Gray Harrison 7/29/26 Gray Harrison 7/29/26

Shadow Girls Cult Conjures Self-Exploration with Mixed Media

The Queer shadow puppetry and performance art duo produce enigmatic, dark fantasy worlds through the art of projection. Their latest show, UNRAVELING, ran July 16-18 at Theatre off Jackson. It presented seven vignettes exploring, per the director’s note, “themes of isolation, longing, and fractured identity through a surreal lens.”

Gray Harrison 7/22/26 Gray Harrison 7/22/26

Spooky Tales Traverse Seattle with ‘KAIDAN: Japanese Ghost Stories’

Japanese ghost stories are coming to Seattle in August. Za Trans-Pacific Productions and director Mimi Katano will present KAIDAN: Japanese Ghost Stories in August at locations around the city. Ghost stories go way back in Japan’s history. Kaidan, or traditional ghost stories of yūrei (ghosts) and yokai (supernatural beings) are steeped in literary and theatrical tradition.

Calista Robbins 7/21/26 Calista Robbins 7/21/26

Seattle Vice Revives Burlesque Series of Tenderloin Histories at Triple Door

“We liked exploring the ‘70s in particular,” said Mark Siano when interviewed, “because this is where the clubs started to spiral out of Frank’s control and started to take on a life of their own. We saw the emergence of Burlesque, Cabaret, Follies, and more Queer-oriented entertainment like what was happening at The New Paris Theatre in Pioneer Square (Seattle’s original gay neighborhood.)”

Gray Harrison 6/26/26 Gray Harrison 6/26/26

Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate Weaves Musical Stories at Seattle Symphony

On June 12, Octave 9 hosted an evening of music at Benaroya Hall from Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. The chamber pieces were performed by a string quartet composed of Emerson Millar and Jacqueline Audas on violin, Ursula Steele on viola, and Katherine Audas on cello. One of the pieces, entitled “MoonStrike,” also featured live narration from Washington local musician, actor, and storytelling legend Swil Kanim.

Parker Dean 6/20/26 Parker Dean 6/20/26

Trans* Talk: Trans* Pride

This year, Pride feels bigger and more important than any other. Like in years past, it feels as though the need for Pride has grown, to remind all of us in the community that we are here, we are alive, we are beautiful. It also feels like an important way to remind our allies to stand with us, and to tell our opposition that we have been here forever and we aren’t backing down anytime soon.

Lynette Evans 4/24/26 Lynette Evans 4/24/26

‘The Orca Show’ is the Perimenopausal Fever Dream We Deserve

Let’s be clear: Society treats the onset of menopause like a slow-motion car crash into a nursing home. Menopausal women are expected to go quietly, perhaps draped in a drab beige sheet, clutching a bottle of magnesium oil and apologizing for their sudden lack of utility. But Aysan Celik isn't interested in apologies or beige aesthetics. In The Orca Show, Celik takes the change of life and dunks it headfirst into the freezing depths of the PNW. It turns out, if you want to understand why you’re currently possessed by the spirit of a 5-ton apex predator, you have to look at the only other mammalian girly who loses her period at forty: the orca.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 4/8/26 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 4/8/26

Noveltease Arouses, Enlightens with Intersectional Literary Burlesque

If you believe burlesque isn’t for you or you’ve never attended a show before, Noveltease offers an experience that highlights the intersection of literature, dance, music, and history in a small venue, creating an intimacy that provides multisensory entertainment. I left feeling good, emboldened, and creative. And though glamorous clothes were shed, the message of the evening—particularly within the selected poems—was that of reclamation, self-affirmation, and pleasure without shame or exploitation.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich and Parker Dean 3/13/26 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich and Parker Dean 3/13/26

‘Sinners’ in the LGBTQIA+ Lens, Part 2: Protection of Youth

With Sammie, one of the most notable themes in Sinners—the protection of youth—is carried through the film.

Parker Dean 1/22/26 Parker Dean 1/22/26

‘SHe Said’ Delivers Rockin’ Story of Relationship Evolution

On January 15, the Intiman Theatre in Capitol Hill debuted SHe Said, a musical inspired by Trans love, resistance, and a whole lot of rock ‘n roll. Jen Ayers, along with a talented backing band, tells the true story of her partner coming out as transgender and the whirlwind of emotions that ensued. SHe Said is a heartfelt musical, touching on every feeling, heartbreak, and swirling thoughts that Jen experienced, along with the love for her partner that kept her aloft.

Gray Harrison 11/26/25 Gray Harrison 11/26/25

Twin Peaks: The Return Offers Meditation on Grief, Feeling Life in the Moment

Two days after the dream, I entered a darkly lit theater in Northwest Film Forum to the familiar sound of the synth-heavy, nostalgic yet eerie Twin Peaks theme song, and shuffled into a seat. I was about to spend two hours watching episodes five and six of Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), as part of a collaborative screening of the entire 18-episode season held by Northwest Film Forum, SIFF, The Beacon, and The Grand Illusion Cinema between November 13 and December 16 of this year. I had only watched the first four episodes of the first season of David Lynch’s masterpiece series set in our home state. But there I sat, going in blind.

Kristel Chua 11/7/25 Kristel Chua 11/7/25

Craving Live Music? We Know a Spot

The bitter adage, “Seattle isn’t what it used to be,” recently increased in circulation after the shocking news of the Crocodile shuttering the doors of Here-After and Madame Lou’s. In their statement, the Crocodile asserted that they are committed to the longevity of their main stage—unfortunately, it comes at the cost of their smaller comedy and music venues.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 10/30/25 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 10/30/25

One Night, Many Stars: Gregory Awards Fill Town Hall Seattle with Camaraderie, Joy

On the evening of Monday October 27, actors, theater crew, directors, and producers (along with their families and friends) gathered at Town Hall Seattle for The Gregorys. Twenty-five years of celebration and recognition from and for the theatre community, the theme apt and invited dazzling outfits: One Night, Many Stars.

Maxwell Meier 10/2/25 Maxwell Meier 10/2/25

Local Tavia Rhodes Chats First Album, Inspirations, Musical Journey

On September 15, I sat down with Seattleite singer and musician Tavia Rhodes. During that fleeting time, I got to experience Rhode’s creative processes, her muses, relationship with music, as well as her extensive journey to release her first album, Her Say, in October this year.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 9/12/25 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 9/12/25

For Colored Boyz Beautifully Presents Black Men in Their Own Words and Worlds

On September 5, I attended the West Coast premiere of For Colored Boyz (On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/When Freedom Ain’t Enuff), written by Bryan-Keyth Wilson with direction by Lynette Winters and Ry Armstrong and choreography by Jimmy Shields. Brought to us by The Underground Theater, the play was described as a choreopoem, utilizing poetry, movement, and music to detail the unique intersectionality of being a queer Black man in America.

Nisha Karanam 9/3/25 Nisha Karanam 9/3/25

Screwdriver Bar Honors Seattle’s Grunge History

So what makes Screwdriver Bar unique?

The spot was particularly popular during the late 80s/early 90s “grunge” era. As a former recording studio and rehearsal space, it housed a plethora of different bands and singers. One of the most notable groups to rehearse here was Nirvana, during the period between their albums Bleach and Nevermind. The basement became a second home for the band and for other rising grunge acts, cementing its place as an early landmark of Seattle’s grunge movement.

Gray Harrison 8/25/25 Gray Harrison 8/25/25

Hardware Electronic Artists Connect Communities in Seattle’s Live Music Scene

At 10 p.m., Seattle music project monocot.zip, composed of longtime friends Ryan Tucker and Luke Pendergrass, took to the stage and began their set. When their first notes hit the speakers, the crowd drew closer, because what was happening on stage was something you wanted to watch just as much as dance to.

Calista Robbins 8/22/25 Calista Robbins 8/22/25

The Divided Line: Dunya [Part 1]

The Old Man began to play.

It was like no music she’d ever heard, tainted and raw and beautiful.

When he finished the song, he stood, opened the window all the way, and held forth the instrument. “Do you want to try?”

Five words which dictated the rest of Dunya’s life.

Andre Stackhouse 6/21/25 Andre Stackhouse 6/21/25

Ruby Mimosa’s Sound of Strip Lights Up Burlesque with Live Music

For the uninitiated, the Triple Door is a longtime dinner-and-a-show venue in Seattle’s downtown that seats some 300, The Sound of Strip is an improv burlesque show set to the music of a live cover of The Cure, and Ruby Mimosa (aka The Effervescent EnterTEASER) is a local star noted as one of the most influential performers in the world by 21st Century Burlesque and the genius mind behind BurlesKaraoke.

Parker Dean 6/20/25 Parker Dean 6/20/25

Here & Their a Necessarily Hilarious Addition to Pride Month’s Queer Stories

Jasmine Joshua and Heather Ragusa’s musical Here & Their, starring Chloe Payne and Meg McLynn, is shaping up to be a new Queer musical classic! With top-tier vocals, witty lines, and songs that are sometimes hilarious and sometimes heart-wrenching, Here & Their brings a fresh perspective on Queer stories that many of us can relate to as well as creates levity during these dark times. This musical is joyous, hopeful, and feels like finally taking a deep breath after a tense and stressful start to 2025.

Gray Harrison 5/1/25 Gray Harrison 5/1/25

Théque Support Keeps Disco Beats Alive at Queers’ Cherry

On a Saturday night in April in the Denny Triangle neighborhood, vintage glamour was present at the doors of Seattle’s Kremwerk complex. DJ duo Théque Support (composed of H ot N’ Spicy Disco and Moonlighter) were bringing their monthly evening of Disco Dust to Seattle, with a set from special guest Heidy P visiting from New York. Moonlighter and Hot N’ Spicy Disco are both from Detroit, the official birthplace of techno and a continuing hub of electronic music innovation. At the duo’s monthly disco parties, hosted in Kremwerk’s newest dance room, Cherry, they go old-school, dusting off vinyl records and using turntables.

Start Reading

On September 15, I sat down with Seattleite singer and musician Tavia Rhodes. During that fleeting time, I got to experience Rhode’s creative processes, her muses, relationship with music, as well as her extensive journey to release her first album, Her Say, in October this year.

So what makes Screwdriver Bar unique?

The Old Man began to play.

It was like no music she’d ever heard, tainted and raw and beautiful.

When he finished the song, he stood, opened the window all the way, and held forth the instrument. “Do you want to try?”

Five words which dictated the rest of Dunya’s life.