Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

National Poster Retrospecticus in Boston photo provided by the NPR

Film
A Film About Coffee

Coffee connoisseurs and curious caffeine consumers can attend a screening of A Film About Coffee on Thursday in Kendall Square, where it is showing as part of an international tour. A documentary that traces coffee’s production from farms to specialty coffee shops around the world, A Film About Coffee interviews a variety of people whose vocation lies in the coffee industry, including George Howell of the Boston-area George Howell Coffee. Howell’s coffee will be served in the lobby along with Counter Culture’s prior to the screening, and afterward he will participate in a question-and-answer session along with the documentary’s director and other key sources in the film.

$15, Thursday, July 31, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, afilmaboutcoffee.com.

Art
National Poster Retrospecticus

This traveling poster show has its roots in Massachusetts. Produced by John Boilard, a MassArt graduate, the project began in its current format in Boston in 2012 with the goal of “[spreading] the enthusiasm around printmaking and poster design and bringing it to as many different places as we can,” Boilard says. The show includes work by mainly modern designers and displays more than 300 posters, the majority of which advertise bands, including well-known groups like The Black Keys. While many of the posters are viewable online, there are benefits to seeing them in person, Boilard says. “There’s a little poster-making lesson in each of the 300 posters on the wall,” he says. The Retrospecticus is stopping in Boston for one night only before it continues its tour. If that doesn’t feel long enough, additional copies of all the posters displayed will be for sale.

Free, Friday, August 1, 6-11 p.m., BU Art Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, nationalposterretrospecticus.com.

Music
The Eight Tracks Present: A Taste of A Cappella

Saturday afternoon, Somerville’s Prospect Hill Monument will host the city’s first outdoor a cappella concert as part of the Somerville Arts Council’s ArtsUnion initiative. ArtsUnion co-sponsors events proposed by area residents that will draw people to Union Square, says Meagan O’Brien, ArtsUnion program coordinator. The a cappella concert is co-produced by The Eight Tracks, a semi-professional, locally based group. They will perform several times during the afternoon, along with a few other area groups whose repertoires encompass a range of musical genres from “old-school” to pop, O’Brien says. Several food trucks will be on site during the performances, and attendees are encouraged to set up chairs and blankets and stay for the afternoon.

Free, Saturday, August 2, 1-4 p.m., Prospect Hill Monument, Somerville, somervilleartscouncil.org.

Fitness
Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge 5K Boston

The ROC race began in California and is expanding to Boston this year. Obstacles are inspired by game shows like Wipeout and include the wrecking ball and the world’s largest inflatable water slide. The event is untimed and designed to be suitable for participants of all fitness levels. “We’re really about bringing fun to life,” says Jenna Long, ROC Race marketing coordinator. Though the registration fee is not insignificant, a portion of the race’s revenue benefits the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization that supports people with physical disabilities in achieving active lifestyles. The event will take place rain or shine, and anyone can be a spectator, Long says. “Get ready to get ridiculous,” she adds.

Ages 13+, $71, Saturday, August 2, earliest start time is 7:30 a.m., Gillette Stadium, 1 Patriot Place, Foxborough, rocrace.com/boston.

Theater
Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre Presents: Rhinoceros

This is the second and final weekend to see Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre’s production of playwright Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. The absurdist play—in which characters begin inexplicably transforming into rhinoceroses—explores deep themes such as the dangers of blind conformity. Rhinoceros is produced by the Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre, a troupe of about 30 Harvard undergraduates.

$15.50 general admission, July 31-August 3, 7:30 p.m., Loeb Experimental Theatre, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, hrst.org.