by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS Once again, the stage at the Washington Center will be filled with mice, soldiers and snowflakes in Ballet Northwest’s 34th annual production of The Nutcracker. Ken Johnson, co-artistic director of Ballet Northwest, says this is a landmark production year for the 48-year-old company. They redesigned the scenery for the …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS No holiday season is complete without settling into a soft, cozy theater seat to watch Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet. Studio West Dance Academy knows just how important the dance is to building holiday cheer, and it’s doing its part to bring The Nutcracker to life once again this winter …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS The ways in which The Nutcracker delivers beauty, grace and whimsy to audiences isn’t limited to just dancing (as mesmerizing as every pirouette and twirling leg can be). The intricate sets, sweeping music and, of course, jaw-dropping costumes all add to our ballet experience. Studio West Dance Academy’s The …
(Update: Kenny G show is now sold out) by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Kenny G will ring in a joyful holiday season at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on November 29. The jazz saxophonist, a Washington native, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in Seattle. His 1994 Miracles: The …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS The number 3 is auspicious, whether we’re talking about the holy trinity, the mind-body-spirit triad or the “lucky number 3.” Perhaps that’s why the South Puget Sound Community College drama department will present three brand-new productions for the 2017-2018 season: Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), The Glass Menagerie and …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Saint Martin’s University’s theater department usually produces shows twice a year, once per semester. This year, things are a bit different. Instead, SMU will (technically) produce four, three of which are student-directed, one-act plays. Saint Martin’s students gain experience in a variety of roles: acting, playwriting, set design and …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Practically everything William Shakespeare wrote has been subject to parody. Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann Marie MacDonald mines some of the bard’s great tragedies to comic effect. English professor Constance Ledbelly decides Othello and Romeo and Juliet were originally written as comedies, and not by Shakespeare. This …
by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS Improvisation isn’t usually a thing for classical orchestras, so this year’s season for the Olympia Chamber Orchestra shows just how nimble that ensemble can be. After last year’s conductor search ended in disappointment, the orchestra is once again trying out two candidates, with some of the season’s music — …
(photo by: Jaima Sadira) by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS It’s no secret the filmmaking world is male-dominated. With every straight, white, college boy setting out to make the umpteenth homage to The Godfather or Pulp Fiction, it can feel as though the industry is running out of ideas. It doesn’t have to be that …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Gather three dozen creative people. Give them a prompt and some help with props. The following day, they’ll serve six fresh bite-size plays, each 10 minutes or less and suitable for all ages. That’s the recipe for Olympia Family Theater’s Tales Told in Ten, the theater’s second annual festival …