Here we are, a week away from Thanksgiving, and as with other major holidays throughout the year, theater companies trot out their wares in hopes of snagging some of your holiday monies. It's inarguable logic, really -- who doesn't want to get out of the house during this time of too many people or not enough? This week, with the exception of a couple of notable productions, we'll be getting fare that will have nothing to do with the holidays, because who wants to be reminded constantly, right? more ›

A review of the hit production taking place at Capitol Hill's Theater Schmeater, which also marks the return of playwright Wayne Rawley to Seattle's stages. We're afraid that Arts Editor Jose Amador becomes a bit hyperbolic in his praise, but he gets in these moods, you see... more ›

HEAR HEAR: The Decibel Festival is up and running, and its second day promises an even bigger bang than its first. The Crocodile’s got Holy Fuck (these guys definitely deliver the danceable goods) and Truckasauraus. Bok Bok headlines the Baltic Room with three more DJs. Neumos sees Britain’s awe-inspiring Bonobo as well as Opiuo and others. Showbox at the Market has got Ladytron, Depressed Buttons, Geographer, and Sonoio lined up. But our money’s on the biggest show of the night taking place at Paramount, featuring musician and electronic sound designer Amon Tobin. Tobin’s got talent for blowing minds with an eclectic sound and gigantic live show. Expect huge things from Tobin, literally. With Baths and Tokimonsta. more ›

Perhaps you thought last week’s roster couldn’t be topped in terms of breadth; we wouldn’t blame you really, but a quick glance at what’s on offer this week will put that notion to rest. There’s not just one, but two experimental pieces making their way into the world; two Seattle premieres, one world premiere of a local work, the latest offerings from a couple of the bigger houses AND an enormous undertaking happening down in Portland. Once again, our region’s ambitious nature shows its true colors, and it’s all enticing enough to take a gamble on. more ›

Sometimes the difference between a successful date and an unsuccessful one can be highlighted by seeing one go off the rails early and often. With Adventures in Mating, Theater Schmeater brings one couples new and established can all enjoy. more ›

Remember those “choose your own adventure” books? Remember how much you cheated when reading those? You looked ahead - don’t deny it. Well there’s no cheating with Joseph Scrimshaw’s interactive play Adventures in Mating. more ›

Arts Editor Jose Amador's weekly tour of the Theater companies who are beginning their production's run during the week ahead. This week features new solo work from an experimental performance artist, a sketch show from one of Seattle's newer groups, and the world's quickest theater festival, 14/48, who have decided to make this summer's offering a battle of the sexes. more ›

Along with park shows, cabarets and a general experimental bent, the Summer months are also one of the few times out of the year where theater companies happily embrace programming for the younger set. Two local fringe companies are currently offering outdoor productions specifically aimed at children; Theater Schmeater's Arrh! A Dinosaur Ate My Space Ship and Balagan Theater's King Arthur and the Knights of the Playground. more ›

It has been a relatively quiet couple of weeks in terms of the opening of new productions, but that comes to a crashing halt this week, as we get an even dozen productions all opening this weekend. Thankfully, most of these productions will be conveniently located in one handy location, and the other two either feature or is the product of one of Seattle's prominent talents...Find out more within. more ›

Nowhere is the visible lack of tough chicks in fiction more evident than on our stages, where women are rarely, if ever, given the opportunity to just show off their potential for being badass. Enter Reservoir Dolls, running at Theater Schmeater until June 18. more ›

Just as surely as the season finally crosses over, this week's openings also concentrate on crossing over, between boundaries of theater and dance and visual arts. more ›

It is hard to explain just how big a phenomenon Theater Schmeater's live stagings of a large number of The Twilight Zone episodes were in this town over two decades ago. Now, they're back. more ›

SHAKE, RATTLE & HANG 10: The three-day Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball begins tonight with Surf Nite at The Tractor. The Ball, presented by KEXP, is in its 23rd year and 2010 starts off with four groups that keep the waves rolling and sun shining. Remember this summer? Yeah, us neither. But we remember a summer, and that's all we need to bask in the joy that is surf rock. Seattle bands The Mercury Four and King of Hawaii join San Francisco's Frankie & The Pool Boys and Souther California's Slacktones. Vocals? We don't need no stinking vocals. We got surf rock. Three day passes are only $30. Buy tickets individually and they're $18. more ›

LOCALS ONLY now that we're a few days in to KEXP's summer drive, are you (very, very) aware of how important supporting local music is? Of course you are. Tonight The Crocodile & 107.7 The End Present: Locals Only with: Born Anchors, Campfire Ok, and The Royal Bear. more ›

CARIBOUUUUU: Daniel Snaith has two things, well much more than two things, but two very interesting things. The first is a PhD in Mathematics, and the second is Swim (Merge), one of the best albums released this year. He goes by the name of Caribou, though he used to be called Manitoba, before being sued by a dude named Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba. Snaith is a one-man-band in the studio, recording everything himself, and he’s a perfectionist behind the mixing board. He generally brings a full band on tour to recreate his songs live, spending most of his live time behind the drumset. Each of his five full lengths exist in very different worlds, from shoegaze, to the aptly named folktronica, and in the case of his much lauded Andorra, 60s-ish synth summer pop. He switches it up again with Swim, this time creating a dark, modern dance foil to Andorra -- think of the new sound as an even better version of Hot Chip. Listen to the single, Odessa, for a sampling. Chillwave musician Toro y Moi aka Chazwick Bundick, who has earned much praise for his debut release Causers of This, supports. more ›

Chona Kasinger shows Almost Famous, a selection of her dynamic concert photography at the West Seattle Cupcake Royale. We've shown her photographs on Seattlest in the past -- her bright, active images of artists on-stage and off remind us why we started going to shows in the first place. Her show runs through October, with an opening party tonight is part of the West Seattle 2nd Thursday Art Walk. more ›

We saw Wooden O's very likable, well cast A Midsummer Night's Dream on Saturday (traveling to Lynnwood's Lynndale Park next weekend); they're the high-production-value team, with actual mics and speakers and something very like a set. Here's their summer schedule; they're also doing Romeo & Juliet (at Mercer Island's Luther Burbank Park next weekend). more ›

It's Shakespeare, so you can't complain. That's just "Shakespearean language." Here it is, Act III, Scene 1 from The Merchant of Venice:

If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die?

9:00 pm // Neumos // $10 adv. more ›

We're sitting upon a black leather stool in the Cha Cha Lounge, next to Bimbo's in Capitol Hill. We're watching a drunk boy and drunk girl dirty dance to Spanishy folk-rock. We think our dirty dancing queen may be on more than burritos and booze because she moves away from the boy, to a pair or women sitting at the bar. She locks lips and tongues with both and runs her fingers through their hair as though searching for something. She writhes among her lovers and dances in their laps, drawing awkward smiles from some and uneasy glances from others.
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Summer brings a cornucopia of free outdoor theater to the bewooded groves of Seattle's parklands. Thanks to the Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival (Wooden O, GreenStage, and Theater Schmeater), there were five plays offered at Volunteer Park last Saturday and Sunday: As You Like It, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Robin Hood. more ›

Seattlest loves John Moe, so we figured it was high time we interviewed him. Don't know Moe? He's the voice behind KUOW's The Works, Power of Voice (sometimes), and amusing weather updates. He's also a frequent contributor to McSweeney's, a blogger, and an author with a book to promote. more ›

Welcome to Intimania! The Intiman had its annual Gala last Saturday (more on that after the jump). On Sunday, Intiman's leadership, Bartlett Sher and Laura Penn, were in New York to collect Intiman's 2006 Regional Theater Tony. [Seattle Times, Seattle P-I] The Sher-directed Awake and Sing! took the Tony for best play revival. His Richard III opens at the Intiman this Friday. more ›

Fresh from his quarter-hour of fame as a food blogger, Ronald is preparing a giant Spanish torta for a neighborhood party in Belltown. He plans to stalk chef Kerry Sear's cooking class at Cascadia on Saturday morning. On Sunday, he'll make is way into SoDo territory where wine writer/wine merchant Rich Kinssies promises to roast a pig and pour samples of Spanish reds at The Wine Outlet . We hope it goes well with the all the uneaten torta. more ›