Skip to content

Must List: ‘Dracula,’ Ten Tiny Dances, Seattle Lit Crawl

Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events

By Gavin Borchert & Jorn Peterson October 24, 2019

ACT_-Dracula_Brandon-ONeill_COUNT-DRACULA_Photo-credit_-Chris-Bennion

Love the Must List? Get it right in your inbox. Subscribe.

MUST WATCH

Dracula
(10/18–11/17) Playwright Steven Dietz, a Seattle favorite for 30 years (you may have seen his Becky’s New Car premiere at ACT in 2008), puts Bram Stoker’s heroine Mina Murray at the center of this reworking of his 1998 stage adaptation, giving the character a more active role in uncovering the mystery of this Transylvanian count. Times and prices vary. ACT ‒ A Contemporary Theatre, downtown

MUST READ

Seattle Lit Crawl
(10/24) “Get drunk…on words!” proclaims this pub crawl/reading event: More than 80 writers will take over some 35 Capitol Hill and First Hill venues (mostly bars, as well as places like Elliott Bay Book Company and Hugo House) to knock back a few and present their own work to increasingly jocund crowds. Five programming slots: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m., after-party to follow at 10. Free. See litquake.org for lineup and venues

MUST CONJURE 

Séance at The Nest
(10/26)
Thompson Hotel invites you to the classiest (or only) séance you’ve ever experienced. The hotel will turn its rooftop bar, the Nest, into an all-out Halloween extravaganza, complete with tarot card readings and a contortionist. The spooky entertainment is backed by the tune of two DJs, providing the soundtrack for you to connect with the supernatural spirits, or just the alcoholic ones. 7 p.m. $25. Thompson Hotel, downtown; eventbrite.com

MUST CRAM

Ten Tiny Dances
(10/24-10/26)
Ten Tiny Dances comes to Seattle’s On the Boards for a limited time, featuring ten different choreographed performances in the intimate space, on an equally intimate stage. The performers are allotted 4 feet by 4 feet to conduct their act, defying the dimensional boundaries we expect and the spatial format they’re used to. With limited room to move around, they’ll have to get creative. 8 p.m. Prices vary. On the Boards, Queen Anne

MUST RISE

How to Make Your Own Sourdough Starter
(10/26)
Local author Cynthia Lair is back with a new book and is giving you a chance to see her practice what she preaches. Sourdough on the Rise is the latest title by Lair, who’s hosting a sourdough starter workshop to show you how to make the right base for your bread. The class will also include other sourdough snacks, including sourdough flapjacks with maple syrup. BYOPSWMJ (Bring Your Own Pint-Sized Wide-Mouth Jar). 2 p.m. $60-80. Atrium Kitchen at Pike Place Market, downtown

MUST RUN

Run Scared
(10/27)
 Choose from the 10k run, 5k run or 4k walk, with a free Kids’ Dash for the little ones in this not-so-scary charity run, benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Registration includes a long-sleeve shirt, free photos, treats for after the race (candy corn tasting bar!) and a costume contest for humans and pets. 8 a.m. Prices vary. Seward Park; runscared5k.com

MUST ADMIRE

Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum
(Through 1/26/20)
For a limited time, Seattle Art Museum is hosting works from the Naples museum, representing that city’s great art heritage. The collection includes Renaissance and Baroque stylings stroked by the likes of Raphael and Guido Reni. It’s easy to see how these artists set the stage for the Realism movement—as promised, there’s plenty of flesh and blood. Times and prices vary. Seattle Art Museum, downtown

Follow Us

A New Year of Influence

A New Year of Influence

Seattle magazine’s Most Influential list kicks off 2026 with leaders across the city.

New year, new issue! As we kick off 2026, Seattle magazine is proud to present this year’s cohort of the Most Influential list, which showcases local leaders in politics, philanthropy, arts, hospitality, and business. Determined, creative, empathetic, humble, and bold are just a few of the words you’ll see describing them—each one has achieved great…

The Queen of the Seattle World’s Fair

The Queen of the Seattle World’s Fair

With a fur coat and gold Cadillac, Gracie Hansen struck a figure. Her business savvy and whip-smart humor made her a star.

In 1960, a group of well-attired men from the Seattle World’s Fair planning committee gathered in a downtown office. With the fair only two years away, people were starting to pitch their business ideas and on this day, some lady wanted to meet with them to do the same. At the scheduled time, the door…

Cookies From Home

Cookies From Home

Seattle author Kat Lieu introduces a first-of-its-kind cookbook centered on Asian cookies.

Kat Lieu has built a career out of baking, storytelling, and standing up for what she believes in. A former doctor of physical therapy turned bestselling cookbook author, she’s based in Seattle, is the founder of the online community Subtle Asian Baking and is the author of Modern Asian Baking at Home, a book that…

Photo Essay: The Relief of the Moment

Photo Essay: The Relief of the Moment

Words and photography by Nick Ward.

Photography tricks my ADHD brain into doing something borderline miraculous: It allows me to focus on exactly one thing at a time. When I press the shutter and hear that lovely little ka-chunk, the inner chatter winks out. I feel oddly connected to the moment by being outside it, observing through the frame instead of…