posts about live theater, live performances, actors, acting, shows, and other theatrical things…
Molly Gilmore “Arts Aficionado” #13 — September 23, 2026
Salute Dolly, see fresh-baked theater and dance for a cause
— Goodbye, Dolly
— Plays made in a day
— Funk for Freedom
Molly Gilmore “Arts Aficionado” #12 — September 16, 2026
Grand Stories, Van Tuinen Retrospective and Last Chance for ‘Kiss’
— StoryOly Grand Slam
— 57 years of art
— ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’
Molly Gilmore “Arts Aficionado” #11 — September 9, 2026
Catch Blues by the Water and Laughs on Stage
— Blues benefit
— ‘Laughing’ ladies are back
— Last weekend to go ‘Barefoot’
“Keep on Laughing” by Paul Elliott is Olympia Little Theatre’s 87th season opener. This wacky and playful sequel to “Exit Laughing,” which was performed by Olympia Little Theatre in March, combines rapid-fire dialogue and plenty of entendre, presenting poignant undertones that explore an enduring question: are you ever too old to have fun? The main cast of “Exit Laughing” and director Dave Marsh have resumed their roles for this production.
Molly Gilmore “Arts Aficionado” #10 — September 2, 2026
Music on the Porch, Crowds at the Harbor, and ‘Kiss’ in Lakewood
— Porches become stages
— Crowds by the water
— ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’
https://olyarts.org/arts-aficionado-week-of-september-2-2026/
This is a selection of shows to keep your eye out for in Tacoma, Lakewood, and Federal Way this fall: Tacoma Little Theatre, Lakewood Playhouse, Centerstage Theatre, and Dukesbay Theater.
Ashland, Oregon — known and loved as the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival — is a favorite vacation spot for literary and theatrical types from Olympia. People’s willingness to make a six-hour drive each year, a testament to the popularity of Ashland and the festival, offers Shakespeare and more in repertory from March through October. While the plays are Ashland’s main draw, you don’t have to be a friend of Will to enjoy the festival. Of this year’s 10 shows, three — “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Henry IV, Pt. One” — are by the bard.
Olympia’s own Elizabeth Lord directed “Crazy Dinner,” a new musical by the performance collaborative Nightmayor. Based in both Olympia and Seattle, Nightmayor started life as a punk rock band that morphed into a theatre collective known for its original, eccentric musicals, of which “Crazy Dinner” is the latest. In late August, TAO will be bringing back one of their signature productions, “An Improbable Peck of Plays, Volume VI.” which they have been staging in collaboration with The Northwest Playwrights Alliance since 2012.
A visit to the Kitsap Forest Theater, an hour from Olympia, is as much about the place as the plays. The productions, often old-fashioned musicals on a grand scale, boast strong production values, winning performers and well-played live music. But the theater itself is arguably the star of every show. “The space is magical,” said Gala Lindvall, a producer for the theater, owned by the Mountaineers. “As you walk down to it, it’s like it was 100 years ago. We take audiences on a journey away from regular life.” Next up at the outdoor theater, on a 466-acre nature preserve near Bremerton, is Oliver, opening July 25.
On December 4, 1956, a “twist-of-fate” brought Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins into the same space for a once-in-a-lifetime jam session at Sun Records. Just imagine what that jam session must have been like! Historical memory, nostalgia, and imagination is brought to life as Harlequin Productions takes audiences back to that incredible night with the Tony nominated musical, “Million Dollar Quartet!”