posts by Molly Gilmore
By Molly Gilmore Masterworks Choral Ensemble begins its 38th season by celebrating nature’s glories. The singing group will wade in the water — and explore the elements of earth, air and fire, too — in Sacred Elements at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts. “I really resonate with the environment,” said Masterworks artistic director …
By MOLLY GILMORE Creative Theatre Experience is a summer program for young people, yet its season offers a chance to see mature work by local, theatrical powerhouses. This summer, the program presents Footloose, based on the Kevin Bacon film about a teen who moves to a town where dancing is forbidden; Crush, an alien-invasion rom-com …
By MOLLY GILMORE Melissa Etheridge is known almost as much for activism as for such hits as “I’m the Only One,” but when she plays July 17 in Olympia, the singer-songwriter plans not to educate or advocate but simply to rock. “We’re calling it ‘The Rock Show,’ because it’s rocking,” she said in a phone …
by MOLLY GILMORE for OLY ARTS Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake didn’t earn much acclaim when it debuted in 1877 in Moscow, but once it took wing, the ballet continued to soar. Ballet Northwest’s production of the classic about a young woman cursed to live as a swan opens May 11 at the Washington Center for the …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Harlequin Productions’ “Three Days of Rain,” opening May 3, is a subtle mystery — not a whodunit, but rather a “what happened and why.” Richard Greenberg’s Pulitzer-nominated 1998 drama begins with a sister (Alyssa Kay) and brother (Fox Rain Matthews) and one of their childhood friends gathering to …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The subtler sibling to the many-splendored Procession of the Species, the Luminary Procession shines brightly, filling the streets of Olympia with glowing paper lanterns and live music. When it began in 2009, this procession was intended exclusively for participants, as a ritual honoring the human spirit. “There’s something extraordinarily …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS In its 30th year, Providence Christmas Forest is a different kind of winter wonderland — a forest of trees and wreaths decorated in themes from traditional to surprising. One tree will have a NASCAR theme, while another will be inspired by Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. The …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Choir director, composer, and teacher Terry Shaw has won a Governor’s Arts Award, to be presented Nov. 14. Shaw was named a Young Arts Leader, an award that recognizes his contributions to the arts and impact on the community. Shaw, who teaches wrestling and choral music at Timberline High …
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 …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS After 18 years as music director of Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia, John Welsh will retire at the end of this season. Welsh, who has been music director of the group since it was founded, conducts SOGO’s Conservatory Orchestra for musicians in high school and occasionally college. “These young …