OPENING AND CURRENT RUNS

24-HOUR PLAYS
One night only. Six writers, six directors, and 25 actors produce six 10-minute plays in 24 hours. The 24 Hour Company at Center House Theater, 305 Harrison St, 325-6500. $11–$14. Sat July 1 at 8 pm.

"AWESOME"
One night only. The art/comedy band of Delaware and noSIGNAL returns to its roots and puts on an old-fashioned concert with special guests, endearing stage banter, and a serious case of the farts. Open Circle Theater, 429 Boren Ave N, 382-4250. $10. Sun July 2 at 8 pm.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
See review this issue. Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 800-838-3006. $10–$35. Thurs–Sun at 7:30 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through July 8.

BUST
A new solo show about prison and Hollywood by Lauren Weedman, the funniest woman in the history of ever. Empty Space Theatre, 901 12th Ave, 547-7500. $25–$30. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through Aug 5.

DESTINATION: COUNTRY VILLAGE
Opening. Performance artist Amy-Ellen F. Trefsger will live in a boat in a shopping center for nine days. 4Culture at Country Village, 23718 Bothell-Everett Highway, Bothell. Free. Opening July 1. Daily 10 am–9 pm, except July 4. Through July 9.

DINNER & DREAMS
Ongoing. The dinner-theater extravaganza, with European-style cirque performances as garnish. Teatro ZinZanni, 2301 Sixth Ave, 802-0015. $99–$125. Wed–Sat at 6:30 pm, Sun at 5:30 pm.

FETES DE LA NUIT
See review this issue. Strike Anywhere Productions and the Shunpike at Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 800-838-3006. $10. Fri–Sun at 8 pm. Through July 16.

HELLO, DOLLY!
Goin' bonkers in Yonkers. Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave, Everett, 425-257-8600. $20–$44. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 and 7 pm, Wed at 8 pm. Through July 16.

JULIUS CAESER
Opening. A WWII-era reinterpretation of the Shakespeare power play with this excellent piece of advice: "Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights: Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much; Such men are dangerous." Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, 524-1300. $10–$15. Opening Thurs June 29 at 7:30 pm. Fri–Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2. Through July 9.

KUWAIT
See review this issue. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave, 325-6500. $18, Thurs by donation. Thurs–Sat at 8 pm. Through July 22.

THE LAST SUNDAY IN JUNE
Final week. "Don't spend your money on The Last Sunday in June. The acting? The staging? I don't want to talk about it. What's worse, the play thinks it's smarter than it is. The surprises are of the unsurprising variety (did you know gay men sometimes cheat on each other?) and the feelings are of the Hallmark variety (greeting-card optimism, greeting-card regret) and the minutiae literally involves Pottery Barn." (Christopher Frizzelle) ReAct at Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave S, 364-3283. $6–$15, Thurs by donation. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 4 pm. Through July 2.

LATE NITE CATECHISM
Ongoing. "The real point is not the adult-catechism monologue, but the script's gaps, in which Sister Aubrey Manning dispenses tissues to cover salacious displays of flesh and kitschy prizes to reward the dumbstruck targets of her improvisations." (Annie Wagner) Cloud 9 Productions at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $24.50–$29.50. Thurs–Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Tickets available through Aug 27.

THE MEDIUM & AMELIA GOES TO THE BALL
One weekend only. Two short operas—one dramatic, one comic—by Menotti. Puget Sound Opera at Ethnic Cultural Theater, 3940 Brooklyn Ave, 800-838-3006. $22. Fri–Sat at 7:30 pm.

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL™
Ongoing. "What makes this toweringly formulaic crap about dusty uteruses even moderately bearable? The consummate cast was ferocious and fast." (Adrian Ryan) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $45. Thurs–Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 4 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Tues–Wed at 8 pm. Tickets available through July 16.

PSYCHIC THEATER: SPIRITUS
One night only. Faye, "the tattooed psychic," helps you speak to the dead. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, no reservation required. $15. Thurs June 29 at 7 pm.

QUICKIES VOLUME 7
Opening. Seven new short plays by the likes of Stephanie Timm, Kelly DuMar, and Erin Stewart. Live Girls! Theater, 2220 NW Market St, 800-838-3006. $10–$15. Opening Fri June 30 at 8 pm. at 4 and 8 pm. Through July 22.

RICHARD III
"The play, and the production, come alive in Richard and his intimate relationship to the audience. Richard is a hunchbacked butcher (his victims include his wife, his child nephews, and his brother, who is stabbed and drowned in a barrel of wine), but he is weirdly charismatic, especially in the hands of actor Stephen Pelinski, who gives a no-bullshit, no-histrionics performance that emphasizes Richard's magnetic will to power and grim sense of humor. His frequent soliloquies—delivered front and center—turn the audience into his confessor and co-conspirator, and Sher heightens the effect by turning up the house lights for the speeches, launching Richard off the stage and into our laps." (Brendan Kiley) Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer St, 269-1900. $10–$46. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Wed at 7:30 pm. Through July 15.

SAVING HARRY
Carl Nelson's new play about copier salesmen. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, 800-838-3006. $15.75. Fri at 7 pm, Sat at 2 and 7 pm. Through July 8.

STONES IN HIS POCKETS
Extended. "This two-man show about Irish extras in a Hollywood movie is like a well-made sandwich—warm, charming, and full of cheese." (Brendan Kiley) Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 800-838-3006. $18–$20. Thurs–Sat at 7:30 pm. Through July 29.

STORYTELLING AND SOUL
One night only. Dance, music, video, and yarns about traveling through the American South by storyteller Mary Anne Moorman. A Flame Production at Lucia's, 6321 Corgiat Dr S, no reservation required. $8–$10 suggested donation. Fri June 30 at 8:30 pm.

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
"That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man, if with his tongue he cannot win a woman." Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater, 36800 SE David Powell R, Fall City, 425-736-7252. $6–$16, optional dinner an additional $16. Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 3 and 8 pm, Sun at 3 pm. Through July 16.

TWO-SIDED SEE-THROUGH MIRROR
One night only. A solo show by Laura "Piece" Kelley—of HBO's Def Poetry—about "manifest destiny, self-actualization, and universal oneness." Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, 104 17th Ave S, 800-838-3006. $10. Sat July 1 at 7 pm.

WINE IN THE WILDERNESS
"Alice Childress's script—about a Harlem painter named Bill and his model arguing in the aftermath of a race riot—was written in 1969 and nails a peculiar Marxist-artist contempt for the masses, thinly veiled as a desire to uplift and better them. Bill parrots platitudes about the people, but when he tells his model Tommy-Marie 'the best thing you can do for your people is sit there and let me put you on canvas,' we realize he loves himself above all else. She realizes it, too. 'Black is beautiful,' he coos to her. 'Then how come I don't feel beautiful when you talk to me?' she asks. Shanga Parker plays a reserved Bill, full of opinions but not passion, leaving April Yvette Thompson plenty of room to take over the play as Tommy-Marie. Thompson is a fantastic actor and hits all her notes: brassy at the outset, privately insecure and anxious, regally incensed when she feels slighted." (Brendan Kiley) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. $10–$54, Thurs at 2 pm by donation. Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 and 8 pm, Sun at 2 and 7:30 pm, Tues–Wed at 7:30 pm. Through July 9.

CABARET

BURLESQUE BEHIND THE PINK DOOR
Ongoing. Novelty acts, puppets, crooners, and old-fashioned burlesque. With Paula the Swedish Housewife. Pink Door, 1919 Post Alley. No reservations required. $10. (21+ w/ID.) Sat at 10:30 pm.

COLUMBIA CITY CABARET
Ongoing. A "saucy cabaret," hosted by Tamara the Trapeze lady. Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Ave S, no reservations required. $15 (21+ w/ID). Fri at 9 pm.

IMPROV & COMEDY

Damonde Tachritter w/Kristen Kirkham at Comedy Underground, 222 Main St, 800-325-7328. $6–$15 (21+ w/ID required). Thurs at 8:30 pm, Fri–Sat at 8:30 and 10:30 pm. Jet City Improv at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, 325–6500. $8–$10. Fri at 10:30 pm. Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Theatresports at Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 781-9273. $8–$12. Fri–Sat at 10:30 pm, Sun at 7 pm. Comedy Night at Mirabeau Room, 529 Queen Anne Ave N, www.prokomedy.com. $5. Wed at 8 pm.

REALITY WORLD: SEASON 2
A reality show that's actually improvised. Wing-It Productions at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, www.wingitpresents.com. $10. Thurs–Fri at 8 pm. Through July 28.

LATE NIGHT

BURNING BRIDGES
Final week. A multimedia sketch comedy show about the Ave. Wing-It Productions at Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, www.wingitpresents.com. $5. Fri at midnight. Through June 30.

CAPITOL HILL HIGH
Final week. "Neither the story nor the style of Episode 2 seems thought through beyond the next (typically lame) punch line, and in the end, the crap's overwhelmingly crappy. The show's not without its own weird treats: The mono-monikered Adé floats through her ice-princess role like the ghost of a golden-era Warhol superstar, while BAP mainstay Craig Trolli attacks his role like a furious gay robot on Red Bull, bringing a wit and purpose to the proceedings that's in seriously short supply elsewhere. If Bad Actor Productions could make such inspired stupidity their calling card, they could be onto something. For now, there's just room for improvement." (David Schmader) Bad Actor Productions and To Be Continued Productions at Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, 800-838-3006. $10 advanced/$12 DOS (21+ w/ID). Thurs–Sat at 10:30 pm. Through July 1.

CRESCENDO FALLS
See review this issue. Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Ave, 325-6500. $12. Fri–Sat at 11 pm. Through July 22.

SPECIAL EVENTS

SCENIC DOPE FIRST INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION
Final week. Artworks by scenic artists in the theater, television, and film industries. BallardWorks, 2856 NW Market St. Free. Sat noon–4 pm. Through July 2.