September 23, 2026 — Salute Dolly, see fresh-baked theater and dance for a cause
Goodbye, Dolly
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts is paying homage to beloved singer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who died Aug. 25, with a free screening of “9 to 5,” the 1980 female-empowerment comedy that — along with Parton’s smash hit song of the same name (https://youtu.be/UbxUSsFXYo4) — brought workplace sexism into the spotlight. The iconic film also stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman as the boss who gets his comeuppance. Costumes are encouraged, and there are plenty of options: Dress as Parton, go country-Western, or go ’80s style. In tribute to Parton’s passion for connecting kids to books, the center will be collecting new and gently used children’s books for the South Sound Reading Foundation. The screening (https://www.washingtoncenter.org/event/nine-to-five/) is happening Friday, Sept. 25 (aka 9/25), which the Olympia City Council will proclaim “Dolly Day.” The fun begins at 7 p.m. at the center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia.
Choro Tomorrow, Olympia’s Brazilian jazz band, is featured at Funk for Freedom. From left are Lisa Seifert, Sonja Wiedenhaupt, Lorree Gardener, Betsy Perkins, David Moseley and Brendon Keenan. Photo courtesy of Choro Tomorrow.
Plays made in a day
See just-made plays Saturday, Sept. 26, at Olympia Family Theater’s Tales Told in Ten. The family-friendly festival (https://olyft.org/tales-told-in-ten-2/) offers six 10-minute plays, each written, rehearsed, designed and performed in 24 hours. The clock starts ticking at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, when playwrights will receive prompts and begin writing. Saturday morning, directors, actors, designers and technicians will get busy taking the scripts from page to stage. Saturday night, audiences get the chance to watch work that literally didn’t exist the day before. Performances are at 7 and 9 p.m. at Olympia Family Theater, 612 4th Ave. E, Olympia. Tickets are $20-$25, with ten pay-what-you-can tickets available at the door before each performance.
Funk for Freedom
You’re invited to “dance like your country depends on it” at Funk for Freedom, happening Saturday, Sept. 26. The party, a fundraiser for Legal Immigration Services of Olympia (https://lisowa.org/), features music by Funk Pro Tunc and Choro Tomorrow; a children’s area with books, games and art supplies; and a raffle. Nineveh will be there selling food, too. The funk will be flowing from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at South Puget Sound Community College’s Lacey Campus, 4220 6th Ave. SE, Lacey. Admission is by donation, with generosity appreciated. (Organizers suggest giving $5-$5,000.) Advance registration (https://www.lisowa.org/event-details-registration/funk-for-freedom) is helpful but not necessary.
Molly Gilmore has been learning more about Parton’s life and accomplishments through the wonderful podcast “Dolly Parton’s America” (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america). The nine-part podcast, made in 2019, explores the question: “In this intensely divided moment, one of the few things everyone still seems to agree on is Dolly Parton — but why?”
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.