Plan ahead—these Seattle events may sell out.
by Stranger Things To Do Staff
On our Things To Do calendar, you'll find hundreds of events happening this month in Seattle. Some of them are already sold out (like A Conversation with the Parents of Trayvon Martin or Seattle Arts & Lectures' presentation of Roxane Gay) and others don't yet have tickets announced at all (like Shaun King's speech at UW), but there are many excellent events happening that do still have tickets available—for now, at least. You're advised to plan ahead for the theater and dance shows, lectures, food events, film screenings, and other arts and culture events on this list. From the Noir City film festival and the Whiskey + Chowder Festival to Step Afrika! and Rent, and from A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment with Sherman Alexie and Jess Walter to an extravagant Gatsby Valentine's Day party, you should buy tickets for these events as soon as possible, before they do sell out. Click through the links below to buy tickets and see more details, and see our complete Things To Do calendar for more options, including the events our critics have already picked for this week and the 96 February concerts to plan ahead for.
Get all this and more on the free Stranger Things To Do mobile app—available now on the App Store and Google Play.
FEBRUARY 3-11
1. Mothers and Sons
Terrence McNally's Mothers and Sons is a Tony Award-nominated play about queerness, AIDS, family, and romance. It's a drawing room drama, showing just an hour and a half of the characters' lives, and is about a woman visiting her late son's former partner.
FEBRUARY 3-12
2. Cendrillon
The Pacific Northwest Ballet presents another take on a classic tale: this time, a ballet production with Jean-Christophe Maillot and Bernice Coppieters that offers a new take on the story of Cinderella, the ash-covered young woman who is (eventually) rewarded for her goodness.
3. Let the Right One In
This play (adapted by Jack Thorne) is based on the novel and film of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and follows a friendship between a young child and a young vampire. This production is presented by the National Theatre of Scotland. About the film, former Stranger staffer Paul Constant wrote, "By taking nothing about the vampire legend for granted, and by leaving great swaths of mysteries unsolved, Right One can become a film about all kinds of things: the weird sexuality of burgeoning adolescents, how anger and violence can sometimes be a perfectly reasonable response in the proper situation, and how love is always completely, seriously fucked-up."
FEBRUARY 3-18
4. Proof
Strawshop honcho Greg Carter directs Proof, David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning play about Catherine, the daughter of a late University of Chicago professor and mathematical wizard of prime numbers. Catherine is a math genius herself, and she worries she's inherited her father's mental illness along with his smarts. Invariably, one of Seattle's theaters produces this contemporary classic each year, but Carter's sure to pull out the political fire burning just beneath the play's surface. RICH SMITH
FEBRUARY 3-19
5. The Cherry Orchard
The Seagull Project and ACT Theatre present Anton Chekhov's last play, The Cherry Orchard, directed by John Langs. The play—a strange mix of humor and tragedy—is about a group of family and friends hiding out in a Russian country estate as the world they know is about to fall apart.
FEBRUARY 3-25
6. Storyville Rising
This Seattle Immersive Theatre production features burlesque, music, history, and performance that will resurrect the "infamous 'red-light' district" of New Orleans at the turn of the century, exploring themes of power, polite society, race, and sex.
FEBRUARY 3-26
7. Smash Putt
This is basically the zenith of fun in a dreary Seattle winter. You get wasted, you play bizarro-world mini golf (including a hole featuring a golf ball cannon), and you generally are reminded how fun works. Last time I went, they even had the Infernal Noise Brigade marching around the venue, sowing chaos. TOBIAS COUGHLIN-BOGUE
8. Twisted Cabaret: My Twisted Valentine
One-man vaudeville/varieté circus Frank Olivier performs a cabaret based on the premise that he's the only performer who'd shown up and has to do everything himself: juggling, acrobatics, unicycling, fire acts, tongue contortionism, and stuff you've never heard of. Olivier has been performing for decades, from The Johnny Carson Show to Broadway to the BBC, and he's like a clown car of talents—just when you think you've seen him do it all, another bizarro delight comes tumbling out. His specialty is making it look like he's completely losing control when in fact he is a fine-tuned genius.
9. Welcome to Wonderland
Teatro ZinZanni presents their latest dinner theater spectacle, this time featuring whimsical characters and strange plotlines inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
FEBRUARY 6
10. Casey Neistat
Vlogger and co-founder of Beme social media Casey Neistat will bring some of his "passion for travel, technology, and adventure" to UW. See why he has 6 million followers on YouTube.
11. Isaac Marion
Isaac Marion authored the best-selling zombie romance novel Warm Bodies, which was noticed for telling an apocalyptic story from the perspective of one of the zombies, and adapted into a popular film with the same title. Tickets for this launch party for his newest work, The Burning World (another installment in the Warm Bodies series), include admission for two people and a copy of the book.
FEBRUARY 6-7
12. One-World Dinner: Syria
As part of their One-World series to "foster an appreciation of our global neighbors through the sharing of delicious food and drink," Nue will pay tribute to Syria's stunningly tasty cuisine, from mezzes to kataifi dessert and clotted cream squares. The dinner on February 6th is sold out, so hurry to get your places for the 7th.
FEBRUARY 6-27
13. Silent Movie Mondays
The Paramount will screen little-known films that prove you don't need synced sound for touching romance. On February 6, watch Ramona (1928), starring the legendary Mexican actress Dolores del Rio as the adopted daughter of a sheep-ranching matriarch whose decision to elope with a Temecula Indian (played by one Warner Baxter—oy) leads to tragedy at the hands of white Californians. On February 13, watch Daughter of Dawn (1920), Norbert A. Myles's film starring—remarkably for the time—Comanche and Kiowa American Indians. And, on February 27, watch Carmen (1915), based on Prosper Mérimée's tale of a stubbornly free and sexually irresistible bohémienne who fatally seduces a jealous young Spanish soldier.
14. Three Americans: Voices of Hope
Director Anita Montgomery brings you performances by three monologuists in an effort to inspire hope and passion for diverse American voices. Every Friday night, there will be a post-program discussion. The plays and actors are: The Birds Flew In (by Yussef el Guindi and performed by Annette Toutonghi), Déjà Vu (by Regina Taylor and performed by Cynthia Jones), and a selection from Draw the Circle (by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen and performed by Megan Ahiers).
FEBRUARY 7
15. From Stonewall to Pulse: The Intersections of Race, Sexuality, and Religion
Feminist speaker and syndicated columnist Irene Monroe will lecture on religion and how it shapes anti-LGBTQ discrimination in minority cultures. (Monroe, an ordained African American minister herself, stresses that she does not think Christianity is inherently discriminatory.)
16. Ross Gay
Ross Gay, who just won the Kingsley Tufts Award (a $100,000 purse for outstanding mid-career work), is a poet who is the exact opposite of pretentious. He will read from Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which won the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award. The book is full of chatty and joyful and warm-but-not-smothering poems that are easy to grasp on a first read. "A Small Needful Fact," a short poem about Eric Garner working for a spell at the Parks and Rec. Horticultural Department, makes me burst into tears. RICH SMITH
17. Salon of Shame
Writing that makes you cringe ("middle school diaries, high school poetry, unsent letters") is displayed with unapologetic hilarity at this Salon of Shame. They have a larger venue this time, so tickets are (shockingly) still available, but still, don't wait to get them.
18. Sarah Silverman
Watch celebrated snarky weirdo and proud vagina-haver Sarah Silverman perform an evening of stand-up at the Paramount.
FEBRUARY 8
19. Donald T. Phillips: Lincoln on Leadership For Today
What would Lincoln do in these times? To find out, start with this talk by scholar Donald T. Phillips, who's spent his life studying Lincoln's life and administration. Phillips will explain Lincoln's views on crucial issues that challenge us today, like "race relations, terrorism, economic gap, gun control," and others.
FEBRUARY 9
20. Goodship Higher Education: Where Are the Extraterrestrials?
The Goodship Higher Education Series introduces you to fascinating new ideas while your mind is, shall we say, open. This time, SETI's Seth Shostak will speak about the prospect of intelligent life elsewhere in our galaxy. Come "pre-boarded"—so toke up beforehand, not while you're there—and bring your ID.
21. Paul Auster
Author Paul Auster (known for a variety of works, from his debut memoir The Invention of Solitude to the detective fiction series The New York Trilogy) will speak about his writing and share his latest project, a novel about parallel timelines and life choices titled 4 3 2 1. He will be joined by Paul Constant, former Stranger staffer and co-founder of the Seattle Review of Books. Tickets include a copy of Auster's book.
22. Roz Chast
Roz Chast, the droll, absurd, and distinctive cartoonist whose absurd domestic drawings can be found in the New Yorker, the Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American, will give a talk and take your questions.
FEBRUARY 9-11
23. Seattle Blind Café
The Blind Café bills itself as "NOT just another dinner in the dark." You eat tasty vegan food and drink a glass of wine, yes, but you also hear live music and take part in a social justice workshop led by legally blind speakers—all in inky blackness.
FEBRUARY 9-14
24. J'Adore!: A Burlesque Valentine
Enjoy a sugary sweet Valentine's Day burlesque performance from the Atomic Bombshells with special host Ben DeLaCreme.
FEBRUARY 9-19
25. Sweet T: The Physical Album
Sweet T: The Physical Album is a "performance practice/protest" centered on race, gender, and sexuality, by Dani Tirrell and Jhon Stronks.
FEBRUARY 9-26
26. French Kiss
French Kiss is a sexy production that features dancers performing original choreography by Fae Pink, elaborate sets and projections, and themed food and cocktails.
27. A Moveable Feast
Café Nordo and Book-It will team up to bring you A Moveable Feast, a show based on Ernest Hemingway's memoir about living as a struggling writer in 1920s Paris—paired with a four-course meal and signature cocktail. Conceived by Jane Jones and Judd Parkin, adapted by Judd Parkin, and directed by Jane Jones.
FEBRUARY 10
28. Adult Swim: Love & Reactions
At this event, which involves drinking in a children's science museum, scientists will explain the chemicals basis of falling in love. Having just fallen deep in, I'd happily drive to Olympia and pay $25 for someone to explain to me just what the fuck is going on up there. Like, I have so much half-assed food writing to do in dark Seattle bars this weekend, and instead I booked a ticket down to LA for a 36 hour trip. On Spirit, no less. Have you ever flown Spirit? It's the air travel equivalent of stabbing yourself in the eye with a fork. Love is crazy. TOBIAS COUGHLIN-BOGUE
29. Spilled Milk & And Eat It Too! LIVE
Matthew Amster-Burton and Molly Wizenberg will live-tape their comedy podcast Spilled Milk, in which they start talking about a food topic and end up.... who knows where. begin with a food related topic and run with it as far as they can go. Molly Gilbert and Sarah Barthelow, co-hosts of the podcast And Eat it Too!, will also provide a special opening performance.
FEBRUARY 10-26
30. Well
Well by Lisa Kron (who adapted the Broadway hit Fun Home) is a fourth-wall-busting comedic play that deals with family, maternal relationships, and ideas of "illness" and "wellness."
FEBRUARY 10-28
31. The Pajama Game
Check out director Bill Berry's production of 1954 musical The Pajama Game for dazzling dances in a signature Fosse style, and hit numbers from Broadway's Golden Age.
FEBRUARY 11
32. Batsheva Dance Company: Last Work by Ohad Naharin
The Batsheva Dance Company (a world renowned dance company based in Tel Aviv) presents Last Work by Ohad Naharin, which is a piece that incorporates a treadmill and was described by critic Jordan Beth Vincent as "a meditation on futility."
33. Cupid's Undie Run
Run a mile in your skivvies and raise money for the Children's Tumor Foundation, then follow it up with a big party. Because that's how you show the love!
34. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah: Muslim Roots in America
Muslims have lived and worked in the USA for ages. Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, author of A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb, will share his expertise on this history and its effect on contemporary Muslim Americans as well as the wider culture.
FEBRUARY 11-12
35. Ailey II
Watch the young dancers of Ailey II (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's youth corps) perform daring and varied works from the classic Ailey repertoire, as well as pieces from rising choreographers.
FEBRUARY 12
36. Chocofest
Taste unlimited bites from local restaurants and chocolatiers, sip on beverages from local brewers, wineries, and distilleries, and listen to live music at this 21+ event that benefits Puget Soundkeeper. Admission to this event includes all food, a commemorative tasting glass, and ten drink tickets.
37. Seattle Obscura Society: Seattle Earthship—Trash Studio Tour
Earthships, as the Obscura Society explains, aspire to be "entirely self-sustaining, independent, inhabitable structures." What does that look like? Find out at Trash Studio, an Earthship based in a Columbia City driveway built from recycled materials and designed to harvest water and naturally maintain its temperature. Florian Becquereau, founder of Earthship Seattle, will give a history of the movement, which originated in New Mexico in the 1970s.
38. Short Stories Live: Stories from The New Yorker Magazine
This edition of "Short Stories Live" will focus on tales from The New Yorker Magazine, showcasing stories from the '40s through the '80s, including work by Oliver La Farge and Renata Adler.
39. Valentine's Day Dash
Find love at this 5k, where your bib reveals your relationship status—you choose Single, Taken, or It's Complicated. Maybe you'll meet a fellow sweaty single (or complicated!) person! There's a also a free Kids' Dash (presumably they don't sport the same Facebook-inspired bibs) and free food and drink at the celebration after the race. Come dressed up and maybe win a prize.
FEBRUARY 13
40. A Date With John Waters
We once wrote this about legendary cult director John Waters' Pink Flamingos: "The original 1972 tagline hyped the film as 'An Exercise in Poor Taste.' In fact, Pink Flamingos is the Olympics of poor taste. This stunningly perverse camp classic—in which a family of Baltimore lowlifes vie for the title of "Filthiest People Alive"—is packed with brilliant acting (by Divine), terrible acting (by everyone else), and something to horrify everyone." Just in time for Valentine's Day, he'll come to Seattle to woo the Neptune's audience with who knows what. The VIP ticket lets you meet him after the show.
41. Walla Walla Wine
Sample wine from 50 Walla Walla vintners as well as hors d'oeuvres, and develop a taste for Washington's southeast corner and its vines.
FEBRUARY 14
42. Comedy of Love
Unexpected Productions' hardy improv troupe will riff on your stories about love, sex, marriage, kissing, and other hilarious things.
43. Gatsby Valentine's Day
This Valentine's Day party will transport you to the Gatsby era—where "times were lavish, love was in the air and parties were swinging"...among other differences to the present day. They promise music by Eric Fridrich and a five-course meal with drink pairings.
FEBRUARY 14-28
44. Waning
In Waning, the main character, Luna, is a teenager, a black woman, queer—and now, pregnant. Written by Kamaria Hallums-Harris, directed by Sadiqua Iman, and co-produced with Earth Pearl Collective.
FEBRUARY 15-19
45. Seattle Festival of Improv Theater
The Seattle Festival of Improv Theater promises five days of improvisational theater and comedy, featuring performers from around the world.
FEBRUARY 15-27
46. Bright Half Life
This play by Pulitzer-nominated Tanya Barfield (she won for Blue Door, and she's done acclaimed work on the TV show The Americans) depicts Vicky and Erica's relationship from first love to marriage to fights to the end of life. This New Century Theatre Company production is directed by HATLO, who helmed Thatswhatshesaid. The two preview shows (the 15th and 16th) are pay-what-you-can.
FEBRUARY 16
47. Dream Date Sing-Along
Feeling any post-Valentine's Day letdown? Order a cocktail and some snacks from the friendly and quiet servers inside Central Cinema and let filmic incarnations of a multi-generational plethora of babes from Elvis to Bruno Mars lead you in romantic songs.
48. Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz spent over 25 years as music director of the Seattle Symphony and currently conducts the All Star Orchestra on public TV. He'll tell you about his past career and his take on the future of classical music.
49. Walter Murch and Lawrence Weschler with Blaise Agüera y Arcas
Amateur astrophysicist Walter Murch, better known as a film editor and sound designer (Apocalypse Now, the Godfather trilogy, The English Patient), will speak with software engineer Blaise Agüera y Arcas and author Lawrence Weschler about a "long-discredited 18th century theory called Titius Bode" relating to gravity. Satisfy your curiosity about a "science outsider."
FEBRUARY 16-18
50. Brown Derby Series: "Top Gun"
Seattle has a venerable and undignified tradition of marvelously ramshackle bar theater. If Dina Martina is its queen, Ian Bell's Brown Derby Series—which adapts major motion pictures for raucous, boozy audiences—is the crown prince. This time, prepare for silliness in action with an "Under-rehearsed," homoerotic staged reading of Top Gun.
51. Jon Lovitz
Yeah, that's the ticket! See Jon Lovitz of Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons.
52. Step Afrika!
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of painter Jacob Lawrence's birth—and witness an artistic representation of African American migration out of the rural South—with this multimedia performance that incorporates Lawrence's iconic Migration Series with spoken word and stepping, performed by Step Afrika! (the first professional stepping dance company).
FEBRUARY 16-22
53. Noir City 2017
If you love cinema, then you must love film noir. And if you love film noir, then you must love the Noir City festival, which will feature a number of known and less known movies in this genre that has lots of spiderlike women, lots of long knives, lots of rooms with dark curtains, lots of faces of the fallen, and lots of existential twists and turns. CHARLES MUDEDE
FEBRUARY 17
54. Brewology
Sip unlimited four-ounce beer pours from Boundary Bay, Elysian, Georgetown, Redhook, Pike, Optimism, and many other local craft breweries, but don't get too tipsy: you'll want to learn all about the brewing process from the beer professionals themselves.
55. Literary Series: Angela Flournoy, Megan Kruse, and Phillip B. Williams
Hugo House presents another installment of their Literary Series, which pairs readings and music to reflect a specific theme: this time, "Exile." Look forward to hearing from fiction writer Angela Flournoy (who wrote the celebrated and National Book Award-nominated novel The Turner House), writer Megan Kruse (Call Me Home), poet Phillip B. Williams, and electro-pop duo Crater.
56. A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment
Sherman Alexie and Jess Walter's podcast A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment took a long hiatus recently—but now they're back, ready to merge readings, storytelling, lively discussion, and funny chit-chat in a digestible nugget of sound. This time, the featured guest is novelist and short story writer Karen Russell (Swamplandia!).
57. Whiskey + Chowder Festival
While the Northwest coast is certainly known for its rich fishy soups, local distilleries deserve equal attention. Indulge in hot "Cioppino, Bouillabaisse, or Bisque" or other winter dishes from Le Petit Cochon, Taylor Shellfish, the Carlile Room, Goldfinch Tavern, Terra Plata, and other Seattle/regional restaurants; pair them with whiskeys from distilleries like Tattoosh, Heritage, 3 Howls, Oola, Seattle, Bainbridge, Mischief Bay, and J.P. Trodden. You can also attend 20-minute seminars for $20 like "The Rise of Rye," "A Taste of Place: Scotch Whiskey," or "The Art of the Cocktail."
FEBRUARY 17-18
58. DUST
Discover new work by up-and-coming Seattle choreographers Daniel Costa (Interposition), Kimberly Holloway (Yessir), Emma Hreljanovic (You May Miss Something), and Ashleigh Miller (Brain Is A Radio (Excerpts)). Each dance combines ambitious concepts (genre deconstruction, resilience, Freudianism, and "psychoacoustic[s]") with modern physicality.
FEBRUARY 17-20
59. Topgolf Crush
It's golf in the ballpark: take a swing from the stands towards targets on the field, then receive high-tech feedback on your ball's trajectory. Get a VIP ticket for game play (in one-hour increments), a lounge, a stadium tour, and a spectator ticket.
FEBRUARY 17-26
60. Little Women
The Tony Award-nominated musical Little Women (based on Louisa May Alcott's enduring 1869 semi-autobiographical novel) brings the stories of Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March to life with music and dance.
FEBRUARY 18
61. Show the Love Launch Party & INTIMAN 2017 Season Announcement
Sara Porkalob is just one in a line-up of local luminaries who will bring their talents to Intiman Theater's show and season opener party. Performances begin at 8 pm; afterwards, drink and dance with your favorite thespians and dramaphiles.
62. Venice Is Sinking Masquerade Ball
Decadence comes from the Latin root meaning "to fall," which sort of explains why it refers both to decay and the surrender to ultimate, immoral luxury. So keep the image of Venice falling into its own beautiful, dirty canals and party away with belly dancers, contortionists, an opera singer, burlesque dancers, Taiko drummers—and of course, lots of lush dessert from Rigoletto and gelato from Gelatiamo at the Marie Antoinette Dessert Bar (not sure what she had to do with Venice, but why not). There's also a costume contest limited to 100 participants and extra perks for VIP ticket-holders, including a bondage and pole dance show, macaroons, a pasta bar, and a VIP bar with "sexy Eyes Wide Shut servers."
63. Winter Wonderland Gay Bingo
Aleksa Manila will host this glitzy and glamorous evening of bingo that promises many photo opportunities, punch, and even a Winter Formal Royal Court. It's like high school, but way better.
FEBRUARY 18-19
64. Chop Shop: Bodies of Work
The 10th anniversary of this contemporary dance festival will feature a retrospective of international artists (including Christina Chan from the New Zealand School of Dance, Donald Sales from Vancouver's Project20, and Alex Ketley from San Francisco's Foundry) from the last decade, plus, as a new addition, Seattle's Mark Haim. On Sunday only, catch a special performance of 2011's hit Trap Door Party by Bellingham Repertory Dance.
FEBRUARY 19
65. Balancing the Scales: Challenging Institutional Racism in Our Criminal Justice System
The Urban Poverty Forum will challenge the public to face injustice in the prison system, in which people of color are disproportionally incarcerated and serve longer sentences than whites. Hear from Mary Flowers of the NAACP, Chief Judge Wesley Saint Clair from the Juvenile Courthouse, and the musical/dramatic Mahogany Project.
66. David Duchovny with Jess Walter
We may all have gotten acquainted with Duchovny as the lean-faced nerd rooting out government cover-ups in The X-Files, but he's also contributed to the world of literature with the decidedly offbeat Holy Cow; now, he'll speak with novelist Jess Walter about his second novel, Bucky F*cking Dent, a dramatic story of father-son baseball fan rivalry.
67. Feast BBQ + Stoup Brewing
"Meat-centric" Northwest foods will marry Northwest beers when Trove's Chef Rachel Yang teams up with Stoup Brewing.
FEBRUARY 20
68. John Darnielle: Universal Harvester
John Darnielle is the face of the Mountain Goats, an angsty indie folk band known for its lovely melodies and even lovelier lyrics ("I hope that our few remaining friends/give up on trying to save us/I hope we come up with a fail-safe plot/to piss off the dumb few that forgave us"). He's also a celebrated author—his debut, Wolf in White Van, was a National Book Award nominee. Hear him read from and talk about his second novel, Universal Harvester, which centers around a creepy, black-and-white scene that suddenly appears on a tape at the local Video Hut.
69. Red, White & ACLU: A Benefit Show For The ACLU
On President's Day, express your patriotism by enjoying comedy, burlesque, and more. Your ticket money—all of it—goes straight to the ACLU. You can choose to pay $20 or $35, depending on how thick your wallet is and what you feel like giving.
FEBRUARY 21-26
70. Rent
Paramount hosts this touring production of Jonathan Larson's Rent, the dated yet persistently enduring 1996 rock musical about sex, art, AIDS, drugs, death, and la vie boheme.
FEBRUARY 22
71. Daphne Merkin with Christa Hillstrom
Author and New Yorker contributor Merkin will discuss the origins, consequences, and treatment of her depression and other personal experiences in a conversation with YES! Magazine senior editor Christa Hillstrom.
72. Ichiro Kawachi: Income Inequality and Population Health
It's not news that income inequality is rampant, but is it making (most of) us sick? Harvard Professor of Social Epidemiology Ichiro Kawachi will discuss the evidence for and against inequality's harm to the health of the population.
73. The Shadow Council
The "mudpie lobbed into the halls of power" known as Brett Hamil's Seattle Process show has been so successful that it will now have a spin-off: the Shadow Council's panel will lead the "people's legislative body" to vote on proposals, which will be submitted afterwards to elected officials. If ever there were a time for sharp comedy and politics to mix....
FEBRUARY 23
74. Chris D'Elia
Catch a set from comic Chris D’Elia, seen in Undateable and many Comedy Central successes.
75. Derek Thompson: Hit Makers
Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson writes about economics, labor markets, and the entertainment business. At this event, he'll talk about his new book, Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction, and look at what makes a hit (from celebrities to business ventures) a hit.
FEBRUARY 23-26
76. Awaiting Oblivion: Temporary Solutions for Surviving the Dystopian Future We Find Ourselves Within at Present
Tim Smith-Stewart and Jeffrey Azevedo present Awaiting Oblivion, a performance that combines elements of street art, poetry, dance, theater, and more, coming together to portray a "radical fight for survival" within "our collapsing empire."
77. Seattle Asian American Film Festival
The SAAFF will screen fictional and documentary stories of Asian American journeys, families, artistic innovations, and more—plus music videos and shorts, some of which are free to see. Help them open with a bang at their opening night party, which will follow a screening of a documentary on Chinatown-ID food (A Taste of Home) and fill up the Egyptian with live music and food. Other highlights: LBGTQ shorts, a 15-year anniversary screening of Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow, a documentary on the 105-year-old painter Tyrus Wong, and more.
FEBRUARY 24
78. Rachel Aspden
Journalist/author Rachel Aspden will present Generation Revolution: On The Front Line Between Tradition and Change in the Middle East, based on her work in Egypt covering youthful revolt and disillusionment under Hosni Mubarak. The book examines this generation through the stories of four young Egyptians: "Amr, the atheist software engineer; Amal, the village girl who defied her family; Ayman, the one-time religious extremist; and Ruqayah, the would-be teenage martyr."
FEBRUARY 24-26
79. Dave Attell
SNL's Dave Attell, also seen on Louie and The Jim Gaffigan Show, will perform a set.
80. The Seattle Wine and Food Experience
Food, drink, and DJs to set the atmosphere. This grand gathering commences with a seafood and champagne event at McCaw Hall: sample food from 20 Seattle cooks and oysters from Hama Hama, Taylor Shellfish, and Salted Sea along with beer, cider, and sparkling wine. On Saturday, head to the Fremont Foundry for "Comfort," i.e. Bloody Marys, potato fry, and milk and cookies, mac and cheese, and more. The biggest hoop-la will be reserved for the Grand Tasting, with guest chefs like Derek Shankland of Delicatus, Dave Cooper of Le Pichet, Pranee Halvorsen of I Love Thai Cooking, Leslie Mackie of Macrina Bakery, and many others. This last event, held at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, also has a VIP option entitling guests to an exclusive oyster bar. Some proceeds will go to Les Dames D'Escoffier, supporting women in the hospitality, beverage, and food industries.
FEBRUARY 25
81. Black Tie Affair
A preview of/benefit for the Seattle Erotic Art Festival and its Arts Activist program, this big do will treat you to music, burlesque, and shibari performances as you snack on appetizers and partake from the open wine bar. Sexy guests will include dancer Miss Indigo Blue, "gender blender" Waxie Moon, and rope guy Twisted Monk. They say, "This year, Black Tie includes a bondage theme, for those of you who prefer costuming to formalwear." So restrain yourself, or don't.
82. Cosplay 5k
Are you so amped up for Emerald City Comicon that you can't sit still? Dress up as your favorite pop culture character and get outside for a brief run. The best cosplayer will get a pass to Comicon, and there are other raffle prizes along the way. Proceeds will benefit John Rodriguez, a local man facing pancreatic cancer.
FEBRUARY 25-26
83. Katya Kabanova
In this opera of romantic tragedy full of original music inspired by Slavic folk songs, celebrated Czech composer Leoš Janáček weaves a story of isolation, provincial oppression, true love, and familial dysfunction. It is relatively rare to come across a full production of Janáček's opera, which NPR described as having one of the most subtle of all villains: "In his dark drama Katya Kabanova, Leos Janácek gives us one of the most unusual and contemptible villains in any opera, and one of the most disturbing, as well: the sort of person who can live among us, quietly and without anyone objecting. She's a little old lady, a respected citizen and the mother of a grown son. She also thinks that her own way of judging what's moral, and what's not, is the only way—and that anyone who disagrees, even those closest to her, must pay a terrible price. And the people around her? They look the other way. They can't condemn her intolerance without re-examining their own." Just thinking about her gives me chills. This is a rare treat, and a dive into respectability politics (oh, so relevant). It's an all-new production by Australian director Patrick Nolan. JEN GRAVES
FEBRUARY 25-27
84. Defying Expectations
Six singers—Sarah Russell, Varsha Raghavan, Nick Watson, Ty Willis, and Maggie Stenson— will perform excerpts from musicals that show characters overcoming obstacles and divisions. Music from Wicked, Ragtime, La Cage Aux Folles, Follies, and others.
FEBRUARY 26
85. 12th Annual Academy Awards Party with Gay City and Three Dollar Bill Cinema
The dresses, the tears, the speeches, and occasionally the shade... Watch it all with the wonderful queer film festival founders of Three Dollar Bill Cinema, plus comedian-hosts El Sanchez and Nick Sahoyah. There will be food and a cash bar, plus special eats and free sparkly for VIPs. Before you go, read up on why this year's Oscars might be a little different from the last.
86. Aid for Syria
With the current uproar in this country, it's all too easy to forget that chaos is tearing into lives elsewhere on a terrifying scale. Support the Syrian American Medical Society's work with Syrian citizens and refugees at this benefit. There will be a silent auction, food by Succulent Catering, and talks to inform you of developments in and around Syria from those who have observed on the ground.
FEBRUARY 26-28
87. National Geographic Live: The Risky Science of Exploration
Follow along with environmental anthropologist Kenny Broad, National Geographic’s 2011 Explorer of the Year, as he takes the audience and the Seattle Symphony on a story evolution of his global journeying.
FEBRUARY 28
88. Bonnie Rochman in Conversation with Julie Metzger
Award-winning journalist Bonnie Rochman (a former health and medicine columnist for Time magazine) will tell you about her new book, The Gene Machine, which delves into the "frontiers of gene technology"and its effect on future parents and children. Meet Rochman and fete the book's birthday with food and wine.
89. George Saunders
George Saunders (whose political essays, cultural analyses, or short stories you might have seen in the New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's, or GQ) will read from his newest work, Lincoln in the Bardo. Saunders has a number of acclaimed short story collections and novellas under his belt, but this is his (highly anticipated) first novel. Tickets include a copy of the book. Get all this and more on the free Stranger Things To Do mobile app—available now on the App Store and Google Play.