An Improbable Peck of Plays

An Improbable Peck of Plays 5

by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS An Improbable Peck of Plays turns five this year, presented by Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) and the Northwest Playwrights Alliance in the Midnight Sun. Created in 2012, this annual event offers a series of locally written and produced short plays. This fall’s lineup includes eight productions, helmed by directors …

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Frank Kohel and Micheal O'Hara in The Story of My Life

The Story of Two Entwined Lives

by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Actors Frank Kohel and Micheal O’Hara are household names in Tacoma theatrical circles. They’ve already performed two-man musical The Story of My Life at two Gritty City venues, and now Olympia Little Theatre (OLT) audiences get a chance to enjoy the show. Kohel cast O’Hara, whom he’d known for …

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Kate Ayers

Let’s Play Daytime Shows at OFT

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Olympia Family Theater’s “Let’s Play Daytime Shows” are interactive shows for young children, performed on the first Monday, Wednesday and Friday of every month. All shows this season are adapted and directed by Kate Ayers. They’re performed by local actors and are generally about 30 minutes long. “We have …

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Jeffrey Painter, Jessica Weaver, Adam St. John and Kira Batcheller of Two Gents

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Two decades after he last directed The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Scot Whitney of Harlequin Productions is at it again. This show, featuring costumes and sets that call to mind the art of Maxfield Parrish, runs through Oct. 16. He has a new take on the early Shakespearean comedy …

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Isaac McKenziesullivan as Gerald the Elephant and Joanna Gibson as Piggie

Elephant & Piggie Take the Stage

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Opening the 2016-2017 season at Olympia Family Theater (OFT) is Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” Parents and young children will undoubtedly be familiar with Piggie and Gerald, the starring duo in author, illustrator and Caldecott Medal-winner Mo Willems’ easy-reader series. Stephanie Claire is the musical director. …

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Debbie Barho Sampson and Ryan Holmberg in TAO's An Improbable Peck of Plays

A Helping Hand to Theater Artists Olympia

As OLY ARTS reported in August, Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) is in dire need of monetary donations to help launch its 2016-2017 season and maintain the scrappy troupe’s home, the Midnight Sun Performance Space. TAO has created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds toward a desired nest egg of $30,000. The group has also announced …

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Words, Words, Words: Science Fiction

Words, Words, Words Goes Back to the Future

Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) will present an evening of science fiction in the Midnight Sun Performance Space. This event marks the sixth installment in the ongoing series Words, Words, Words, a sardonic quotation from Hamlet. Full disclosure: This collection of sci-fi classics was curated by OLY ARTS‘ managing editor, Christian Carvajal, himself a published author …

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Scott Douglas and supporters in TAO's Seven Ways to Get There

Fall Shows From Theater Artists Olympia

by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) has announced its fall 2016 stage offerings exclusively to OLY ARTS. As it has for the past four years, the end of summer will bring An Improbable Peck of Plays to the Midnight Sun Performance Space, TAO’s home since April 2014. This evening of short, …

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Katherine Strohmaier

The Last Five Years: From Beginning to End to Beginning

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 …

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Stephen King

Words, Words, Words (Contemporary Horror) from TAO

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 …

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