posts about live theater, live performances, actors, acting, shows, and other theatrical things…
By NED HAYES At the age of 19, Ira Glass began his career in public radio. Over the 39 years since, he’s held nearly every production job at National Public Radio including desk assistant, editor, newscast writer, producer, reporter and tape cutter. He’s hosted multiple shows including Talk of the Nation and Weekend All Things …
By Editor On January 31, 2019, Tacoma Little Theatre‘s Off the Shelf program presented a workshop performance of Measure for Measure, a drama by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by OLY ARTS editor emeritus Christian Carvajal and read by a “who’s who” list of South Sound thespians. The Bard’s poetic language has been preserved in …
By William Shakespeare,Adapted by Christian Carvajal First presented at Tacoma Little Theatre, 31 January 2019 We are in Vienna, an amoral city of ostentatious wealth. CHARACTERS (in order of appearance) DUKE VINCENTIO: a Viennese big shotESCALUS: an aged lordANGELO: Duke Vincentio’s deputyLUCIO: a “fantastic,” or flamboyant bachelorFIRST GENTLEMAN / JUSTICESECOND GENTLEMAN / BARNARDINE: a convictMISTRESS …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Neil Simon, Jason Haws, Harlequin Productions. That alone should be enough to convince theater lovers to buy tickets to I Ought to be in Pictures. A typical Simon comedy/drama, this lovely little show elicits laughter, and it is human drama as true as true can be — …
By CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL The Yiddish-American word klatch, which can rhyme with either batch or botch, means an informal gathering, usually one that facilitates conversation. Pizza Klatch is an Olympia-based organization that empowers LGBTQ+ youth in Thurston County by providing safe, supportive spaces — and yes, free pizza — in 15 area schools. It’s the result …
By Noah Shachar Theater lives and thrives in Olympia, thanks partly to the talent at Harlequin Productions. After a strong 2018 season, I Ought to Be in Pictures will open in mid-January 2019 to further the company’s high, artistic precedent. Written by acclaimed playwright Neil Simon, the play follows Hollywood screenwriter Herb after he re-encounters …
By Lucia Volker A Christmas Story, The Musical is a musical-theater riff on the classic, holiday comedy. “I desperately wanted this show to be part of our first season, because it has strong ties to Olympia,” says Kyle Murphy, managing director of Broadway Olympia Productions, “and watching the movie is also one if my most-cherished …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Standing Room Only’s “Shrek the Musical” at Triad Theater is a fairy tale for adults that is also suitable for children, even though children might not get all the pop-culture references and tongue-in-cheek jokes on traditional fairy tales, shows and movies. For a low-budget, small community theater, …
By Jonah Barrett Grab those glamorous, ruby slippers and follow the Yellow Brick Road all the way to Washington Street. L. Frank Baum’s magical tale of friendship and green people plays one night and one night only at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts this January. Now a national touring production, the story of …
By Christian Carvajal For many, the 1983 family movie A Christmas Story is an annual tradition. A middling success at the box office, it achieved immortality on marathon cable-TV airings and home video. Yet it may come as a surprise to fans of Ralphie and his avaricious adventures that they debuted, not in cinemas or …