Thrills & Sillies in September/October

Welcome everyone to the first edition of Present Ten’s, a semi-monthly newsletter where I curate cool live performance or local art events in the Seattle area that I am personally excited to see! This is an idea I’ve been cooking on for awhile, after having numerous friends, coworkers and acquaintances tell me things like: “I wish I could see more live theater, but I just don’t know where to look!” OR “I loved that one show you told me about, do you have another suggestion?”

Therefore, I am consolidating my charismatic word-of-mouth tendencies here, with the goal of bringing more performance and cool art experiences into the lives of the people around me. So come on in, grab a cup of tea and get excited to hear me gush about what I love most: an art event that makes you feel more connected, alive, and inspired <3

denotes a production I am associated with or performing in*

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TEN THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH

BLOOD/SUCKER @Washington Ensemble Theatre (Closing 9/25)*

With only eight performances left, catch this world premiere at 12th Ave Arts before it’s gone! My friend Anamaria Guerzon wrote the script, and I’ve already seen it fours times?! I can’t get enough; it has humor, heart, and even moments that sent a chill down my spine. This is horror theater at it’s absolute finest.

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JAR OF FAT @Kent Battery Theatre (Extended till Sunday 10/4!!)

Sarah Porkalob, Seattle theatre icon who’s been blowing minds on big stages in LA and across the country, returns to the Puget Sound to direct the world-premiere of this new play. Jar of Fat is a phantasmagorical, absurdist Korean American tale about the quest for beauty and thinness. I’m soooo hyped for the weirdness this one promises and I know the folks on the production team to be very visionary creators. Catch me at the show Saturday the 19th if you wanna sit together ;)

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Much Ado About Nothing @Noveltease (Closing 9/26)

My friend Rhys has been working his ASS off in this show! (and maybe showing it off too?) After seeing Noveltease’s burlesque adaptation of Orlando earlier this spring, I am SAT to see what flamboyance they’ll bring in their queer nightlife take on Shakespeare’s classic comedy. I may struggle to follow iambic pentameter, but I’m sure I’ll be focused enough on the…. choreography. I’ll be seeing it Thursday the 24th if you wanna join me ;)

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TUSH @the Clockout Lounge

My favorite drag show in town, and recent winner of the Stranger’s “Genius Award” you’ll see a little bit of everything at TUSH, drag, burlesque, short films, clown, dance! Host and show mother, Betty Wetter, stacks the cast with glamour, weirdness and whimsy! Catch TUSH twice a month at the Clockout Lounge.

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We Migrate with Our Roots @Cherry Street Village*

Bring cash for this fabulous mutual aid fundraising event put on by a neighbor group I’m associated with, in collaboration with Superfamilia. There will be interactive screenprinting of an original design, live music performances by AfroFive and Sonidos Prohibidos, Pinatas, and of course, plenty of delicious food from local venders!

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Pippin @Reboot Theatre

Some of you may be aware that Pippin is one of my favorite musicals and I haven’t seen it live since 2022! I’m so intrigued by Reboot’s take on this legendary show: that our titular softboy is indoctrinated into a 1930’s tent revivalist religious cult, as opposed to the traditional setting of a traveling circus or performance group?! I could see this concept working really well and I’m looking forward to seeing it in action onstage!

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Inconvenience Store

They’ve turned the former 7-11 in downtown Seattle into WHAT?! My friend Lillia Deering curated this themed gallery for local artists to sell cool shit they spent a lot of time on! They say, “Art is inherently inconvenient. In a society that rewards efficiency and mass production, artists do things the hard way.” You can wander through the gallery starting this Saturday 9/19!

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The Emerald City Slasher @Jet City Improv*

Come see me slash or get slashed in Jet City Improv’s annual Halloween haunt! You write the characters, we bring them to life, and the Cup of Destiny randomly decides their fates. Come for the comedy, stay for the narrative improv that might cut to the heart of something real, even in ridiculous situations!

I’m performing in 9 of our 15 shows, on these nights:

Thursday 10/1, Friday 10/2, Thursday 10/8, Saturday 10/10 (@9:30pm), Thursday 10/15, Saturday 10/17 (@9:30pm), Friday 10/23, Saturday 10/24 (@9:30pm), Thursday 10/29

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Xquisite Corpse @Washington Ensemble Theatre*

Lillia Deering is at it again, conceiving the best party for the freaks and the monsters, all produced by WET! Xquisite Corpse is a month long feast of wonderfully odd events, and we’re inviting you to come costumed, masked, in your drag or your drip to revel in an immersive space that’s somewhere between a fever dream and a nightmare.

Come for the movie screenings, the puppet making workshop, and of course the final two weekends there’s a Monster Ball! I will be performing drag on 10/30 and 10/31, if you’d like to see me clown the hell out.

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Rat Cage @Annex Theater

My friend Coco Justino wrote this wild ride of a horror play that I’ve heard is a riff on Shark Tank…? This winding horror play is set in the interconnected worlds of a girl, Vendetta Payne, struggling in reality and a technological nightmarescape puppeted by oligarchs called The Rats, from the hit tv show Rat Cage! I am so hyped to celebrate the spooky season by feeling downright uNeAsY at this one….

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Billie’s Dollhouse

Local comedy icon and friend on mine, Billie Manton, is putting up an hour long stand up comedy special hosted by our friend Sol Leone and featuring Emmett Montgomery and I am pumped to see some queer/ trans comedy! (the best kind??) Billie has a special kind of charm that really draws you in and her jokes are downright absurd in a genius way. Let’s pack the house and support the people’s comedy queen!!

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Did you count? I snuck an 11th one in this time, but I won’t apologize because I simply had to tell you about Jar of Fat and Much Ado since they close next weekend!

For the record, I do have all the show posters but I’m still trying to troubleshoot adding pictures on this blog, hosted on my friend Zach’s domain. (I didn’t really want to use google or substack for the obvious reasons that I don’t want my words used to train AI or be owned by a third party website hmmmmmm) Y’all are just gonna have to click the links and enjoy the posters like that FOR NOW…..

Thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions of live shows or art experiences you think I’d enjoy, by all means let me know. If you see one of the shows I suggested, I’d LOOOOOVE to know what you thought. Subscribe below to see me in your email, but until next time, go forth and enjoy local art and theater!! <3