With the openings of Shen Wei Dance Arts and Major Bang in the rear-view mirror (I caught only the latter of those two last night; I’ll see Shen Wei tomorrow night), the Big Festival is plowing through its slate of yet-to-be-seen productions and turning them into continuing-through productions. On tonight’s docket: the opening of medEia, the Dutch company Dood Paard’s take on Euripides’ old chestnut. From there, it’s to the Spoleto Soiree, where the Lowbrow hopes not to see any Powerpoint slideshows and single-liquor bars, as in some years past. (He’s banking on a repeat of last year’s luxe affair, though with a full Saturday ahead, he’ll be taking it easy on the hard stuff.)

Jazz maestro Amahd Jamal (and hopefully his bird) hit the Gaillard on Sunday, followed by the big Verdi choral/orchestral concert on Monday there and, on Tuesday, the second big Festival Concert, this time with Mahler, Strauss, et al. Wednesday’s marked on a lot of Philip Glass fans’ calendars as the premiere of his Book of Longing (which has its world premiere tonight in Toronto), and Thursday holds both the State Ballet of Georgia’s Swan Lake and Charlie Chaplin progeny Aurélia Thierrée’s European circus theatre work Aurélia’s Oratorio. Along the way lie a few more of the Chamber Music, Intermezzo, and Music in Time series, but that about sums it up for the big stuff until the Finale at Middleton Place on Sunday in a week.

But there’s still a truckload of goodness awaiting to open in the little festival, particularly in Theatre 99’s Piccolo Fringe. Scheer and McBrayer had their first gig last night, and if there was an unoccupied inch with a clear sightline to the stage, I couldn’t find it. Still to come are Upright Citizens Brigade Tourco and sibling sketch group Buffoons, new MTV employees Human Giant, Mary Kay Has a Posse, The Cody Rivers Show, P.S. 69, The Dangerous Strangers of Cabaret Kiki, and Theatre 99’s big Fringe Finale. Piccolo has its own finale set for next Saturday, and Johns Island will be hopping tomorrow with Charleston Ballet Theatre’s two sets with songstress Christine Kain at Angel Oak.

Get busy, wouldja?

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