02/09/12 10 Days Out

Thursday, Feb. 9

* Barry Jones' video work is compelling and disorienting. And if you're at all interested in exploring the intersection of language and technology, this is a place to start.

Jones, through his Black & Jones project, created the piece "Please Call Stella" out of the speech-accent archive at George Mason University. It's a multifaceted video installation that doesn't explain much but explores quite a bit: notions of cultural identity in a digital age, the evolution of language and technology's effect on that, that sort of thing.

It opens with an artist talk at 4 p.m. and a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery in Randall Hall on the Central Washington University campus in Ellensburg. The exhibit runs through Feb. 26. For more information, visit www.barryrjones.net or www.cwu.edu/~art/spurgeon.html, or call 509-963-2665.

Friday, Feb. 10

* There's an old-fashioned sort of humor in "The Hallelujah Girls," the play that Prosser's Valley Theater Company will produce this month at the Princess Theatre, 1226 Meade Ave. Snappy repartee and witty one-liners rule the show, which is about a group of women sorting through their lives at a day-spa in an abandoned church in Georgia.

Tickets cost $10, or $8 for seniors and students. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Subsequent shows are set for Saturday, Tuesday, and Feb. 17-18. For more information, visit www.valleytheatercompany.org.

Saturday, Feb. 11

* Susan Rice isn't hip or cutting edge, she's just funny. Rice, who has nearly 30 years of comedy under her belt, is like your sassy aunt or something. Her stuff is sharp, but it doesn't cut too deeply.

She'll be at Gamache Vintners, 505 Cabernet Court in Prosser, for Valentine's Comedy Night from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is $50, or $40 for wine club members, and includes dinner and a glass of wine. For more information, visit www.susanricecomedy.com or www.gamachevintners.com, or call 509-786-7800.

Sunday, Feb. 12

* There are supposed to be limits; the human body is supposed to have limits. But the acrobats and contortionists of the New Shanghai Circus just don't care. They bend and leap and balance and twist in ways that, frankly, just shouldn't be possible. And it's all choreographed and set to music.

You can check it out at the Capitol Theatre, 19 S. Third St., at 3 p.m. Tickets go from $7.50 to $35 and are available at the box office, www.ticketswest.com or at 509-853-2787. For more information, visit www.capitoltheatre.org.

Thursday, Feb. 16

* Arts and letters get together and dance a bit at the Yakima Valley Museum as a pair of musicians bring life to a silent-film version of Mark Twain's classic "Tom Sawyer." Renowned composer Maria Newman will join Yakima Symphony Orchestra principal flutist Hal Ott to provide the soundtrack for the film.

The evening, part of the museum's Drawing Room Diversions series, begins with dinner and drinks at 6 p.m. at the museum, 2105 Tieton Drive, and continues with the entertainment at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40.

For more information, visit www.yakimavalley museum.org or call 509-248-0747.

Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 16-18

* Yakima Valley Community College has celebrated V-Day for 10 years now, joining colleges and universities across the country in opposition to violence against women. The centerpiece of the V-Day movement is "The Vagina Monologues," Eve Ensler's episodic play about empowerment.

YVCC will stage that show at 7:30 p.m. in the Kendall Hall Auditorium on campus. Tickets cost $10, or $7 for YVCC students. Subsequent shows are set for Feb. 17-18. For more information, visit www.yvcc.edu or call 509-574-4750.

Friday, Feb. 17

* James Coates is a singer-songwriter whose direct lyrics and straightforward delivery are a nice antidote for these complex times. The songs are personal and earnest, and he's got that whole raspy-voice thing, so that's kind of cool. You can see him at 7 p.m. at Gilbert Cellars, 5 N. Front St. For more information, visit www.coatesmusic.net or www.gilbertcellars.com/events, or call 509-249-9049. There is no cover charge.

Saturday, Feb. 18

* So you screwed up another Valentine's Day. She wanted a nice dinner and roses; you took her to Subway and gave her one of those stuffed bears from the fair.

There's still time to make up for it with Red Wine and Chocolate, the local wine industry's way of helping you seem more romantic than you actually are. Wineries all over the Yakima Valley will pair artisan chocolate with wine for a weekend both of you will remember.

For details on specific wineries and tips for your tasting tour, visit www.wineyakimavalley.org and www.rattlesnakehills.org.

-- Pat Muir