Barbara Higbie (left) and Teresa Trull celebrate
The L Word star Mia Kirshner reads from her book / Live
Here Oct. 21 at Powell's.
9 Muses Tavern presents T«esa Trull and a..
bara Higbie perfonning music ranging over terrain
from blues and gospel to folk, l ock and jazz. Irrev-
erent singer/comedian Usa Koch opens. (7 and
9 pm. 2715 SE Belmont St. $22 from TicketsWest.J
Head of the Class
Arti Repertory Theatre i home to the
Northwe t premiere of Stephen Karam's
hot-ticket play Speech & Debate.
"Thi play is like if George Bernard
haw had written an episode of Gossip
Girl. It' a beautifully structured piece that
re peers c nvention but is of-the-moment
about things," ays Jon Kretzu, a ociate
artistic director of Arri ts Rep and director
of the play.
et in a cla room in Salem, the play
centers around three archetypical out-
ca ts-the dowdy girl, the gay guy and the
nerd- who, in addition to grappling with
their own identitie in th strange land
between childhood and adulthood, form
a debate club to exp e a teacher at the
heart of a ex andal. The play explore
a technology-fueled w rld of IM, blogging,
text me aging and what it is to grow up
in a place wher the hypocritical politics
and canda ls of the day are the backdrop
against which teenag r are trying to find
th ir way.
And if that weren't enough, there's a
rock mu ical ver ion f The Crucible com-
bined with the tory of a teenage Ab~ Lin-
coln wre ding with coming out.
Dress to kill during Sick: Drag Fiasco featuring
performances by Sissyboy's infamous Linah Co-
caine, Demon Doll and Kiley Kreep with music by
DJs Jimme Jamma, Bum and Megadeath. (9 pm.
320 SE Second Ave.)
Bear8ust at the Eagle Portland. (9 ~midnight.
835 N Lombard St. $8 members, $10 nonmembers.)
"Young playwrights often have Mack
truck subtlety with i sues in their work.
This piece is very subtle. [Karam] sprinkles
feeling about homophobia, rights, lone-
line s of a gay character and coming out_
throughout the piece," says Kretzu, who is
gay. "He's a very mature playwright. We've
seen plenty of plays about all these things,
and this play is fresh, surprising and touch-
ing. I love that."
Kretzu strives to bring a full scope of
talents to directing the work. "We inter-
pret through the prism of our existence,
and as a gay man, it comes through. But
it's also only a sliver of the pie that I am."
Speech & Debate tars Derek Herman,
Jennifer Rowe and Adrian de Forest as
the trio at the heart of the show.
"Casting took forever. They are very
particular roles," Kretzu ay . "And the e
actors are these people. They totally relate
and play off each other as if they've known
each other for years."
Of the play' place in Portland' the -
atrical landscape, Kretzu is clear: "It's
the coolest damn play in Portland this
year. You want to be in one of those 60
seats."
SUN• OCT. 19
The Adventure Group takes an easy
walk from Vancouver Lake to French-
man's Bar regional park. Meet outside
Starbucks at Hollywood Fred Meyer.
(10:30 am. 3030 NE Weidler St. Evan
503-701-7922.)
The Portland Institute for Contemporary
Art presents Cloud Eye Control's Under
Polaris-a multimedia quest through
expansive arctic landscapes, mythical
creatures and the ethereal Aurora Bo-
realis blending original live music, video
projection, inventive staging and beauti-
ful animation-at Leftbank. (2:30 and
6:30 pm. 240 N Broadway. $8 members,
$10 nonmembers from www.pica.org.J
Crush presents Soul to Soul, a monthly
tea dance for Unity Project featuring funk,
hip-hop and soul music by DJ Celest and
$2 draft beers. Free mesquite-grilled ham-
burger and potato salad from 4-6:30 pm!
(3 pm. 1400 SE Moffison St. $3.)
C.C. Slaughters presents Family Feud fol-
lowed by a DVD promotion for Brothers
ft Sisters Seeso#f 2. (8 pm game, 9 pm
promotion. 219 NW Davis St.)
MON • OCT. 20
Elder Resource Alalce presents a walking
claa featuring instruction, wamHJpS, hand-
outs and a JO.minute wak at Friendly House.
Repeats Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. (10-11 am.
1737 NW 26th Ave.)
Wanderlust: Men's Cycling Rid•
about visits some of Portland's haunted
houses. Meet at Whole Foods. Repeats
Nov. 3 with a cemetery ride! (6:30 pm.
3535 NE 15th Ave. $5-$15 donation.
RSVP to 503-223-8822 or www.mani-
festpdx.org/calendar.J
Grease your wheels during
Gay Skate Night presented
by Just Out at Oaks Park.
(7-9 pm. 1 SE Spokane St. $6
plus canned food items for Esther's
Pantry.)
One of Portland's most glamorous divas,
the divine Rose Empress XXXVI Maria,
hosts an ASL-interpreted Q Center Bingo!
Preceded by Pride Foundation present-
ing its newest 2008 grant awards with
light refreshments. (6 pm grants, 7 pm
bingo [$5]. 69 SE Taylor St.)
U
Grown-up ideas. high school ambition and teenage bravado collide in the text
messaging and IM world of Speech It Debate through Nov. 23 at Artists Rep.
• OCT. 21
Elder Resource Alliance presents
Gardening in the NW at Friendly House.
Repeats Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. (11 am-
12:30 pm. 1737 NW 26th Ave. RSVP to
503-224-2640.)
King for a Day
It's hard not to be awestruck by Kaki
King's virtuosity on the guitar. The 28-year,
old Georgia peach turned New York trans,
plant makes gorgeous, intricate, textural
sounds on the guitar using finger picking,
fret slapping and percussive thumping with
her thumbs and heels of her hands.
It was King's pairing with producer John
McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea and Cake) on
2006's Until We Felt Red that made her the
darling of lo-fi indie, shoegazer scenesters,
late-night talk show hosts and rock stars
alike. She was then enlisted by Eddie Vedder and Sean Penn to make a beautiful
musical soundscape for the movie Into the Wild, which earned her a Golden Globe
nomination. Adding to her growing fame ·was August Rush, a sweet 2007 film about
a boy guitar prodigy that utilized her skills as a hand double for the lead actor. Al-
though she didn't compose music for the film, the guitar styling is all her own, and
the soundtrack has introduced her music to a much wider audience. In addition
King recently made guest appearances on Foo Fighters' latest CD, Echoes , Silence,
Patience and Grace, an<i Tegan and Sara's disc The Con. She is now dating one of
the Quin twins, Sara. Clearly, she's come a long way from busking in the New York
subway for change.
Vault Martini lounge presents the monthly queer
social mixer Q.T. Enjoy a cocktail from a selection
of 44 exotic libations or take advantage of exclu-
sive drink specials benefiting Q Center. (6-8 pm.
226 NW 12th Ave.)
Manifest presents a panel discussion with insights
from financial professionals about Managing
Your Finances in Turbulent T1111e1 at Q Center.
(7-8:30 pm. 69 SE Taylor St. $5-$20 donation.
RSVP to 503-223-8822 or www.manifestpdx.
org/calendar.J
Guitarist/singer/songwriter ICaki King perfonns
with The Mountain Goats at Wonder Ballroom.
(8 pm. 128 NE Russell St. $18 from box office or
Ticketmaster.J
OPB presents the queer newsmagazine In the
Life. This month's episode, ·civil Rites & Civil
Rights: features a look at California's Proposi-
tion 8, a remembrance of longtime activist Del
Martin and a conversation with Julian Bond,
chairman of the National Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People. (11 pm.)
•
Elder Resource Alliance presents Senion Sharing
Stories & Music Jam at Friendly House. Share
your writing or the writing of a favorite author, or
play a favorite song from a CO or sing something
meaningful to you. (2-4 pm. 1737 NW 26th Ave.)
The bisexual women's group Getting Bi POX
invites newcomers to a light and breezy dinner
meeting at Old Wives' Tales. (6-8 pm. 1300 E
Burnside St.)
Are you tired of the dating game or the same old
arguments? Do you find yourself collapsing love
with sex, convenience or just the fact that some-
one says yes when you ask them out? Come find
the secret to Causing Love at Touchstone Cof-
fee House. (6-9 pm. 445 NE 70th Ave. $34 from
www.causeit.org/events.J
Gay art collector Allan Oliver present Buenos Ai-
m V"1111al Arts Tour-a slide show of museums,
galleries, studios and waterfalls with wine and
sweets from Argentina-at Onda Gallery. (7 pm.
2215 NE Alberta St. RSVP to nancy@teffanova-
tour.com by Oct. 17.J
Q Center presents women's life coaching and
consutling focused on building greater personal
knowledge and development. Gain life skills and
perspectives applicable to both existing and fu-
ture challenges. (7:30-9 pm. 69 SE Taylor St. $5
members, $10 nonmembers.)
T U • 0
T. 2
Thinking about coming out? looking for a phobia-
free space to consider whether now is the right
time? Q Center presents Coming Out: Discounes
& Rnources, a new group led by a rotating team
of trusted queers. (6-7 pm. 69 SE Taylor St.)
0 Center screens the movies you hate to admit
you love at Guihy Pleasures. Tonight's selection
is renegade filmmaker John Waters' ever-so-
raunchy Pink Flamingos. Repeats Oct. 30 with
the lady-lust vampire drama The Hunger! Up-
stairs will be a meeting for Dads Group, a safe
place to discuss issues of common interest, lis-
ten and support. (7-9 pm. 69 SE Taylor St.)
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