posts about live theater, live performances, actors, acting, shows, and other theatrical things…
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Once again Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) has taken a classic and updated it to make it, if not better than the original, then at least more enjoyable and laughable for contemporary audiences. Philip Wickstrom, Pug Bujeaud and the TAO collective have updated Molière’s 17th-century farce The Physician …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Olympia comedian Sam Miller will compete in this year’s Seattle International Comedy Competition. He’ll compete in the first round of preliminaries Nov. 2-6, and if he finishes in the top five among that group, he’ll advance to the semifinals, including a Nov. 17 show in Olympia. The host of …
by Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS During World War II, a young Jewish girl managed to document her survival and endurance through the travails of wartime Germany. Across five years and seven Nazi labor camps, Sala Garncarz Kirschner wrote over 350 hidden letters and kept them hidden. Sala kept hiding those letters for over 50 …
by Kristopher Stewart for OLY ARTS An Act of the Imagination combines the thrills and twists of Agatha Christie mysteries with the intimacy of small-scale theater. The play, opening Oct. 14 at Olympia Little Theatre (OLT), depicts the tumultuous experience of a well-to-do novelist who falls victim to a convoluted blackmail plot–or so it seems. …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Comedian Brad Upton writes about everyday life, a 28-year marriage and anything else that pops into his head. He’s a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. His ease and likeability on stage have made him popular with corporate clients and the cruise ship industry, for which he’s …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS An Improbable Peck of Plays turns five this year, presented by Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) and the Northwest Playwrights Alliance in the Midnight Sun. Created in 2012, this annual event offers a series of locally written and produced short plays. This fall’s lineup includes eight productions, helmed by directors …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Olympia Family Theater’s “Let’s Play Daytime Shows” are interactive shows for young children, performed on the first Monday, Wednesday and Friday of every month. All shows this season are adapted and directed by Kate Ayers. They’re performed by local actors and are generally about 30 minutes long. “We have …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Two decades after he last directed The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Scot Whitney of Harlequin Productions is at it again. This show, featuring costumes and sets that call to mind the art of Maxfield Parrish, runs through Oct. 16. He has a new take on the early Shakespearean comedy …
by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Opening the 2016-2017 season at Olympia Family Theater (OFT) is Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” Parents and young children will undoubtedly be familiar with Piggie and Gerald, the starring duo in author, illustrator and Caldecott Medal-winner Mo Willems’ easy-reader series. Stephanie Claire is the musical director. …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Seeing stand-up comedy live can be exhilarating. Even if the comedian is a seasoned performer, it’s never a given that a show will go smoothly; this uncertainty goes double for showcases featuring newer comics. Comedy without a net lends an electricity to the air that’s hard to find in …