envelope from Sam Miller

Sam Miller’s Letters From Jail

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS This Thursday evening, comedian Sam Miller is getting serious. Miller, host of the weekly open-mic event Vomity (9 p.m. Wednesdays at Le Voyeur), shares the story of his time in jail in The Jail Letters Project, based on letters he exchanged with mom Mary Soehnlen. If you know Miller, …

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Loralin Toney, photo by Lisa Ellefson

Loralin Toney at Splash Gallery

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Loralin Toney created Aquapia, the mixed-media sculpture on the cover of the Arts Walk map, in and around her tiny, off-the-grid home in Tenino. “I used to have a thousand-square-foot studio, and now I have a picnic table,” she said in a recent interview. “But I’m much happier here. …

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Luminary Procession, photo by Richard E Swanson

Light It Up at the Luminary Procession

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS ((See the OLY ARTS Luminary Procession 2017 photo essay, taken by Shanna Paxton)) The subtler sibling to the many-splendored Procession of the Species, the Luminary Procession shines bright, filling the streets of Olympia with glowing paper lanterns and live music. When it began in 2009, this procession was intended …

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Out on a Limb dancers, photo by Josolynn Jones

Experimental Choreography at Out on a Limb

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Out on a Limb, Olympia’s second-annual showcase for experimental dance, promises some surprises, a few chills and a chance to be part of the dance. The event, curated by members of the Random Acts of Dance Collective and Company Y, features a diverse selection of work inspired by butoh, …

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Brianna Kramer

Take a Walkabout at MCE’s Outback Odyssey

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Masterworks Choral Ensemble’s Outback Odyssey, set for Saturday, will include the United States premiere of “Dreams & Visions,” a 50-minute piece by Australian composer John Peterson. A 10-piece string orchestra will accompany the choir for the concert, which focuses on contemporary choral and orchestral music of Australia. Commissioned by …

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Tumwater Timberland Library

The Battle of Tumwater Library

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS What happens in the library after the lights go out? Friday night at Tumwater Timberland Library, the answer sounds like something out of a fantasy novel: The library will become a battlefield, with intrepid teens forming teams to play capture the flag—or in this case, capture the glow wand—and …

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Black Violin

Chops and Hip-Hop With Black Violin

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Contrary to the old saying, sometimes it’s Mother who knows best. Just ask Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester, violinist for Black Violin. Sylvester and violist Wilner “Wil B” Baptiste bring their mixture of classical chops and hip-hop beats to Olympia this Tuesday. Sylvester took up violin in elementary school, and …

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Mark Alford, Xander Layden and Morgan Picton in TAO's 1984

Yesterday’s Tomorrow Is Today

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Just two days after the inauguration of Donald Trump, Pug Bujeaud knew it was time for 1984. She’s directing Theater Artists Olympia’s production of George Orwell’s dystopian classic, opening March 24. “1984 is a story of what happens when people in power have too much power,” she said in …

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Ebb and Flow

Ebb and Flow With the Yamashitas

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Ebb and Flow is the story of an immigrant family and an immigrant oyster. The documentary follows longtime oysterman Jerry Yamashita of Seattle and his father, Masahide Yamashita, who emigrated from Japan to the United States in 1902 at age 19. Masahide was instrumental in bringing to the Northwest …

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St. John's Episcopal Church

Bach Around the Clock

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS March 21 is the 332nd birthday of composer Johann Sebastian Bach, and Olympia organist Curt Sather will spend the day—the whole day—celebrating. Sather, the music director at St. John’s Episcopal Church, will play all of the composer’s organ works—nearly 300—in a 24-hour marathon performance he’s calling Bach Around the …

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