Harlequin’s ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ is thought-provoking, serious where it needs to be and outlandishly funny throughout. Director Lauren Love said, “[Protagonist Heidi] Schreck asks us to consider the morality and soundness of our own and our leaders’ judgment and action.
Stephen Sondheim’s theatre-of-revenge “musical thriller” masterpiece, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is at Washington Center’s main stage. Working from Victorian popular fiction (“penny dreadfuls”) and Christopher Bond’s 1970 play, it is presented in a limited run on Oct. 11, 12, and 13 as a collaboration by Harlequin Productions, Olympia Symphony Orchestra, and Masterworks Choral Ensemble.
In Rex & Rose, a new coffee shop located in the beautiful and historic Security Building on 4th Avenue, you will see the works of two of the most prolific artists Olympia has to offer, Alec and Gabi Clayton. The art there until the end of October was chosen by co-owner Jay Michael Becker who curates the shows. This is the first time the Claytons have shown together other than in their home, and it is engaging to see how the two bodies of work interact with each other in such a beautiful setting.
Development of a centralized arts hub has been a longtime pursuit for the City of Olympia, with compounded enthusiasm from local residents and organizations. Valerie Roberts, building manager for the Olympia Armory, said the city has called for a community-centered art space since the 1990s, repeatedly citing the demand in city planning documents.
by Anna Schlecht — A new mural has expanded the landscape of downtown Olympia. Ravens Chasing the Moon. Far more than a mural, this artwork adds to the cultural lexicon of artistic storytelling in the heart of our community. Cowlitz tribal artist Sarah Folden worked with Chehalis tribal artist Jenee Redecker-Burnett to paint this iconic image in the contemporary Coast Salish tradition.
by James O’Barr — The recent announcement of the Olympia Family Theater’s 18th season came with an additional proud flourish: The Olympia City Council has awarded OFT two years of funding as one of its Inspire Olympia creative non-profits. The 2024-2025 performance schedule, together with the additional financial support of Inspire Olympia funding, finds the new year at OFT full of high promise, starting with The House at Pooh Corner.
by Adam McKinney — Every time fall rolls around, cinephiles in the South Sound perk up their ears and await the arrival of the Tacoma Film Festival. This time around TFF has shortened things to just a four-day-weekend, running October 10-13; while there will be fewer movies than a week would provide, this shorter period of time will be absolutely crammed with entertainment, both at the Grand Cinema and at the Blue Mouse Theater.
by Adam McKinney — Every year the Tacoma Lighted Boat Parade brings around a seafaring procession of decked-out vessels on the Thea Foss Waterway. Unlike bombastic waterfront events such as Independence Day celebrations, the Tacoma Lighted Boat Parade errs on the side of enchantment, with the chilled quiet of the night being peppered with music drifting through the air and occasional honks from the boats passing by. It’s a hypnotic event, as boats make their way from Point Defiance docks down to the Dock Street Marina.
Lakewood Playhouse’s production of Godspell brings the original conception into contemporary times and flows with lively good humor punctuated by moments pregnant with pathos. Throughout the performance, the audience comes to delight in and become cozy with the members of the cast.
The new play Our House by Olympia’s John Longenbaugh is a charming little ramble through the lives of the house and its imagined inhabitants over the course of close to a hundred years. Our House breaks the rules in its own way and enlarges what theatre can be. By all means, find your way to Our House.