Community Calendar

Six Asian American Circus artists perform an acrobatic family dinner in Rice on Repeat: An AAPI Circus.

There are 3 bowls of rice served throughout our lives: one served to us, one served to ourselves, and one served to others. For many, dinner with family is about connecting and sharing experiences. A bowl of rice is a simple dish that we each flavor to our own tastes. Still, that bowl of rice is also the foundation of a meal and our cultures.

Acrobats will set the table, serve the rice, and share their life stories through dance and circus arts. It's an ordinary routine full of extraordinary acts: handstands on the lazy susan, bowls of rice served from a flying pole, and a chosen family celebrating their shared experiences through movement. The relatable moment when you forget to set the rice, is suddenly a game of partner acrobatics as we wait for dinner to be ready.

Circus arts has its place in theater as a medium for storytelling. Oroki Productions was established to give voices to our artists through this medium that gives us freedom, community, and a way to bring representation into performance art spaces.

This production was made with support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

It’s the jukebox musical nobody asked for! First there was Mamma Mia!, then Jersey Boys, then Beautiful: The Carole King Musical—and now, at last, there’s We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up, the bio-musical that charts the fictional lives of the most famous folk duo that never existed, chock full of the absolute best songs from their completely fictional catalogue.

From their earliest days performing Christian folk through an unforgettably muddy performance at Woodstock to their hysterically misguided children’s television show, Saul Hymon and Bart Parfunkel have lived (and sung!) through it all. Expect an evening of ear-to-ear smiles and belly-laughs as Hymon and Parfunkel—in tour-de-force performances by writers Gregg Hammer and Louis Pardo—satirically skewer the jukebox musical while playing every role (and every instrument!) in this brand-new feel-good buddy show.

Will the perfect fictional folk duo find superstardom, or will they break up? You’ll have to come see to find out!

Welcomed by KNKX. Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.

His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 21 countries on three continents – and still growing – performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.

Pasquale Grasso - It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. “Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”

A PREMIERE WEST COAST EXPERIENCE

The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is held in multiple locations across the beautiful city of Vancouver. Framed by mountains and the ocean, this idyllic location is the perfect place to get your musical fix.

Featuring- Tomoki Sanders Quartet with Todd Stewart Trio, The Ex with Grdina/Lillinger, Keyon Harrold “Foreverland and Songs For Miles,” Voodoo: The Music of D’Angelo, Isaiah Collier “Collier Plays Coltrane” and many others.

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Washington State Historical Society invites you to explore the history of building the State History Museum. 30 Years and Counting: The Making of the Washington State History Museum is a special exhibition that uncovers the vision, effort, and community spirit that brought this iconic Tacoma landmark to life.

Discover the bold ideas and architectural ingenuity that shaped the museum’s distinctive look. From early sketches to final blueprints, see how the building’s design reflects both innovation and reverence for Washington’s past. Go behind the scenes of the museum’s construction. Through photographs and artifacts from the building process, witness how a dream took shape—brick by brick, beam by beam.

Staff Picks: 30 Objects for 30 Years

In a special feature area, museum staff share their favorite objects from the collection—each one a personal reflection on the power of history to inspire, surprise, and connect us.

Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.

Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.

This is a permanent exhibition. Since time immemorial, Tribal nations have existed in this place we call Washington. This Is Native Land invites visitors to understand Washington State through the lived experiences and voices of its Native people.

Tribal nations are sovereign nations. Today, Native history, culture, and community thrive in our state. Through everyday acts of sovereignty – big and small – Indigenous peoples demonstrate they are still here, they have persevered, and they will always be here.

This Is Native Land is guided by three teachings:
We are of the land and waters
With knowledge comes responsibility
Sovereignty protects people, lands, and waters

These teachings are shared through multimedia, artwork, and interactive objects designed for guest engagement. They represent a contemporary continuation of Tribal stories and traditions.

Over 100 Native contributors from more than 60 Tribes shaped the exhibition’s stories and content. We thank the Native Advisory Committee and all community participants for their contributions.

LeMay – America’s Car Museum proudly presents The Birth of the American Supercar, a groundbreaking exhibition guest curated by renowned automotive innovator Steve Saleen. This one-of-a-kind display invites guests on an exhilarating journey through the evolution of American supercars. From early speed pioneers to cutting-edge modern marvels, visitors will experience a stunning lineup of vehicles that have redefined engineering, speed, and style, built by a wide range of American automotive manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Saleen himself, and even some more obscure ones like Vector, Cunningham, and Hennessey. From roaring V8s to sleek carbon-fiber bodies, discover how American automakers pushed boundaries, challenged European rivals, and redefined what a supercar could be. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see some of the most thrilling and historically significant American-made performance vehicles ever built—all under one roof.

Parent Toddler Sensory Friendly Dance Class—a gentle, playful space where you and your little one can move together at your own pace. Using developmental science we foster motor skills, balance, mind-body connection, and self-expression.

This is an 8 week session running May 4th - June 29th (no class May 25th - Memorial Day)
This class is run by South Sound Dance Access, a Thurston County based non-profit on a mission to make dance accessible to every body and every family. Lights, sound, and transitions are adjusted for sensory needs, with clear structure room for breaks, and flexibility. Class uses multi sensory learning and props. We use a teaching method called Brain Compatible Dance Education, informed by developmental and neuroscience.

Fill out this form to reserve your spot and share any access needs.
This class is intended to be whole family fun, parents/caregivers are expected to participate and model with their dancer 🙃

Weekly Jazz with the Chris Binkley Quartet with guest artists from the cream of Pugetropolis's jazz world.