The Coolidge Corner Theatre opens a week of community events for Brookline residents with a Monday, July 20, screening of "State of Firsts," a documentary following Rep. Sarah McBride's run as the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Director Chase Joynt will join the audience via Zoom after the 7 p.m. showing for a live Q&A. Tickets are $23. Joynt, whose previous credits include "Framing Agnes" (2022) and "No Ordinary Man" (2020), told Deadline in May that the film avoids explaining trans identity and instead drops viewers into McBride's campaign as it unfolds.

"I'm not interested in making films that explain what a trans person is," Joynt said at the Sonoma International Film Festival in May. "Instead, jumping into the present and recognizing that absolutely you're going to figure some things out about trans identity along the way, then we get to have a different set of conversations about trans life."

The screening is part of the Coolidge's "Panorama" series at 290 Harvard Street.

Tuesday: Family concert and free meals at Brookline Avenue Playground

Musician Matt Heaton performs a free interactive concert for families Tuesday, July 21, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at Brookline Avenue Playground. The show is part of Brookline's Summer Eats program, sponsored by the Public Library of Brookline. Free breakfast runs from 10 to 11 a.m. and free lunch from noon to 1 p.m., open to all.

Friday: Food forest tour in Dorchester explores Brookline project

The Indigenous Peoples Celebration Committee is leading a free guided tour of the Uphams Corner Food Forest in Dorchester on Friday, July 24, at 11 a.m. The trip is part of an effort by Brookline organizations to explore creating a local food forest, a perennial garden that grows food and herbs anyone can harvest. Registration is required; details are available through the Indigenous Peoples Celebration Committee.

Sunday: Puppet show, yoga, and a bookstore event

Sunday, July 26, offers three options. Puppet Showplace Theater at 32 Station Street presents "A Pirate's Great Adventure" at 10:30 a.m., a 35-minute interactive show by puppeteer Kasandra Vargas of Peanut's Playhouse. Vargas taught herself ventriloquism in 2019 and has performed in libraries and schools across Massachusetts and California. Tickets start at $6 under the Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays program; EBT, WIC, MassHealth, and ConnectorCare cardholders pay $3 through Card to Culture. After the show, families can stay for a meet-the-puppets session with dress-up, coloring, and sidewalk chalk from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Also Sunday, Brookline Public Health & Human Services and Boston Yoga Collaborative co-host Yoga in the Park at Emerson Park from 10 to 11 a.m. The free, gentle yoga session is part of a seven-week series open to all skill levels.

At 5 p.m. Sunday, Brookline Booksmith at 279 Harvard Street hosts Anti-Social Studies with Emily Glankler, a free event for educators. A free ticket is required; light dinner and a small gift are included.

Week at a glance

  • Monday, July 20 — "State of Firsts" screening + Q&A, 7 p.m., Coolidge Corner Theatre, $23
  • Tuesday, July 21 — Matt Heaton family concert, 11–11:45 a.m., Brookline Avenue Playground, free
  • Friday, July 24 — Food forest tour, 11 a.m., Uphams Corner (Dorchester), free, registration required
  • Sunday, July 26 — "A Pirate's Great Adventure," 10:30 a.m., Puppet Showplace Theater, starting at $6
  • Sunday, July 26 — Yoga in the Park, 10–11 a.m., Emerson Park, free
  • Sunday, July 26 — Anti-Social Studies with Emily Glankler, 5 p.m., Brookline Booksmith, free (ticket required)