This Week in Arts: Wednesday Roundup (10/23)
From haunted tales to talented teenagers, in theatre, dance, and variety, there’s a lot going on this week. Here’s what we recommend.
Short Runs & One-Offs
This week is, like the past few weeks have been, rich with performances of intrigue.
Topping the list in dance are Ten Tiny Dances at On the Boards, in which local artists (Arson Nicki, KT Niehoff, Fox Whitney, and more) take turns performing short new dance works and other performance pieces on a 4’x4′ stage (Thursday-Saturday, info & tickets here); and GLITCH at Yaw Theater, in which Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham, Hope Goldman and Andrew Moffat explore our tech-obsessed culture’s hyper-performativity, possibilities, and promise (Friday-Sunday, info & tickets here).
Friday marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, as Imani Sims closes out her reign curating a favorite showcase in town: Kitchen Sessions, a night of performance inspired by visual art, along with food and cocktails, all by Black artists, chefs, and mixologists. This Session’s lineup includes musician/singer/songwriter Eva Walker (The Black Tones), poets Monique Franklin (Verbal Oasis) and Ana Walker, and burlesque artist Mx. Pucks A’Plenty; and Rio Chanae kicks off the night with the Black National Anthem. It’s hosted by Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas, at the Bellevue Arts Museum; info & tickets here.
On Sunday, check out one of two free great options: Belltown Exposed at The Rendezvous (a variety show and party celebrating a book of the same name, full of art photos looking at the storied neighborhood through the ages — info here); and the latest in the Salon series from Akropolis Performance Lab (reading One Thing by Scott Stolnack in Edmonds — info here).
Monday there’s a little thing called The Gregory Awards, the area’s big annual theatre bash and awards show. Most people dress up and get drunk; but you can’t skip one or both if those aren’t your thing. Advance tickets are sliding-scale and start at $15 this year (but note they’re all $50 at the door); and VIP tickets include a party at nearby Cornish Playhouse before the main event. Info & tickets here.
This week you can also catch a favorite new-play reading series (Seattle Playwrights Salon), on Thursday at the Palace Theatre & Art Bar in Georgetown (info here); an anthology reading from Northwest Playwrights Alliance at Seattle Rep on Monday if The Gregory’s aren’t for you (info here); the latest Loud Mouth Lit on Tuesday, featuring readings by playwrights Kelleen Conway Blanchard, Maggie Lee, and more at St. Andrews Bar near Green Lake (info here); and a different take on Julius Caesar from Willy’s Dead Productions (Thursday-Saturday at the Pocket Theater in Greenwood, info here).
Openings
Opening multi-week runs this weekend are quite the gamut of shows. We like the sounds of Chalk at 18th & Union (opening Thursday); Faeriestruck at Annex Theatre (opening Friday); and, for fans of spooky things, The Brothers Paranormal from Pork Filled Productions (opening Saturday, at Theatre Off Jackson). Also opening this week are Steven Dietz’s Dracula at ACT, Pippi Longstocking at Lakewood Playhouse, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream from UW Drama. And kicking off its Everett run is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which bursts with a standout cast at Village Theatre.
Speaking of Village, you can make it a double-header in Everett for the next couple of weekends. NWT caught the Kidstage production of In the Heights on opening weekend, and it’s an impressive show. Directed by Faith Bennett Russell and Ana Maria Campoy and performed by teenagers (with an endearing tinge of teenage awkwardness), there’s a lot of talent packed onto a small stage in a show that’s full of life.
Last Call
Closing this weekend is the show that everyone is raving about: Indecent, at Seattle Rep. (NWT will finally catch it on closing day so our opinion is useless, but you can take advantage of the Rep’s rush pricing and see for yourself if the hype is right.) Also closing Saturday are The Women from Harlequin Productions in Olympia, which is terrific; plus The Christians from Pony World Theatre, and Unnecessary Sacrifices at Taproot Theatre (see NWT’s review of both shows, here). And closing Sunday are Austen’s Pride at The 5th Avenue Theatre, and The Hound of the Baskervilles at Centerstage Theatre in Federal Way.
Wednesday Roundup is a weekly (ish) feature, with NWT’s picks for the upcoming week and recaps around town.
Want to plan your show schedule further out? See what’s happening on NWT’s Calendar page, which aims to list just about every theatre show in town. And for news on all the openings each month see Miryam Gordon’s openings coverage (October’s can be found here).