Nobody is quite sure why—maybe it really is the weather—but live theater has always done very well in Seattle. Consequently, if you can't find a good movie, you will have a wide choice of plays and musicals to try. Much of the action takes place in Seattle Center’s theaters; check local papers for current activities.

Seattle Repertory Theatre (206/443-2210, www.seattlerep.org) produces classic and contemporary plays October through May at Seattle Center.

A Contemporary Theatre, or ACT (700 Union St., 206/292-7676, www.acttheatre.org), fills out the other half of the year, performing downtown.

Book-It Repertory Theatre (206/216-0833, www.book-it.org) has year-round performances of classic literature, from Jane Austen to James Purdy.

The Intiman Theatre Company does classic dramatic productions May–Novemer at Seattle Center’s Intiman Theatre (201 Mercer St., 206/269-1901, www.intiman.org), while the Seattle Public Theater (7312 W. Greenlake Dr. N, 206/524-1300, www.seattlepublictheater.org) presents a wide range of plays at the refurbished bathhouse along Green Lake.

Also of note is On the Boards (100 W. Roy St., 206/217-9888, www.ontheboards.org) in Queen Anne.

For multicultural productions, check out the historic Nippon Kan Theater (628 S. Washington St., 206/467-6807), well known for its Japanese performing arts productions.

Also popular are offbeat and provocative productions from Empty Space Theatre (3509 Fremont Ave., 206/547-7500, www.emptyspace.org).

Two Seattle theaters provide a venue for Broadway-style musicals: the 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Ave., 206/625-1418, www.5thavenuetheatre.org) and the beautifully restored, historic Paramount Theater (Pine St. near 9th Ave., 206/292-2787, www.theparamount.com).

America’s largest—and perhaps finest—kids’ theater, the Seattle Children’s Theater (206/441-3322, www.sct.org) is housed within the impressive Charlotte Martin Theatre at Seattle Center. Productions and classes include both the silly and the serious.