It might be 2014 to the rest of the world, but to the Washington State History Museum it's 1849. The downtown Tacoma museum will open "Civil War Pathways in the Pacific Northwest" Monday, Feb. 17, an exhibit focusing on the Civil War's impact on the Pacific Northwest. According to pre-opening hype, "This exhibit is about those choices and where they led - the pathways people took. These pathways were discovered through a large crowd-sourcing project that turned everyday citizens into historical researchers, allowing the collection of valuable references to Civil War-era life in Washington."
On display will be more than 150 original artifacts including rare items such as an early photograph of Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Stevens' sword, rare manuscripts, drawings from the U.S. National Archives, and a host of weapons, maps, sketches, and photographs. Together with the stories gleaned from the research project, visitors will experience a powerful exhibit connecting the issues of the past to those of today.
Opening Day
On President's Day, the museum will cut the 165-year-old ribbon, allowing those who have the day off - or are pretending to have the day off - to enjoy presentations and displays by Civil War reenactors portraying members of the military and the community from the Washington Territory including Gen. George Pickett and Washington resident Mrs. Sarah Bacheldor.
The Lakewood Playhouse's 75th Anniversary Season party continues with a stage production of 12 Angry Men. In the stage adaptation, and subsequent Sidney Lumet film, a dozen men debate whether a teenage boy with a rap sheet is guilty of murdering his father at knifepoint. The defendant's race is never specified, but he's "one of these people," so pick your minority. Likewise, we never get names from the jurors, just numbers - although we do know the names starring in the local production, according to a Lakewood Playhouse news release:
The show consists of a true "ensemble" of thirteen Local Actors who are "split right down the middle" with both new, and old faces to the Lakewood Playhouse stage including these actors returning from previous productions: JAMES WREDE (Foreman), JACOB TICE (Juror #2), JOSEPH GRANT (Juror #4), JED SLAUGHTER (Juror #6), BRUCE STORY (Juror #8), MICHAEL DRESDNER (Juror #11) and CONNOR TIBKE (The Guard).
We are proud to introduce the following actors to the Lakewood Playhouse Stage: CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL (Juror #3), JAMES CLARK (Juror #5), BOB REED (Juror #7), CURT BEECH (Juror #9), RONNIE HILL (Juror #10) and DENNIS WORRELL (Juror #12).
1. Forget Venus, Venice, Paris or any other word ending in -is that conjures up love-ish ideas: there's no better way to woo a would-be - or current - Valentine than with an evening of arts-related culture. And Mad Hat Tea Company has fired up its popular Valentine's Day arts show where poets, musicians, craftspeople and artists take tea drinkers to the furthest point from the half-off Valentine's bin at Rite Aid. Buy one of the local artists' pieces such as Fred Novak's collage works from 7-10 p.m., gift it to your date - along with a cup of Maureen's Mad Aphrodesiac tea - and you might just net a very warm and snuggly Valentine's night, indeed!
2. Local artist and Pierce College art professor Danella Sydow has eight pieces on display - including graphite on paper and reliefs - in the Fine Arts Gallery. Sydow is the recipient of the Mayor's Award from the Olympia Arts Commission. Check out her work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
3. In case you've been rightly avoiding entertainment news over the past month, LaBeouf has been embroiled in a controversy that began with him completely plagiarizing a Daniel Clowes comic called Justin M. Damiano for a short film he directed. Predictably, LaBeouf was immediately found out once he put the film online, and what has followed has been an exercise in lame, art-school-failure performance art, and acts of privilege and delusion so mind-boggling they'd make Justin Beiber wince. Interested in seeing a young, preciously untainted Shia LaBeouf? His adaptation of the beloved Louis Sachar novel, Holes, will be screened at the Moore Library at 3 p.m. If you hiss every time his dumb face shows up on screen, though, you'll never make it through the movie.
4. There's not much better than sharing something you love from your childhood with the next generation of kids. There's not much worse than beloved literature being remade into something unrecognizable in the name of "modernization." The House at Pooh Corner currently at Olympia Family Theater allows you to revel in your nostalgia - provided your childhood bears were more "fluff and stuff" than gruesome killing machines. There are a couple elements that are new, a pseudo "who's on first" type of schtick with the characters Early and Late and a Christopher Robin who is more petulant than the sweet boy from Milne's and Disney's classic stories. Additions aside, OFT's production is charming, funny and quite adorable. Read Joann Varnell's review of the show, then catch it at 7 p.m.
5. Rudolph Valentino found his definitive screen image in the 1921 rape romance The Sheik, as a dashing desert vagabond who captures a tempestuous English girl. The film was so popular that a brand of prophylactics was named after it, a rare distinction indeed. Did Rudolph Valentino's silent film The Sheik help shape U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East? You decide as you watch the silent flick backed by vocalists Connie Corrick and Hugh Hastings at 7 p.m. in the Washington Center.
1. Honestly, we don't know who the hell is in the Long Beach Rehab band. Lyon Pride Music has booked the band in several Northwest venues, including the new Rock N Roll Lodge at 8 p.m. Pre-show hype still has Qball fronting the band, which will probably perform the songs of Bad Brains, Sublime and other punk, surf and funky reggae tunes.
2. Yoga Open Heart - two hours of heart openings, yoga and belly dance - will spread love from 1-3 p.m. at the Good Karma Center for Joy in downtown Tacoma. Pairs of friends and lovers are $35, solo $20 and walk-ins $25. Proceeds benefit HopeSparks!
3. Barney Rubble belted it in the bath. Spongebob stole Squidward's thunder by singing it underwater. And most famously, Bugs gnawed his way through several rounds of "Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!" in the toon classic, "Rabbit of Seville." Between its easily followed romcom plot and a score made universally familiar by the aforementioned pop culture references, Rossini's The Barber of Seville is an ideal introduction to opera. Tacoma Opera's presentation will follow the exploits of Seville's self-celebrating barber, Figaro - a character who literally sings his own praises - at 2 p.m. in the Rialto Theater. Everybody shares secrets with their barbers, and this barber is only too happy put what he learns to work.
4. Playwright August Wilson's "Pittsburgh Cycle" comprises ten plays about the African-American experience, each set in its own decade of the 20th century. It's a massive, multifaceted saga worthy of the best work from actors, designers, and directors. C. Rosalind Bell, a playwright herself, knew and worked with Wilson and Claude Purdy, their frequent collaborator. She was born in Lake Charles, La., worked as a writer in San Francisco and civil rights investigator for the Treasury Department in D.C., then landed here in 1995. Now she's directing Wilson's play Joe Turner's Come and Gone, the second in Wilson's epic cycle, for the Broadway Center at 3 p.m. in the Theatre on the Square. Read Christian Carvajal's preview of the show here.
5. Gypsy jazz geniuses Pearl Django will make a blessed appearance at 5 p.m. in the Marine View Presbyterian Church as part of the Jazz Live @ Marine View concert series. Tacoma-born jazz nomads Pearl Django present an unique musical space with undeniable grooves, fresh rhythms and evolving line ups.
1. Barney Rubble belted it in the bath. Spongebob stole Squidward's thunder by singing it underwater. And most famously, Bugs gnawed his way through several rounds of "Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!" in the toon classic, "Rabbit of Seville." Between its easily followed romcom plot and a score made universally familiar by the aforementioned pop culture references, Rossini's The Barber of Seville is an ideal introduction to opera. Tacoma Opera's presentation will follow the exploits of Seville's self-celebrating barber, Figaro - a character who literally sings his own praises - at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater. Everybody shares secrets with their barbers, and this barber is only too happy put what he learns to work.
2. As part of its salute to Black History Month, the University of Puget Sound will screen Pariah at 7 p.m. in the Tahoma Room at Commencement Hall on its campus. Directed by Dee Rees, Pariah, follows the journey of Alike, a young African-American woman struggling to embrace her identity as a lesbian.
3. Two of our Tacoma sons return for a 7 p.m. show at B Sharp Coffee House. Dylan Treleven and Colin Scott Reynolds are touring with their new project, The Silver Dollars. Born out of Treleven's desire to write his own material while out on lengthy tours in other bands, the Silver Dollars feels like a natural extension of what began back at SOTA. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Silver Dollars in the Music & Culture section.
4. Casey Anderson grew up in Montana surrounded by wild animals and spaces, and was nicknamed the "animal magnet" as a kid. After college, he became a trainer at wildlife parks from the United States to Africa. Then a grizzly bear named Brutus was born in an overpopulated wildlife park and Casey rescued him from being euthanized. He went on to build a sanctuary for Brutus that became Montana Grizzly Encounter, a rescue and education facility he co-owns and directs, and the base from which Casey and Brutus teach park visitors about grizzly anatomy and conservation. An enthusiastic and passionate advocate for wildlife as well as an entertaining and thoughtful presenter, Casey Anderson will share the lessons he's learned living and working with wild animals at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Center.
5. Mozart, Schumann, Infanté, Strauss, and a selection of modern and classical composers will provide the music for the next Jacobsen Series concert at 7:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Hall, which falls a week before Roman mythology's blindfolded Cupid sets to work.
1. Sara Sparrow is a member of the Aerialistas, "Seattle's Original Aerial Girl Gang," with whom she has performed internationally on several occasions. However, she does perform in Olympia as well - specifically, at the monthly "Brotherhood Takes Flight" show, where she occasionally guest performs with the Tallhouse Arts Consortium. Her next performance is 8 p.m. at The Brotherhood Lounge. The show is free, and tips for the performers are encouraged.
The Pacific Lutheran University "Faculty Exhibition" opens today in the University Gallery. The show features work from current faculty of the Department of Art and Design, including JP Avila, Craig Cornwall, Spencer Ebbinga, Bea Geller, Steve Sobeck, Jessica Spring and Michael Stasinos. The artwork ranges from ceramic vessels, sculpture, digital photography and paintings to printmaking and letterpress. Check it out from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As Seattle loses its freakin' mind today, the Washington State History Museum is making room for the chainsaw carving that made national news: Jacob Lucas' "The Spirited Warrior." Constructed from two cedar logs, the seven-foot sculpture came to life during the Seahawks' final run through a pulse heightening Ram's game, the heart wrenching Saint's game and a full-on gladiator battle with the 49ers. You were there. The sculpture features ornate feather detail, etched moccasins and the Space Needle for a belt buckle, and is a true reflection of the Native American history of the Emerald City. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ring in Chinese New Year 2014, the Year of the Horse, with the Olympia Tai-Chi & Kung-Fu Club performing the traditional Lion Dance and demonstrating the martial art of Kung-Fu at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library.
5. Honestly, we don't know who the hell is in the Long Beach Rehab band. Lyon Pride Music has booked the band in several Northwest venues, including Jazzbones at 7 p.m. Pre-show hype still has Qball fronting the band, which will probably perform the songs of Bad Brains, Sublime and other punk, surf and funky reggae tunes.
SATURDAY, FEB. 8: CHRIS PERONDI'S STUNT DOG EXPERIENCE
OK, dear reader, there's no use in beating around the bush with this one. We'd just be fooling ourselves. The notion of the stunt animal live show is absolutely ridiculous. Dogs being made to dress in silly costumes and perform little sketches is such an old-timey bit of entertainment that has stretched so deeply into utter nerd-dom that it's miraculously come back around into something that I'm surprised has yet to be co-opted by irony.
Chris Perondi's Stunt Dog Experience is such a show. What's made to separate this stunt animal shows from others like it - despite, I suppose, the relative "talent" of the animals on display versus rival stunt animals, which is an argument that I would hate to have but would love to overhear - is that CPSDE (as those in the know like to call it) utilizes the performing abilities of rescue dogs. I imagine their rough-and-tumble upbringings tend to lend a little gravitas and the weight of experience to their performances, just like Danny Trejo.
While we're on the subject, here are some more circus things that hipsters would do well to appropriate: diving board-based physical comedy, unicycles (I mean, appropriate them again), and that thing where you would jump off a high diving board and land in a tiny little kiddie pool. That thing. 3 and 6:30 p.m., $12-$26, Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, $12-$26, 253.591.5890
THURSDAY, FEB. 13: HOLES AT THE MOORE LIBRARY
I remember seeing Shia LaBeouf years ago on Craig Kilborn's show, talking about how he started his career as a stand-up comedian when he was something like 10 years old. He said that, in order to get the attention of the comedy club crowd, his opener would go like this: "The first time I masturbated, confetti shot out of my penis."
At the time, I was charmed by LaBeouf. Now, I wonder who he stole the joke from.
In case you've been rightly avoiding entertainment news over the past month, LaBeouf has been embroiled in a controversy that began with him completely plagiarizing a Daniel Clowes comic called Justin M. Damiano for a short film he directed. Predictably, LaBeouf was immediately found out once he put the film online, and what has followed has been an exercise in lame, art-school-failure performance art, and acts of privilege and delusion so mind-boggling they'd make Justin Beiber wince.
Apology after apology were released by LaBeouf, each apology eventually being identified as having been plagiarized from other celebrity apologies. Finally, LaBeouf announced his retirement (utilizing stolen retirement speeches, of course), waited a couple weeks, then announced his next project. Daniel Clowes, meanwhile, realized the monster he was dealing with, and has now decided to sue the prick.
Interested in seeing a young, preciously untainted Shia LaBeouf? His adaptation of the beloved Louis Sachar novel, Holes, will be screened at the Moore Library. If you hiss every time his dumb face shows up on screen, though, you'll never make it through the movie. 3 p.m., Moore Public Library, 215 S. 56th St., Tacoma, free admission, 253.341.4848
1. Few things tend to evoke more viscerally polarized reactions in music lovers than this series of words: "they're like a progressive jazz-fusion band." At that point, you absolutely know whether you're in or out. All of those obnoxious people who claim to be into "all kinds of music" - throw that one at them and see how quickly they backpedal. Alex's Hand is a band that can be described as such, though their brand of progressive rock lands more on the Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart side of things, as opposed to Happy the Man or Gentle Giant (shout out to my dad, that prog-rock-lovin' son of a gun). That is to say, this is progressive jazz-fusion with rough edges, a sort of blend that refuses to let the listener hypnotically drift along. Alex's Hand wants you to feel every hard corner they turn. Catch the band with Trash Heap at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.
3. If you are a South Sound resident and you're feeling deprived of classical music, you're clearly not paying attention. Look under any bush in this region and you're likely to uncover a virtuosic masterwork for cello and piano concert, such as the one Sunday in Schneebeck Concert Hall. David Requiro, a University of Puget Sound artist in residence with a string of prestigious cello performances and prizes to his name, will give a faculty recital with New York-based pianist and guest artist Solon Gordon accompany him. The 2 p.m. performance at Schneebeck Concert Hall will include Pierre Jalbert's Sonata for Cello and Piano, Frédéric Chopin's Sonata in g minor, Op. 65, and Zoltán Kodály's Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 4. Both of these chaps have awards and prestigious performances up the ying yang.
4. Super Bowl Sunday could be the biggest holiday in Washington state history. When the Seattle Seahawks face off against the Denver broncos today, the South Sound will be awash in blue and green jerseys, seven-layer dips and, of course, lots and lots of booze. Whether you're throwing a party, or just watching the game with some friends, the South Sound bars are an option. Click here to find the nearest bar.
5. In celebration of Black History Month, the University of Puget Sound will screen The Butler at 7:30 p.m. in the Rausch Auditorium at McIntyre Hall. This film tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man's life and family.
1. What began as a collective of people working to make a sustainable venue out of the old brick-and-mortar warehouse down on Court C has transformed into a production company that specializes in bringing unique shows to unusual places. In this regard, the Warehouse has been an unequivocal success. Helmed by Adam Ydstie, Katie Lowery and Doug Stoeckicht, the Warehouse has grown in such a way that the mere mention of its name dredges up an association - you know what someone means when they say there's a Warehouse show coming up. And there is a Warehouse show coming up ... tonight at 8 p.m. when Star Anna, Josiah Johnson with Carleigh Aikins, and Bryan John Appleby gather inside the Immanuel Presbyterian Church for the "Candle Lit Show." Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Doug Stoeckicht for the scoop on what the Warehouse has in store for the new year, including the Candle Lit Show Feb. 1.
2. Every time we have our tarot read the Nine of Swords always turns up. It's the charming picture of a woman in bed; there are nine swords hung on the wall behind her and she is sobbing. Coincidence? Or a chilling presentiment from the other side? To find out, we will stop by the Olympia Intuitive Arts Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Urban Onion to chat with energy healers, clairvoyants counselors, tarot readers, astrologists - anybody, just so that woman stops her damn crying.
3. Bars aren't just for getting drunk anymore. These days, South Sound pubs offer more activities than a cruise ship. Tides Tavern wants to make it crystal clear its 11th annual Tapmaster program isn't about chugging yards of beer then taking a flying leap off the dock into the harbor. Instead, the popular watering hole in Gig Harbor wants you to enjoy its 16 taps through the month of February. Get to know each beer. Ask the beers questions. Ask the bartenders questions. If by happenstance you drink all 16 beers in the 28 days, the Tides will give you a nifty T-shirt and add your name to the wall of fame. No big whoop.
4. My Brother Kissed Mark Zuckerberg is a one-man play featuring writer-performer Peter Serko. A true story, the production tells the tale of Peter's younger brother David's life and eventual death from AIDS at age 32. By incorporating voices and memories from those closest to David, the show paints an audiovisual, multilayered portrait of a stricken hero, the vibrant New York scene he inhabited, and the epidemic that failed to defeat either one. Catch it at 7 p.m. at the Dukesbay Theater, 508 S. Sixth Ave., in Tacoma.
Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Little Theatre is proud to show their 12th Man Pride for the Seattle Seahawks. Due to overwhelming requests from our patrons who are also Seahawks fans, TLT has moved their matinee start time on this Sunday to 12:00pm (Noon), and are offering a special $12.00 ticket special for anyone who uses the code SEAHAWKS at online checkout or with our box office (in person or over the phone). This special only applies to new ticket orders.
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