Ted and Jen Ryle

Jen and Ted Ryle: Olympia Family Theater’s Dynamic Duo

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Meet Jen and Ted Ryle, the couple behind Olympia Family Theater. Theater is a touchstone for the Ryle family. Fittingly, the Ryles met each other at an audition at Shoreline College. “I nudged my friend when Ted walked in, and said ‘Who’s the straight guy? I want him!’” Jen …

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Mary Cullen and Laura Andersen of Wrinkles of Washington

Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance With Wrinkles of Washington

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS For the well-seasoned performers of Wrinkles of Washington, the show must go on. To quote the title of WOW’s new show, happening Saturday at the Olympia High School Performing Arts Center, they’ve Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance. About 25 performers ages 55 and older will be part of the show, …

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book art by Shereen LaPlantz

LaPlantz Book Art Given to UPS Library

by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS When it comes to book art, Shereen LaPlantz didn’t just write the textbook, she also made the books inside the textbook: handmade, paper sculptures with pages in concertina, diorama star or tunnel form. And thanks to a generous Tacoma couple, the University of Puget Sound’s Collins Memorial Library now …

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Steamboat Stringband Jamboree

Who’s Who at the Steamboat Stringband Jamboree

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The Steamboat Stringband Jamboree, happening Friday and Saturday at Prosperity Grange, features a who’s who of Pacific Northwest string bands, said co-organizer Tye Menser. Menser and the rest of the Oly Mountain Boys, along with the Pine Hearts, launched the jamboree in 2015 when a planned all-ages show got …

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Lennée Reid

The ARTery Performance Art Festival

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS There’s something unique about the Olympia arts community, especially when it comes to cross-genre collaborations. The arts community is constantly pushing its members to hone their craft, whether through music, theater, writing or dance. This June, that spirit of encouragement and growth will be showcased at the ARTery Community …

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Jim Lynch

Saint Martin’s Summer Creative Writing Institute

by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS Saint Martin’s University will open its doors to 15 local fiction writers for the second installment of its Summer Creative Writing Institute. The small, week-long intensive invites writers of all ability levels to live and work on campus, collaborate with peers, learn from professionals in the field and develop …

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Fishnapped! cast

REVIEW: Fishnapped! at OFT

THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS What a wonderful play! Fishnapped! at Olympia Family Theater is a wildly rocking, sweet, touching musical, ostensibly for kids but a treat for all ages. It’s a world premiere, too, locally written by Amy Shephard and Andrew Gordon with music and lyrics by Daven Tillinghast and directed …

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Kendra Tanacea

Kendra Tanacea Poetry Reading at Browsers

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS For some people, reading and writing are creative outlets that allow them to tap into the extraordinary without being hindered by “reality.” For Kenda Tanacea, a San Francisco-based poet and attorney, poetry is that outlet, and it gives her the chance to let the mundane aspects of everyday life …

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Jason Haws in The Understudy at Harlequin Productions

Jason Haws: Seeker of Truth

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Jason Haws is a shapeshifter. Whether onstage or in front of a classroom, he glides effortlessly between roles and is utterly unforgettable in each, always stealing the show. As director Brian Tyrrell, who’s known him for over twenty years, articulates, “Jason Haws is a chameleon.” Though Haws had dreams …

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Danger Room

2017 Olympia Comics Festival

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Once a year, comic book creators, readers and enthusiasts around the Puget Sound converge on downtown Olympia to immerse themselves in the vibrant world of comics. You might think we’re talking about Comic Con, the famous, yearly comics and pop-culture convention, but the event in question is very different, …

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