Billy Thomas 
By KAMEKO LASHLEE The orchestra is a centuries-old pastime, and it’s as good an excuse as any to get dressed up, go out on the town and listen to euphonious music. In recent years, however, classical music has been associated with boredom and stuffiness. In a world that evolves ceaselessly to satiate our need for …
By Editor On January 31, 2019, Tacoma Little Theatre‘s Off the Shelf program presented a workshop performance of Measure for Measure, a drama by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by OLY ARTS editor emeritus Christian Carvajal and read by a “who’s who” list of South Sound thespians. The Bard’s poetic language has been preserved in …
By William Shakespeare,Adapted by Christian Carvajal First presented at Tacoma Little Theatre, 31 January 2019 We are in Vienna, an amoral city of ostentatious wealth. CHARACTERS (in order of appearance) DUKE VINCENTIO: a Viennese big shotESCALUS: an aged lordANGELO: Duke Vincentio’s deputyLUCIO: a “fantastic,” or flamboyant bachelorFIRST GENTLEMAN / JUSTICESECOND GENTLEMAN / BARNARDINE: a convictMISTRESS …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Neil Simon, Jason Haws, Harlequin Productions. That alone should be enough to convince theater lovers to buy tickets to I Ought to be in Pictures. A typical Simon comedy/drama, this lovely little show elicits laughter, and it is human drama as true as true can be — …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The defining thing about the annual postcard show at South Puget Sound Community College is humor, is variety, is lots and lots of little works of art — is most of all that nothing is rejected. Every work submitted is accepted into the show without judgment, which …
By CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL The Yiddish-American word klatch, which can rhyme with either batch or botch, means an informal gathering, usually one that facilitates conversation. Pizza Klatch is an Olympia-based organization that empowers LGBTQ+ youth in Thurston County by providing safe, supportive spaces — and yes, free pizza — in 15 area schools. It’s the result …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Sherry Buckner’s latest pastel landscapes beg an old question: why do it. Nature can be stunningly beautiful, especially when there are sunsets or stormy skies, or, in the case of Buckner’s pastels, mist and fog. But it is so much easier to snap a photo than to …
By Noah Shachar Theater lives and thrives in Olympia, thanks partly to the talent at Harlequin Productions. After a strong 2018 season, I Ought to Be in Pictures will open in mid-January 2019 to further the company’s high, artistic precedent. Written by acclaimed playwright Neil Simon, the play follows Hollywood screenwriter Herb after he re-encounters …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The Department of Ecology in Lacey is routinely filled with art, with rotating shows of local and area artists in the public spaces. Works by two Olympia artists, Lois Beck and Mary McCann, are now on display in the dining room (McCann) and the lobby (Beck). These …
By Lucia Volker A Christmas Story, The Musical is a musical-theater riff on the classic, holiday comedy. “I desperately wanted this show to be part of our first season, because it has strong ties to Olympia,” says Kyle Murphy, managing director of Broadway Olympia Productions, “and watching the movie is also one if my most-cherished …