THROUGH OCT. 2
ADMISSIONS

Sherri Rosen-Mason is the head of the admissions department at a New England boarding school. Over the past 15 years, and with the support of her husband, Tom, who also just happens to be the headmaster, she’s succeeded in increasing the school’s diversity quotient to 18 percent from 6 percent. But their well-intentioned efforts in the name of affirmative action come under question when their high-achieving son Charlie doesn’t make the cut for Yale — even though his biracial best friend does. Susan Hardie directs this award-winning social satire by Joshua Harmon. Stage Left Theater, $25, Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm, stagelefttheater.org (E.J. IANNELLI)

SEPT. 23-OCT. 16
SIGNIFICANT OTHER

If Stage Left’s Admissions leaves you craving more from playwright Joshua Harmon, you don’t have to wait long or even walk very far. Harmon’s Significant Other, a very different play that met with equal critical acclaim, centers on young Jordan Berman watching his close circle of single friends start to pair off and settle down. As Jordan laments how much his daily reality deviates from the life he’d imagined for himself, his sense of dissatisfaction is amplified by his impossible crush on the office hunk. Sarah Dahmen directs. Spokane Civic Theatre, $25, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, spokanecivictheatre.com (EJI)

OCT. 10, OCT. 16, OCT. 28-NOV. 4
ACCORDING TO COYOTE

In Native American lore, Coyote is a wily, smooth-talking trickster who also sometimes gets tricked himself. And the outcome of those adventures has had profound effects on the world as we know it. Nez Perce actor Kellen Lewis reenacts the mythology of Coyote through music, dance and theatrics in this one-man show by John Kaufmann. Directed by Josephine Keefe, the playwright’s niece, this production by Spokane Ensemble Theatre is presented in partnership with One Heart Native Arts and Film Festival and Red Eagle Soaring. Locations and prices vary, details at spokaneensembletheatre.com (EJI)

OCT. 14-23
LEAP OF FAITH

Self-styled “Reverend” Jonas Nightingale’s bus breaks down in a rural Kansas town. He decides to spin the misfortune in his favor by holding a classic tent revival that just happens to bilk the townspeople out of their hard-earned cash. But local Sheriff Marla McGowan is wise to this con man’s ploy, and she’s not having any of it. The catch is that neither of them planned on falling in love with each other. This rollicking musical features charts by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid). Aspire Community Theatre, $19-$28, showtimes TBD, aspirecda.com (EJI)

OCT. 20-30
GUYS AND DOLLS

Guys and Dolls has been a cornerstone of musical theater since its Broadway premiere in 1950. Set in New York’s “classic” 1920s gangster era, its tale of wayward gamblers finding love and redemption is a perennial favorite. The musical is based on two short stories by the trendsetting writer Damon Runyon, but it was the music of Frank Loesser (“Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”) and the vivid book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows that fused Loesser’s memorable tunes with equally memorable characters. Regional Theatre of the Palouse, $30, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm, rtoptheatre.org (EJI)

OCT. 28-30
THE BOOK OF MORMON

The Book of Mormon has been to Spokane twice already — in 2014 and 2016. It was supposed to return again in 2020, but by now we’re all too familiar with the reason it didn’t. More than two years after that cancellation, the nationally touring production of this irreverent comedy musical is finally back on the bill. You’ll have three days to catch this satirical story about LDS missionaries and their misguided attempts to convert a Ugandan village. First Interstate Center for the Performing Arts, $60-$120, showtimes vary, bestofbroadwayspokane.com (EJI)

OCT. 28-NOV. 19
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

Both a sendup of and an homage to the schlocky B movies of the ’50s and ’60s, The Rocky Horror Show is an unapologetically camp, unabashedly libidinous and unquestionably outlandish musical. Seeking refuge on a rainy night, the young couple Brad and Janet enter the castle of Dr. Frank-n-Furter, who’s just created the ideal manly specimen in his secret lab. What follows involves murder, seduction and a lot of dancing. Rocky Horror may have started out as a cult phenomenon, but it’s long since become a mainstream sensation. This production is co-directed by Heather McHenry-Kroetch and Troy Nickerson. Stage Left Theater, $25, Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm (closing weekend shows at midnight), stagelefttheater.org (EJI)

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

What kind of Christmas would it be without grumpy, miserly Scrooge discovering the true meaning of the season thanks to the supernatural advice of three different ghosts? Starting the day after Thanksgiving, you can get into the holiday spirit yourself with this production of Barbara Field’s stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic short story. The show is co-directed this year by Bryan Durbin and Kearney Jordan as the Civic continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary season with a theatrical hit parade. Spokane Civic Theatre, $35, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, spokanecivictheatre.com (EJI)

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music — the last musical the famous duo would ever write together — likely needs no introduction. This fictionalized history of the Von Trapp family singers has given us a slew of earworms like “My Favorite Things” and “Do-Re-Mi,” not to mention the title song. The 1965 film is a cinema classic and has its own cottage tourist industry. The very name of the musical evokes images of Alpine meadows. In the run-up to Christmas, you can give yourself an early treat with this kid-centric production. Spokane Children’s Theatre, tickets and showtimes TBD, spokanechildrenstheatre.org (EJI)

DEC. 2-18
NATIVE GARDENS

Tania, a pregnant doctoral candidate, and her husband, Pablo, an up-and-coming attorney, move into a new residential neighborhood. They’re welcomed by their next-door neighbors Frank and Virginia, who also happen to maintain a magazine-quality English garden. However, when Tania starts eyeing her own garden and plans to build a fence, a polite disagreement over property borders and aesthetics erupts into a full-blown backyard brawl. Karen Zacarias’ comedy, directed in this Civic studio production by Dawn Taylor Reinhardt, is about differences in taste, class and perspective — and finding shared values in spite of them. Spokane Civic Theatre, $25, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, spokanecivictheatre.com (EJI)

DEC. 9-22
TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS

A full-on, no-holds-barred display of pageantry, patriotism and Yuletide commemoration, Traditions of Christmas treats audiences of all ages to a visual and musical extravaganza. After showcasing time-honored Christmas celebrations in countries like Ireland, Austria and Mexico, this song-and-dance spectacular moves into elaborate set pieces featuring Santa Claus, USO singers and a living nativity. Nearly every scene is accompanied by a Radio City Music Hall-style kickline, choruses and more. For many families, seeing Traditions of Christmas is an annual holiday tradition in itself. The Salvation Army Kroc Center, $23-$36, showtimes vary, traditionsofchristmasnw.com (EJI)