FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012 >>>
 
1. Those who attended the Valentine’s Day burlesque show at the Pantages Theater know Poledello owner Noelle Wood can bring it. The Tacoma pole-dancing studio owner received a standing ovation for her performance that night. Tonight at 8 p.m. at her Seventh and Commerce Street studio Wood and her students present a Burlesque Open House, a free event for those 18 and older. Word on the street is the final two act include professional pole dancers – an acrobatic pole/silk duet with costumes and props and “Snow White and the Huntsman” featuring dudes.  If you are dead to seduction, you might enjoy the raffle prizes.

2. Perhaps you have the next big idea floating around in your head, but you've so far been unable to see it to fruition because you're just one little person. The coming Olympia Startup Weekend, today through Sunday at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, could be the answer to your dilemma. Billed as an "intense 54 hour event," Olympia Startup Weekend aims to combine great ideas with talented people and watch the creativity and innovation ensue. Registration and an entry fee are required for the three-day event - go to olympia.startupweekend.org for more information.

3. The bitch of directing Shakespeare is the number of plates that must be kept spinning: a text packed with outdated language, a chorus of actors running on and off stage for dozens of scenes, and probably a concept Shakespeare never intended. If this daunting effort fails, the director gets most of the blame; we surely can't fault the author. If it works, each cast and crewmember deserves credit. Material that seems as dense as theatrical calculus in Act I must feel breezy and offhand by Act V. And when the timeless magic of Shakespeare truly sings, we get the sense of all gears meshing in a glorious machine. Much Ado About Nothing at 7:55 p.m. at Olympia Little Theatre is just such a production, and while its roster is impressively deep, it earns praise for its director, Terence Artz, most of all. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Much Ado About Nothing in the Arts section at weeklyvolcano.com.

4. The Lakewood Playhouse presents the Northwest premiere of Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention at 8 p.m. It's the story of the invention, and theft, of television in 1929 - presented "in the round." Bonus: New Managing Artistic Director John Munn will arrive at the theater around 6 p.m. to answer questions about the future of the Lakewood Playhouse. Parental Advisory: This production contains adult language, including "F" bombs.

5. Resident Kings (an Oly band featuring members of Dirty Birds and Fitz of Depression), Last Watch (featuring John Johnson of Hillstomp), and Hong Kong Banana will perform at 8 p.m. inside McCoy's Tavern. Expect a variety of sounds from these three bands, from the heavy melodic rock of Resident Kings, to the punk rock and roots of Last Watch, to the garage and soul of Portland's Hong Kong Banana.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours