by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS The Young Arts Ambassadors program (YAA) begins its third successive year this fall, and the window for new applicants is closing fast. High school sophomores, juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply for this program, with applications due Oct. 1. The program, which accepts a maximum of 20 students, …
by Kristopher Stewart for OLY ARTS An Act of the Imagination combines the thrills and twists of Agatha Christie mysteries with the intimacy of small-scale theater. The play, opening Oct. 14 at Olympia Little Theatre (OLT), depicts the tumultuous experience of a well-to-do novelist who falls victim to a convoluted blackmail plot–or so it seems. …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Bryan Willis’ I Love You, Flavilla–playing for one night only Sept. 19, International Talk Like a Pirate Day–might sound a bit over the top. “It’s a story about the meanest pirate in the history of the world,” the Olympia playwright said. “It’s about a bully who meets his match …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …