posts about live theater, live performances, actors, acting, shows, and other theatrical things…
The new play Our House by Olympia’s John Longenbaugh is a charming little ramble through the lives of the house and its imagined inhabitants over the course of close to a hundred years. Our House breaks the rules in its own way and enlarges what theatre can be. By all means, find your way to Our House.
Animal Fire Theatre has set its Uncle Vanya in and around Olympia’s Lord Mansion. It’s a setting that’s as enchanting as Anton Chekhov’s play is bleak. Theatergoers are part of the action, and moments of surprise and drama elicit jumps and gasps.
The setting of Our House, written by John Logenbaugh and co-directed by Logenbaugh and Bryan Willis, the stage, is an actual small house in which the story and the action take place. It’s located on the edge of a cemetery, in what was still country and farmland when the play begins in 1934 and Olympia had a population of just over 11,000 people. Produced in Olympia by Battleground Productions.
“One of the reasons that Olympia had such a great theater scene was due to the cross-pollination of companies, actors and theaters. With the loss of Capital Playhouse, and now Oly Theater, opportunities are dwindling.” – John Serembe
Inspired by a chance encounter with Japanese street theater, groundbreaking performance company One Table, launched in early 2024, bringing underground theater blending improv, comedy, and drama to Tacoma’s bars and restaurants.
“Midsummer Night’s Dream Faire” at Schmidt House in Tumwater features live music by Tacoma-based Pearl Django, other performances, games, dinner and refreshments (21+). This one-night event on Thursday, August 8th is a fundraising event to benefit the Procession of the Species organization.
String and Or So It Would Seam: A Giant Puppet Voyage Into the Hidden Universe runs through July 21 in Olympia’s Decatur Woods Park and then tours the Northwest till Sept. 1. You really do want to make time for this confection, packed with visual puns and silly walks. String and Shadow’s worlds of fantasy and fable aim to pluck at the strings of universal wonder, innocence, and joy.
Before there was “RENT,” there was “Tick, Tick… Boom!”
From Jonathan Larson, the genius who created “RENT,” “Tick, Tick… Boom!” tells the story of Jon, a 29-year-old waiter and aspiring composer who is running out of time to make his mark in the theater world. Broadway Olympia’s production runs through July 14 at OlyTheater, with a pay-what-you-choose performance on July 8.
“I’ve wanted to stage this play for over 15 years because of the vibrant characters. …So, when you talk about them and create their journeys, you have all these different events to pull from.” Animal Fire co-founder, Austen Anderson, returns to the outdoor stage to direct a stellar cast in this new adaptation in Lacey’s Wonderwood Park he hopes will appeal to audiences unfamiliar with the Bard as well as Shakespearian aficionados.
You can read the articles that are in OLY ARTS Summer 2024 Print Edition from links on this page, and you can read and download the PDF version linked in the website’s sidebar.