these and other weekend entertainment options. To receive these ideas in your inbox each week, sign up for the Life in the 614 newsletter.

OSU theater to stage 'Monster' production

Nineties pop culture meets the fantasy role-playing world of geek culture in the Ohio State University Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts' production, “She Kills Monsters.” This one-act dramatic comedy follows a young woman’s quest for happiness as it leads her through the world of Dungeons & Dragons to unexpected discoveries about herself and the sister she lost in a car accident. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and Tuesday through Nov. 3, in the Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Building, 1932 College Road. Tickets are $20 general admission; $18 for senior citizens, Ohio State faculty, staff and Alumni Association members; and $15 for students and children. (theatreandfilm.osu.edu, 614-292-2295)

Gala event 'champions' children's programs

The Brian Muha Foundation Night of Champions Dinner and Auction is back for its eighth year, with silent and live auctions, raffles, and a Heads or Tails game with prizes including a Columbus Crew suite package, and a trip to Florida. The event will take place from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday at St. Charles Walter Commons, 2010 E. Broad St., Bexley. It is the foundation's main fundraiser and helps to pay for services including the Run the Race Club, the Day School and the Run the Race Farm. In addition to live music and a blessing by Bishop Earl K. Fernandes, author Gretchen Crowe, who wrote "Legacy of Mercy," the story of Brian Muha’s murder, will attend. NBC4 news anchor Matt Barnes will emcee and lead a discussion panel with Rachel Muha featuring her "A-Team" of previous Run the Racers who now work with her at the Run the Race Center. Single tickets are $100; a table for 10 is $1,000. There also are several sponsor levels. Visit the website to see auction and raffle items. (bit.ly/404xbpD)

'The Price is Right' to go live at the Palace

Lucky audience members will have the chance to "Come on down!" when "The Price is Right Live" stage show comes to the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Contestants can vie for cash, appliances, vacations and new cars by playing games made famous by the iconic TV show like Plinko, Cliffhangers, The Big Wheel and, of course, the Showcase! Showing to sold-out audiences for over 20 years and counting, "The Price is Right Live" has given away over $15 million in cash and prizes to audiences across North America. Tickets start at $37.50. (cbusarts.com)

Troupe to present Shakespeare at two theaters

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio of 1623, Lord Denney’s Players, the theater company housed in the English department of Ohio State University, will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” featuring the text of the play as it appears in that volume. This unique production will be staged in two venues in the same way that The Bard’s plays were first performed publicly before being invited to court to perform before Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. Showtimes will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave., and at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2-4 in the Multipurpose Theater Lab of Ohio State University's Theatre, Film & Media Arts building, 1932 College Road. Tickets are $10 general and $5 students online. (lorddenneysplayers.com)

Local musician to reprise 'Black Panther' drumming

The sounds of the tama — or talking drum — will echo throughout the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St., during the Columbus Symphony's presentation of Marvel Studios’ "Black Panther" in Concert, featuring a screening of the complete film with the musical score performed live to the film at 8 p.m. Friday. The orchestra will be joined by Columbus resident Massamba Diop, one of the most renowned masters of the tama, a Senegalese drum known for its abilities to replicate the sounds of human speech. Diop performed on the film scores for both Marvel Studios blockbusters “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Tickets start at $37.38. (cbusarts.com)

Joe Gatto to bring 'Night of Comedy' to town

Best-known for the TV shows “Impractical Jokers” and “The Misery Index,” comedian Joe Gatto has toured the world, selling out crowds from Madison Square Garden to the O2 Arena in London. Now he's coming to Columbus on his "Night of Comedy" tour for an evening of laughs at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., at 7 p.m. Friday. Gatto also is a co-host of the Two Cool Moms podcast. Passionate about anti-bullying and animal rescue endeavors, he advocates for the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” movement with his nonprofit Gatto Pups and Friends on Long Island, catering primarily to senior and disabled pups. His show is recommended for ages 16 and older. Tickets start at $39.75, with a limit of eight tickets per person/household. (cbusarts.com)

Lightwire Theater to electrify classic fable

Combining light, technology and music, Lightwire Theater's "The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare: The Next Gen" picks up Aesop's fable 10 years down the road, creating a unique storytelling experience for audience members of all ages at the Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St., at 7 p.m. Friday. In this modern tale, set in the world of smartphones and video games, Tortoise Junior and Li’l Hare's adventures lead them into unexpected territory, and Old Man Tortoise and Big Daddy Hare must overcome their differences to find and save their children. All Tickets for this family event are $5. (cbusarts.com)

Donuts and beer on tap at Huntington Park

Suds and sweets are on the menu as the Donut & Beer Festival returns to Huntington Park, 330 Huntington Park Lane, from 2-6 p.m. Saturday. The all-ages event, which sold out in 2021, will offer dozens of drink vendors including beers, ciders and seltzers, as well as non-alcoholic beverages, live music, games and other entertainment. Tickets for those who plan to imbibe are $44 general admission, $59 VIP; for those abstaining, tickets are $34 general admission, $44 VIP. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with a paid adult. VIP ticketholders will be admitted to the festival at 1 p.m. All tickets come with souvenir sampling cups, lanyards, donut sampling tokens, as well as "Donut worry. Beer happy" hats and more. (donutandbeerfest.com)

'Abigail/1702' to tell bewitching tale

A decade after sending 20 people to their deaths as a girl during the Salem witch trials, Abigail Williams attempts to atone for her sins. Can Abigail, now a young woman living near Boston under an assumed name, escape the demons of her past? Find out in Theatre Columbus State's presentation of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s “Abigail/1702.” The play will be performed at 8 p.m. Nov. 1-4, in the Van Fleet Theater at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave. Admission is free. (bit.ly/3S6ybI1)

T.Wong to bring eclectic sound to Natalie's Grandview

With an uncategorizable sound that's been called "urban rustic," T.Wong's music is as unique as the man himself, as the crowd will see and hear when he plays Natalie's Grandview, 945 King Ave., at 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Doors open at 7 p.m. T.Wong bridges careers in the same way that he unites genres — under his given name, Stefan Thomas, he is a partner with the Thomas Ingram Law Group, as well as an educator and a mentor to emerging artists, and he sits on the boards of numerous community organizations including the Greater Columbus Arts Council. His full-length albums, an EP and singles can be found on his website, twongcreates.com. Limited seating is left for his show on Natalie's Music Hall Stage, with tickets costing $25. (nataliesgrandview.com)

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 10 things to do in Columbus this weekend