Showcase 2006 happens Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien.

Billed as "A Feast of the Burien Arts Community," this year's free event is one for the entire family.

Produced by the Burien Coalition for the Arts with grants from the Burien Arts Commission and 4Culture, this sneak preview of the local visual and performing arts 2006-07 season begins at 1 p.m. with displays by artists from Seahurst Art Gallery, Artists United and Burien Arts Gallery.

At 2 p.m. the curtain rises on short performances by the Highline Community Symphonic Band, KidSounds and YouthSounds Northwest, Burien Little Theatre, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, The Hi-Liners and New City Dance.

This will be the first time the Northwest Symphony Orchestra has taken part since 2003.

Burien Little Theatre will present an original musical/ play, THUGS: A Musical Mafiasco.

Randi Lacey, Showcase 2006 Chairperson, is excited about Showcase.

She emphasizes that the event is a great family day and a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to the arts.

The Highline Performing Arts Center is located at 401 S. 152nd St.

THUGS is the brainchild of Kim Douglass and Dave Tucker.

Actors Mike Giles and Adam Othman, accompanied by Kim Douglass, will perform two songs: "Down and Out" and "A Couple"-comedy duets by would-be thugs.

Burien Little Theatre is proud to present this sneak preview of a world premiere, the tale of a Mafia farce inspired by Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters.

Winner of BLT's 2003 Bill and Peggy Hunt Playwrights Festival, the play has been transformed into a comedic musical.

As the real-life story goes, when author Dave Tucker asked how THUGS could be improved, someone responded, "by turning it into a musical."

So, he created the comedy in two acts. He showed the BLT board of directors a 20 minutes scene at a party last December and the group was impressed enough to stage it this season.

The intriguing play takes place at Mama Risotto's sidewalk caf/ in Shady Groves, Ill., a small town outside of Chicago. It's 1929 and two thugs banished from Chicago's gangland community find work in the lazy town as bodyguards for a man and a woman, both disguised as the late Anthony Sartori.

Added to this are two feuding crime lords, their lovesick children, and an effeminate hit man, resulting in a whirlwind of mistaken identity.

According to Tucker, the play took a life of its own during the writing process. "There's nothing profound about this story," insists Tucker.

"It was just a lot of fun to write. And rehearse. And perform. And hopefully, you will find it fun, too."

The premiere of the original musical THUGS will be at Burien Little Theatre beginning Feb. 16, with performances through March 11.

Other upcoming Burien Little Theatre shows include A Tuna Christmas, Nov. 24-Dec. 17; and Visiting Mr. Green, May 18-June 10.