Two members of the Seattle Sounders professional soccer team will be on hand to introduce one of the films at next month's Gig Harbor Film Festival. The picture, 2007's "Her Best Move," about a teen soccer phenom named Sara competing for a spot on the U.S. Women's National Team, will screen at 6 p.m. Sept. 12, the festival's first full night of public screenings. It and all other films in the festival will be shown at the Uptown multiplex theater, 4649 Point Fosdick Drive N.W. Festival spokewoman Paula Lillard said the Sounders members, whose names will be announced later, will be at the theater at 5 p.m. to sign autographs and talk with fans.

Another celebrity attending the festival will be Lillard's son, actor Matthew Lillard. He'll be introducing two films he's starred in. Both will also be shown on the 12th. "One of Our Own," a 2007 drama about a complicated surrogate parenting situation, is scheduled to screen at 8:30 p.m., and 1994's "Serial Mom," a John Waters' comedy about a loving suburban mother who also happens to be a serial killer, will play at midnight. Kathleen Turner plays the murdering mom and Lillard plays her son.

The festival, Gig Harbor's first, will run through Sept. 14.

For the festival's full schedule, go to www.gigharborfilmfestival.org.

Jeremiah Maddock's work at Mineral. Image courtesy Lisa Kinoshita.

It’s Luvverly: “My Fair Lady” at Encore Theater
The classic tale of the crotchety old professor and the beguiling flower girl makes a long but fun night at Encore’s outdoor theater. (Bring a blanket, food and bug spray.) 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. $15/$11/$8/$6. Encore Theater at Impact Church International, 4819 Hunt St, Gig Harbor. 253-858-2282, www.encoretheater.org

Exquisite Drawings at Mineral
From Tacoma to New York and back to Tacoma: Jeremiah Maddock’s work is back in town, thanks to Mineral art space. Maddock’s intensely detailed buildings, patterns and wafer-thin mists entice you deeper and deeper. 12-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and by appointment, through October 2. 253-250-7745, www.lisakinoshita.com

White River Valley Museum Weaves a Culture
Auburn’s White River Valley Museum is exhibiting “Weaver’s Spirit Power,” an exhibit packed full of contemporary and historical Coast Salish weavings. 12-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, through November 9. $2/$1/free Wednesdays. 918 H St. SE, Auburn at Les Gove Park. 253-288-7433, www.wrvmuseum.org

Last Week for TAM Bible
It’s the last chance to see The Saint John’s Bible—first hand-illuminated Bible in 500 years—before it closes on September 7. Janet Cardiff’s sound installation “Forty Part Motet” is also closing next weekend. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. next Thursday, 12-5 p.m. Sundays. $7.50/$6.50/five and under free. 253-272-4258, www.tacomaartmuseum.org

Catch the Woolworth Windows
If you haven’t really been paying attention, now’s the time to walk down Broadway and around to Commerce downtown, and check out the summer installation in the Woolworth Windows before it closes: mesmerizing patterns, a fake house and more. 24/7, through Sept. 6. Free. Corner Broadway and S. 11th Sts, and corner Commerce and S. 11th Sts, Tacoma. www.tacomacontemporary.org

Tall Ships may be over, but there's plenty more activity going on down at the dock. The Commencement Bay Maritime Fest will celebrate all things watery on Sept. 13 and 14, and part of the fun is the annual Maritime Fest Art Show, which opened last Thursday at the Foss Waterway Seaport Building on Dock St. Local artists submitted art in any media that had a nautical theme, with local institutions from the Tacoma Art Museum to the mayor giving awards for a total of $800, jurored by Al Johnsen.

Here are the winners:

1st Place: Nancy Bogni – “Workhorse”
2nd place: George Milliken “Envy”
3rd place: John Rizzotto – “Knotted End”
Foss Waterway Seaport award – Karla Fowler – “Gone Boating”
Joe award – Cecilia Blomberg – “Rowing”
Avino Aquino Award – Jim Oliver- “Evening Traffic”
Foss Award – Doug Michie – “Commencement Bay”
Mayor Award – Harold Johnson – “Tillamook Bay Misty Morning”
Tacoma Arts Commission Award – John Rizzotto – “Block”
Washington State History Museum Award – Aletha Deuel “Not just another Wave”
Tacoma Art Museum Award – Cecilia Blomberg “Rowing”
Honorable mention: Betty Bell – weaving – “Skipping Stones”
Honorable mention: Carolyn Burt – “Out of the Storm”
Honorable Mention: Christy Camerer “Heading in”

The show will be on view 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 12-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays in the Seaport building at 705 Dock St, Tacoma. Entry to the show and maritime museum is $3. For more information, call 253-318-2210 or visit www.maritimefest.org.

Dorothy McCuistion, "Chateau Canard #1." Image courtesy the artist.

The good thing about co-op galleries that showcase every member is that you get to see small but interesting changes in artists from month to month. The bad thing is that you see mostly the same stuff time after time. The Grand Impromptu Gallery fits both of these truisms to a tee. The August show “View Points” highlights new work from printmaker Dorothy McCuistion and new member photographer Peter Serko, but not much else about it is fresh.

Of course, calling a visual art exhibit “View Points” is about as discerning as calling a symphony concert “Sounds,” and that’s maybe where things could be improved at Impromptu. If a single artist is not going to set the voice for a show, at least a strong theme could streamline the constant mélange on show.

Meanwhile, Impromptu’s artists seem to have had fun picking their stuff for “View Points.” In her Canard monotype series, McCuistion uses cut-out photographs of local ducks as the starting point, layering them over images of chateaux and Paris’ Musee d’Orsay. “Chateau Canard #1” (above) and its companion, double-ovals near the gallery’s window, are the most complex, layering not just images but ideas of light, movement and hiddenness, as the ducks float abstractly over etched color.

Peter Serko, "Superfund Mist." Image courtesy Impromptu Gallery.

Photographer Peter Serko has just joined the Impromptu team, and his digital photos are mostly compelling. “Superfund Mist” frames the toxic Foss Waterway with an ominous overhang, wreathed in a nostalgic, fairytale cloud. “New York meadow” gives an almost sepia tint to the sky and blueish-gray to the reedy grasses. The Chihuly flowers at the Union Station courthouse, though, are bland, needing more cropping.

It’s mostly the usual stuff from the gallery’s other artists. Becky Frehse’s small landscape blocks aren’t as impressive as her larger scroll shapes. Trinda Love, interpreting the ‘viewpoints’ theme through an anthropomorphic lens, offers up some welcome irony in the bulging green bottles of “Glassworks Park.” Chip van Gilder’s Tall Ships photos are crisp, and Bea Geller explores some gorgeous color fields in her sunset views of Tolmie State Park.

Impromptu Gallery is open 4-9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2-9 p.m. Saturdays, 2-6 p.m. Sundays. “View Points” runs through Aug. 30. 608 S. Fawcett St, Tacoma. 253-572-9232, www.impromptugallerytacoma.com.

Bronze moose at Northwest Trek, by Jeff Oens. Image courtesy Northwest Trek.

If you like this life-sized bronze moose out the front at Northwest Trek wildlife park, you might like to see more nature-themed art this fall. On September 27 and 28 the Trek will hold a juried art show featuring 15 Oregon and Washington artists, demonstrations, a silent auction and a visit by the moose's sculptor, Jeff Oens.

The show is organized by Karen Lucas of Lucas Art, The Gallery on the Hill, in Graham, and focuses on Northwest wildlife. Featured artists include:

· Chris Gunter, painter
· Jennifer Hermanson, photography
· Paul Langston, woodburning/paintings
· Pam Lovelace, clay sculpture
· Jason McCissack, painter
· James Montgomery, steel sculpture
· Robert Raymond, painter
· Nathan Schreiber, photography
· Donna Schroeder, painter
· Julie Thompson - "Feather Lady," paintings on feathers
· Gail Turner, painter
· Jack Westerfield, decoys

Says Lucas: "I'm really excited. The variety of artists this year is really big."

Lecturers and demonstrators in the Forest Theater will include:
· Saturday Sep. 27: Dale Thompson will lecture on and demonstrate painting birds in watercolors, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
· Sunday Sep. 28: Gerald Sticka will demonstrate his wildlife painting techniques and display his work.
Sculptor Jeff Oens will be there for the entire event near the entrance.

There's also an Audience Choice award of $100, voted for by visitors. The theme this year is elk: each artist has included a work featuring that animal.

Northwest Trek, accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, is a 723-acre zoological park dedicated to conservation, education and recreation by displaying, interpreting and researching native Northwest wildlife and their natural habitats. The wildlife park is a facility of Metro Parks Tacoma and is located 35 miles southeast of Tacoma off State Highway 161. For more information, call 360-832-6117 or visit www.nwtrek.org.

The animation bug bit Jerry Seinfeld awhile back, and the result was "Bee Movie," the star's first foray into a realm we'll call 'Toon World. He gives voice of a talkative honey bee named Barry who falls for Renee Zellweger and sues humanity for honey theft. It's a cheery picture, though one with a slightly sharper edge to it than most family-orientated animated offerings, thanks to
Seinfeld's trademark wit.

It was a decent-sized hit when it opened last November, and now it's coming to Tacoma's South End Recreation Area (SERA), 6002 S. Adams, at sunset Saturday. It's the latest offering in Metro Parks' Summer Sounds and Comcast Cinema series that's been going on for weeks now on Saturdays in the city's parks.

Singer-songwriter Jonathan Harris will open the evening's entertainment with a pre-screening concert at 6:30 p.m.

As always with this series, the music and the movie are free.

Martin Blank, left, works with Evan Schauss to create one of several hundred hand-sculpted elements that will comprise "Fluent Steps" in the Museum of Glass's hotshop last April.(Drew Perine/The News Tribune)

There's a huge glass sea-serpent inside the warehouse at 309 Puyallup Ave, but it won't be there for long.

It's Martin Blank's glass installation "Fluent Steps," intended to go up in the Museum of Glass' main plaza pool this fall. Made of mounding hills of 135 crinkly clear glass shapes on supports--looking rather like the humpy back of a sea-serpent--the work is only half-made, says Blank, and won't be in place until next spring. Blank, a Seattle-based glass artist, has been blowing the pieces in the MoG Hot Shop since May, assembling it for measurement in a Puyallup Ave studio rented from artists Rick Semple and Jori Adkins, who own the set of buildings including Mineral art jewelry space and the former Barefoot Studios.

As well as needing to blow more pieces in the Hot Shop (what he's made currently only fills half the pool), Blank says the support structure also needs work. Rather than install the work in lousy weather in a few months' time, MoG has decided to wait til next spring for the long-awaited installation, says MoG's Susan Newsom.

Meanwhile, Semple and Adkins have a new tenant for Blank's studio space--a bicycle shop. (Very handy for all those cyclists heading up the waterway over the new D St. overpass!) So Blank has to disassemble the sculpture piece by piece, label it, and store it in the basement downstairs.

Even squeezed into a warehouse, "Fluent Steps" is already pretty stunning. You can see it through the street windows--but only until next weekend. After that, the sea-serpent will be hiding in the basement til 2009.

Here's a shot of Blank and team assembling a part of the serpent...

Martin Blank and "Fluent Steps." Image courtesy Museum of Glass.

Sculptured Sand in the City
What do St. Paul’s Cathedral, Winnie-the-Pooh and a dragon have in common? They’re all possibilities for sand sculpture at Olympia’s annual Sand in the City event this weekend, attracting artists, architects and toddlers alike. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. today—sand-sculpting; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday—beach party; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday—public viewing. Free ($5 donation for party). Port Plaza, Olympia (near Farmers’ Market). 360-956-0818, www.hocm.org/page.php?id=75

MoG’s Last Day for Lino
August 24 is the last day at the Museum of Glass to see the glass art of Venetian maestro Lino Tagliapietra, a sweeping retrospective of superb work. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Sundays. $10/$8/$4/under-six free. 1801 Dock St, Tacoma. 866-4-MUSEUM, www.museumofglass.org

Glassroots Festival Celebrates Art
The final downtown arts festival this summer, Glassroots focuses on live art and local community. 12-6 p.m. Aug. 24. 11th and Market Sts, Tacoma. Free. www.myspace.com/grassrootsartsfestival

Slice of Paint at Fulcrum Gallery
Tacoma painter Mindy Barker takes her layered, photo-embedded paintings into another dimension at Fulcrum, installing them like memory landfill layers between sheets of glass. 6-9 p.m. Thursdays, 12-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Sept. 14. Free. 1308 MLK Way, Tacoma. 253-250-0520, fulcrum.oliverdoriss.com

Helm Gallery’s Fresh Photo Salad
Five young photographers (Omer Hecht, Trevor Powers, Elizabeth Weinberg, Shawn Gust and curator Joseph Peila) document a youth of graffiti, bands, subcultures and dreams at the Helm Gallery. 12-6 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Sept. 10. 760 Broadway, Tacoma. Free. 253-627-8845, www.thehelmgallery.com

There’s plenty on for ArtWalk this Thursday: I’m going to try and make it to see TNT illustrator Fred Matamoros’ work at Gallery Madera, painter Mindy Barker at Fulcrum, some UWT work at the UWT Gallery and The Helm Gallery’s first photography show.

Suzanne Moore in her Vashon Island studio

But if you’ve seen The Saint John’s Bible at Tacoma Art Museum, or even if you’ve been delaying it, this Thursday’s the time to go. Not only will it be free, but the only local illustrator for the entire UK-based project, Suzanne Moore, will be there to talk about her part in the first hand-written Bible in 500 years. Moore lives on Vashon Island, and I profiled her back in July. She’s an excellent painter, letterer and book artist in her own right, and the tales she tells about the 10-plus-year project are fascinating.

Moore’s speaking at 7 p.m. But get there early to beat the Bible lines, and you can also hear the Divine Providence Choir from Bethlehem Baptist Church, Tacoma, sing at 6:30 p.m., or try your own hand at calligraphy in the studio.

TAM is located at 1701 Pacific Ave, Tacoma. It’s open this Thursday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and is free all day. 253-272-4258, www.tacomaartmuseum.org

Ceramic bowls, Anne Riley.

Need pottery? Eight local potters are getting together this Friday and Saturday for a house-sale of high-fired and mid-fired wares. Susan Thompson is the host, and her house, deck and (weather permitting) garden in the Stadium district will be filled with pots, bowls and other functional items. Potters include Ann Meersman, Anne Riley, Charan Sacher, Jill Rohrbaugh, Janet Rudolph, Kazumi Divens-Cogez, Rowena Forde and Thompson herself. You may have seen several of these display work at the local farmers’ markets. I have some of Anne Riley’s gorgeous double-colored bowls (see above.)

“Everybody’s stuff is quite different,” says Thompson, who got the group together for the first time last year for a successful sale. “We end up shopping among ourselves, also!”

Thompson mentioned the seconds table for deal-hunters.

Thompson’s house is at 717 North D St, Tacoma, and the sale runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday Aug. 22 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday Aug. 23. For more information, call Susan Thompson at 253-678-9184.

I had a chat with Tacoma Little Theatre’s interim artistic director Doug Kerr last week. The theater is about to start its 90th season.

Kerr has been filling the director’s chair until a permanent replacement can be found. Former director David Duvall resigned in July.

Kerr says the theater “may be the oldest cultural entity left here in Tacoma. There are a lot of loyal patrons of this place.”

Kerr has freelance directed for TLT, Lakewood Playhouse and Centerstage Theatre. He headed the theater program at Pierce College until he retired in 2001.

Why come out of retirement to help TLT?

“I just don’t want to see another theater die in this town," he told me.

To be clear, TLT is not on its deathbed. But, it could use some financial help, Kerr said. “We’re stressed (financially),” he said. TLT’s season ticket campaign did not get off the ground, he said. Season ticket sales are crucial to most theater’s well being.

This is a tough time of year for any theater but Duvall is looking forward. He’s bullish about the upcoming season.

The season is opening Sept. 12 with “Much Ado About Nothing,” set in 1812 with costumes by Alex Lewington.

Other shows this season include “Leaving Ladies, ” a farce by Ken “Lend me a tenor” Ludwig and “Dear Santa” by Norm Foster. Kerr calls "Santa" a charming play that everyone will love.

Kerr is optimistic about local theater and TLT in particular. “This theater has a rich tradition in Tacoma,” he said. And Kerr is putting all his energies into keeping that tradition alive.

Matthew Lillard, left, with other cast members of "Scooby-Doo"

Hollywood actor Matthew Lillard, probably best-known for his work as Shaggy in 2002's "Scooby-Doo" and its 2004 sequel, "Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," will be on hand for the opening of the Gig Harbor Film Festival on Sept. 11 and 12.

The festival is new this year, and Lillard's mom, Paula Lillard, is one of its founders and serves as vice president of its board of directors. Thanks to that family connection, Matthew will be attending an invitation-only VIP opening night party on Sept. 11, at the festival's hospitality office at the Uptown Gig Harbor shopping center. The following day he'll introduce a 7 p.m. screening of one of his films, 2007's "One of Our Own," at the Galaxy Uptown 10 multiplex, 4649 Point Fosdick Drive N.W. He's the star and also the co-producer of the drama about difficulties encountered by a couple who hires a woman to be a surrogate mother. He'll stay to answer questions after the screening, said festival president Marty Thacker.

The festival will run through Sept. 14.

And the winners of the 2008 Seattle Opera Wagner Competition (a.k.a. Wagnerian Idol) are....Elza van den Heever, from South Africa, and Michael Weinius, from Sweden. Selected Saturday night from eight finalists singing Wagner arias accompanied by the Seattle Symphony, each winner received a $15,000 prize.

“All of the judges agreed that we had eight fine finalists. I feel that the level was even higher this year than the first year,” said Seattle Opera director Speight Jenkins.”It was a hard-fought decision for the two winners, but a great one.”

Van den Heever performed “Dich, teure Halle” (Tannhäuser) and “Einsam in trüben Tagen” (Lohengrin), while Weinius sang “Preislied” (Die Meistersinger) and “Amfortas! Die Wunde” (Parsifal).

Van den Heever was also voted Audience Favorite, from votes cast by the audience, and Nadine Weissmann won the Orchestra Favorite.

When the sun goes down Saturday night, a "Moon" will rise ... on a big inflatable screen at the McKinley Playfield, 4321 McKinley Ave. Or to be more precise, the Spanish-language film "Under the Same Moon," will be screened there as part of Metro Parks' ongoing Summer Sounds and Comcast Cinema film series. The well-made independent feature traces the long-distance journey of a 9-year-old Mexican boy who makes his way from his hometown in Mexico to Los Angeles, where his mother, an illegal immigrant, works as a maid.

The screening is free, and it will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a concert by the Grupo Latigo.

...to the Great Hall at Annie Wright School. According to Lisa Fruichantie, publicist for tomorrow's MLKBallet contemporary dance concert Move! #9, the former Stadium High School Theater venue was pulled on MLKBallet at the last minute, so they've had to move. Literally.

The ninth in MLK's Move! series features Tacoma boy Joel Myers as well as MLK students, and is the organization's way of regularly raising funds for their tuition-free ballet school on the Hilltop.

Ticket prices are still $10 advance, $14 at the door. Times are still 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 16. Only the venue has changed.

Questions? Call Lisa Fruichantie, 253-921-2858.

"Fresh Salad" photography exhibit at The Helm gallery opens Thursday 21 Aug.

Joel Myers Moves it for MLKBallet
Move!, the fundraising series for tuition-free Hilltop school MLKBallet, stars contemporary dance wiz Joel Myers in the series’ ninth show on Saturday. 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Aug. 16, Great Hall at Annie Wright School, 827 N. Tacoma Ave, Tacoma. $14/$10 in advance. www.brownpapertickets.com

New Theater at “Play Buffet”
Japanese students stage new Northwest plays in this annual collaboration between Northwest Playwrights’ Alliance, Japan’s Academy of International Education and the Broadway Center for Performing Arts. 7 p.m. Aug. 16, Theater on the Square, 915 Broadway, Tacoma. Free. 360-754-2818, www.broadwaycenter.org

Traver Gallery Hosts Women’s Glass Show
Glass may seem like a guy’s world, but it isn’t. Check out work from artists like Marianne Buus, Amy Rueffert, and Northwesterners Jan Elek and Cappy Thompson. Reception 3-6 p.m. Aug. 17. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Sundays, through Sept. 7. Free. 1801 E. Dock St, Tacoma. 253-383-3685, www.travergallery.com

Do the Monkey
August’s 100th Monkey art community party features $4 art tiles by Jim Francis (buy the 100th one, and organize the next party!) plus theater/art/dance by Lynn and Doug Mackey, Dayton Knipher, Lisa Fruichantie, Joel Myers and Claudia Riedener. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Aug. 20. Theater on the Square, 915 Broadway, Tacoma. Free, but bring a plate of food or a beverage to share. 253-732-3460, www.100thmonkeytacoma.com

Photographs, Paintings and more at ArtWalk
This month’s ArtWalk includes The Helm Gallery’s first photography show, Mindy Barker’s layered photo/paintings at Fulcrum, and the TNT’s own illustrator Fred Matamoros at Gallery Madera. 5-8 p.m. Aug. 21. The Helm Gallery, 760 Broadway, Tacoma. www.thehelmgallery.com. Fulcrum Gallery, 1308 MLK Way, Tacoma. 253-520-0520, fulcrum.oliverdoriss.com. Gallery Madera, 2210 Court A, Tacoma, 253-572-1218, www.maderawoodworking.com

There's certainly a lot happening in Tacoma this Saturday arts-wise: Joel Myers dancing in Move!, a "Play Buffet" of local playwrights' new works, women's glass art at Traver Gallery. But for die-hard Wagner fans, Seattle is the place to be Saturday night, when the annual Seattle Opera Wagner competition hits the stage. Eight international singers will battle it out with orchestra-accompanied arias for two $15,000 cash prizes, plus an audience-vote and an orchestra-vote prize.

They nicknamed it "Wagnerian Idol" last year, due to the following (apparently) in the crowd. And actually, with the Wagner-mad friends I have myself, I can understand it. (Sort of.)

I'm not in the Wagner-mad category myself, but if I go, I'll put in my vote for fellow Aussie, mezzo Deborah Humble.

Other contestants are tenor Erin Caves from Stockton, California; tenor Jason Collins from Beaufort/Seneca, South Carolina; bass-baritone Darren Jeffery from Cambridgeshire, England; bass Peter Lobert from Jena, Germany; tenor Michael Weinius from Stockholm, Sweden; mezzo-soprano Nadine Weissmann from Berlin, Germany; and soprano Elza van den Heever from Johannesburg, South Africa.

The judges are made up of a handful of opera experts from around the world, including Stephen Wadsworth, frequent director of Seattle Opera productions, including the 2001 and 2005 Ring cycles and upcoming 2009 Ring; and Eva Wagner-Pasquier, daughter of Wolfgang Wagner and an artistic advisor to the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

The competition begins at 7:30 p.m. in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle Center. Tickets 800-426-1619 or 206-389-7676 or www.seattleopera.org

One of the best movies ever made about adolescence, in the humble opinion of this writer, anyway, come to Grand Cinema on Friday. It's "American Teen," a documentary that focuses on five seniors attending a small-town high school in Indiana. Director Nanette Burstein spent a year following the kids around, and in the process gained their trust to such an extent that she was granted an astonishing amount of access to them, their families and their friends. Private moments, some of them excruciatingly painful, play out before her lens in real time, and give the picture an immediacy and intensity rarely seen in documentaries.

These seemingly ordinary kids are anything but ordinary once the viewer gets to know them through this extraordinary film.

For show times, go to www.grandcinema.com

(From left) Kosuke Shiozawa, Kimiko Hakomori, Yusuke Takami in "Tater Tot Terror" at last year's Play Buffet. Photo: Hiroko Momose

Remember these Tater Tots?

I sure do. They held the stage at last year's "Play Buffet" at Theater on the Square with starch and sheer silliness. For those that weren't there (or even if you were), "Play Buffet" is an annual collaboration between the Northwest Playwrights' Alliance and Japan's Academy of International Education, a school for kids who drop out of the regimented Japanese school system and who, among other things, learn English through acting in new plays.

Here's what organizer Bryan Willis has to say:

The plays showcase the talents of 34 Japanese college students, most of whom
live in Lakewood and attend either Saint Martin's University or Pierce College.
These are kids who didn't make it in the traditional Japanese school system.
In fact, every one of them was kicked out of their respective Japanese high
schools for academic and/or disciplinary reasons--an astonishing concept
once you see the intelligence, passion and exuberance they display on stage.
It's a surreal, uplifting and curiously theatrical experience.

The Broadway Center for the Performing Arts contributes by offering space, and all the plays are by Northwest playwrights--another great reason to go. Playwrights include Dan Erickson, Cathy Sampson, Michael Wallace, James Venhaus, Aaron Shay and Willis himself, NPA's playwright in residence. Last year's was hilarious. It's certainly not professional theater, but these kids do a fantastic job and are worth encouraging.

This year's show begins 7 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 16 in Theater on the Square (915 Broadway) with pre-show music (also by the students) and reception to follow. It's free.

For more information, contact willis@olynet.com or 360-754-2818

And if you can't make it Saturday, try tonight: It's the monthly new play reading from NPA, and the very last one in Tacoma before they move to Seattle Repertory Theatre. (The reason? Broadway Center for Performing Arts charged them $80 for the rehearsal space, and the Rep is free, with PR thrown in, according to Willis.)

The reading starts tonight at 7 p.m. The rehearsal space is on street level between the Pantages and Theater on the Square. It's also free, though if you donate something the cash-starved NPA will love you forever.

Well, I just got back from Showcase Tacoma. The annual downtown arts festival certainly livens up Tollefson Plaza and the UW back alley, and this year's stuff was a good mix of all disciplines. Really nice to see so much emphasis on actual art (live, installed, interactive or whatever) rather than sales stalls, but the crowds weren't huge.

But gosh, the art certainly was. One of the things that made Showcase different from last year (and, in fact, any other Tacoma festival) was the presence of adventurous contemporary art. Prize for the biggest installation goes to Peter Lynn and Sean Alexander from the Helm Gallery, who created this whale out of a wooden frame and gray-spraypainted cardboard.

Sean Alexander and Peter Lynn, "Whale."

It straddles the old railway tracks, looking cleverly like a train carriage from the front, and gradually displaying more cetacean features as you move around it.

Next biggest was "House and Home" by UWT prof Tyler Budge, working well with the water in Tollefson Plaza.

Tyler Budge, "House and Home."

Prize for Most Fun definitely goes to the folks from Fulcrum Gallery, for this aerial map of Tacoma done in relief from recycled materials. Not only could you walk on it (careful, don't stomp the Dome!) but they'd thoughtfully included some golf balls, a club and a hole on the Hilltop. Quite a difficult par, as my kids found out.

Here's the Port of Tacoma view:

Oliver Doriss and Fulcrum Gallery, "Dream Time Tacoma."

Finally, Justin Gorman created a much more interesting bus stop than usual, filling it with multimedia documentation of his Seattle commutes. Thanks to Justin, you don't have to actually ride the bus, just the bus stop.

Justin Gorman, "InTransIt."

Oh, and how could I forget--the knitting project! I didn't figure out where Amy Thomas and the drop-in knitting sculpture was. But here's an example of the cute little swatches she's been hiding at various locations around town. This one was pretty close to the Whale.

Amy Thomas, "Close Knit Community."

Not much to report from Tacoma Art Museum's Iron Artist competition. The idea's a fun one, and yes, there's some voyeuristic pleasure in seeing people trying to create something meaningful in one hour from pipe cleaners, tissue paper, old art books and corrugated cardboard. But basically, out of 15 entries, only a few stood out as anything beyond grade-school art project standard, and the dwindling crowd at the prize announcements testified to that. (Plus, thanks to the loud atmospheric burble of The Helio Sequence in Tollefson, you could hardly hear anything.)
First place: Team Ironic. Second: Primo alla Scala. Third: Holy Ghost Busters.
You can see these items at TAM tomorrow, I think.

Spotted in the crowd: Northwest Sinfonietta conductor Christophe Chagnard, sporting a summer beard and chilling to Pearl Django. Director David Domkowski, overseeing a not-too-exciting theater production by some of his SOTA students. TV Tacoma host Amanda Westbrooke, looking snazzy as always.

The festival continues from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. tomorrow. Remember the sunscreen, and practice your party piece for the Click!-filmed talent show.

The Loch Ness Monster, aka Nessie, aka the Water Horse will be swimming into town Saturday. Well, at least a fictional representation of the legendary beastie will be putting in an appearance in the 2007 family movie, "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," which will be shown at sundown at Thea's Park, 405 Dock St. It's the story of a young boy who finds a mysterious egg on Scotland's rugged shore during World War II, takes it home and watches it hatch into a rubbery little varmint that grows like crazy into, well, you know what.

The free showing on a giant inflatable movie screen comes courtesy of the Summer Sounds and Comcast Cinema program being offered by Metro Parks. A unique feature of Saturday's event is that a 300-ft. log boom will be moored offshore where boaters can tie up and watch the picture from the comfort of their own vessels. A nice touch for a nautical-themed movie, that.

A performance by the Fort Lewis Jazz Combo will kick off the event at 6:30 p.m.

Norbert Nirewicz in "Coppelia," performed by Dance Theatre Northwest at the Museum of Glass this Saturday. Photo: Janusz Mazon

Showcase Tacoma shows off local arts
Now three years old, this annual indoor/outdoor festival highlights the best of Tacoma’s performing, visual and literary arts scene. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. today and tomorrow. Free. From Tollefson Plaza through S. Commerce St to the University of Washington, Tacoma, including Tacoma Art Museum (5-8 p.m. today). www.showcasetacoma.org

Art Installations in Tollefson Plaza
Okay, technically it’s part of Showcase Tacoma (above), but these unique, two-day installations in Tollefson Plaza are worth seeing on their own: a sandbagged house in the fountain, an aerial map of Tacoma made of recycled materials, an knitting sculpture, a multimedia bus travel chronicle, and a giant whale. Today and tomorrow from 11a.m. Free. Tollefson Plaza, Pacific Ave and S. 17th St, Tacoma. www.showcasetacoma.org

Transparent Dance at the Museum of Glass
Dance Theatre Northwest offer performances of glass-inspired ballet in the Museum of Glass lobby. The day also includes family art-making in the studio. Dance 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., art-making 11 a.m.-5 p.m. tomorrow. Free with admission: $10/$8/$4/free for under-six. 1801 Dock St, Tacoma. 866-4MUSEUM, www.museumofglass.org, www.dancetheatrenorthwest.org

Grand Impromptu Viewpoints
Tidepools, ducks and toxic mists swim through the Grand Impromptu Gallery this month in “View Points,” featuring prints and watercolors by gallery artist Dorothy McCuistion and Tacoma photographs by guest artist Peter Serko.
4-9 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2-9 p.m. Saturday, 2-6 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 30. Free. 608 S. Fawcett St, Tacoma. 253-572-9232, www.impromptugallerytacoma.com

Giant Kitty puppet comes to Tacoma Public Library
It’s “The Fattest Kitty on Earth”, and it’s manned by William Zarcho of Vashon Island’s Zambini Brothers puppet troupe. The person-sized Kitty is accompanied by smaller, hand-held puppets in this quirky kids’ show. 11 a.m. Aug. 13. Free. Tacoma Public Library main branch, 1102 Tacoma Ave S., Tacoma. 253-591-5666, www.tacomapubliclibrary.org

Chambers Creek Central Meadow, University Place. Image courtesy Broadway Center for Performing Arts.

There's a new venue in town, and it's outdoors. The Chambers Creek Central Meadow, a 22-acre park and performance amphitheater located on the Chambers Creek Properties in University Place, opens this weekend with a concert on Saturday night and a community picnic on Sunday.

The concert's a big one: the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra with folksinger Judy Collins. Those of you who were around in the '60s might remember Collins' album "Wildflowers," with a Joni Mitchell song that got her into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1975 she was credited for winning Stephen Sondheim his Grammy for her rendition of "Send in the Clowns," and she sang for President Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1983. This Saturday she'll sing with the Tacoma Symphony. The opening act is folk-rock singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke, with some undiscovered Woody Guthrie numbers.

The event, aside from ushering in the latest step in the evolution from gravel pit to public park at the Pierce County-owned Chambers Creek, is a nice example of collaboration, with the Broadway Center for Performing Arts and Chambers Creek Foundation combining to organize an ongoing concert series benefitting both arts and environment.

The big downside is the parking: there is none. At least, there's parking for the $80 Gold Circle tickets, but they're now sold out. The general admission, still pretty hefty at $50, includes a shuttle ticket from nearby parking lots at Charles Wright and Curtis Junior and Senior High schools. You can bring chairs and a blanket, though high chairs will be moved to a separate area. You can also bring in food and non-alcoholic drinks; beer, wine and food will be for sale at the Meadow.

Gates open at 4 p.m., the concert starts at 6 p.m. Saturday Aug. 9. To buy tickets, visit www.broadwaycenter.org or call 253-591-5890. Parking lots are at Charles Wright Academy, 7723 Chambers Creek Rd. West; Curtis Junior High, 8901 40th St. W.; and Curtis Senior High, 8425 40th St. W., University Place.

As for the picnic, it's free, running from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 10. Food vendors will be there. Two entertainment stages include everything from bagpipes to string quartets to a magician and a steel drum band. Bring your own food, leashed dogs are welcome, and shuttles will run between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from the school parking lots. Handicapped picnickers can park at the Pierce County Environmental Services building at 9850 64th St. W., and take an accessible shuttle from there. After the picnic, take a hike around the walking trail, or just admire the Fox Island/Puget Sound view.

For more information on the Meadow or picnic, visit www.piercecountywa.org/pc/abtus/ourorg/ccp/eventprograms.htm.

The Grand Cinema's two-week minifilm festival celebrating the 90th birthday of United Artists wraps up this weekend.

Three more classics from the studio are on tap beginning Friday: "From Russia with Love," arguably the best of the Bonds from the Sean Connery era  (Love that close-quarters mano-a-mano fight with "Red" Grant aboard the Orient Express , just love it!); "Some Like It Hot," which many say is the best movie Billy Wilder ever directed  (not me, though; I'd vote for "Double Indemnity," but I'm just a sucker for noir) and "The Pink Panther." Steve Martin? Pa-toooi! A poseur. Peter Sellers was the only actor worthy to be called Clouseau.

For show times, go to www.grandcinema.com

Enjoy.

Tyler Budge and family assemble "House and Home" in the pools at Tollefson Plaza.

He's artist and UWT professor Tyler Budge, and (with the help of his family) was down at Tollefson Plaza in downtown Tacoma this afternoon constructing an installation as part of the upcoming festival Showcase Tacoma. (You can read more about this online and in GO on Friday.)

Budge's "House and Home" involves a steel frame about the size of a living room, with two doorways, wrapped in flimsy white fabric and supported by orange sandbags.

Here's a shot of the sandbags:

"House and Home," by Tyler Budge, during installation.

Says Budge:

"I was asked to participate in Showcase Tacoma while we where being inundated with news images of flooded homes along the Mississippi River. Having most recently moved from Illinois...I realized that the people of Illinois and I were participating in the same effort—preservation of house and home. I find myself packing sandbags with no real assurance that they will truly hold. As I struggle to keep the house above water, home becomes illusionary and illusive."

Being around 90 degrees on the plaza today, it also seemed a really good excuse for Tyler's six-year-old son Ezra (see top photo) to get as wet as possible.

On the sidewalk next to Pacific Ave, Oliver Doriss and his team from Fulcrum Gallery are creating a relief aerial map of Tacoma using recycled materials. Made of cans, pallets, cardboard and foam, among other things, it'll be pretty representational, says Doriss--as in, you can look down and say, "Hey! There's the Tacoma Dome!" Being on the sidewalk, you can also walk right over it. Which is fine, says Doriss, pointing out that how else could you walk right over from Gig Harbor to the Port of Tacoma?

Here's the map it's based on (GoogleEarth or somesuch):

Aerial view of Tacoma. Image courtesy Oliver Doriss.

And here's Doriss' general intention:

"The goal of Dream-Time Tacoma is to challenge current perceptions of what Tacoma is and what it could be, by using public art and space as a tool to strengthen civic life. Dream-Time Tacoma asks you to step into it and actualized the lives we live behind our eyes, the Tacoma we envision while sleeping."

That's assuming we dream about Tacoma, of course. I generally dream of other places. Call it escapism. Doriss et al will be down there Thursday around 5 p.m. to set it up, if you want to check it out.

Right next to "Dream-Time Tacoma" will be the prosaic reality version: a multimedia installation by Justin Gorman inside the bus shelter on Pacific. Gorman's not only been bus-commuting to Seattle for a year now, he's been documenting it as well, and "InTransIt" will include video, stills and audio of the gritty experience. According to co-organizer Amy McBride, Gorman will also be making live appearances as "the weirdo sitting next to you on the bus." There's a lot of it up on his blog right now.

Just next to Tollefson, across from S. 17th St, will be an interactive installation, "Fiber Plant," consisting of knitted swatches "growing" up a wire. Whether you can or can't knit, you can be part of this two-day project by Amy Thomas. Other fibrous components of "Close Knit Community" will be scattered around the city--Here's a park-bench sample, courtesy of Di Morgan-Graves.

Knit Swatch art, Amy Thomas. Image courtesy Amy Thomas.

See more on Amy's web album. You can pick up a knit-location map from Amy's knitting area at the festival.

Finally, Peter Lynn and Sean Alexander, who run the funky but struggling art space The Helm Gallery, are building a large cardboard whale, which will be "beached" somewhere grassy on the UWT campus.

Here's what Sean had to say about it:

"As for what it is about, who knows? We just hope it looks like some hippies dropped it off there. Also, we have no experience building a sculpture of this scale. We are nervous about it. We decided to participate in the show because they asked us to and it seemed like something that we couldn't say no to."

So if you're down around that area, keep an eye out for intriguing stuff going up. Post a photo if you can! And don't miss Showcase Tacoma, from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, from Tollefson through the UWT.

Crowd watching Tacoma Art Museum's 2007 Iron Artist Competition. Image courtesy TAM.

It's back--the Iron Artist Competition at Tacoma Art Museum. If you were there last year, you'll remember the thrill, the glue spills, the drama as a collection of brave local artists attempted to create a work of art in just one hour, using identical materials unknown until the start of the competition. Apparently last year's competition was so successful (folks lined the mezzanine balcony to get a good view) that TAM is holding it again this year. The event begins at 6 p.m. this Friday, as part of both the museum's free Midsummer Night's Community Festival and the wider Showcase Tacoma festival, a free, mostly-outside arts-based festival in the UWT district this Friday and Saturday.

But back to Iron Artist. The idea is based, of course, on the Iron Chef TV competitions, and looks to be an annual event.

"It was greatly successful this year," said TAM spokesperson Alyssa Rosso. " We had a lot of people ask us if we were going to do it again this year. And as Showcase Tacoma happens every year, wouldn't it be great if our contribution to that was the Iron Artist Competition? So we said, why not?"

Last year the theme was Glitter, Glisten and Gleam, to coincide with a then-current exhibition: materials included sparkly things like bubble wrap, foil, shiny threads and egg cartons. Creations by artists like Lynn di Nino, Sue Pivetta et al and their teams ranged from the whimsical to the seriously abstract.

Here's Lynn with her team, the Iron Maidens (Jori Adkins and Francesca Siena.)

Francesca Siena, Lynn di Nino and Jori Adkins work hard on their Iron Artist project. Image courtesy Tacoma Art Museum.

And here's a YouTube video of the event.

This year, say the TAM folks, the Midsummer Festival's theme of Renaissance might play a part. The 15 artist teams--who include some of last year's challengers, plus newcomers like chalk art diva Andrea Trenbeath Lowen--need to be willing to, in the words of the TAM application, "work quickly, work well, work under pressure, explain the artwork in an attempt to gain votes and be a good sport." TAM provides live commentary as the artworks progress, and at the end, public votes (that means YOU!) decide the three place-winners, who'll get museum memberships and a medal, with the first-place winner getting a cash prize as well.

In addition to the Iron Artist Competition, TAM's festival will include a DJ, live performances by Shakespeare in the Parking Lot at 5:15 p.m. and hip-hop troupe D.A.S.H. at 6:15 p.m., as well as current exhibitions like The Saint John's Bible.

Tacoma Art Museum is located at 1701 Pacific Ave, Tacoma. The Midsummer Festival runs 5-8 p.m. Friday August 8, and is free. Information: 253-272-4258, www.tacomaartmuseum.org.
Showcase Tacoma is an annual arts festival in downtown Tacoma organized by Metro Parks, the City of Tacoma and Tacoma School of the Arts. Free outdoor and indoor arts events run from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on August 8 and 9 between Tollefson Plaza and the University of Washington, Tacoma, and at the art museums. Information: www.showcasetacoma.org

From time to time the Grand Cinema has held special screenings of movies by local filmmakers, but according the Grand’s Executive Director Philip Cowan never for one as young as 14. That’s going to change at 10 a.m. Thursday when Tiger Paulsen’s 90-minute feature “Our Favorite History Experience” will light up a screen at the Grand.

It’s a homemade movie by a homeschooled teen from Puyallup. Written by Tiger’s mom, Sylvia, with help from Tiger, his 10-year-old sister Sydney and Katy Riddle, a 16-year-old friend of the family, “History Experience” is a mini-epic based on the hugely popular line of American Girl dolls. Sylvia says she teaches a class called American Girl Theater, and the movie was a logical outgrowth of the course.

It is indeed an epic, spanning the years 1764 to 1944 and telling the stories of the historical dolls from most of the eras covered by the series of best-selling books based on the characters. Daughter Sydney is a huge fan, and Sylvia said she conceived the idea of doing the movie as “a way to involve both her and her friends and my moviemaking son.” Close to 25 kids ranging in ages from 3 to 16 were in the cast, many from Sylvia’s American Girl class. Sylvia made more than 20 costumes.

They shot in the Paulsen home, at Sunset Lake Youth Camp in Wilkeson and at the historic Meeker Mansion in Puyallup. The filming at the mansion was the high point of the weeks-long production period. “The girls enjoyed making hand-cranked ice cream and playing croquet in the Meeker gardens,” Sylvia says.

The movie was shot with a Sony camcorder. Tiger edited it on his home iMac. It wasn’t the first picture he’s made. He’s been shooting short films for the past three years including one featuring animated clay characters. He shot an earlier American Girl movie last year featuring children from his mom’s class. “The kids all had so much fun they begged me to do it again,” Sylvia said. So they did.

Latino Festival and Tall Ship “Gloria”
Tall Ships over? Not a bit! The four-mast barque “Gloria” from Cartagena, Colombia will be at the Foss Waterway Seaport this weekend, accompanied by the annual Festival Latino: music from salsa to samba, folkloric dance, street performers, kids’ activities and free tours of the “Gloria.” Tours begin 8 a.m. Saturday. Entertainment 12-10 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. $5 per family. Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St, Tacoma. 206-453-3480, www.think-latin.com

“Aida” at Seattle Opera
Nubile slave dancers, shimmering gold Egyptian costumes, a torrid love story and all those famous tunes: Verdi’s grand opera “Aida” is always worth seeing. Seattle Opera’s production features Lisa Daltirus and Antonello Palombi. Opens 7:30 p.m. Saturday, continues through August 23. Tickets from $25. McCaw Hall, Seattle Center. 800-426-1619, www.seattleopera.org

Hats on High at Proctor Fest
The Proctor Arts Fest ratchets up a notch this year: in addition to the usual music, ballet, art, food and craft, there’ll be 14 hat “sculptures” by local artists atop the old-fashioned lampposts near N. 26th and Proctor Streets. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Free. www.proctorartsfest.com

Symphony on the Grass
The new Tacoma Community College Summer Festival Orchestra combines local students, amateurs and professionals for an afternoon of Sibelius’ “Finlandia” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. 12 p.m. Saturday. Free. On grassy quad area between buildings 27 and 11 (parking off S.19th St, rain location inside building 11,) Tacoma Community College. 253-460-4374, jfalskow@tacomacc.edu

Concert Band on the Grass
Tacoma Concert Band is starting its annual series of free outdoor concerts of Sousa and more. 6:30 p.m. August 5 at Weyerhaeuser Rhododendron Gardens, 2525 S. 336th St, Federal Way; August 6 at Franke Tobey Jones Estates, 5340 N. Bristol St, Tacoma; August 7 at Pioneer Park, 330 S. Meridian St, Puyallup; August 9 at Johnson’s Farm, 9306 Otso Point Road, Anderson Island; August 10 at Northwest Landing, 1520 Wilmington Drive, Dupont. 253-584-0616, www.tacomaconcertband.org

Rosemary Ponnekanti: 253-597-8568
rosemary.ponnekanti@thenewstribune.com

A kiss is just a kiss and a sigh is just a sigh.

Now remember one further thing: "Casablanca," perhaps the greatest movie romance of all time (if you don't believe me, just ask Dooley Wilson, whose crooning of "As Time Goes By" is one of the picture's high points) will be screened in Tacoma tomorrow night. You can catch it at sundown at the Centre at Norpoint, 4818 Nassau Ave. N.E. where it will be shown on a big inflatable screen as part of Metro Parks' Summer Sounds and Comcast Outdoor Cinema series. Preceding the screening, Maia Santell and House Blend will supply the Summer Sounds part of the program. The music starts at 6:30 p.m.

So grab a blanket, snare a lawn chair and round up the usual suspects who usually accompany you to the movies. This is a treat not to be missed. And did I mention it's free? You can't beat that.