Studio West Dance Theatre

Studio West Dances to Make a Difference

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Olympia’s Studio West Dance Theatre and Guild provide an enchanting opportunity each year for the community to enjoy an evening of fine food and dance. All proceeds from the annual Dance to Make a Difference gala go to a local charity. Now in its ninth year, the gala’s chosen …

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Elizabeth Alexander and Simon Tran in Alice in Wonderland

Olympia Family Theater Discovers the Wonder

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Forget everything you know from Disney’s version of Alice in Wonderland. Olympia Family Theater is about to bring forth the world premiere of local thespian Kate Ayers’s original adaptation, and there will be nary a Tweedledee or -dum in sight. Things are about to get “curiouser and curiouser.” Ayers’s …

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The Bow Weevils are: top row left to right, Hatcher Cox, Ellie Davis, Rizley Cox; bottom row left to right, Ruby Neatherlin and Annie Davis (photo credit: Emily Teachout).

2017: The Bow Weevils at The Oly Old Time Festival

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Olympia’s Bow Weevils are returning to The Oly Old Time Festival, the site of their 2016 debut. Prior to forming The Bow Weevils, Ruby Neatherlin (bass, fiddle, washboard), sisters Annie (fiddle, songwriting) and Ellie Davis (fiddle, guitar) and brothers Hatcher (guitar, mandolin) and Rizley Cox (banjo, fiddle, mandolin) played …

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Our Town cast members Brian Tyrrell, Clarke Hallum and McKenna Soderberg

Our Town at Olympia High School

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, long-heralded as the most American of plays, graces the stage at Olympia High School this winter under the talented direction of Kathy Dorgan. Wilder’s play is simple, focusing on the citizens of a small, 1900s American town over a 12-year period. “It’s always been on …

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Mia Learner in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

OFT Has The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Two of the most treasured traditions at Olympia Family Theater (OFT) are the annual holiday show and the multigenerational cast show. This year, the two are brilliantly rolled together for a play that will surely get even the biggest Scrooge into the holiday spirit. Today’s parents may recall from …

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Martin Lee chalk art at OFT

Chalk Artist Martin Lee at OFT

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Olympia Family Theater (OFT) is hosting high-quality performance art this Arts Walk. Local artist Martin Lee will be in the lobby. Lee came to Olympia as a student at The Evergreen State College. Fast-forward two-plus decades, and he’s OFT’s resident chalk artist. He produces a piece to decorate the …

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Isaac McKenziesullivan as Gerald the Elephant and Joanna Gibson as Piggie

Elephant & Piggie Take the Stage

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Opening the 2016-2017 season at Olympia Family Theater (OFT) is Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” Parents and young children will undoubtedly be familiar with Piggie and Gerald, the starring duo in author, illustrator and Caldecott Medal-winner Mo Willems’ easy-reader series. Stephanie Claire is the musical director. …

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David Christensen, Randy and Jason Linder (courtesy Randy Linder)

2016: The Randy Linder Band: Runnin’ Down a Dream

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Still like that old-time rock and roll? The Randy Linder Band has the music to soothe your soul. After performing for 40 years, Linder gives listeners of all ages a true rock-concert experience. “We play classic rock music because it’s the music I grew up with and my favorite …

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