“I’ve been doing salons for about 20 years through the Northwest Playwrights Alliance,” playwright Bryan Willis explains. “I really love the format.” Happily for Willis, executive director Jill Barnes was eager to host a salon in The Washington Center’s black box theater, a utilitarian space adjacent to its main auditorium. It returns this May after a three-year hiatus.
By CHRISTINA BUTCHER It’s time to talk about intersectionality, race equity and empowering women in Olympia. Many hold conversations about those issues among friends, colleagues and family but may not have found ways to turn those words into action. Many struggle with how best to implement meaningful and equitable change […]
By Christina Butcher “Our biggest competition is the living room couch, but we’ve got a lot of hyper-local filmmakers presenting work at the festival.” Jonah Barrett, OFS marketing director There’s no better way to welcome the fall season than by grabbing popcorn, cozying up to loved ones and finding a […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Few people associate bookstores with intimate potluck dinners, food blogging or local food critics. Yet Browsers Bookshop has been quietly building a reputation for just that with its seasonal Cookbook Club: an intimate dinner event where lovers of the culinary craft gather to share […]
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia is starting its 2017–2018 season with exciting, notable changes. Some, like the addition of alumni soloists to SOGO’s fall concert, hint at the organization’s evolving role in Olympia’s arts community. Others, like the announcement that this season will be […]
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS In November, YWCA Olympia is welcoming back nationally known slam poet Nikkita Oliver to Olympia. Last spring, Oliver was keynote speaker at the YWCA’s inaugural Racial Justice Summit. This fall, Oliver returns for the Annual Women of Achievement Celebration at the Washington Center for the […]
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS What happens when you mix a well-established fiddler with the best next-generation, traditional-music players you can find? You get Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, a brand-new bluegrass and roots band with a fresh perspective on old-time music. Comprising banjoist Allison de Groot, fiddler Bruce Molsky and […]
