By Alana Dore, deputy inside editor
Event of The Week: Monday, Jan. 26
Breakout star of the hit Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black” Laverne Cox is coming to campus. The actress, who portrays Sophia Burset on the show, has been praised for her poignant and multi-dimensional portrayal of an incarcerated transgender woman. Also a television producer and LGBT advocate, Cox is also the first openly transgender person to ever be nominated for an emmy. The nominaion was for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. In June of last year, she became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine for an interview on her career and involvement in the transgender movement. This Monday, she will be presenting her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech at Northeastern. Tickets are available on myNEU. Blackman Auditorium; 7 – 8 p.m.; free.
Thursday, Jan. 22
If you’re looking for a good laugh, head down to Cambridge to see the return of improvBoston’s late night show “So That Happened” with special guest Awkward Sex and The City. The guest comedy group, described by CBS NY as one of the “Top 5 Things to do in NYC” discusses its embarrassing sexual encounters for your enjoyment. Throughout the night, host Sam Ike will discuss what’s happening throughout Boston to the music of Kristina Staplefield & Co. 40 Prospect Street, Cambridge; 9:30 p.m.; $10.
Friday, Jan. 23
It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the start of Boston sweet-lovers’ most coveted weekend: the 5th annual Taste of Chocolate Festival. This three-day festival, which kicks off on Friday and ends on Sunday, will feature chocolate courses galore from all of the finest establishments in Harvard Square, including Sweet and The Sinclair. Be sure to kick off the weekend with a free tasting of samples from Harvard Square’s most famous chocolatiers in front of Hidden Sweets on Deguglielmo Plaza. There will be entertainment and goodies for sale but most importantly, there will be chocolate, what more could you ask for? 25 Brattle Street; 1 p.m.; free tasting, event prices vary.
Saturday, Jan. 24
Think about allocating some of your time this Saturday to the Managing Your Finances Workshop sponsored in part by Northeastern’s office of City and Community Affairs. The three-hour event will focus on cash management, specifically insurance, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and retirement and estate planning. Co-sponsor of the event, Vincita Institute will be hosting events at Northeastern University over the next five months. This Saturday, consider assuming responsibility for your financial future and figure out how to spend (or invest) that co-op cash. 105 Shillman Hall; noon; $15-20.
Sunday, Jan. 25
ArtsEmerson presents its Winter Rock n’ Roll Weekend featuring Quilt, a three-piece psychedelic indie-rock band from Boston, and Julia Easterlin, the one–woman orchestra whose expert use of looping and layering in live performances earned her a spot at Lollapalooza. This weekend allows music-lovers to experience Boston area bands who often don’t have a place to perform downtown. Performances by musical groups Tigerman WOAH and Faces on Film take place on Saturday. Check out ArtsEmerson.com for more details. 559 Washington Street; 9 p.m.; $12.
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Mix up your morning and attend AwakeBoston’s wake up call, an event to start off your day with a bang. The sober dance party and self-titled “wellness rave” features yoga, snacks, a DJ and sponsors like LUNA giving away their new flavor of protein bar, Chocolate Cupcake. AwakeBoston is a movement created to “bring funky, fresh, creative events to the city of Boston.” A portion of each ticket goes to support Firefly Yoga International, a non-profit which promotes psychological and physical healing of trauma survivors through yoga and meditation. Boston Button Factory; 50 Melcher Street; 6 – 9 a.m.; $16-21.
Wednesday, Jan. 28
Tom Appleman, an assistant professor of bass at Berklee College of Music, and his band will be performing Led Zepplin’s album “Led Zepplin II” in its entirety at the Berklee Performance Center. Appleman was voted Boston’s best bass player by Soundcheck Magazine in 1996. “Led Zeppelin II” was released by Atlantic Records in October of 1969 and becaome the band’s first album to hit number one on the charts in both the U.K. and the US. It has been regularly cited by musicians, writers and critics as one of the most influential rock albums of all time in Guitarist, Mojo and Rolling Stone. Here’s you chance to hear it all live. 21+; 136 Massachusetts Avenue; 8 p.m.; $12.
Photo courtesy KOMUnews, creative commons
