“One of the reasons that Olympia had such a great theater scene was due to the cross-pollination of companies, actors and theaters. With the loss of Capital Playhouse, and now Oly Theater, opportunities are dwindling.” – John Serembe
Before there was “RENT,” there was “Tick, Tick… Boom!”
From Jonathan Larson, the genius who created “RENT,” “Tick, Tick… Boom!” tells the story of Jon, a 29-year-old waiter and aspiring composer who is running out of time to make his mark in the theater world. Broadway Olympia’s production runs through July 14 at OlyTheater, with a pay-what-you-choose performance on July 8.
This is on page 16-17 of OLY ARTS Summer 2024 print edition. ANIMAL FIRE THEATRE COMPANY WHAT: Shakespeare’s Henry IVWHERE: Wonderwood Park, 5304 32nd Ave SE, LaceyWHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from July 5-28HOW MUCH: FreeLEARN MORE: animalfiretheatre.com BALLET NORTHWEST WHAT: Young Choreographers ShowcaseWHERE: Capital High School Performing Arts Center2707 Conger Ave NW, OlympiaWHEN: …
Theatre Artists Olympia’s The King in Yellow, a world premiere play by Olympia playwright and actor Xander Layden, runs through May 26 at OlyTheater in Capital Mall. The first act is an intelligent and funny comedy of manners with hints of something else beneath the surface. Act Two is an edge-of-your-seat horror show.
The King in Yellow, a world-premiere play running May 10-26, is penned by well-known Olympia actor Xander Layden. “It’s like nothing I’ve seen around here,” said director Pug Bujeaud, “It’s like nothing I’ve seen anywhere. It’s cosmic. It’s a progression from Victorian romantic comedy of manners to existential horror. It’s not an arc that you see very often in theater.”
Theater Artists Olympia’s production of “The Liar” by David Ives is at OlyTheater in Capital Mall, March 22 through April 7 with Aaron Gotzon as Dorante and Teresita Brimms as Clarice. The play is directed by Tom Sanders who said, “It’s not an absurdist play. It’s actually a straight farcical comedy.”
Theater Artists Olympia presents four dramatized tales of Edgar Allan Poe in “Poe Nocturne” at Oly Theater in the Capital Mall, January 12- 21, 2024.
Olympia’s new WineBox Theatre — the grownup wing of Juice Box Theatre — is paying homage to the three-hour tour with “Island Castaway Christmas” at OlyTheater in Capital Mall this Friday and Saturday as a fundraiser for Juice Box, which creates monthly snack-size shows for children 6 and younger.
Peck Plays Range from Romantic to Ridiculous at OlyTheater: “It’s quite diverse,” said TAO vice president John Serembe, who’s organizing the event and directing two plays. “There’s a kind of romantic one and kind of a mystery. There’s one that has to do with climate change in a kind of fun, bizarre way. It’s told by trees. There’s one that’s a little bit absurdist with people playing fish. It’s just a real eclectic bunch. There’s a little bit of everything.”
“It’s a little bit of Halloween in the summer,” said Pug Bujeaud, the play’s director and a TAO mainstay. “It’s fun and quirky and dark. It’s very much an old-school TAO show. The basis of the show is ‘What is a forgivable sin? … What lines do you draw? How do you decide what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors — or people — you have to cut out of your life?”