Ned Hayes 
By REBEKAH FINN Olympia Family Theater has been inspiring young minds for over a decade. This summer that legacy continues with camps and workshops for every age, ranging from 5-year-olds to teenagers, first-time campers to seasoned theater veterans. “One of the things that always excites us is the mix of returning students and new kids …
By CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL An audacious theatrical venture is about to debut at Olympia’s Capitol Theater. Under the guidance of impresario Kyle Murphy and artistic director Lexi Barnett, Broadway Olympia Productions plans a full season of five Broadway musicals derived from or popularized by cinema. The company’s mission statement promises “a sustainable program which operates on …
By Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Christopher Gerber, an aesthetic engineer with Artists With Ecology, sees the dilapidated old Olympia Brewery building in Tumwater as an eyesore and a blight on a beautiful area, and he wants to do something about it. His proposal is to beautify the abandoned brewery by replacing the broken doors …
By TOM SIMPSON Musical Family Adventure The Harmonica Pocket is a family-friendly band from Port Townsend, Washington, that comes to Lacey in Tune as part of the Timberland Regional Library’s summer-reading program. Songwriter Keeth Monta Apgar leads the group with thick, jazz chord progressions and thoughtful, storytelling lyrics merged into songs that entrance audiences young …
VISUAL ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Childhood’s End Gallery’s latest show is clearly different from their usual group show. Oaxaca to Washington is an exhibition of more than 30 prints by Mexican artists from the state of Oaxaca. Local artist Mimi Williams became friends with Mexican artist Edgar Martinez (not the baseball …
by Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS OLY ARTS reported in June that The Evergreen State College was cutting heavily into staff and facilities that made theater possible at Evergreen. The Experimental Theater (COM 124, a 200-seat, black-box venue) and its costume and scene shops will close at the end of the spring 2018 semester. Faculty and staff members …
The following recommended reading list was provided by Orca Books in Olympia for Pride Week coverage in OLY ARTS. Orca Books is the largest independent bookstore in Olympia, Washington, located in the heart of downtown’s vibrant shopping district. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the UniverseBenjamin Alire Saenz As two young loners start …
By Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS In June, Lakewood Playhouse will host a staged reading of a play based on the best-selling novel The Eagle Tree by Olympia novelist Ned Hayes as a special presentation of the Northwest Playwrights Alliance. (Hayes used the royalties from his novel to found this publication, OLY ARTS.) * Set in …
By ALEC CLAYTON for OLY ARTS Singer, actor and all-around funny lady Lauren O’Neill is half of the team hosting Capital City Pride this year. This is her second Pride as master of ceremonies for the parade, and she says she’s thrilled to share the honor with Elizabeth Lord and friends on the mainstage. O’Neill …
By ALEC CLAYTON for OLY ARTS Olympia’s master of storytelling, the one and only Elizabeth Lord, will cohost this year’s Capital City Pride with Lauren O’Neill. She’s an Olympia legend from her work as an actor, storyteller and all-around entertainer. Lord’s first paid storytelling gig was in 1994. For 20 years she’s been an actor …