THEATER

July 5–Aug 26
Intiman Theatre Festival
Tony-winning regional theater Intiman is reborn this summer as a repertory company of 12 actors and a crew of interns putting on a four-play festival of Ibsen and Shakespeare, John Patrick Shanley and Dan Savage (yes, Seattle’s Dan Savage). On the bill: Romeo and Juliet, Hedda Gabler, Dirty Story, and Miracle!, an epic drag parody of the Helen Keller story. Intiman Playhouse, $30.

BOOKS & TALKS

July 8
The Monarch Review Release Party
Seattle fiction/poetry/art/music magazine The Monarch Review celebrates its second edition with a party in the pub beneath Third Place Books in Ravenna. Expect live music and readings of new work by Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken, John Osebold, Kevin Craft, Emily Thompson, and more. The Pub at Third Place, free.

CONCERTS

July 6
Justin Townes Earle
While indie folk has boomed of late, those seeking true Americana songwriting are better off going to the source. Justin Townes Earle has both the pedigree (he’s the son of Texas country star Steve Earle) and the talent (multiple Americana Music Awards). Showbox at the Market, $20–$23.

July 7
The Builders and the Butchers
The dark folk rock sound of this Portland collective was what earned them street cred, but it’s the band’s energetic, unhinged live shows that led to opening slots for bands like the Decemberists and Brand New. Tractor Tavern, $10.

July 7
The Next 50 Play the First 50
In a celebration of Seattle music past and present, local bands Grand Hallway, Fly Moon Royalty, Vendetta Red, and more will play a free concert at Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheatre. Set lists will include a mix of original music and covers of Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Modest Mouse, the Presidents of the United States of America, and Death Cab for Cutie. Mural Amphitheatre, free.

EAT & DRINK

July 6–8
Seattle International Beerfest
With more than 200 brews from 16 countries and food trucks like Skillet and Rancho Bravo on hand, the three-day fest is a the perfect chance to soak up some summer suds. Admission gets you 10 drink tickets; beers cost one to seven tickets each. Seattle Center, $25–$30.

VISUAL ART

Thru July 31
Soly Cissé: Lost Worlds
One of Pioneer Square’s newest art walk destinations, M.I.A. Gallery, has only been open since January, but it’s already bringing in major shows like the U.S. solo debut of Senegalese painter and sculptor Soly Cissé. In a series of haunting abstract paintings, his ‘Lost World’ seems populated by dead men walking and animals with teeth bared—a furious, but richly colored, collection that gives a glimpse into the grief of modern Africa. Tue–Sat 10:30–5:30.

CLASSICAL & MORE

Thru July 29
Seattle Chamber Music Society: 2012 Summer Festival
Frequent Joshua Bell collaborator Jeremy Denk is in town July 9–16 to add his piano skills to Ravel’s Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano in A Minor, among others, during the month-long classical music binge. Benaroya Hall, $15–$40.

Thru Sept 2
Olympic Music Festival
For three months, a turn-of-the-century dairy farm in Quilcene becomes a hotbed of chamber music. Catch a “Concert in the Barn” during the Olympic Music Festival. Olympic Peninsula, $18–$30.

SPECIAL EVENTS

July 7
Red, White, and Dead Zombie Walk
Fremont tries for the fourth year to claim the Guinness World Record for largest zombie walk as a part of its daylong party of all things undead. Learn the “Thriller” dance, enter a Fashionably Undead costume contest, and sample brains…er, tacos from the food trucks parked nearby. Fremont Studios, $5–$25.