The theater scene is about to get busy this weekend as three different productions kick off their runs across the city. From backstage chaos to intimate historical drama and deeply personal ensemble storytelling, there’s plenty of solid options to choose from.

Union Arts Center

First up is Frida…A Self-Portrait at the Union Arts Center, opening Thursday, June 11. This one-woman show focuses on Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Skipping the usual straight ahead biographical route, playwright and star Vanessa Severo takes on the role of  Kahlo directly, digging into Kahlo’s life including her complicated marriage, and the physical pain she lived with.  

Bonus: The venue is pairing the run with “Frida For All,” a free community celebration of Mexican culture on Sunday, June 14 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 700 Union Street. The afternoon kickoff follows right after the 2 p.m. Sunday matinee and is completely open to the public at no charge.

Seattle Rep

If you are looking for pure comedy, Seattle Rep is opening The Play That Goes Wrong on the Bagley Wright stage. The story follows an amateur drama society attempting to stage a 1920s murder mystery, only for the entire production to collapse around them in real-time. Everything that can go wrong absolutely does. Expect a highly physical, fast-paced farce with plenty of laughs.

ArtsWest

Meanwhile, ArtsWest in West Seattle is debuting Wish You Were Here, a co-production with the Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Sanaz Toossi, the play centers on a tight-knit group of five female friends in Iran. Set against the backdrop of the 1978 Iranian Revolution and the decade that followed, the story tracks their arc as friends marry, adapt, or leave the country entirely. 

Whether you want a straightforward night of laughs, an intimate look at an art icon, or a story of friendship and survival, the city’s stages have you covered this weekend.