THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Once again Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) has taken a classic and updated it to make it, if not better than the original, then at least more enjoyable and laughable for contemporary audiences. Philip Wickstrom, Pug Bujeaud and the TAO collective have updated Molière’s 17th-century farce The Physician …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS As the winter months descend on the world, the cold and darkness is met with a combination of reverie and revelry. Nights get quieter, and the solitude is countered with companionship. One lasting holiday tradition is the singing of Handel’s Messiah, an oratorio from the mid-18th century. Messiah‘s enduring …
WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, there are plenty of author readings and plays on Olympia’s many stages, not to mention the highly anticipated opening of the Nutcracker ballet. We hope you’re ready for a week full of holiday cheer and show-stopping performances. Click here to listen to our podcast …
by Guy Bergstrom for OLY ARTS The international hit Stomp—which first hit the London stage in 1991 and has been playing on Broadway since 1994—is coming to Olympia in January 2017. Creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas go back another decade to 1981. Cresswell is a self-taught drummer who left school at 15 for music. …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Local letterpress artists and authors Chandler O’Leary and Jessica Spring have taken an active role in keeping feminism strong in their new book, Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color. O’Leary and Spring will be celebrating their book at “Pressing Matters: Lacey,” an upcoming artist talk, pop-up show and …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Pacific-Northwest author Josh Kilen will be reading from his newest book, Around the Sound: Amusing Thoughts and Tales from Washington’s Puget Sound at Browsers Bookshop. Published in April, the book includes humorous short stories and essays about the Puget Sound and its rich history. “The book was born out …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Foghorn Stringband has long been lauded as one of the main forces behind the Northwest revival of old-time music. These days, though, the quartet has gone international. “We’re not really a local, Northwest band anymore,” founding member Caleb Klauder said. Klauder, who plays mandolin and fiddle, and guitarist Reeb …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Music is part of the mission of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the annual Service of Lessons and Carols is a shining example. The service is both a religious observance and a musical event that draws a community crowd far exceeding the regular congregation. “Last year, there were at …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Here’s a match made in heaven: Bill Collins and Allsorts Gallery. Olympia native Bill Collins has been painting pictures for 38 years. Allsorts is the living and dining rooms of artist Lynette Charters’ Olympia home, which every few months is turned into an art gallery. Charters says of Collins, …
VISUAL ARTS REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Art galleries come and go, but Childhood’s End Gallery has been a stable anchor in downtown Olympia for 45 years. It represents a cornucopia of the best local and regional artists. In celebration of the gallery’s 45th anniversary, owner Richenda Richardson invited a bunch of favorites …