posts that contain mini-bios of our writers
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Practically everything William Shakespeare wrote has been subject to parody. Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann Marie MacDonald mines some of the bard’s great tragedies to comic effect. English professor Constance Ledbelly decides Othello and Romeo and Juliet were originally written as comedies, and not by Shakespeare. This …
by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS Improvisation isn’t usually a thing for classical orchestras, so this year’s season for the Olympia Chamber Orchestra shows just how nimble that ensemble can be. After last year’s conductor search ended in disappointment, the orchestra is once again trying out two candidates, with some of the season’s music — …
(photo by: Jaima Sadira) by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS It’s no secret the filmmaking world is male-dominated. With every straight, white, college boy setting out to make the umpteenth homage to The Godfather or Pulp Fiction, it can feel as though the industry is running out of ideas. It doesn’t have to be that …
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 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 conductor and music director John …
by Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS Pumpkin carving is an annual tradition at the Halloween season. In Olympia, the act of pumpkin carving has become a refined art form for one family who have become legendary for their devotion to the practice. At the “Pumpkin House” in the South Capitol Neighborhood, the Sheeran family create and display …
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 Performing Arts. The event will …
by Tom Simpson for OLY ARTS Kathy Dorgan, Olympia High School’s Julliard-fellow drama teacher, is bringing to the South Sound a four-act drama that opens next Friday, Oct 27. “Somewhere, Nowhere” is a theatrical play that provides a unique perspective on the high school experience. “I chose this lovely play because the voices of the …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Now Extended thru End of November Anyone who enjoys comedy and horror has seen the classic Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein, but far fewer have had the opportunity to laugh like hyenas at a live theatrical production. Now the Standing Room Only company has launched a live …
VISUAL ARTS REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Susan Christian’s paintings at Stable Studios are the real deal. They are painting as painting is meant to be: simple, straight forward, unpretentious and with no trickery whatsoever. Some might see the cut-off figures, oddly elongated formats and mysterious scenes as gimmickry, but they’re not; they …