posts by Christian Carvajal
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele artist whose YouTube channel has been viewed tens of million times, yet many people still can’t pronounce his last name. It’s “Shee-ma-BOO-koo-roh,” and born Hawai’ians refer to his instrument as an “oo-koo-LAY-lay.” Otherwise, it’s just the humble uke, a lute instrument that dates to …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Most theater fans are aware women were banned from the stage during the Elizabethan period, which meant all female Shakespearean roles were played by men in drag. Even lifelong Olympia theater artist Michael Christopher, however, knew little about the end of that male-only era. When the troupe for which …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS More than love will be in the air when Olympia’s Own Tush! Burlesque takes the main stage of The Washington Center four days after Valentine’s Day. A highlight of the show will be the first-ever aerial burlesque performance by Valerie Veils. “I’m excited. I’m pretty nervous, though,” Veils admitted. …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS To read Sarah Vowell’s bestselling nonfiction works or hear her frequent appearances on public radio is to experience our history through the eyes of, in her own words, a “partly cloudy patriot.” Her most recent book, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, is a quirky biography of a French …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Even now, 13 years after her death at age 23, few names are more controversial in Thurston County than that of Olympia activist Rachel Corrie. Corrie died in a Gaza combat zone under the tread of an Israeli bulldozer. The driver of that vehicle insisted he never saw her. …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS “Jake Marley was dead,” says director Kendra Malm, adding with a wink, “to begin with.” It’s a measure of the familiarity of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas that Malm can drop that literary allusion so casually. In A Christmas Cactus, …
The audience is in control, and anything can happen during 30 Plays in 60 Minutes, this fall’s production by the Saint Martin’s University theater arts department. The program hails from Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, created by Greg Allen. Its two-minute plays were written by The Neo-Futurists, a Chicago-based experimental-theater company founded …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS For most of us, the arrival of autumn means breaking out hoodies and knitted sweaters. It’s quite the opposite, however, for “Olympia’s Own” TUSH! Burlesque, performing its latest extravaganza Falling for Tush! in the Capitol Theater Sept. 24. “The entire troupe is performing in the show. It’s our first …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Comedian Brad Upton writes about everyday life, a 28-year marriage and anything else that pops into his head. He’s a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. His ease and likeability on stage have made him popular with corporate clients and the cruise ship industry, for which he’s …
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 …