Jerrie has had enough of the sexist trolls and gatekeepers who have worked to thwart her success in the gaming industry. Now, she’s leading a talented team to take back her rightful place as a leader in the realm of virtual reality. But as the virtual world once again invades the meatspace, things get more surreal than she could have ever anticipated. Written and directed by Kirsten Brandt, assistant professor of musical theater at SJSU, co-writer of Snow Queen and director of City Lights’ 2017 production Stupid F**king Bird. Runs through April 11.Coded
Thu, 8pm, $23+
City Lights Theater, San Jose

It could be argued that actor and City Lights regular Max Tachis has gotten a leg up on his playwriting skills by appearing at this festival in staged readings of scripts by Jeffrey Lo. The actor and playwright team up again for the festival opener, Lo’s Zac and Siah or, Jesus in a Body Bag, and Tachis’ Tournament de Champions closes out “Three Days of New Plays” on Saturday. In between is a shorts program around the theme of power and Pat Pfeiffer’s drama fish, about Vietnamese refugees who get a less than warm Texas welcome. The festival also features a lineup of food trucks and visual artists, as well as some adoptable dogs.

Lights Up!
Thu, 8pm, $7-$40
City Lights Theater, San Jose

The South Bay’s very own Jackie Gage has been working the live jazz circuit hard for years. A few years back she relocated to New York in order to really be in the thick of things. But Gage has never forgotten where she came from. This weekend, the vocalist plays a special show at City Lights Theater. There, she’ll pay tribute to her home with her newest single, “A Secret Place,” which was recently given a music video treatment. The performance—part of City Lights’ “Lights & Music Concert Series”—will also feature a conversation with Gage and a screening of her video.

Jackie Gage
Sun, 7pm, $22+
City Lights Theater, San Jose

One of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays, this 400-year-old dramedy shines the spotlight on a society struggling with xenophobia and classism. Antonio, a Venetian merchant, finds himself mired in debt while Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, battles rampant anti-semitism. From the revengeful “Hath not a Jew eyes?” monologue to lighthearted ring exchanges between lovers, the work explores humanity’s dark and light. Director Kit Wilder describes it as a timely plea for what it means to be “humanly faith-based.” It runs through April 22. (KL)

Merchant of Venice
Sat, 8pm, $19+
City Lights Theater, San Jose

On the cusp of the 1960s, America’s civil rights movement had only just begun. While it’s clear—even in 2018—how far we still have to go, Kenneth Jones’ Alabama Story gives us a glimpse of how far we’ve come. The story follows librarian Emily Wheelock Reed as she champions Garth Williams’ controversial children’s book The Rabbits’ Wedding, a love story between two rabbits, one black and one white. Jones’ play comes to the West Coast for the first time, as City Lights Theatre takes audiences back to 1959 and segregation-era Alabama.

Alabama Story
Thu, 8pm, $19+
City Lights Theatre, San Jose

For many twentysomethings electronic dance music is the latest and greatest form of musical expression. Producers like Kaskade, Skrillex and Avicii pack festivals full of college-aged men and women with their high energy, synth-based beats.

But for 24-year-old San Jose denizen Jackie Gage, horns, upright bass and analog, brush-beaten drum kits are where it’s at.

Gage was born in Mountain View and raised in Sunnyvale by parents who loved soul and jazz. She grew up listening to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder.

For much of 2014, Gage served as the co-founder and host of Fatale, a weekly series spotlighting local female soul, R&B and jazz vocalists at Blackbird Tavern and the Pagoda Bamboo Lounge in downtown San Jose.

A singer since childhood and a songwriter since college, Gage says that the women she saw singing at Fatale inspired her to write an entire album of original material and take her show on the road.

Gage played the final Fatale last week at Pagoda and then embarked on a short California tour, which took her to Oakland, San Rafael, Sacramento and down to Los Angeles, where she spoke with Metro on her cell phone about the upcoming release of two singles from her forthcoming LP, Ladies—named for the women singers who inspired her to take on this challenge in the first place.

“I really want as many ears as possible to hear this,” she says of Ladies, which she hopes to release in full some time in 2015. “I want the world to hear these stories and this music.”

For those who want to hear Gage’s material sooner, she will be performing at City Lights Theater Company in San Jose on Sunday, Dec. 7. It’s the second-to-last show of her brief tour, which will wrap up with one more stop in Los Angeles on Dec. 9—the same day she’ll be releasing two singles from Ladies.

Gage’s voice has been described as “velvety,” like a “smooth wine,” and indeed, her vocal ability is impressive, as she has shown in original songs like “Let Me Know,” a live version of which can be found on YouTube, and her jazzed-up cover of Rihanna’s hit “Umbrella.”

Jackie Gage plays the City Lights Theater Company on Dec. 7 at 7pm. More info.