by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The Last Five Years, opening Aug. 18 at Harlequin Productions’ State Theater, tells the story of a relationship told from beginning to end—and from end to beginning. The Jason Robert Brown musical opens with Cathy (Katherine Strohmaier) singing about the end of her marriage. Then Jamie (Aaron Lamb) sings …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Keeping with a long-standing tradition, Music in the Park’s season ends with a live concert from The 56th Army Band. Based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the band plays many local and regional venues. Recently, for example, it appeared at Seattle’s Rock and Roll Marathon and performed a concert at …
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS The Tickled Pinks, a New-York-based swing vocal trio and band, returns to Olympia as part of the Music in the Park series in Sylvester Park on August 17 at 7:00 p.m. The group, founded in 2009, performs classic tunes in the style of The Andrews Sisters, such as “Straighten …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Consider those impassioned poems about the state of the world—poems that are being not simply read but performed—that one sees all over social media. That socially conscious, brutally honest poetry is also happening in Olympia, and the still-young poetry slam here has already hit the big time. This is …
Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) presents The Midnight Sun’s semi-monthly aural celebration, Words, Words, Words, in August. The August installment highlights “Contemporary Horror: The Darkest Minds of the 20th Century.” The aim of the Words, Words, Words series, according to TAO, is to “share and give voice to exciting pieces of literature by the writers who’ve had an …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Several parks and societies screen films throughout the summer in Olympia. Families and movie buffs are welcome. Be sure to bring a blanket. The majority of these films begin at dusk, around 10 p.m. in July and 9 p.m. in August. Screen on the Green On August Friday evenings, …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Geoff Proehl, professor of theater arts at University of Puget Sound (UPS), has been selected by his North American theater-arts peers to receive the G. E. Lessing Award for Career Achievement. This is the most prestigious award given by the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), an …
by Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS The Olympia Symphony celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Concert at the Capitol on July 31, 2016. This annual “Festival on the Green” takes place on the grounds of the Washington State Capitol campus, and is a decade-long tradition for the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. In an unusual move, the …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The classic-rock band Blind Facsimile, aka Blind Fax, is Deb Rutter (vocals), Lorraine Stensager (vocals, keyboards), Tim Stensager (vocals, keyboards), Brian Ferris (guitar, backing vocals), Evan Ogden (drums) and Vince Chavez (bass). Chavez says the band “captures the heart and soul of classic rock, playing music which defined generations. …
Olympia enjoys an embarrassment of riches when it comes to local acting talent, but every star owes his or her success to good teachers. Thus it’s no surprise Oly also has some of the best youth theater programs around. Get to know the companies that make this city a training ground for nationally lauded performers …