As every English major knows, you can find a Shakespeare quote to fit most modern occasions — from world news to weather forecasts. For the former, you need only flip through Julius Caesar … and for the latter, at least this week, we might consider these words from Romeo and Juliet: “For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.”
In other words, we’re heading into a hot and sunny stretch, which in sooth can spark a madness in our mossy clime. But just in time, here comes the Bard to pull us through.
Art x NW (formerly ArtSEA) is a weekly arts and culture newsletter from Cascade PBS. Read past issues and subscribe for more.
Seattle boasts not one but two theater groups — GreenStage and Wooden O — that produce outdoor Shakespeare shows. Which means there’s plenty to keep us i-ambling through iambic pentameter all summer long.
The season gets its unofficial kickoff this weekend, with the always-free Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival in Volunteer Park (July 12 - 13). While not a strictly Shakespearean event, the scribe is verily well represented in this superfun showcase of plays staged simultaneously all over the park. (You can either stay put for a whole show or walk around to experience a sampling.)
GreenStage is going no holds Bard at the fest, performing Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III as well as abbreviated versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. Wooden O brings As You Like It, the prototype rom-com complete with mistaken identities, unlikely encounters and — 400-year-old spoiler! — a happy ending.
Also in the SOTF mix is improvised Shakespeare from ComedySportz, a puppet show from Thistle Theater, and Dacha Theatre’s immersive production of the summer-camp-themed dark comedy The Grown-Ups. Don’t worry – if you miss the s’mores this time, Dacha is taking the play (and the campfire) to various parks through Aug. 3.
Similarly, GreenStage and Wooden O will continue their quest to prove all the world’s a stage with Shakespeare performances across the Puget Sound region (GreenStage through Aug. 16; Wooden O through Aug. 17).
And for those whose thirst for Shakespeare is yet unslaked, there’s & Juliet (at the Paramount Theatre, July 25 - Aug. 3). This Romeo and Juliet spinoff imagines — via jukebox musical — what would happen had Miss Capulet chosen self-discovery instead of self-inflicted mortal wound. According to the popular Broadway show, she’d have made haste to Paris and belted out pop hits, including “Since U Been Gone‚” “Baby One More Time” and “Roar.”
As Shakespeare said, “The play’s the thing” … OK but not the only thing. In fact “the earth has music for those who listen” (I promise that’s the last one), especially for anyone seeking concert series in this sunny season.
New to the summer music mix is the Haystack Music Festival (July 12), which promises 21 bands across 17 venues in North Bend. While these are mostly indoor spaces, you’ll be hoofing it up and down North Bend Way to catch sets everywhere from an ice-cream shop to a Pilates studio to Twin Peaks Pub. Expect a range of Americana, bluegrass, hot club swing, folk music and at least one “paranormal string band.”
Up in Bellingham, the NW Tune-Up Festival (July 11 - 13) brings on the bike races, beer and bands — including The Pharcyde, Silversun Pickups and Manatee Commune — plus live chainsaw carving.
Or maybe you’d prefer to head in the opposite direction: to Shelton, for the 20th annual Bluegrass from the Forest (July 11 - 13). Featuring pickers, grinners, campers, kid musicians and grown-up bands from Tennessee, Oregon and Washington, the event also hosts an intriguing tradition called a mandolin tasting.
The Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Chamber Music in the Park series brings free concerts to two outdoor venues this month. At Bellevue Downtown Park (July 12), musicians will perform works by Ernö Dohnányi and Ludwig van Beethoven; and at Volunteer Park (July 19), the musical genius of Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvorák will carry across the reservoir.
On a different note, the Capitol Hill Block Party (July 19 - 20) is coming soon, celebrating its 25th anniversary with Thundercat, DJ Pee.Wee and a new 21+ age restriction.
And Seattleites looking for a reason for a road trip should consider the Ellensburg Music Festival (July 25 - 27), with a lively lineup including jazz, big band, blues and the delectably funky sounds of the Polyrhythmics.
We’ll end this issue with a few more ways to spend these hot days. Remember that summer doesn’t last forever … get out there and eat it up!
< Three Dollar Bill Cinema is marking 30 years of championing queer filmmaking with the Queer & Trans Film Festival (July 10 - 14). Screening at Broadway Performance Hall and the Erickson Theater, offerings include a mix of older touchstones (Beautiful Thing, Portrait of a Lady on Fire), new shorts and an homage to Seattle-made movies.
< Part of the Kla Ha Ya Days festival in Snohomish, the Balloon Glow (July 12, starting at dusk at Harvey Airfield) wraps hot air in bright colors. Inflated and illuminated, these buoyant aircraft never leave the ground but make for an unusually beautiful evening scene.
< In Georgetown, Mini Mart City Park is holding its annual block party (July 12, 2 - 8 p.m.), which kicks off Glowing Grief, a new exhibit by Seattle installation artist Colleen RJC Bratton, and features art booths, cake and revelry. Nearby, the Fantagraphics Hot Off the Press Book Fair (July 12, 5 - 9 p.m.) celebrates comics, zines and print art with exhibitors and live music. Combine these events with the Georgetown Art Attack (July 12) and you’ve got yourself a killer summer day that stretches into night.
Looking for more regional arts coverage? Check out Art by Northwest, a new television series on Cascade PBS, featuring artists from all over Washington.
