BRING ON THE WEEKEND >>>

As was noted earlier in the cult-Spew-favorite "Weekend Hustle," not only is the weekend upon us, but I'll be taking all next week off.  Vacation time is rare for me, so I'm planning on going all out. Early prognosticators are calling for heavy doses of sweat pants at the Driscoll household over the next week.  Also, the afternoon nap's stock appears to be rising. 

So, let's jump into one of my last Volcano obligations before heading off for a full week of vacation-y fun. It's The Prefunk, a weekend primer for you and your liver - with an added picture of an alcoholic household pet thrown in for good measure.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

SEPT. 11 @ The Mecca in Tacoma

If you follow the arts in Tacoma, chances are you're familiar with the upstart theater company Gold From Straw. Gold From Straw's production of Doubt earlier this year won rave reviews, and the hype is only building for the company's future plans, which include the upcoming Almost, Maine - a play featured in the Volcano's recently released Fall Arts Guide spectacular. Main man (read: Artistic Director) Aaron Schmookler has been able to build a buzz, and for good reason: Gold From Straw Theatre Company has already shown the desire and drive to shake up and invigorate Tacoma's theater scene.

Gold From Straw's mission statement reads like something like the liberal arts version of Vince Lombardi might have said (OK, so that's an exaggeration, but still...)

Gold From Straw Theatre Company exists to produce innovative and exciting works of theater that celebrate and nourish the human spirit.  With a commitment to the highest artistic standards, we stage an eclectic array of new works and classics that are raw, substantial and sophisticated while simultaneously sincere, and optimistic.  Gold From Straw is a gathering place for artists, audiences, students, teachers.  As our name suggests, we recognize and embrace an element of alchemy in theatre - where so many share a single focus, transformation on some level is inevitable.  Our work is meant not only to interest and entertain, but also to remind us of what we share.  As we practice it, theatre creates environments where we all can celebrate our common humanity.

Gold From Straw:  Surprise.  Delight.  Inspire.

This Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Mecca you'll have another chance to catch The Last Five Years (a play that also ran last Saturday) - being put on in an effort to raise funds for future Gold From Straw endeavors. Erik Hill directs the work, which is being billed as "a full production sans lights and sets," with musical direction from Jenifer Rifenbery. Bruce Story and Samantha Camp take starring rolls.

According to official descriptions, The Last Five Years is "a contemporary song-cycle musical that ingeniously chronicles the five year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up... or from break-up to meeting, depending on how you look at it. Written by Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years is an intensely personal look at the relationship between a writer and an actress told from both points of view."

PREFUNK: You could do any number of things to get yourself primed for Saturday night's production of The Last Five Years. Honestly, I don't feel right leading you in one particular direction or another. What I will point out is how much things have changed over the years, and how priming you for a production at the Mecca would have been really easy (and kind of gross) not too long ago.