Writers who only appear rarely in our pages, but must be tagged as “writer”
By Lucy Volker Children’s classic The Velveteen Rabbit is a spotlight of the season at Lakewood Playhouse. Offering themes of love and imagination, this production is a partnership with Lakewood Playhouse Youth Theater Group and features a combination of adult and young actors. “The Lakewood Institute of Theatre spotlight show,” says managing artistic director John …
By Karen Lunde At the conclusion of the 2017-2018 season, after 18 years with Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia, conductor John Welsh retired. With Welsh’s blessing, Portland native Cameron May has taken up the baton as SOGO’s new conductor and music director. He comes to Olympia by way of Champaign, Illinois, where he’s finishing a …
By Karen Lunde Ever bought a musician at auction? On October 20, The Olympia Peace Choir will auction off some of its finest musical talent at its gala benefit, Tune in to Fall. Guests will be able to bid on six different acts, and musicians will then perform for the winner and everyone at the …
By Lucy Volker Family-friendly comedy Corduroy opens this month at Olympia Family Theater. The original book, written and illustrated by Don Freeman in 1968, was recently adapted for the stage by Barry Kornhauser. After seeing the play’s world premiere this spring in Minneapolis at the Children’s Theater Company, artistic director Jen Ryle knew it would …
By Jonah Barrett For a vegan, dining out can be a minefield. Options are usually limited to Asian food, bland burritos and the old fallback, green salads. Downtown Olympia has an alternative for that with the recent opening of The Wayside Cafe & Deli. Jamie Vulva and Kevin Rainsberry opened their Capitol Way restaurant on …
By Karen Lunde and Billy Thomas Imagine a 20-pound rodent that looks like a weird cross between a beaver and a rat. It has enormous orange teeth and a skinny tail. It lives in swampy, tidal areas and dines mostly on aquatic plants. It procreates prolifically. You’ve got yourself a nutria, and it’s the subject …
By Karen Lunde Olympia brings artists and thousands of art lovers together each spring and fall for its semi-annual celebration of the arts, Arts Walk. Angel Nava, arts-program specialist for City of Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation, has taken the helm for the fall event, shifting responsibility from arts-program manager Stephanie Johnson. Johnson pointed out …
Note to readers — the restaurant named Shirro’s appears to have closed as of September 16, 2018. Our best wishes to the restauranteurs and our apologies to readers. By Jennifer Crain As a child in Kenya, Mercy Kariuki-McGee fed wood into a traditional fireplace while her older siblings cooked. As a helper, she got to taste the …
By Jonah Barrett Camera speed. Sound speed. Action! The Olympia Film Collective is set to expand with a torrent of upcoming productions. OFC has been around since 2012 but only recently snagged its official status as a nonprofit. Operating out of Sky Bear Media off Legion Way, OFC holds general meetings once a month, operating …
By Jonah Barrett A new gallery opened its doors to downtown Olympia at August’s end. Pacific Northwest philosopher and photographer Rodrigo Etcheto’s Everything Is Full of Gods exclusively features black-and-white landscape work by the artist himself, with a constant rotation of images. “I’ve been photographing for years and finally decided to take the plunge and …