Once again, there’re a ton of shows opening this weekend.

First of all, the publicity for Tales of Ordinary Madness, opening Friday at the CoHo theater, has really grabbed my attention—not only have they put together this rather strange blog about the around-town exploits of one of their cast members, a “famous Czech starlet,” but their press releases have been detailed and informative (and numerous). Most theater companies sorely neglect their web presence—the static, unengaging websites that most companies have certainly don’t do much to attract the youngsters. (If anything, they perpetuate the idea of theater as musty, irrelevant, and out of step.) So props to Coho for taking things to the next level. The show itself is a Czech play about urban alienation ‘n’ stuff. (It has also been described as “edgy, modern, sexual, and just what Young Portlanders want to see in live entertainment.”)

Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Feb 23, $20-23, 220-2646 for reservations

Tomorrow night, Fever Theater opens Believers, a musical about cults and the end of the world. It’s directed by Kate Sanderson, who also helmed Fever’s best work to date: the bold Mitlaufer, an engaging, immersive show about the commercialization/politicization of art, using the life of Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl as a framework. Believers will be their first show since losing their space in the Goldsmith Building, and also the first show since Mitlaufer to really play with the idea of audience complicity. Fever has been researching the show for months, looking at how the idea of the world ending has played into different cult mythologies—including that of Rajneeshpuram, Oregon’s own short-lived cult city.

1120 SE Main St., Suite #102, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, through February 2nd, $10-15 sliding scale with reservation, $15-20 sliding scale at the door, reservations encouraged, call 381-6814 or email kate@fevertheater.com

A Few Stout Individuals opens at Theater! Theatre!, the second in Profile Theatre’s John Guare season. Profile does a really nice job creating a context for their shows—you end up learning a lot over the course of a season, and digging into lesser produced works from major playwrights. I’m not familiar with this script, but Profile’s website informs me that it imagines a meeting between Samuel Clemens and an ailing, senile Ulysses S Grant.

Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm, Adults $24-$28; Seniors $20-$23; Students $10-$13. PLUS! If cost is an issue, Profile’s got a pay-what-you- will preview tonight, plus $10-15 tickets tomorrow and Friday. Offical opening night is Saturday.

And of course, Portland Center Stage opens The Beard of Avon, a comedy speculating on the true identity of William Shakespeare, which will be performed concurrently with Twelfth Night (the shows use the same sets and same cast) as soon as that show opens on the 22nd. The schedule is kinda confusing; check the website for details.