Grease at Capital High School

The Theater Season at Area High Schools

by McKenzie Murray for OLY ARTS Three local high schools have announced their dramatic offerings for 2017-2018. What: Capital High School, directed by Kristina Cummins Where: 2707 Conger Ave. NW, Olympia When: Rehearsal for Murder: 7:30 p.m. October 19-21 and 26-28 DramaFest: 7 p.m. November 16-18 Romeo and Juliet: 7:30 p.m. January 18-20 and 25-27 …

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The Illustrious Ms. Hattie Hotpants

Behind the Scenes of Cabaret Derriere

by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS The creators and performers of Olympia’s Own TUSH! Burlesque are promotional wordsmiths, though some of their enticements are unprintable here. For the troupe’s recurring series at Obsidian, it promises “a titillating romp to celebrate Halloween,” with lots of “sizzle, sass and fabulous fun.” When asked about the name of …

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The Heartsparkle Players

A Commitment to Collaboration

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Holding collaborative, public performances for decades is a noteworthy feat for any organization, but for The Heartsparkle Players, it’s an accomplishment made possible only through constant rededication to cherished causes of hope and love. The playback-theater troupe will open its 20th season by recommitting to those themes. “The reason …

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the cast of All the King's Women

Not Just an Elvis Play at OLT

by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS One doesn’t have to be an Elvis Presley fan to like All the King’s Women — Director Toni Holm is proof of that. More of a “Beatles person,” as she puts it, Holm is a convert to Luigi Jannuzzi’s 17-actor, seven-scene play that looks at the King through a …

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The Washington Center for the Performing Arts

The Washington Center Season Launch

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS The Washington Center for the Performing Arts has been closed for the summer while the City of Olympia made updates to the HVAC system. Rest assured, come October 5 the center will open its 32nd season with an energetic performance by Gaelic Storm. While every act slated to grace …

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Lord Franzannian Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show

Lord Franzannian Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Hold on to your seats, Olympia, because the Lord Franzannian Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show is back, and it’s slated to be bigger and better than ever before. Directed by local storyteller Elizabeth Lord, LFROSVS is an annual variety show featuring short, one-act performances by acrobats, actors, dancers, musicians, …

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A Night With Janis Joplin

A Night With Janis Joplin — CANCELED

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Adapted from a press release dated September 27: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts regretfully announces that the Northwest tour of A Night with Janis Joplin has been canceled, including the performance scheduled at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 12. “We were so …

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Shakespeare’s Surreal Fantasy

by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS Cymbeline is a romantic Shakespeare play with a ridiculously big cast and totally random plot devices, so why is Harlequin Productions’ Scot Whitney mounting a production this October? For the story. “It’s a handful,” Whitney admits. “People are terrified of this play, but at heart it has a gorgeous, …

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Brian Jansen

Brian Wayne Jansen: Brave Chameleon

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Whether as the lothario Vince in Brian Willis’s Seven Ways to Get There, the title character in Agamemnon, the purely evil Emperor Saturninus in Titus Andronicus or the insane Renfield in Tacoma Little Theatre’s Dracula, Brian Wayne Jansen is a larger-than-life presence on any stage. And he’s an exhibiting …

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Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, cast photo by Kate Ayers and Austin Lang

The Iconic Cat in the Hat at Olympia Family Theater

by McKenzie Murray for OLY ARTS Beginning September 29, the iconic Cat in the Hat himself will appear on the Olympia Family Theater mainstage. OFT’s fall production, based on the Dr. Seuss story, follows a curious cat who comes to wreak imaginative havoc in the home of Sally and her (unnamed) brother. A cast of …

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