Theaters are all poor and starving and stuff—little chimney sweeps and matchbox girls, wandering the landscape, begging for pennies—and this weekend, a bunch are throwing benefit parties.

There’s Toast and Jam for Mirror Stage Company (a raffle and jazz) and Food as Art for the Central District Forum for Arts and Idea ($100 tickets to sample tasting stations by chefs from Campagne, Tavolata, and others).

But I would like to draw your attention to two in particular.

Saturday: Mad WET Tea Party, for Washington Ensemble Theatre. WET’s going through changes—for one, a logo redesign because of this dumb legal threat from a company in New York. (The column I’ve linked to ran in October, though not much has changed—the wheels of injustice turn slowly.) For two, the departure of Marya Sea Kaminksi, which I frame as dispiriting news in this column. But I shouldn’t be such a grump. The company has several younger members (Michael Place, Elise Hunt) who, I have every hope, will pick up the banner and run. Run like crazy.

Also, a few weeks ago, someone stole WET’s cash box during a production of Mr. Marmalade, setting the company back a few hundred bucks. So go. Enjoy. Give them money. Consider it a civic investment in one of the city’s best companies.

Friday: Song–Dance–Other, for On the Boards. Allegedly, there will be three karaoke machines, with artists and others going bonkers to their favorite songs, in ways no karaoke bar would allow. (The OtB crew is infamous at Ozzie’s, across the street from the theater, for reckless post-show karaoke parties with touring artists doing loud, bizarre, and sometimes obnoxious versions of their favorite karaoke songs. Apparently the bouncers sometimes get a little agitated.)

There will be beer. And Vietnamese sandwiches. They will be cheap!