Spring Arts Calendar

FEBRUARY 

19—March 22 Betrayal One of the great plays by the recently deceased great playwright Harold Pinter, his 1978 autopsy of an affair gone bad is guaranteed to make married couples and adulterers alike squirm in their seats. Cheyenne Casebier, Alex Podulke, and David Christopher Wells star. Seattle Repertory Theatre, www.seattlerep.org.

20—March 1 Take Part in Art ArtsFund presents this first-annual festival. Art lovers and art newbies can attend over 60 events—including theater, dance, music, readings, visual arts, and film—at discounted prices. Various locations, www.takepartinart.org.

23 Andrew Bird This guy's simultaneously folksy, toe-tapping, and often haunting music will always leave you wanting more. And he throws in some serious whistling, too. The Chicago native is touring with a new album, Noble Beast. Moore Theatre, www.themoore.com.

23 Neil DeGrasse Tyson Still mourning the demotion of our beloved ninth planet Pluto? Here's your chance to hurl insults at one of the proponents of its degradation. An astrophysicist, author, and member of the Bush administration's various space-exploration commissions, Tyson has written the lighthearted The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet. Town Hall, www.townhallseattle.org.

26—March 15 Rubble Women This piece of physical theater viscerally explores the strength of women throughout time. Drawing on myth, history, and the Trümmerfrauen, who helped rebuild Germany after World War II, it asks how women cope with seemingly unendurable hardships. Intiman's associate director Sheila Daniels directs. David Smith Furniture Warehouse, www.umo.org.

26—March 28 The Seafarer Playwright Conor McPherson's latest project, about four Irish pals—and a plot-twisting mystery guest—who drink and gamble away the holidays, has gained momentum (and considerable acclaim) since its 2007 stint on Broadway. Seattle Repertory Theatre.

MARCH 

7—April 3 Nathalie Djurberg As stop-motion animation is slowly squashed by the giant foot of CGI, this Berlin-based artist uses the medium to present fairytale-like short films with a twist. Djurberg lulls her audience into a sense of security before the whimsy turns perverse. She presents four new films. Frye Art Museum, www.fryemuseum.org.

8 Seattle Youth Symphony Three showpieces (by Gershwin, Britten, and Berlioz) from an energetic group that never fails to rise to a challenge. Benaroya Hall, www.syso.org.

10 Tina Dico One of the three sultry singers layering harmonies and touring for Zero 7's second album, When It Falls, this blonde, baby-faced songstress has garnered critical acclaim and a Danish Music Award for her solo efforts. Triple Door, www.thetripledoor.net.

11—15 Moisture Festival This sixth-annual event showcases comedy and amazing physical performance acts. In rapid succession, aerialists, jugglers, comedians, dancers, rope acts, bubble acts, clowns, acrobats, can-can girls, tap dancers, and drill teams pay homage to vaudeville and cabaret. This year offers both family-friendly and adult-oriented programs. ACT Theatre, www.moisturefestival.com.

11—21 The Return of Ulysses Claudio Monteverdi's three surviving operas have been hot properties recently; William Kentridge directs Pacific Operaworks' production, featuring musical direction by Stephen Stubbs and the Handspring Puppet Company of SouthAfrica. Moore Theatre, www.pacificoperaworks.org.

12—29 Elevator Plays In conjunction with Louisville's Specific Gravity Ensemble, Annex brings to Seattle "very short plays for very small spaces." In a Seattle office tower to be announced, audiences will use elevators to shuttle between 30 to 40 plays (running a minute each!), about modern everyday quandaries. Annex Theatre, www.annextheatre.org.

12—April 5 The Merchant of Venice John Langs, who directed one of our favorite plays from last year, The Adding Machine, reorchestrates the Shakespeare classic. Shylock is played by the inestimable Charles Leggett. Seattle Shakespeare Company, www.seattleshakespeare.org.

13 UW Symphony & Choruses Haydn's The Creation, the Age of Enlightenment's musical summit. Meany Hall, www.music.washington.edu.

15—16 Academy of Ancient Music Bach's six dashing Brandenburg Concertos in one concert. You'll probably never hear them played better. Benaroya Hall, www.seattlesymphony.org.

20 Vikram Chandra The Indian novelist (Sacred Games) comes up from Berkeley to join poet Christa Bell, memoirist Jennifer Finney Boylan, and local band the Maldives in a collaborative literary-performance event, My Avatar, presented by Richard Hugo House. Town Hall.

24 Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll's trippy tale gets a makeover from Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann, the creative minds behind the popular Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker. Not for the kids. The Triple Door.

26 Steven Rinella The adventurous food writer previously brought you The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine. Now he'll discuss American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon. Did you know buffalo steaks are very tasty? Pan Pacific Hotel, www.kimricketts.com.

27—April 9 Silent Light One of the most acclaimed art-house movies of last year, Carlos Reygadas' simple dramatization of Mennonite farmers in 1920s Mexico made many critics' 10-best lists. Northwest Film Forum, www.nwfilmforum.org.

29—May 3 Crime and Punishment Yes, it's the same Dostoyevsky production mounted at the Capital Hill Arts Center two years ago, but now on a bigger stage for director Sheila Daniels and stars Hana Lass and Galen Joseph Osier. Intiman Theatre, www.intiman.org.

APRIL 

2—4 Construct Renowned Australian choreographer Tanja Liedtke spent much of her career dancing with avant-garde British group DV8 before becoming artistic director of Sydney Dance Company. A year later, at age 29, she was hit by a truck and killed. Her final piece of choreography reflects on life and relationships, using three dancers to create a tongue-in-cheek love triangle. On the Boards, www.ontheboards.org.