Writers who only appear rarely in our pages, but must be tagged as “writer”
by Tom Simpson for OLY ARTS The Oly Old Time Festival is not only a musical showcase for new, emerging and established musical artists. It’s also an experiential activity. Every evening of the festival hosts an interactive square dance with a fantastic live band and callers who provide clear direction, organization and a sense of …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Grammy award nominee Mary Lambert will be featured at this year’s Pizza Klatch “Gayla” celebration at Olympia’s Washington Center. Lambert worked with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on the song “Same Love” on their multi-platinum album The Heist. She also performed the song at the Grammy Awards with Madonna and …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Two accomplished musicians, their acoustic guitars, and some front-porch tales—that’s what audiences can expect during An Evening with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen on The Washington Center Main Stage, Saturday, Jan. 27. Lovett and Keen, both singer-songwriters with impressive discographies spanning decades, will provide an evening of down-home songs …
by Tom Simpson for OLY ARTS South Sound children’s theater group Apple Tree Productions will open Annie for a limited run in mid-December. Annie is the first full-scale holiday musical for Apple Tree, in their new home in the historic Capitol Theater, owned by the Olympia Film Society. Heidi Fredericks, founder and artistic director of Apple Tree, …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS The Masterworks Choral Ensemble will brighten the Washington Center Main Stage on Saturday, December 2, with its annual holiday concert. This year’s performance, entitled Season of Light: A Christmas Celebration, will include familiar carols (some with new arrangements), medleys and four audience sing-alongs. The choir will even keep up …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS The holidays kick off with a roar at the 2017 Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO) holiday show, sponsored by Tumwater Eye Center, Academy Mortgage Corporation, and PCS Structure Solutions. The SOGO HoHo event acts as a variety show with holiday cheer to delight all attendees. The performing SOGO …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Olympia meets the Hundred Acre Wood this fall season at Olympia Family Theater. The family production company will perform a theatrical rendition of Winnie the Pooh from November through December. Heading this play is one of OFT’s co-founders and regular directors, Samantha Chandler. Pooh Bear, created by English author …
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS Once again, the stage at the Washington Center will be filled with mice, soldiers and snowflakes in Ballet Northwest’s 34th annual production of The Nutcracker. Ken Johnson, co-artistic director of Ballet Northwest, says this is a landmark production year for the 48-year-old company. They redesigned the scenery for the …
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 life once again this winter …
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. Studio West Dance Academy’s The …