November 11, 2026 — Weekend offers peaceful, playful and thought-provoking performances
Songs of peace in the Rotunda
There is no question that the Washington State Capitol Rotunda is impressive. The dome is 175 feet high, and the Tiffany chandelier that hangs from the ceiling is the largest in the world. But one of the dome’s most outstanding features can’t be seen: It’s the way sound reverberates in the space. You can hear and feel that reverberation on Saturday, Nov. 14, when the Olympia Peace Choir sings an a cappella concert under the dome. “It’s glorious,” said Matthew Melendez, who directs the community choir (https://theolympiapeacechoir.org/). “The reverberation actually erases some of the distance between singer and listener. … Standing unaccompanied in a space like that, with nothing to hide behind, is as honest as choral music gets.” The free concert, fittingly called “Nothing Between Us,” begins at 2 p.m. in the Washington State Capitol, 215 Sid Snyder Ave. SW, Olympia.
‘Clybourne Park’ at SPSCC
The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning “Clybourne Park” — inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s classic “A Raisin in the Sun” — opens Friday, Nov. 13, at South Puget Sound Community College. Bruce Norris’ 2010 satire is set in the fictional Chicago neighborhood where “Raisin’s” Younger family bought a home, becoming the first Black family in what had been an all-white area. “Park” begins with the story of the couple that sold to the Youngers in 1959 and then moves to 2009, when another white family wants to buy the house. Through sharp dialogue and cutting humor, Norris’ play “makes room for us to reflect on our attitudes and assumptions,” said SPSCC drama professor Lauren Love, who’s directing the show. “ ‘Clybourne Park’ asks the question that I think is at the heart of American democracy: ‘How do we form a more perfect union now?’” Love said. “(It) interrogates the gap between our ideals and our lived experiences as we strive for a truly free democratic society.” Cast members, most of whom play one role in each time period, are Teresita Brimms, Johanna Chhay, Heather Christopher, Kalen McCrea, Jalen Penn, Jerry Romasco, Jed Slaughter and Teddy Spector. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 14, 20 and 21 and 2 p.m. Nov. 15 and 22 in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. A $15 donation is suggested, with students, staff and faculty admitted free.
Musical theater all mixed up
“Harlequin Miscast,” happening Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15, offers a playful twist on musical-theater classics by placing performers in roles they’d normally never get to play. As the description on the Harlequin Productions website (https://harlequinproductions.org/show/harlequin-miscast/) puts it: “Watch leading men belt out ingenue ballads, comedic actors tackle dramatic arias and performers of every type step boldly outside their usual casting boxes.” Bruce Haasl and Max Lopuszynski are the emcees for the event, with a cast including Christian Bolduc, Henry Talbot Dorset, Stephanie Layton, Heather Matthews, Eleise Moore and Jerod Nace. Also joining in the fun are Gregory Conn, Elizabeth Fuller, Melissa Maanao, Elise Tarasova and Travis Tingvall. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and 2 p.m. Nov. 15 at the State Theater, 202 4th Ave. E, Olympia. Tickets are $30.
Molly Gilmore has fond memories of seeing Harlequin Productions’ “Clybourne Park” in 2014 and is even more excited to see it again now that she has finally seen “A Raisin the Sun.”
To keep track of what is happening in the arts in the South Puget Sound region, be sure to read Molly Gilmore’s weekly “Arts Aficionado” column in Oly Arts magazine. Subscribe to Oly Arts to receive an email when we publish new articles and columns.