Every Thursday, we round up Pay-Whats and other cheap seats at local theaters.  Just so’s your weekend is a little easier.

Before we start, remember the general rules: (A) Reservations for these? Not so much. (B) They’re offered on a space-available basis, so have a backup plan. (C) Click each theater name for details and contact info.

This week it’s all about the drag and the divas (and one festival offering we don’t know much about). Plus this reminder, which we like to trot out occasionally:

  • Lots of D.C. theaters offer rush seats (sometimes called stampede seats or Hottix or some other silliness) a half-hour or so before showtime. Theater J‘s, for instance, are $15 on weekdays and Sundays, $20 on Saturdays, available 30 minutes before curtain if a show’s not sold out. Woolly Mammoth’s are $10 at every show, 15 minutes before showtime.
  • And remember there’s always TicketPlace, the half-price day-of-show outlet down in Penn Quarter.

Those are evergreen recommendations; this week specifically, here’s what I know about:

  • Tramps and Vamps, Actors Theatre of Washington. Middling Joe Orton and madly glamorous, over-the-top Charles Busch, the latter starring Rick Hammerly and Nanna Ingvarsson. CP says: “A lopsided double-bill … The Orton isn’t bad, just underwhelming … [but] Vampire Lesbians of Sodom … plays like vaudeville, so gleefully does it go for the broad laughs and the sharply honed, thoroughly shameless bits of business.” Pay-What performance tonight, Thursday, at 8 p.m. At Church Street Theatre, 1742 Church St NW.
  • Snow Falling Fast, The Hatchery. Sarah Sander’s play points out that “winter in picturesque small-town America can feel as serene as life in a snow globe. But be careful: shake too hard, and the illusion could shatter into a million tiny fragments.” Part of the ongoing Hatchery Festival. Pay-What performance tonight, Thursday, at 7:30. At DCAC, 2438 18th St. NW.
  • Evita, Open Circle Theatre. Don’t cry for them—noted director (and CP opera critic) Joe Banno is staging it, and Liz Lerman’s company is responsible for the movement. Critics see it Wednesday. Pay-What preview Tuesday at 8 p.m.. At Round House Silver Spring, 8641 Colesville Road in Silver Spring.