One night only — original staged reading of ‘BUGGED’

7 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 12, Wade James Theatre, 950 Main St., Edmonds

Join the Edmonds Driftwood Players for a FREE staged reading of “BUGGED,” written by Miriam Tobin and directed by Aidyn Stevens. “BUGGED” is part of the First Draft staged reading series presented by the Edmonds Driftwood Players and Driftwood After Dark.

“BUGGED.” is an absurd family drama about the little things that, well, bug us. When Boo hears that her cousin Katherine is coming to visit, she scrambles to get everything in order. There’s a spouse to find, children to wrangle, a house to clean, a cake to bake… and some dark secrets to keep buried. But Katherine’s arrival comes with a literal bang! And soon, everything starts to come undone, one terrible secret at a time.

*Content Warning(s): Discussions of murder, drugging people, allusions to sex, lots of cursing, “general assholery”

Admission is free, but advance reservations are required. To learn more about EDP’s New Works program and reserve your seats, click here.

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Cascade Symphony presents its “Bartok and Chausson” concert featuring the return of cellist Nathan Chan as a soloist 

7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N., Edmonds, pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m.

Maestro Michael Miropolsky promises “an evening of exciting discovery” when the Cascade Symphony Orchestra (CSO), under his direction, presents its Bartok and Chausson concert.

“We have never before performed any of the pieces (in the upcoming program),” Miropolsky noted.

He said the concert would open with the “brilliant Romanian Folk Dances” by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. “What a great piece, bursting with vital energy,” according to the CSO music director.

Cellist Nathan Chan, a longtime favorite of Cascade Symphony concert audiences, returns as the evening’s soloist to perform Concerto for Cello by Austrian composer-pianist Friedrich Gulda.

“Although it was written only 45 years ago, and one may think of this concerto as just another modern musical experiment, you may be surprised at how accessible it is,” Miropolsky said. “This concerto’s unique style is a mix of classical and jazz and has no parallels in the cello repertoire.

Chan is an ideal performer for Gulda’s composition, as his career is fueled by a passion for connecting people and technology. His multifaceted cello career encompasses solo, chamber music, and orchestral performances. He has performed with renowned orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony and The Royal Philharmonic, and participated in the Marlboro Music Festival. Chan currently serves as the assistant principal cello of the Seattle Symphony. He has a masters of music degree from Juilliard.

The concert also will feature Norwegian composer Christian Sinding’s Rustle of Spring, a “gorgeous miniature,” as described by Miropolsky.

It will be followed by French composer Ernest Chausson’s Symphony in B-flat, op. 20.

Chausson’s piece will mark the “completion of our orchestra’s multi-season journey through the five most significant French symphonies of all time,” Miropolsky noted. “For Chausson, this symphony was not an ‘easy baby.’ Some days, the composer was literally stuck on one measure for hours, not being able to move on. Fortunately, at the end of his grueling work, this symphony became one of Clausson’s finest compositions.”

Join KING-FM radio personality Dave Beck at 6:30 p.m. for a pre-concert lecture previewing the evening’s musical highlights.

Concert tickets are $30 for adults, $26 for seniors (60-plus), and $10 for youth (12 and younger). They can be purchased online through the ECA website and by telephone at 425-275-9595.

Additional information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, its upcoming concerts, and any updates are available online at www.cascadesymphony.org.

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Join the Jazz Apostates Mini big band for the monthly Big Band Night

6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 16, the Old Edmonds Opera House, 515 Dayton St., Edmonds

Hey Edmonds Jazz Fans — come on out and enjoy a night of Big Band Jazz during the monthly Edmonds Art Walk. On the third Thursday of every month Jake Bergevin leads his jazz bands and also invites students to join in the fun. This is a great way to support the performing arts and engage in our community.

Also, mark your calendars for the 4th annual Edmonds Jazz Walk on Saturday, June 7.

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Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum launches “Elita” in conversation with Kristen Millares Young

6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 16, Edmonds Bookshop, 111 5th Ave. S., Edmonds

Join the Edmonds Book Shop for a book launch celebration for local author Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum’s debut novel, Elita, during Art Walk Edmonds. Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum is the author of three collections of short fiction, What We Do With the Wreckage (2017 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction winner, University of Georgia Press in October 2018), This Life She’s Chosen (2005, Chronicle Books) and Swimming With Strangers (2008, Chronicle Books.) She is a creative writing and literature teacher and has been published in numerous journals. She will be joined in conversation at the event by award-winning Seattle author and journalist Kristen Millares Young.

“Elita is an American literary take on the Nordic noir genre. Unfolding during the moody Pacific Northwest winter of 1951, we follow Bernadette Baston, a scholar of child development and language acquisition, as she travels to a penitentiary on the remote island Elita in the Puget Sound to consult on a curious case: Two guards have discovered an animal-like adolescent girl living alone in the cold woods beyond the prison’s walls. There are few answers, but many people know more than they let on. According to official reports, the girl, dubbed Atalanta, does not speak. Is her silence protecting someone? The prison warden, court-appointed guardian, and police detective embroil Bernadette in resolving a secret that the tight-knit island community has long held, and her investment in the girl’s case soon becomes more personal than professional. As a mother, wife, and woman bound by mid-twentieth-century expectations, Bernadette strategizes to retain her fragile control over her freedom, identity, and future, which becomes inextricably tied to solving Atalanta’s case.” (From the publisher, Northwestern University Press.)

Find more information about the author on her website.

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Mark your calendars for Edmonds Comedy Night

7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday, Feb. 22, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N., Edmonds

Ticket sales will start in mid-January. Watch your email for an update on the line-up and ticket sales information.

Amazing Kermet Apio returns as the event host. He is a resident of Mountlake Terrace and the father of two students in the Edmonds School District. Not only is Kermet a pretty cool guy, but he is also an internationally recognized comedian, having won the 2009 Great American Comedy Festivals and the Seattle Comedy Competition. Also, in 1988, he was Dishwasher of the Month at the Sea-Tac Airport Denny’s. With the support of a dedicated team of sponsors and volunteers, Kermet has led and hosted Edmonds Comedy Night for 14 years to benefit the Edmonds School District parent leaders groups.

— By Elizabeth Murray

Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele. She can be reached at elmm22@gmail.com.