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Events may be subject to change due to snow. Do consider double-checking with event organizers before leaving the house
MONDAY
READINGS & TALKSJames N. Gregory: The Seattle General Strike
More than 65,000 Seattle workers stopped labor for five days during the Seattle General Strike of 1919, led by the Central Labor Council. Just in time for its centennial (the strike ran from February 6-11) join James N. Gregory as he presents a new edition of Robert L. Friedheim's account of the strike.
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY
FILMWinter Rewind Film Series
Revisit the biggest hits of the past season, like The Favourite (Mon), Bumblebee (Tues), and If Beale Street Could Talk (Wed), on a gargantuan screen.
MONDAY & THURSDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCEEverybody
This show looks like a fun mess. At the beginning of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Pulitzer-shortlisted revival of a 15th-century morality play, none of the actors know which role they're going to play. Actors playing the characters God and Death randomly select the roles for the other actors, and the show gets underway. Ben Brantley at the New York Times called the first run "self-consciously whimsical and repetitive," but he didn't seem to say it in a mean way. Strawberry Theatre Workshop's production features some actors who are good on their feet—Justin Huertas, Lamar Legend, MJ Sieber—and so I have every confidence that they'll be able to turn this "work in progress," to use Brantley's terms, into an exuberant romp about the inevitability of death. RICH SMITH
MONDAY-FRIDAY
VISUAL ARTAming mga Pangitain: Our Visions
The M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery and Pinoy Words Expressed Kultura Arts (PWEKA) host five regional Filipino American Artists: Beija Flor, Raphael Laigo, Sam Rodrick Roxas-Chua, Lisa Szillassy, and Jeaneatte Tiffany. The opening reception on Wednesday will feature a musical performance by Roger Rigor and the Barriotiques as well as poetry by Roxas-Chua, Desiree Gomez, and Louis Vital.
Opening Monday (opening reception Wednesday)
MONDAY-SUNDAY
VISUAL ARTSeattle General Strike Era & Centralia Tragedy of 1919
The year 1919 saw two major historical events in Seattle: the Seattle General Strike—when workers rallied for better working conditions and higher wages for five days in February—and the violent showdown that followed between radical labor activists and their opponents, which became known as the Centralia Tragedy. This exhibit features historical artifacts and first-hand accounts from both events.
Opening Monday
TUESDAY
READINGS & TALKSKirsten Sundberg Lunstrum and Sarah Cannon
Award-winning Seattle short-fiction writer Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum and debut local memoirist Sarah Cannon will read from their new books: What We Do With the Wreckage—the recipient of the Flannery O'Connor Award and the PEN/O. Henry Prize—and The Shame of Losing—about "the testament to resilience and life in the face of considerable personal and familial trauma"—respectively.Â
TUESDAY-SATURDAY
VISUAL ARTThe Digital Final Frontier Group Show
This annual light- and technology-themed show brings some much-needed illumination to Seattle winters. The third installation brings work that explores human progress via past and future technologies by Shelly Farnham, Greg Larson, and Jeff Larson of Totally Legit.
Closing Saturday
TUESDAY-SUNDAY
VISUAL ARTHoliday Mini Art Exhibit
Pay the Capitol Hill gallery a visit for its 12th annual holiday mini art exhibition, where you can choose from hundreds of small works by locals and artists farther afield.
Closing Sunday
Native Portraiture: Power and Perception
This exhibit invites you to contemplate structural oppression and appropriation of Native subjects in portraits by non-Native people, as well as Native artists' reflections and reworking of this stereotypical iconography.
Closing Sunday
Places to Call Home: Settlements in the West
See representations of Western cities throughout their history and development, including beautiful works by immigrant or immigrant-descended artists like Kenjiro Nomura and Mian Situ.
Closing Sunday
WEDNESDAY
FILMFruitvale Station: Screening and Discussion
As part of the library's "Celebration of Ryan Coogler" film series, see a screening of the director's first feature, Fruitvale Station.Â
A Celebration of Gwen Head & Dragon Gate Press with Sharon Bryan, Marlene Blessing & Laura Jensen
Northwest poets Sharon Bryan, Marlene Blessing, and Laura Jensen will pay tribute to the poet Gwen Head and Dragon Gate Press.
Civic Cocktail: Rick Steves
Civic Cocktail is a monthly gathering (co-organized and broadcast by the Seattle Channel) that offers a discussion of pressing local issues over drinks and Tom Douglas appetizers. This edition will feature travel guru Rick Steves, who's recently come out with a PBS documentary called The Story of Fascism in Europe.Â
Silent Reading Party
The Silent Reading Party is one of the weirdest, most wonderful parties you’ll ever go to, because no one talks to you and you can get some reading done. You curl up on a couch or in a wingback chair with a book or magazine or whatever you feel like reading, while Paul Moore plays piano and waiters bring you things. Whenever Paul starts playing Erik Satie, I find myself staring into the fireplace or closing my eyes and melting into the couch. The reading party, which turns 10 years old in 2019, is so popular that there is often a line out the door just to get a seat. The people who know what they’re doing get there an hour before it starts. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
Tanya Tagaq: Split Tooth
Inuit throat singer (and writer!) Tanya Tagaq will read from her genre-melding creative memoir Split Tooth, about her experience growing up in Nunavut in the 1970s, before joining the audience for a conversation. Â
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
FOOD & DRINKBeecher's Cheese for All
Cold winters call for comfort food, and Kurt Beecher Dammeier’s household-name handmade cheese company will rise to the occasion. At this tour, local chefs will prepare mac and cheese and cheeseburgers made with the company’s various cheeses and Mishima Reserve Wagyu beef. JULIANNE BELL
WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEI Do! I Do!
Get ready to weep nostalgic tears at the Village Theatre's production of a multiple Tony Award-winning musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, which portrays 50 years of a loving marriage.
Uncle Vanya
For the last eight years, the Seagull Project has been working with ACTLab to stage all four of Anton Chekhov's major canonical works. The production of Uncle Vanya is the fourth and final installment, marking the end of a long and theatrically fruitful partnership. This is a big deal, and a real turning point for the group, and nobody is sure what they'll do next, but I'm real excited about their take on this hyper-melancholic doozy from the great Russian realist about unrequited love, adultery, boredom, and despair. (If you've been tuning in for the last several years, you'll know those are all common themes.) This show has three of my favorite actors in town—Alexandra Tavares, Peter Crook, and Kevin Lin—so there's no way it's not going to be good. RICH SMITH
Martha Friedman: Castoffs
The ancient two-finger amulet, made of dark stone like obsidian or hematite, was placed in ancient Egyptian coffins, presumably to protect the corpse within. Brooklyn artist Martha Friedman, a master of uneasy forms, places glass-blown versions of these talismans alongside distorted, blobby approximations of the male body. She derived these sculptures from casts of the body of Silas Riener, a dancer and choreographer, before embellishing and altering them with rubber tubing and sheeting and metal spikes. The combination of the fingers and the altered, impaled fragments, enthroned on unadorned pedestals, stimulates an icky, quasi-sexual discomfort and fascination. Friedman's dissection of the male body might be taken as an inversion of—or revenge for—the age-old male gaze, in which the torso is not only objectified but dismembered. JOULE ZELMAN
Closing Sunday
THURSDAY
COMEDYKelsey Cook
A Spokane-born millennial who, to borrow a phrase from Todd Barry, exudes medium energy, Kelsey Cook cracks wise in a manner that will shatter your biases about her sorority-girl appearance, which she sometimes acknowledges and pokes fun at during her sets. Cook also gets a lot of comedic mileage out of her parents’ exceptional foosball abilities, which they passed on to their daughter. Also, her bit about consuming weed for the first time is ROFL-worthy; she tries to come down from licking a way-too-strong pot lollipop by eating sushi, but freaked because she felt like she “could taste the fish’s childhood.” DAVE SEGAL
The Magic Lantern of Ingmar Bergman
Swedish visionary film director Ingmar Bergman would have been 100 this year. His deeply introspective, unabashedly emotional, despairing yet strangely life-affirming oeuvre will once again be onscreen at Seattle Art Museum (in association with the Nordic Museum). Oh, hey, and they’re showing one of the most traumatizing movies about relationships ever made, Cries and Whispers, on Valentine’s Day. Happy coincidence? On tap this week: The Passion of Anna. JOULE ZELMAN
Critical Issues in Contemporary Art Practice: Andrea Fraser
My freshman year of college, I saw Andrea Fraser speak in the drabbest of conference auditoriums. But it really changed my life in terms of how I look at art and the type of art I want to see and experience. Fraser is most known for her work in the area of institutional critique, an artistic practice that’s meant to critique the institutions involved in the sale, display, politics, and economics of art. There’s a sophistication, intelligence, and humor to her body of work that remains unparalleled. The way her brain wraps around an idea and how she chooses to express that thought is always interesting to see come together. JASMYNE KEIMIG
The Flawed Brilliance of Steve Jobs
Prime yourself for the upcoming opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs by sitting in on a panel discussion about the local tech pioneer moderated by GeekWire's Frank Catalano. The panelists (featuring librettist Mark Campbell, director Kevin Newbury, and baritone John Moore) will address questions like, "What were the formative events in Steve Jobs' life? How do you tell the story of a man who revolutionized human communication while struggling to find personal connection himself? What attracts the public to stories like Steve Jobs," and "Why have so many books, movies, plays-and now an opera-been written about him?"
Where the Horse Takes Wing: a Madeline DeFrees Celebration
Mark the centennial of the birth of Madeline DeFrees, a brilliant memoirist and poet (and former nun), with a book release party for Where the Horse Takes Wing: The Uncollected Poems of Madeline DeFrees. Prominent local poets Anastacia-Renee, Susan Rich, Vanessa DeWolf, Abigail Pollokoff, Arianne True, Natasha Kochicheril Moni, and Belle Randall will be on hand to help celebrate, along with book editor Anne McDuffie.Â
Pioneer Square Art Walk
Once a month, Seattleites flock to the streets in Pioneer Square for a chance to stroll, sip on booze, and attend as many art openings as possible at First Thursday. It's the city's central and oldest art walk, and takes place in a historic neighborhood known for its abundance of galleries. Wine and hobnobbing steal the scene for some, but at its core, it's an impressive communal unveiling of new artwork. In February, check out opening receptions for Jite Agbro: Armor, Kenneth Moore: Conversations in Black Surreality, Théo Tobiasse: Selected Lithographs, Two Ravens: Alison Marks & Crystal Worl, the Anthony White-curated group show Ultra Light Beams., and text-based works by Dori Hana Scherer.
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
COMEDYYes Anderson
Run out of Wes Anderson movies to watch? Scratch that quirky itch with a brand-new "film" acted out by improv performers.
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCEreSET: Kaitlin McCarthy and Cameo Lethem
Washington Ensemble Theatre will generously open its set on off-nights for the reSET program, in which dancers take inspiration from the sets of currently running plays. In this case, Kaitlin McCarthy and Cameo Lethem will perform on the set of B.Â
Sarah Norsworthy: Green Fuse
Sara Norsworthy brings impressions of "her chosen glen" over the changing seasons into the studio with paintings on repurposed-wood panels, building up layers to reproduce the "sparse chartreuse of spring, glowing haze of summer, pandemonium of autumn, and long shadows of winter." The paintings, with their thick, textural strokes, capture the chaos of warm and cold tones in nature.
Closing Saturday
THURSDAY & SUNDAY
Thomas Kohnstamm: Lake City
I love Thomas Kohnstamm for writing a whole book set in Lake City. Someone had to. Someone had to make something of the in-between area known for its car dealerships, its strip club, its sub sandwich shop, and its couple of bars. A place that doesn't even know if it's a lake or a city or a city of lakes. In Kohnstamm's debut novel, a semi-shitty guy name Lane Beuche has fallen on hard times. He's lost his wife, he's living in his mom's house, and he thinks he deserves the life of privilege from which he's been unceremoniously banished. Watch him climb out of the hole he dug for himself, and enjoy the elegy for old Seattle along the way. RICH SMITH
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
COMEDYTender Loving Queers
Here's a perfect option for queer couples/polycules/singles who favor goofiness over high-price dinners or sentimental mush. This little but mighty festival produced by the energetic Woody Shticks (Schlong Song) has gathered some of the funniest queers in town. The roster reads like a local hall of fame in drag, storytelling, and stand-up for local LGBTQ+ folk. These stars' performances will complement Shticks's shows Who Cares and Chuckle Nuts (also happening this week), starring Shticks and his imaginary friends.
140 LBS
Local theater powerhouse Sara Porkalob will direct the world premiere of Susan Lieu’s autobiographical solo show 140 LBS. When Lieu was young, her mom died two hours into a tummy tuck operation. The surgeon was charged with medical negligence, and her family struggled to move on from the loss. Decades later, Lieu decided to confront her mother's killer, as well her mother's and her own relationship with the "impossible ideal of Vietnamese feminine beauty." Porkalob is known for her ability to faithfully render a handful of wildly different characters in her solo shows, so look for her to draw out a similar talent in Lieu. RICH SMITH
The Sleeping Beauty
Ronald Hynd's adaptation of Marius Petipa's choreography gracefully brings the story of the dormant lovely to life, accompanied by the classic Tchaikovsky score. Join the Pacific Northwest Ballet for what promises to be another spellbinding performance.
Hollywood & Vine
Enjoy a vintage and magic-filled tribute to Tinseltown with the 20-year-old circus troupe Teatro ZinZanni as they perform in their new Woodinville space.
FRIDAY
FOOD & DRINKBrewology
What if your sixth-grade museum field trip grew up to be the boozy evening of your dreams? Such is the premise behind this geeked-out craft beer fest, where you’re invited to imbibe as many four-ounce samples as you can handle from breweries and cideries and learn the science behind your favorite beverages. Talk to the brewmasters to get the scoop on their processes, take a toasty trip through the Science Center, and participate in hoppy hands-on activities and demonstrations that would make Bill Nye proud. JULIANNE BELL
Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama is touring the country in support of her memoir, Becoming, which focuses on different aspects of her life, like being a mother, her time in the White House, her role as a public-health figure, and “how she found her voice.” I bought this book for my mom for Christmas—she refers to the former first lady as her “best friend” and she snatched up tickets to this event as soon as they became available. There’s no doubt that Obama will drop cute facts about her relationship with Barack, tell a few candid details about what it’s like to be at the top, and wear something completely and utterly stunning. JASMYNE KEIMIG
Dana Frank: The Long Honduran Night
As speculation and paranoia about Latin American immigrants run rampant in the news, it's a good idea to get acquainted with the recent histories of our southern neighbors. Dana Frank follows the aftermath of the 2009 military coup in Honduras up to the present day, neglecting neither the acts of the regime, the influence and support of the United States, nor the Honduran resistance movement.
Genna Draper
Draper's mixed-media canvases may be abstract or representative, but they tend to be highly textured, layered, and earthily colored, sometimes mixing in elements of collage. Meet the artist at this reception.Â
Opening Friday
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
COMEDYRoy Wood Jr.
You know Roy Wood Jr. as a wry correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and the host of This Is Not Happening since 2017. See him live.
La Chambre de Valtesse XXX
For those with a yen for high-end kink, the performers of Valtesse will revel in opulent "couture burlesque, aerial, whips, chains, dance, and doms." Look out for special guests like Entwined, Moth and the Masque, Porcelain (performing on V-Day weekend), 2018 Miss Exotic World Inga, and others who'll make the evening extra titillating. Wear black, red, and/or fetish gear to fit in, and stay on after the show for a party by the fireplace.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEAlien/Angel
As it turns out, Klaus Nomi wasn't just the singer in a viral video you may have seen in college! He was a new-wave vaudevillian with a soprano that could melt the heart of even the heaviest of heavy metal rockers in the 1980s. (If you were out of the loop, look up the song "Lightning Strikes" on YouTube.) He was a fixture in New York's underground music scene, and his German expressionist wardrobes, incredible facility with makeup, and operatic synths had a big influence on David Bowie and the Talking Heads. In Alien/Angel, Devin Bannon will bring this larger-than-life character back to the stage, with help from Annastasia Workman on piano and Kathy Moore on guitar. Boylesque dancer Waxie Moon is running the choreography for Bannon's two backup dancers, and Keira MacDonald will direct. Enjoy this tale of a queer icon alongside a menu of pastry and pies, a nod to Nomi's talent for baking. RICH SMITH
The Atomic Bombshells in J'ADORE!: A Burlesque Valentine
The boisterous Atomic Bombshells troupe has been instrumental in Seattle's burlesque revival, so for lovers of feathery, busty, glitzy fun, there's no better spectacle to attend for V-Day. Special guests Cherdonna Shinatra and local dance collective Purple Lemonade will help founder Kitten LaRue and company celebrate the showgirls' 11th anniversary.
Roger Guenveur Smith: Frederick Douglass Now
Roger Guenveur Smith blew the top off my fucking skull when he came through Seattle a few years ago with his Rodney King solo show. Smith is an incomparably good character actor with an incredible command of language and a jazz-infused storytelling technique I haven't seen from anyone else. The Stranger's Sean Nelson called it "a master class in wringing glorious art from life's tragic dimension," a sentiment I agree with completely. Now Smith is coming through with Frederick Douglass Now, a solo show about the self-liberated abolitionist who is "getting recognized more and more," the president notices. Somehow, tickets for Rodney King didn't sell out back in 2016. Don't make that mistake again this time, Seattle. RICH SMITH
SATURDAY
COMEDYMinority Retort with Adi Naidu
This Portland-bred comedy night showcasing comics of color is hosted by Jason Lamb, Julia Ramos, and Neeraj Srinivasan. They'll come to Seattle to host headliner Adi Naidu and locals Howie Echo-Hawk, Dewa Dorje, and Tony Daniel.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Welcome the Year of the Pig with traditional lion and dragon dances, other cultural performances, and food at Chinatown's annual Lunar New Year celebration.
'Prospect' Happy Hour Film Showing
Is this the first major work of Northwest science fiction? Indeed, it imagines a moon that is like the evergreen forests that surround Seattle. The whole planet is green—gothic green. And the light on this strange moon is sharply slanted like Northwest light. The superb film is about prospectors (a father and daughter) looking for a root-made gem that will make them rich. The daughter, however, is keen to get off the planet because the line to it is about to be shut down. But her father is money-mad. If he does not make it here, he will never make it anywhere in the galaxy. Translucent insects float through the air. There are other money-mad prospectors in the endless forest. You do not leave this planet without paying a big price. Money is the root of all evil. CHARLES MUDEDE
The organizers add, "We'll also probably be talking heavy metal and how to get your sweet ol' self over to the Japanese underground music scene, which you might think is unrelated to the movie, but actually it is relevant."
Alki Winter Beer & Food Truck Festival
As Special Olympics Washington attempts to set the Guinness World Record for the “largest polar plunge” ever into the punishingly icy waters of Puget Sound, the Mobile Food Rodeo will provide warming sustenance for plungers and onlookers alike. There will be flaky pastries from Piroshky Piroshky, slow-roasted wood-smoked barbecue from Pecos Pit Bar-b-que, Japanese taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes) from BeanFish, fried chicken from Ezell’s, fry bread and tacos from Native American food truck Off the Rez, and more. Plus, 10 local breweries will be serving their offerings from inside the winter beer-tasting garden. JULIANNE BELL
Raclette Party
Seattle may not be affected by the Polar Vortex, but it's still chilly outside. Warm up with melty cheese draped over baguettes, veggies, and charcuterie at this raclette party. Your meal will be paired with wine from Seven Hills, Double Canyon, and Archery Summit.Â
Cornish Student Drag Show
The drag scene at Cornish has produced such wonders as national treasure Jinkx Monsoon (RuPaul's Drag Race). Who knows who'll go on to stardom from this year's show?
Golden Dragon Acrobats
Get ready to be very, very impressed with China's Drama Desk Award-nominated Golden Dragon Acrobats Circus, which plays an amazing 200 shows a year and has been touring America for over 30 years. The troupe will soar through the air and perform feats of contortion.
Give Up the Ghost
Infuse some fright (and booze) into your evenings with this chilling new ghost story series hosted by The Stranger's Christopher Frizzelle. This first event will boast another Stranger eminence, Charles Mudede. Don't be too surprised if a real ghost settles down next to you to listen along.
Sierra Golden and Laura Da'
American Book Award-winning poet Laura Da’ and Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize winner Sierra Golden will read.Â
F*** Fest #3
This day-long festival brings a host of live performance (theater, dance, music, and more) to two stages, with plenty of snacks and drinks to go around.Â
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
FOOD & DRINKSeattle Croissant Taiyaki Pop-Up
You already know the cronut, the cruffin, and other such portmanteau pastries. Now meet the latest hybrid baked good: the croissant taiyaki, a mash-up of the flaky French pastry and taiyaki, a fish-shaped cake that’s a popular street-food in Japan. This winning combo will then be stuffed with sweet or savory fillings like red bean, matcha custard, Nutella, and ham and cheese. Don’t miss your chance to try this unique franken-creation. JULIANNE BELL
SUNDAY
COMEDYStand-Up for SheJumps
Have some laughs with Kelly Hannah, Alyssa Yeoman, Erin Ingle, Jennifer Burdette, El Sanchez, and Monica Nevi in support of SheJumps!, an organization that aims to increase the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities.
Pike Chocofest
Dive headfirst into chocoholic bacchanalia with 10—count ’em 10—drink tickets in tow at this annual pre–Valentine’s Day bash. Indulge in libations from dozens of breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries, and sate your sweet tooth with confections from Fran’s Chocolates, Theo Chocolate, Chukar Cherries, Gelatiamo, Seattle Chocolate Company, Intrigue Chocolate, and more. Cut your sugar rush with something savory via bites from local restaurants like RN74 and Outlier. And know that all your hedonism supports a good cause: Proceeds benefit the Washington Trail Association’s efforts to protect local trails. JULIANNE BELL
Pop-Up Mimosa Bar
Spend your Sunday mornings sipping mimosas with Chateau bubbles and your choice of juice.Â
Albatross Theatre Lab Presents: Hookman
In Albatross Theatre Lab's existential slasher comedy, a college freshman named Lexi deals with homesickness, weird roommates, women-hating serial killers, and growing up.
Improvising in the Break
Vashon Island's Karen Nelson and NYC-based artist Mayfield Brooks "bring together their research" on racial representation and justice through dance.
Stage Russia HD: Smile Upon Us, Lord
Three major stars of Russia's theater scene—Viktor Sukhorukov, Aleksei Guskov and Vladimir Simonov—star in Rimas Tuminas's semi-comic adaptation of Grigory Kanovich's novels about three Jewish men coping with the vagaries of the early 20th century. During the London run of this play, Paul Taylor of the Independent called it "deeply inspiring." See it on the Forum's screen in HD.
Black History Month Lecture: Afrofuturism 101 with Nisi Shawl
Join celebrated, James Tiptree Award-winning sci-fi writer Nisi Shawl (Everfair) for a talk on the science fiction universe of Afrofuturism by way of Ryan Coogler, Octavia Butler, and Janelle Monae.
Gloria J McEwen Burgess: Pass It On!
In her children's book/memoir Pass It On!, Gloria J McEwen Burgess tells the story of her father, Earnest McEwen Jr., who grew up in the segregated south in the 1930s, and his relationship with William Faulkner, who paid his college tuition.Â
Renata Lubinsky: Around Seattle in 80 Dates
Author and stand-up comic Renata M. Lubinsky writes about her post-divorce romantic misadventures on online dating sites after 32 years as a married woman.
Surreal Storytelling with Strange Women #4
Kate Berwanger hosts this reading series with women poets, which this time will feature Lynne Ellis, Helen Thomas, Gabrielle Bates, and Kamari Bright.
