It’s cold (and rainy) outside, but warm, joyful, and funky in local theatres

Suddenly it's November. How did that happen? Time has a way of sneaking up on us like that. But in the here and now it’s Thursday, the time we set aside to talk about and think about arts and culture in our region. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm reached out to arts reporter Mike Davis for what’s on his radar.

The Boy Who Kissed the Sky, at Seattle Children’s Theatre

The play was written by Idris Goodwin, Seattle Children's Theatre’s new artistic director. It follows the story of a young boy based on Seattle legend/icon Jimi Hendrix, who not only lives in the CD, but on Jackson Street. It's his journey, just learning about himself, his family history, and of course, his love of music.

“I love when folks like yourself say, ‘Yo, like, I am an adult and it still hit me in a way I didn't expect.' And so that defining of expectation is something that I live for, and I think that we want to go after is that we're trying to transcend this idea that we're only for kids.” – Idris Goodwin

The Dance Theatre of Harlem, at The Paramount Theatre

DTH Artistic Director Virginia Johnson said audiences can look forward to their typical show, which would be beautiful dancing, that also brings joy, and it's all about uplifting people. They have a work called "Passage," which was commissioned by the Virginia Arts Festival for a commemoration of 1619, and the arrival of the first Africans to the shores of Virginia. And the final work was partially commissioned by the Seattle Theatre Group. It's called "Sounds of Hazel," and it pays homage to a civil rights legend who many feel was erased from the pages of history.

“Hazel Scott was a brilliant classical pianist. She went to Julliard at the age of 8. She's the one that Alicia Keys refers to playing two pianos at the same time, but this woman was a consummate artist, and she was an activist.” – Virginia Johnson

The Amen Corner, at Langston

This is presented in partnership between Langston and The Williams Project. It’s a James Baldwin play written in 1954. It's been on Broadway, but this is the first time this play has ever been here.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.