One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Jas Keimig
Wednesday 11/2
(FILM) We’ve all been through a friend breakup. One day you’re best of mates, but then something happens—a fight, a misinterpreted text, some hurt feelings—and you’re no longer close. That’s where farmer Pádraic (Colin Farrell) finds himself when his bestie, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) no longer wishes to be buds… for no apparent reason. The farmer then endeavors to get to the root of the problem with his lifelong friend and his journey leads to shocking outcomes for the both of them. Set on the fictional, remote Irish isle of Inisherin, this Martin McDonagh black comedy reunites the hilarious Farrell and Gleeson for the first time since their explosive performances in In Bruges. Critics have been loving both actors, with particular praise for Farrell and his dynamic eyebrows. This has been high on my watchlist and I’m excited to cut into a ridiculous and affecting McDonagh original. (Screening at SIFF Cinema Uptown, Regal Meridian, AMC Oak Tree, and more) JAS KEIMIG
Short Run’s back, baby! Claudia Chinyere Akole, Courtesy of Short Run
Thursday 11/3
Short Run Kickoff! Special Guest Showcase
(BOOKS) Seattle’s treasured indie comix festival plans to launch its 10th year (!!!) with a little party at The Grocery Studios in north Beacon Hill, home of a cute, little window gallery and artists Demi Raven and Janet Galore. Press materials promise “light refreshments,” plus readings and performances from a few of the artists who flew in from all over the world to be here. Behold the vibrant, wonderfully textured, and introspective comics of Australia’s Claudia Chinyere Akole; quietly smile in solidarity with the insecure, bleakly funny, sun-colored characters that spring from the mind of German comic Anna Haifisch; and lose yourself in the queer, grimy surrealism of Argentine comic Natalie Novia. (The Grocery Studios, 3001 21st Ave S, Seattle, WA 9814, 7 to 9 pm, Free) RICH SMITH
Friday 11/4
(THEATER) Pony World Theatre has been shaking up Seattle’s theater scene for years. In 2013 there was, Suffering, Inc., a contemporary comedy built with Chekhov excerpts. In 2015 they received praise from Stranger theater critic Brendan Kiley for the charged We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, from the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years of 1884–1915. For their newest production, Not / Our Town, Pony World and director Brendan Healy are, yet again, unafraid to get a little weird. Yes, it’s a presentation of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. But actually, it’s not. Before every performance the audience will fill out a survey that asks, among other things, “Do you want to see things falling from the ceiling?” and “How about puppets?” Once votes are tallied, the show is performed using whatever elements—from plot devices to staging styles—received the highest votes. What parts are improv and what parts are actually elements of the show itself? Who cares? Not knowing what the hell Pony World is going to do next is part of the fun. (12th Ave Arts, 1620 12th Ave, 7:30 pm with a 2 pm matinee on Sun Nov 27, runs through December 3) MEGAN SELING
Saturday 11/5
GeekGirlCon is back! After two years in semi-hibernation, it’s time again for the convention founded to empower women and girls to pursue geeky passions ranging from science to comics to gaming and beyond. It’s still not back to its former scale—it’ll be a one-day event this time around. But! It’s in-person again, which is no small feat! Look forward to excellent cosplay tutorials, tabletop gaming, coding workshops, and panels on topics like game design, streaming, and book publishing. It’s all happening at the Convention Center arch over Pike Street, which lends itself to pleasant views, and the smallish footprint is a good call for making the whole event feel friendly and close-knit. (Seattle Convention Center, 800 Convention Place, 9 am-8 pm, $15-$60, all ages) MATT BAUME
Saturday Night at the Baths at SECS Fest
God bless whoever decided that Saturday Night at the Baths needed a 4K restoration. A generally overlooked but historically significant queer film, this aggressively ’70s feature dramatizes the lives and loves of a bathhouse community in New York. Filmed at the actual Continental Baths and featuring some of the staff, the movie’s plot is not exactly what you’d call substantial, but as a time capsule of a very particular point in the sexual liberation movement, it can’t be beat. It’s a fine glimpse into a life that would never otherwise have been captured, and that would soon completely vanish due to an epidemic, stigma, and economic oppression. Filmmaker Greg Youmans, who has written extensively on queer history and experimental film, will introduce the film. (Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, 8 pm, $12) MATT BAUME
Sunday 11/6
(FOOD) After you get your fill of comics and ‘zines at Short Run on Saturday, head down to Pier 66 on Sunday for the Northwest Chocolate Festival. I mean, it’s a chocolate festival. Why wouldn’t you go? More than 100 vendors from around the world bring their best bars, truffles, sauces, and candies, and lay them all out for endless sampling. And we’re not talking cheap shit like Hershey’s. Think Dandelion Chocolate from San Francisco, Dick Taylor from Eureka, CA, French Broad from Asheville, NC, and Spinnaker from right here in Seattle. If you want to get smart, experts are on hand to explain the intricacies of their art—cacao beans are a lot like coffee in that everything from the region to the soil type can impact flavor notes. Some advice: Take it slow. I left my first Northwest Chocolate Festival feeling physically ill because I went all Augustus Gloop on the samples the minute I arrived. Don’t make the same mistake. (Bell Harbor International Conference Center, 2201 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, 9 am-5 pm, $40) MEGAN SELING
Monday 11/7
Fuck SCOTUS We’re Doing it Anyway
(ABORTION RIGHTS) Shout Your Abortion stomped on the gas pedal the second the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. They launched an educational campaign about how to safely and legally obtain and use abortion pills and they updated campaign materials to include bold new slogans like “Fuck SCOTUS We’re Doing it Anyway” and “I Will Aid and Abet Abortion” (the mifepristone and misoprostol pills standing in as the Os in abortion is a nice touch). Right now, most abortions are illegal in at least 13 states and the number of Americans who have access to legal abortions could decrease further depending on how Tuesday’s elections go. It’s scary out there, let’s party. SYA is hosting a night of fundraising with a shopping/art/music event spread across five Belltown venues—Madame Lous, Here-After, Screwdriver Bar, Belltown Yacht Club, and Base Camp Studios—with proceeds going to ARC Southeast and Indigenous Women Rising. At one point during the event everyone will be invited to stop what they’re doing and gather in the streets to “have a collective scream/yell.” I imagine it will be as cathartic as that screaming scene in Midsommar but without the flower crowns and disemboweled bear. Probably. (Various venues in Belltown, 7 pm, $10-$30) MEGAN SELING
VOTE!! IT’S KINDA FUN!!! Anthony Keo
Tuesday 11/8
(CIVIC DUTY) Will Republicans take back Congress, seize every womb in the country, and end American democracy as we (barely) know it? Will progressives expand their ranks in Olympia? Will King County pick a bad cop or a good cop to be its prosecutor? Will Seattle change its entire voting system??? Tonight’s the night we begin to discover the answers to those pressing and depressing questions. But never fear. The Stranger Election Control Board is here with bags of premium weed and sharp opinions. As always, the SECB will fan out and cover election night parties all over town. We’ll start posting live updates on snack spreads, candidate expectations, and nationwide election results starting at around 5:30 pm. When the first round of results comes in at 8:15 pm, look for snap reactions and unhinged analysis at www.thestranger.com. Buckle up!!!! Democracy might die, but live blogging will live forever. RICH SMITH
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