Seattle Events for June

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MONDAY

FILM

Secret Cinema REMIND LIKE LIST
Secret Cinema is exactly what it sounds like—just show up and prepare to be seduced by whatever pops up on screen. Opportunities to be entirely surprised by a film don’t come along very often, so try it out as a reminder that there are still mysteries to uncover in the world. Or maybe you’ll hate it. Who knows! That’s the fun of the whole shebang. Go forth, switch off your brain, and let the enigma reveal itself. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City)

LIVE MUSIC

Echo & The Bunnymen PAST EVENT LIKE LIST
You can easily identify the famed post-punk quartet Echo & The Bunnymen from their full-bodied vocals, ethereal instrumentation, and wind-tossed hairstyles (set in place with lots of hairspray, of course). Let them add some doom and gloom to the spring season (we need more, right?) with songs like “The Killing Moon” and “Lips Like Sugar” as they bring their Songs to Learn and Sing tour to Seattle. AV
(Showbox SoDo, SoDo)

The Raveonettes PAST EVENT LIKE LIST
Indie sleaze is back, didn’t you hear? The Danish indie rock duo consisting of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo will ride a wave of nostalgia across the USA to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut EP Whip It On! Sing along to throwbacks like “Attack of the Ghost Riders” and “Beat City” after an opening set from NYC indie rockers Wild Pink. AV
(The Crocodile, Belltown)

READINGS & TALKS

Sally Wen Mao with Jane Wong PAST EVENT LIKE LIST
Back in 2021, Stranger editor Rich Smith described Sally Wen Mao’s Oculus, her second book of poetry, as “investigating the acts of seeing and being seen…complicat[ing] the pristine pictures of life that fill our social media feeds.” Mao’s sensuous, feminist debut story collection takes a different tack: Ninetails “reimagines the nine-tailed fox spirit of Asian folklore” as a shapeshifting, vengeance-driven icon for solidarity and liberation. Go off, queen. Mao will chat with Jane Wong, whose recent memoir, Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City, traces her upbringing in a Chinese takeout restaurant on the Jersey shore. LC
(Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill)

TUESDAY

LIVE MUSIC

PVRIS REMIND LIKE LIST
On her latest album, Evergreen, electro-pop project PVRIS (aka Lynn Gunn) embarks on a mission to reclaim control in a post-pandemic culture. Sonically, the album is pop radio-friendly, but a deeper listen reveals resonant reflections on stardom, technology, and female autonomy. She will be joined by English rock trio Pale Waves and sapphic pop-punk artist Sizzy Rocket. AV
(Showbox SoDo, SoDo)

READINGS & TALKS

Nana Kwame Adjei‑Brenyah REMIND LIKE LIST
Unless you’ve been hiding under a book-shaped rock recently, you’ve probably seen a bright yellow copy of Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s 2023 novel Chain-Gang All-Stars, which was a finalist for last year’s National Book Award for Fiction. The eagerly anticipated novel imagined a dystopian death match program set within for-profit prisons, and was described by the Washington Post as “like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’sTale.” Not too shabby for a speculative fiction author who’s relatively new to the scene! (Adjei-Brenyah’s only 33.) LC
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)

WEDNESDAY

FILM

But I’m a Cheerleader REMIND LIKE LIST
When a spunky cheerleading teen is sent to a wackjob conversion therapy camp to “cure her lesbianism,” she meets someone special (spoiler: it’s a girl) and learns more about herself than she anticipated. Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvalle deliver the sapphic goods in this campy ’99 flick, which Movie Guide: Movie Reviews for Christians deems “vulgar.” That’s a shining endorsement, if you ask us. Happy Pride! LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown)

LIVE MUSIC

Jon Batiste: Uneasy Tour REMIND LIKE LIST
In 2022, Jon Batiste won the coveted Grammy for Album of the Year, beating out pop radio heavies like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Doja Cat—and for good reason! On his award-winning album WE ARE, Batiste is credited for playing over two dozen instruments along with self-producing, writing, arranging, and composing. He will support his most-recent output, World Music Radio, which is more radio-ready than ever with pop hooks, hip-hop beats, and A-list features like Lana Del Rey, Lil Wayne, and Seattle’s own Kenny G. AV
(Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville)

READINGS & TALKS

Author Talk: Maria Finn, Forage Gather Feast REMIND LIKE LIST
Perhaps you’ve picked up a copy of the cult favorite mushroom field guide All That the Rain Promises and More or spotted Alexis Nikole’s delightful foraging videos on YouTube before and thought to yourself that you’d like to try your hand at tracking down your own food in the wild. After all, we do live in the bountiful Pacific Northwest. San Francisco-based author and chef Maria Finn is here to help you make your dreams a reality with her new book Forage Gather Feast: 100+ Recipes from West Coast Forests, Shores, and Urban Spaces, which contains over 100 recipes and stunning photography. She’ll drop by Book Larder for an author talk, Q&A, and signing. JB
(Book Larder, Fremont)

Queering the Future: LGBTQ+ Authors on Octavia Butler’s Impact REMIND LIKE LIST
Nebula Award finalist and local sci-fi icon Nisi Shawl, who’s perhaps best known for the brilliant Everfair, will chat about the enduring influence of Octavia Butler with writer/educator Amy Hirayama, “queer Black dandy” Amber Flame, Hedgebrook program director and Hugo House’s 2017–2019 writer-in-residence, and genre-bending poet Anastacia-Reneé. This year’s Seattle Reads program honors Butler’s life and work, which has left a lasting impact on LGBTQ+ authors—learn more about it at this moderated conversation, then snag a copy of Parable of the Sower. LC
(Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill)

THURSDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Daryl Hall + Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton REMIND LIKE LIST
This lineup looks like it hopped right out of my dad’s music cabinet like a classic rock-themed version of Toy Story. Smooth groove legend Daryl Hall will stop by Carnation for a solo performance just months after suing his long-time bandmate John Oates. New wave phenom Elvis Costello and his backing band the Imposters and longtime rocker Charlie Sexton (of “Beat’s So Lonely” fame) will get the evening started. Here’s hoping that Hall will play some songs from Hall & Oates’ 1973 masterpiece Abandoned Luncheonette. AV
(Remlinger Farms, Carnation)

READINGS & TALKS

Annalee Newitz with Lindy West: Stories are Weapons REMIND LIKE LIST
Although “fake news” might seem like a relatively new phenomenon, its tactics aren’t unique to our time. Journalist and science fiction author Annalee Newitz shares the scoop on disinformation and propaganda in their new book, Stories are Weapons; the tome compares key aspects of “fake news” strategy to psychological warfare. Lindy West, the former Stranger film editor and brilliant wordsmith behind the essay collection Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, is nothing if not discerning, so I’m looking forward to the conversation between these two. LC
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)

Sonora Jha with Claire Dederer — ‘The Laughter: A Novel’ REMIND LIKE LIST
Whether you’re raising a kid or not, former Hugo House prose writer-in-residence Sonora Jha’s How to Raise a Feminist Son: Motherhood, Masculinity, and the Making of My Family was full of valuable insights and snippets of hope for the future. If you dug Jha’s discernment, you’ll probably like her latest, The Laughter. The novel satirizes academia with sharp insight on privilege, radicalization, and class. In celebration of the 2023 book’s paperback release, Jha will chat with Claire Dederer, whose book Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma expanded on the questions she probed in her 2017 Paris Review essay “What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?” LC
(Third Place Books, Ravenna)

Timothy Egan presents A Fever in the Heartland REMIND LIKE LIST
Timothy Egan, beloved Seattle dweller and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Immortal Irishman, The Big Burn, and other works of history, travel writing, and true crime, takes on the KKK in his newest tome. A Fever in the Heartlandtraces the life of Madge Oberholtzer, a “seemingly powerless” woman who exposed the cruelties of D. C. Stephenson, a KKK leader, murderer, rapist, and candidate for the world’s worst dude. Oberholtzer’s deathbed testimony provoked the demise of the second incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan—learn more about it at this talk. LC
(Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park)

VISUAL ART

Seattle Pride at Pioneer Square Art Walk REMIND LIKE LIST
Head to this month’s Pioneer Square Art Walk to scope Pride in Seattle: 50th Anniversary Art Exhibit, curated by Pride youth interns in collaboration with Seattle Pride and Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center. Here’s the scoop: Works in the special exhibition were created in a “youth public art activation” organized by Coyote Central. The show spotlights queer experiences of local LGBTQIA2S+ youth and draws from the artistic legacies of Black trans women, Black gender-diverse individuals, and queer Indigenous or two-spirit people. Expect creative responses to Seattle’s ballroom scene, Pioneer Square’s history, and the AIDS epidemic, too. LC
(RailSpur, Pioneer Square)

FRIDAY

COMEDY

Hannah Gadsby: Woof! REMIND LIKE LIST
Hannah Gadsby really shook things up with their 2018 Netflix special Nanette, which landed the furious, courageous comic an Emmy, a Peabody, and a newfound audience who resonated with their brutally honest stand-up style. Gadsby found themself with plenty of time to “ponder” during the pandemic, so I’m stoked to see what they’ve come up with this time—The Guardian described Woof! as “refusing to toe the line.” LC
(Moore Theatre, Belltown)

LIVE MUSIC

Camera Obscura REMIND LIKE LIST
I was lucky enough to see Camera Obscura support their fifth album Desire Lines back in 2013, before the tragic loss of their keyboardist Carey Lander. Although I spent most of the show examining the crowd for my high school crush, I’ve since realized that was precisely the right way to experience their dreamy indie pop: lovelorn, daydreaming, and yearning for a boy who wears cardigans. The Glasgow-based outfit will return to Seattle to tour Look to the East, Look to the West, their first album in over 10 years, alongside folk-pop outfit Photo Ops. AV
(The Crocodile, Belltown)

Tomo Nakayama REMIND LIKE LIST
Frequently labeled a “fixture in Seattle music” (KEXP), Tomo Nakayama crafts electronic indie pop that exudes the emotions and passion of an opera aria. He will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his debut album, Fog on the Lense!, which was influenced by some of his favorite musicians, including Arthur Russell, Björk, Paul Simon, Cass McCombs, the Velvet Underground, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. AV
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)

SATURDAY

COMEDY

Lavender Rights Project Presents The Black Trans Comedy Showcase 2024 REMIND LIKE LIST
At this Black- and trans-centered comedy showcase, attendees can kiki and clap back with Lavender Rights Project, an organization supporting the Black intersex and gender-diverse community. Delicious drag dessert TS Madison will host the evening of laughs featuring Black trans comics like “Swiss Army Knife” Mx. Dahlia Belle, multi-hyphenate LA queen Quei Tann, and Alabama-born trailblazer Sunkee Angel. Sit back and enjoy with nibbles and drinks—you might win a raffle prize, too. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill)

FESTIVALS

Georgetown Carnival REMIND LIKE LIST
The wonderfully gritty and industrial backdrop of Seattle’s oldest neighborhood will become awash with color as carnival games, acrobats, sideshows, clowns, live music, beer gardens, arts and crafts, and vendors take over Airport Way South for the Georgetown Carnival. Live acts this year include local hip-hop artist Sol, garage rockers Monsterwatch, Portland-based pop duo Foam Boy, Boots! DJs, and more. AV
(Georgetown)

FOOD & DRINK

Pierogi Fest 2024 REMIND LIKE LIST
To know pierogi, the absurdly comforting and starchy Polish dumplings, is to love them. This wildly popular yearly event from the Polish Cultural Center gives you an opportunity to shovel the petite pockets of dough into your face by the plateful, with fillings like potato and cheese; meat, sauerkraut and mushrooms; sweet cheese; and blueberries. Plus, try pastries, Polish dogs, and beer, and take in a performance from the Polish Vivat Musica! Choir. Bags of frozen pierogi and other Polish delicacies are also available, so you can stock up for future cravings. JB
(Polish Home Association, Miller Park)

PERFORMANCE

Last Podcast On The Left REMIND LIKE LIST
Delight your ghoulish sensibilities with a live edition of this frighteningly addictive comedic podcast dedicated to freaky and violent real-life events (or events that a lot of people believe in), including cultish shenanigans, demonic apparitions, alien abductions, and more. Join Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ben Kissel to “laugh at things you will probably feel guilty about later.” (True enough, but the humor is at the expense of killers and charlatans—and the occasional Slender Man erotic fanfic—so let that temper your shame as you will.) FORMER EVEROUT ARTS EDITOR ELAINA FRIEDMAN
(Paramount Theatre, Downtown)

READINGS & TALKS

Maggie Smith with Jane Wong REMIND LIKE LIST
Poet’s poet Maggie Smith plumbs the depths of her disintegrating marriage in You Could Make This Place Beautiful, reflecting on contemporary womanhood, gender roles, and power dynamics with an inquisitive, empathetic eye. (If you dig Deborah Levy and Rachel Cusk, this memoir will be up your alley.) Jane Wong, whose recent memoir Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City traces her upbringing in a Chinese takeout restaurant on the Jersey shore, will moderate a post-reading conversation. LC
(Hugo House, Capitol Hill)

SUNDAY

FILM

Prestige Sleaze REMIND LIKE LIST
Nothing says “Hollywood” like a good psychosexual thriller, and the ’80s and ’90s-era cinema seemed to have an innate understanding of this—you’ve probably already been titillated by Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction. SIFF Cinema Egyptian’s latest series gets a little freaky with shivery greats like Bound, Body Heat, and personal fave The Hunger, which follows Catherine Deneuve as a ravenous vamp torn between two extraordinary hotties, played by David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. (I’d have a hard time choosing, too.) LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill)

FOOD & DRINK

Seattle Bakes Back!: A Bake Sale for Reproductive Rights REMIND LIKE LIST
The teams behind the cult favorite bakeries Ben’s Bread and Saint Bread have joined forces to host this bake sale to raise funds for Northwest Abortion Access Fund. Featuring some of the city’s most sought-after names, including Doce Donuts, Raised Doughnuts, Paper Cake Shop, Zylberschtein’s, and Rachel’s Bagels and Burritos, the lineup is sure to beguile even the most discerning carb connoisseurs. Plus, a steady flow of coffee from the Portland-based roaster Proud Mary will keep everyone in attendance sufficiently caffeinated. Go enjoy some community and throw some cash at baked goods and reproductive justice. JB
(Saint Bread, Portage Bay)

LIVE MUSIC

Tiny Desk Contest On The Road 2024 REMIND LIKE LIST
Join NPR Music in celebrating 10 years of their annual Tiny Desk Contest with a live performance by 2024 winner the Philharmonik. The Sacramento-born multi-instrumentalist pulls from hip-hop, blues, and R&B for his boisterous, intuitive neo-funk grooves. Seattle-area musicians (and fellow contest standouts) Parisalexa and Shark Legs will open. AV
(Nectar, Fremont)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

Dance Church Pride 2024 with MUNA REMIND LIKE LIST
Hello, fellow fans of the queer indie pop icons and self-proclaimed “greatest band in the world” MUNA: I “Know a Place” where we can dance our gay hearts out to our favorite sapphic anthems, and that place is Century Ballroom, where the local all-levels movement class Dance Church will host an exuberant party in collaboration with the musical group to celebrate Pride. No, members Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin won’t be there in person, but you can expect to hear them on the playlist, and 10% of profits will go to Black & Pink, a national organization fighting for prison abolition and working to liberate the LGBTQIAS2+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by the criminal punishment system. JB
(Century Ballroom, Capitol Hill)

PERFORMANCE

Therapy Gecko Live: The Lizard Agenda Tour REMIND LIKE LIST
As one of the millions of people on earth who has tried therapy, I’d never considered that a man-sized, anthropomorphic gecko might be the actual answer to my problems—yet perhaps I do need a soft-voiced, wholesome counselor version of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile in my life. It’s no weirder than whatever Goop is up to. Therapy Gecko, hosted by a dude who is, coincidentally, also named Lyle, is casually off-kilter and a little psychedelic, like something you’d encounter on Adult Swim or Between Two Ferns. Lyle grants an empathetic, reptilian ear to all sorts of oddball questions from anonymous callers on his podcast; we’re assuming he’ll offer a lending hand (do geckos have hands?) to the audience at this performance. LC
(The Crocodile, Belltown)

MULTI-DAY

EXHIBIT

Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks REMIND LIKE LIST
In my opinion, happiness could be defined as 200,000 Lego bricks arranged in “hands-on construction areas” for free play, and MOHAI’s latest exhibition makes the dream come true. Towers of Tomorrow also features models of skyscrapers from all over the world, constructed by a real-deal “Lego-certified professional,” Ryan McNaught. (Cool job alert!) Visitors can scope McNaught’s plastic creations and imagine their own by adding to a futuristic Lego “metropolis” inside the exhibit. LC
(MOHAI, South Lake Union, Monday-Sunday)

FILM

Drop Dead Gorgeous REMIND LIKE LIST
It’s time for Mount Rose, Minnesota’s annual teen beauty pageant, and Amber Atkins (played by the incomparable Kirsten Dunst) is poised to steal the show. But a series of weird incidents and tragic “accidents” turn the event into a darkly hilarious bloodbath. The mockumentary boasts a killer cast including Brittany Murphy (RIP), Denise Richards, Allison Janney, and Amy Adams. LC
(Central Cinema, Central District, Friday-Sunday)

Everyone Is Guilty: Patricia Highsmith Adaptations REMIND LIKE LIST
“I am not a whore…that’s just an expression. I’m an artist who paints with blood,” Patricia Highsmith once said. You might be tempted to be like, “Well, okay then,” and move on with your life, but here’s another idea: You should sink into the essence of Highsmith’s bloodiness with this round-up of some of the best cinematic interpretations of her work. Lesbian romance Carol is curiously not on the docket, but never fear: Purple Noon, The American Friend, sociopathic romp The Talented Mr. Ripley, and tennis thriller Strangers on a Train (Challengers fans, that one’s for you) more than make up for it. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City, Tuesday & Sunday)

Funeral Parade of Roses REMIND LIKE LIST
When a glittery bar hostess (played by trans actor Peter, of Kurosawa’s Ran) finds herself in a love triangle with a hot drag queen and a club owner, an experimental madhouse ensues, complete with documentary interviews, avant-garde imagery, and even cartoon elements. It’s no surprise that Funeral Parade of Roses inspired Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange—both films are brutal, dizzying, and boozy. Director Toshio Matsumoto’s queer touchstone of the Japanese New Wave will screen in honor of its 55th anniversary. LC
(Grand Illusion, University District, Monday & Wednesday)

Know Your Place REMIND LIKE LIST
LA/206 director Zia Mohajerjasbi‘s debut feature Know Your Place is a film that everyone in Seattle (and all other major cities) should (must) watch. It is a packed work, and so unpacking it all is nothing but impossible within the obvious attentional limits imposed on blog posts. But, I will begin by saying the star of this film is, above all, Seattle. But this star has two important and different parts. One: the city that’s becoming, class wise, homogenous. This kind of city has less and less space for the working classes. Two: the city that’s losing its color. Black Americans were the first to go. Now it’s black Africans. Next will be East Asian Americans. Know Your Place takes place in the now. Read more of Charles Mudede’s review on The Stranger. CM
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)

The Cramps: Live at Napa State Mental Hospital REMIND LIKE LIST
If you told me that legendary janglers The Cramps and The Mutants had once played a show in a Napa psychiatric hospital, rousing the patients with Carter-era art punk while a Bay Area collective captured the whole thing on one of the first video cameras available to the public, well…I’d believe you, and I’d be desperate to see the footage. Luckily, I’m telling you this, and you can see the footage while everyone else chooses teams between Barbie and Oppenheimer. The Cramps: Live at Napa State Mental Hospitalwill screen at the Beacon in an unedited, fully remastered edition. Let’s get fucked up! LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City, Friday-Saturday)

TRANSlations: 19th Annual Seattle Trans Film Festival REMIND LIKE LIST
One of only nine trans film festivals in the world, TRANSlations offers a hybrid showcase of trans-centered features, short films, and special events again this year. The fest will screen at Ark Lodge Theatres, Seattle Art Museum, and the Beacon on June 7 and 8, with options for at-home streaming June 6–9. I’m stoked for selections like the Nashville-set Lavender Outlaw, “punk rock fairytale” How to Carry Water, New Zealand narrative The Boy, The Queen, And Everything In Between, and the archival San Francisco flick Boys in the Backyard. LC
(Various locations, Thursday-Sunday)

Unstreamable: The Linguini Incident  REMIND LIKE LIST
Your internet besties (former Stranger staff writer Jas Keimig and former editor Chase Burns) will present another flick that you can’t find anywhere online (legally, at least) as part of their ongoing project Unstreamable, which has blossomed from a column on Scarecrow Video’s blog into a live screening series. Burns and Keimig, who’ve written “more than 350 (!) blurbs and reviews about offbeat, forgotten, and otherwise unobtainable pieces of cinematic history” (Matt Baume), will continue to share their exhaustive knowledge of lost media on the big screen. In The Linguini Incident, underpaid waitress and aspiring escape artist Lucy (Rosanna Arquette) relies on her pals (David Bowie and a bra designer?!) to help stage a robbery. The phrase “screwball comedy” applies here, and the fashion alone is worth showing up for. LC
(Northwest Film Forum, Capitol Hill, Wednesday-Sunday)

PERFORMANCE

Clyde’s REMIND LIKE LIST
As a Pulitzer Prize winner and 2007 MacArthur genius, Lynn Nottage often centers working-class people in her storytelling—her 2015 play Sweat centered small-town Pennsylvania factory workers facing job insecurity, racism, and class disparities. This time around, she had me at “play about a sandwich.” Nottage’s Clyde’s follows a team of formerly incarcerated kitchen staff who navigate life after lock-up while on a “quest to create the perfect sandwich,” so I hope you brought napkins. Check out this interpretation of the play for a funky cross between The Bear and Abbott Elementary. LC
(ArtsWest, Junction, Thursday-Sunday)

Distillery 2024 The Second Annual New Works Reading Series REMIND LIKE LIST
The second annual New Works Reading Series, produced by Seattle Public Theater in association with Macha Theatre Works, will once again feature live readings of new plays by emerging playwrights. Each reading will conclude with an audience discussion, offering theater-makers valuable feedback and helping shape their works-in-progress. Best part? All included plays must pass the feminist-minded “Macha Test,” a set of criteria requiring that more than half the characters are women or non-binary and that these characters are empowered, central to the narrative, and speak more than half the lines. No arbitrary violence is permitted, and if violence or abuse is important to the narrative, it must be “addressed directly and intentionally in ways that do not perpetuate rape culture.” We dig it! LC
(Seattle Public Theater, Green Lake, Thursday-Sunday)

GUNKED! REMIND LIKE LIST
I grew up a mere 1.9 miles away from Universal Studios Florida, so every day after school, I could practically hear the screams as innocent children were drenched with green goo (it was actually a mix of vanilla pudding, applesauce, food coloring, oatmeal, and baby shampoo) on Slime Time Live. Modern history has cemented slime as a crucial aspect of any child’s upbringing, from the Double Dare goos of yore to whatever the hell this is. Directed by Tootie Spangles, GUNKED! conjures some millennial childhood charm, imagining a late-’80s, neon-tinged competition series on the eve of its high-energy launch. Bring a towel. LC
(Annex Theatre, Capitol Hill)

Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales: Together Again, Again!  REMIND LIKE LIST
We can hear the cackling from down the street. The Pacific Northwest’s premiere “internationally tolerated Jewish narcoleptic drag queen” Jinkx Monsoon will cast a campy spell and bring more of the weirdo dramatics for which she’s known and loved on the concert tour Together Again, Again!, which sees the two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner flex her musical chops alongside “musical prodigy” Major Scales. Water off a duck’s back! LC
(Seattle Repertory Theatre, Uptown, Tuesday-Sunday)

Seattle International Dance Festival 2024 REMIND LIKE LIST
Talented hoofers from Chicago, NYC, and farther-flung locales like Poland, South Korea, and India will converge on Seattle for another celebration of collaborative contemporary dance. For the festival’s 19th year, nine packed days of performance will include new dance works by international and local companies. Peep the best of the homegrown dance scene at Spotlight on Seattle on June 11, or check out one of the several exploratory Inter|National Series Weekend performances. LC
(Broadway Performance Hall, Capitol Hill, Saturday-Sunday)

SPORTS & RECREATION

Seattle Pride Classic 2024 REMIND LIKE LIST
The Seattle Pride Hockey Association returns with the fourth installment of the country’s most inclusive hockey tournament during Pride Month, offering free entrance to spectators who want to cheer on 20 teams in a draft-style competition across three days. Luke Prokop, the first openly gay player in the NHL, returns to the tournament to meet fans and wrap hockey sticks in pride tape donated by the NHL (which is pretty ironic, given the league’s momentary and very controversial ban on the rainbow-colored adhesive). DJs will be keeping the vibes high during games, the Reign City Riot pep band will make an appearance, and Kraken fans of all ages can register to skate with Buoy on Sunday afternoon. SL
(Kraken Community Iceplex, Northgate, Friday-Sunday)

Washington State Parks Free Days REMIND LIKE LIST
Washington State Parks is making getting outside easy this week by waiving entrance fees for not one, but TWO days, so start planning your weekend now for National Get Outside Day and Free Fishing Day. On a typical day, access to one of these natural gems will set you back $10 for a one-day pass or $30 for an annual pass, so fee-free days like this help make the outdoors accessible to all. The closest parks to Seattle proper are Bridle Trails in Kirkland and Saint Edward State Park on the northern shores of Lake Washington; both are about a 30-minute drive. JW
(Various locations, Saturday-Sunday)

VISUAL ART

Elizabeth Malaska: All Be Your Mirror REMIND LIKE LIST
Elizabeth Malaska was one of my key inspirations during art school—her moody figures, fearless use of patterning, and not-so-subtle responses to power dynamics and the Western painting canon completely captured my gaze. As the winner of the 2022 Betty Bowen Award, Malaska’s work will be celebrated in this solo exhibition. Malaska’s paintings will continue to offer swift comebacks to historical genres and motifs, like the reclining nude, with “challenging and introspective” compositions that feel entirely new. LC
(Seattle Art Museum, Downtown, Wednesday–Sunday)

Hourglass Lying Down REMIND LIKE LIST
Sophia Arnold might be one of my favorite contemporary artists—her oil, acrylic, and watercolor compositions of surreal scenes are intoxicating, lush, and seemingly full of secrets, reminiscent of Elizabeth Malaska’s paintings. In the group exhibition Hourglass Lying Down, Arnold’s works will appear alongside Polaroids by Autumn Knight, luxuriant paintings by Klara Glosova, and collages by Serrah Russell. Anticipate a dreamy feast for your eyeballs. LC
(Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Georgetown, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)

See Through: Nadia Ahmed and Shannon Hobbs REMIND LIKE LIST
Nadia Ahmed and Shannon Hobbs’s exhibition See Through feels uniquely delicate, relying on soft, luminous wax to reflect on the inherent fleetingness of relationships. The concept of “ephemerality” is mentioned pretty often in artist statements, but Ahmed and Hobbs seem to take a refreshing look at the idea, considering how impermanence can feel weighty and structured. “How much do you give or take in a relationship?” they ask the audience. Show up to feel seen. LC
(The Vestibule, Ballard, Thursday–Saturday)

Stephanie Syjuco: After/Images REMIND LIKE LIST
Stephanie Syjuco’s artworks were objects of my obsession in art school—the Manila-born conceptual artist often draws from archives, museums, and library collections to craft disruptive responses to colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and war. It’ll appeal to you if you’re a nerd for research and good politics. In Stephanie Syjuco: After/Images, the artist considers the camera, describing it as a “technology of imperialism that records and creates racialized American histories.” The exhibition’s reconstructed archival photographs, videos, and installations center the US occupation of the Philippines, American colonization overseas, and the troubling ideology of Manifest Destiny. LC
(Frye Art Museum, First Hill, Wednesday–Sunday)