THURSDAY, OCT. 13, 2011 >>>

1. There's something to be said for how far a modicum of confident swagger will take you. Rooftop Warrior understands this principle and uses it to good effect when it employs classic-rock-indebted gutter-blues tonight at Hell's Kitchen. Vigilante Sol and Devil On A Leash join the 6 p.m. bill, which is free.

2. Tacoma's Toy Boat Theatre Company opens The Zoo Story at 7 p.m. in its Spaceworks Tacoma spot on Hilltop Tacoma. The play, which explores newly relevant themes of isolation, loneliness, and dehumanization in a volatile and unstable world, serves as the theatrical centerpiece for an evening that begins with a "zoo-themed" dinner (think hot dog cart, popcorn stand, standard day-at-the-park fare) and ends with live music by a series of dynamic local artists.

3. Want to see and hear Karen Smitherman and Anders Ibsen face off? Want to see Ryan Mello tell it how it is? Want to see David Boe and Mike Hardy spar on the tough issues, like whether those stoned on weed are easier to deal with than drunks? You'll have just such a chance today as the University of Washington Tacoma sponsors and hosts a Tacoma City Council candidates roundtable forum, moderated by the League of Women Voters and presented by UWT's Politics Philosophy and Economics faculty and Student Club beginning at 7 p.m. inside the UW-Tacoma's Carwein Auditorium. Get out. Get informed. And then vote in November.

4. The Pacific Lutheran University Theater Department opens its brand new studio theater at 7:30 p.m. with The Fantasticks, the story of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love at the hands of their meddling parents, but soon grow restless and stray from one another.

5. The Surreal Ultra Lounge in downtown Tacoma hosts a 9:30 p.m. hip-hop/R&B after party for the early Nate Jackson Comedy Show, which is hosted at the Varsity Grill. Everyone enters with a smile; many leave with two smiles.

PLUS: Check out the free archery lesson today in our Freeloaders

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound