By ALEC CLAYTON Jakes on 4th is, as it has been, “Pride Party Central” in Olympia. “Jakes has been in business since August 2004, and we’ve been a Pride supporter since then. I have attended Olympia Pride every year since it began,” says owner Rob Cameron. Capital City Pride founder Anna Schlecht says, “Rob supported …
By OLY ARTS STAFF History shows that in every society and culture, human beings have refused to fit into a narrow sex-and-gender box, yet for decades the United States government attempted to repress and discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other “queer” expressions of sexuality. Back in the 1950s and ’60s, protest groups regularly …
By Yvonne Joyce for OLY ARTS “My name is Emma González. I’m 18 years old, Cuban and bisexual.” In the February 2018 issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, a young woman wrote those words, bringing together her youth, national origin and sexuality as she courageously took the national stage. This year, Capital City Pride honors the …
By OLY ARTS STAFF Capital City Pride hosts the largest small-town pride festival in the Pacific Northwest. Pride brings together the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and allied communities to affirm and celebrate LGBTQ identity. The Capital City Pride Parade & Festival are family-friendly events that are free and open to the public. Mayor Cheryl Selby …
by Kelli Samson and Yvonne Joyce for OLY ARTS The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle is staging a new rendition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in the month of June, loosely based on the Disney film, but with darker tones drawn from the original Victor Hugo novel. This new version of Hunchback has the notable distinction …
By BRYAN WILLIS for OLY ARTS Olympia audiences have one more chance to catch free, aerial performances as The Brotherhood Takes Flight celebrates the end of its ninth season. Longtime fan Marcia Burnett offers excellent advice to anyone going for the first time: “Come early, especially if you’re going with friends.” Aerial performances are presented …
by Billy Thomas for OLY ARTS On Saturday, June 2, 2018, comic book creators, readers, and collectors will once again gather in downtown Olympia to celebrate the Olympia Comics Festival. The annual festival celebrates and showcases the medium to bring awareness to its artistic and literary quality. This year’s festival is set to offer a …
by Tom Simpson for OLY ARTS In early June, the Capitol Theater in Olympia will see notable Pacific Northwest bands join forces in a benefit concern entitled “Rock against Trump.” According to organizers, the concert is intended to promote community unity. Funds raised will benefit the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes advocacy and …
by Bryan Willis for OLY ARTS How does a stay-at-home dad get bitten by the video bug and wind up with an invitation to the famous Sundance Native Lab? “It was my kids,” explains local filmmaker Jeff Barehand. “I made videos of my kids to send back to my parents. Without family I wouldn’t have …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS The island archipelago of Haida Gwaii lies 585 miles from Olympia, WA. These islands serve as the heartland of the Haida Nation, and the setting of Georg Koszulinski’s new social justice documentary, White Ravens. The film focuses on the history of the Indigenous Haida Nation and their current resistance …