We still may be experiencing the “big dark” in Seattle, but theater stages are lighting up across the city. The next two weeks are packed with performances that span from supernatural blues to avant-garde movement pieces. Here are a four performances we’ll be scoping out in the coming weeks. 

Currently in full swing at the Seattle Rep is Pearl Cleage’s drama “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” under the direction of Valerie Curtis-Newton. This production, presented in partnership with The Hansberry Project, follows a tight-knit group of dreamers and strivers navigating love, ambition, and survival as the Great Depression tightens its grip. The production runs through February 23.

At On the Boards, Shamel Pitts brings his Brooklyn-based TRIBE collective west for “BLACK HOLE – Trilogy And Triathlon.” This multidisciplinary performance marks the culmination of Pitts’ “BLACK Series” triptych, a body of work that he has choreographed and performed over a 10-year span. This final installment, steeped in Afrofuturism, is at OTB for a limited three-night engagement.

A short jaunt to West Seattle brings us to York Walker’s “Covenant,” making its West Coast debut this Thursday at ArtsWest. Set in the heart of Georgia, this play follows a prodigal guitarist whose meteoric rise to blues stardom raises eyebrows – and questions about a possible Faustian bargain. 

Rounding out our theatrical journey is the highly anticipated co-production between ACT Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre of Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years.” Opening February 8 under Shermona Mitchell’s direction, this intimate musical dissects a relationship from both ends of its timeline. Brown’s innovative structure has earned the show a devoted following since it first premiered in 2001.