Ned Hayes 
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS What really happened to make Ebenezer Scrooge change his mind about Christmas, or did he really change his mind at all? Maybe he decided it had all been a dream after all. What else could explain why many years later he could be so stingy as to …
by Adam McKinney If you saw a band list a collection of absurdly disparate influences, including System of a Down, Tower of Power, Modest Mouse, James Brown, and many others, wouldn’t you be inclined to think that the band probably sounds like a mess? Idaho-based outfit Lounge on Fire does just that, and perhaps the …
By ADAM McKINNEY There’s an ongoing movement around the world to foster positivity, community support and creative outlets for young people. Locally, the Bridge Music Project works with at-risk youth, teaching them to combat the difficulties of life through the expression of songwriting. The organization started the Bridge Summer Concert Series, now entering its fourth …
By JONAH BARRETT for OLY ARTS Get dressed up and get fancy for the third-annual Center Stage Awards and Gala at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts this July. “This year’s gala will have a Midsummer Night’s Dream feel,” said executive director Jill Barnes. “Think fairies, fireflies and outdoor gardens.” The gala is …
OLY ARTS brings to the South Sound Wordsmiths, a new local literary interview series. Wordsmiths features local literary groups in the Pacific Northwest and their impact on their local communities. In Chapter One, Wordsmiths interviewed Jackie Casella and Joshua Swainston of Tacoma’s Creative Colloquy – a nonprofit where writers come together and read their work …
By Melissa Avril Harris Olympia’s oldest live theater continues its tradition of offering diverse, theatrical experiences that appeal to both actors and patrons. Its 79th season offers what artistic director Kendra Malm describes as a “balance between drama and comedy, new and classic, and conventional and off-beat.” Play suggestions are submitted by a group of …
Visual Arts Review by SUSAN CHRISTIAN (special to Oly Arts) Marilyn Bedford is showing her paintings at the small home gallery — Allsorts in Olympia — for the next two weekends. In this exhibit of Bedford paintings there are works from several series as well as single works which punctuate themed groups; a few works don’t …
Capital Lakefair celebrates 61 years of service to our community in 2018. It was created as an event to celebrate waterfront activities and bring people to the downtown and lakefront core of the city. Here’s the complete Capital Lakefair Schedule for 2018. WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 Noon – 11 p.m. Carnival, Food Booths, Arts & Crafts, …
Capital Lakefair celebrates 61 years of service to our community in 2018. It was created as an event to celebrate waterfront activities and bring people to the downtown and lakefront core of the city. It’s been a marvelous success, growing in size and attendance every year. Today, Lakefair carries an annual budget of nearly $300,000. Approximately 200,000 …
By TOM SIMPSON Many music fans hear echoes of alt-rock and grunge when they listen to the musical landscape of the Pacific Northwest. However, this region has quietly begun to nurture a new generation of musicians in a hugely popular and uniquely American genre of music: country. In fact, in the last few decade, a …