Must List: Taste Washington, Plate of Nations, Say It Loud: Simply Me

MUST SIP

Taste Washington

(3/22–3/25) From serious wine snobs to simple enthusiasts, Taste Washington unites all lovers of the “juice” at its annual, multi-day tasting event celebrating the many flavors and styles of Washington state wine. You could opt for a wine seminar or farm tour, but the main event is Saturday and Sunday’s Grand Tasting, when you can sample hundreds of wines, connect with winemakers and taste small bites prepared by local restaurants. Pro tip: Pace yourself, hydrate and yes, spit. Times, prices and locations vary. tastewashington.org

MUST EAT GLOBALLY

Plate of Nations

(3/23-4/8) The eighth annual celebration of diverse foods in South Seattle starts this weekend. Food representing more than 30 cultures will be showcased. The two-week long food celebration is the MLK Business Association’s signature event, helping promote independently-owned restaurants in the community. Participating restaurants such as Ethiopian Cafe Ibex, Peruvian-inspired Big Chickie and Sichuan Little Chengdu are offering a $20–$30 shareable meal specials, so bring a friend and dig in! Times and locations vary. plateofnations.com

Photo by Alex Hayden from Plate of Nations Facebook

MUST LISTEN

Say It Loud: Simply Me

(3/23–3/24) Seattle actor, soul singer and one-half of hip-hop duo Black Stax, Felicia V. Loud presents this one-woman a cappella show about growing up in Seattle in the ’70s and finding her voice. Featuring Loud’s powerhouse vocals and stage direction by Seattle Repertory Theatre’s outgoing associate artistic director Marya Sea Kaminski, the piece is the latest version of a work first staged in 2014 and brings Loud back to the now revived black cultural center, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, where she first performed. 7 p.m. $15-$20. Central District, 104 17th Ave. S; 206.684.4758; brownpapertickets.com

MUST SEE

Ironbound

(3/23–4/15) New york–based playwright Martyna Majok’s multi-award-winning 2015 play is based on her experience immigrating to America from Poland with her mother, a house cleaner. This story about the working-class immigrant’s ongoing struggle in the States—fraught with difficult choices, and up against the impossible American dream. Majok, whose work is now widely commissioned, said because of the play, her mother now feels more valued by society. But: “She still cleans houses.” Times and prices vary. Seattle Public Theater, Green Lake, 7312 West Green Lake Drive N; 206.524.1300; seattlepublictheater.org

MUST DANCE

Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre

(3/23–3/24) Concern, consternation, dismay, shock: The various translations of the German word Betroffenheit seem to encapsulate the range of human reaction to trauma, and that’s why these two Vancouver, British Columbia, companies (one dance, one theater) took it for the title of their current collaborative show, set in the wake of a disaster. The piece has taken on even more resonance—after Houston, after Puerto Rico, after whatever happens on CNN tomorrow—than it had in Toronto at its July 2015  premiere. 8 p.m. Prices vary. Moore Theatre, downtown, 1932 Second Ave.; 206.467.5510; stgpresents.org

Photo by Michael Slobodian