June Theater Includes A Queer New Play, Lots of Festivals, and Interactive Improv

June 6, 2026• byMichael Strangeways

Compiled by Miryam Gordon from press releases.

Get out YOUR calendars for some fresh festival offerings and fun musicals!!

Disappearance at the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke Snowpicnic (world premiere)

6/4-20/26

Neurotic newcomer Lois attends the legendary sapphic kink retreat known as the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke Snowpicnic—where she is absolutely, definitely not supposed to sleuth around. But when a picnicker goes missing on the ski slopes, Lois can’t resist the call of mystery. A sexy, spooky, screwball comedy that would leave Nancy Drew asking, “Who hid the flashlight?”

Dream, Carl, Dream!

6/5-27/26 (at 12th Avenue Arts)

Dacha Theatre, www.dachatheatre.com

It’s five minutes ’till Sleepytime and the latest set of rewrites are even worse than the last. The Director of Dreaming is considering pulling the plug and putting up another rerun of “Teeth Fall Out (School Assembly Version)” but the truth is, everyone knows that the stakes are too high for that. In their waking life, Carl seems to be holding it together, but in the depths of their subconscious, Carl knows they could be – want to be – so much more. In fact, Carl’s dreams might just be the only connection they still have to their deepest self. That’s where you come in. In this immersive, interactive piece, you will assist the beleaguered neurons of the Dream Department in programming each night’s dreams. Work alongside your mental colleagues during the day, and then sit back, relax, and watch the show once the dreams start to play.

Pony World Theatre’s New Play Roundup

6/6-7/26 (at West of Lenin)

www.ponyworldtheatre.org

Welcome to Betty’s Diner by Marcus Gorman 6/6 2PM

The Unshored by Maggie Lee 6/6 7:30PM

Untitled Play About Life and Death by Holly Arsenault 6/7 2PM

Flight of the Psychopomp by Lizzy Bennett 6/7 7PM

**Vanessa Severo as Frida Kahlo at UAC (Michael Henninger)**

Frida…A Self-Portrait

6/6-28/26

Union Arts Center, www.unionartscenter.org

The singular Frida Kahlo comes to life through the spirit of playwright and performer Vanessa Severo’s one-woman show. Severo explores the parallels between their two lives as she embodies the many facets of this complex artist. With music and movement, Frida’s evocative art, multilayered love life, and distinctive philosophy are sketched out in a visual dynamo of a piece that encourages us all to realize we are not alone.

Border:Home and The End of Lear: Four Kings

6/5-14/26 (at ReAct Theatre)

Baker Theater Workshop, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/two-new-plays-from-baker-theater-workshop-tickets-1990139829804

Border:Home centers around a group of volunteers stationed at the least-used border crossing between the US and Mexico who are dedicated to helping migrants cross the open desert.

The End of Lear: Four Kings, an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy. unearths the varied facets of this Shakespearean king: his cruelty toward his loved ones, his anxiety about how others perceive him, and his propensity for transforming the world into merely a stage for his personal drama.

Wish You Were Here

6/11/26-7/5/26

ArtsWest and Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble, www.artswest.org

With tenderness, ferocity, and wit, five best friends lean on each other in the face of uncertainty.

Spanning 13 years of friendship, a tight-knit group of five women have their bonds tested as political unrest spreads through Iran. With humor and urgency, the play captures the fierce resilience of connection when everything else is slipping away.

The Play That Goes Wrong

6/11-28/26

Seattle Rep, www.seattlerep.org

It’s opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s production of The Murder at Haversham Manor, and despite the troupe’s best efforts, mishaps are causing mayhem on stage. From wayward props to malfunctioning scenery to unexpected understudies, the show must go on. But will the theater still be standing at the end of the performance? Mounted in 2025, it’s proven so popular, Seattle Rep has brought it back for a fun summer treat.

The Distillery New Works Festival

6/11-14/26

Seattle Public Theater, www.seattlepublictheater.org

Blood/Sucker by Anamaria Guerzon 6/11 7PM

The Ballad of the Unfallen by Maggie Lee 6/12 7PM

The Holy Blessed Mother Lover Orphanage for Unwanted Girls by Shanna Allman 6/13 11AM

Scribe, or The Sisters Milson, or Elegy for the Unwritten by L M Feldman 6/13 3PM

Hazzard by Kelleen Conway Blanchard 6/13 7:30PM

Refuse it: A Black Woman’s Guide to 21^st Century Rage by Phanésia Pharel 6/14 11AM

If nobody does remarkable things by Emma Gibson 6/14 3PM

Million Dollar Quartet

6/19/26-7/19/26

Harlequin Productions, www.harlequinproductions.org

December 4, 1956. Sun Records. One legendary night. When a twist of fate brings Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins into the same Memphis recording studio, music history is made. Inspired by the true story of that once-in-a-lifetime jam session, Million Dollar Quartet is a Tony Award-nominated high-octane rock ’n’ roll musical packed with heart, history, and hit after iconic hit. From “Blue Suede Shoes” to “Great Balls of Fire,” this electrifying celebration of talent, fame, and raw sound takes you inside the night that changed music forever.

15th Annual Festival of Shorts

6/25-26/25

Edmonds Driftwood Players, www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org

Act 1/Show #1: Poll Tax for Sista Blu by Clarence Holmes, Jr (Katy, TX)

Act 1/Show #2: Hello by Dana Leslie Goldstein (Brooklyn, NY)

Act 1/Show #3: Goats of Olympus Mons by Evan Baughfman (Long Beach, CA)

Act 1/Show #4: True Ties by Sheila Strehle (Bothell, WA)

Act 2/Show #5: First Time by Dana Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA)

Act 2/Show #6: Waiting On Mom, Who Already Left by John Busser (Avon, OH)

Act 2/Show #7: Two Nights at Casey’s by Jay D Cross (Shoreline, WA)

Act 2/Show #8: Erstwhile by Jacquelyn Priskorn (Troy, MI)

Emojiland: The Musical

6/26/26-7/19/26

SecondStory Repertory, www.secondstoryrep.org

When a software update threatens their existence, a diverse community of emojis must learn to navigate their differences and unite to save their home. This wildly original and contemporary musical is a witty commentary on modern communication, identity, and finding connection in a world of pixels, all set to an infectious, pop-infused score.

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About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.