Similar to a vibrant garden, our arts scene in Thurston County is filled with a variety of artistic companies and artists who are consistently adding color, beauty, joy, and their own lovely fragrance to our lives. Let OLY ARTS be your “florist” this spring and give ideas of what you can add to the bouquet of your lives.
Shows to consider this season are Theater Artists Olympia’s Anna Considers Mars, Harlequin Productions Where the Summit Meets the Stars, Olympia Family Theater’s The Hobbit, and South Puget Sound Community College’s Anastasia the Musical.
TAO’s Anna Considers Mars
Many people in the community have been keeping an eye on TAO and crossing their fingers (and toes) that they would find a new space to call home so that they can bring us more incredible shows like The Head!!! That Would Not Die! TAO and the Oly Theater will now be in the former location of the Johanson Dance Center, which has recently moved to a new location. TAO’s first show in this space will be Anna Considers Mars by Ruben Grijalva.
As described in the plot synopsis, “things aren’t going great for Anna, or the rest of the planet for that matter. As executive director of the flailing Center for the Preservation of Uncharismatic Species, she has a front row seat to a global mass extinction event. As her mother’s caretaker, she’s reminded daily of our inevitable decline. In this context, the worldwide search for the first Mars colonists becomes a source of great hope. Anna is hopeful that there, with a human species attempting to start over, she can start over too. Now she just has to get her hands on a golden ticket.”
Ticket information will be posted both on OLY ARTS and https://www.olytheater.com/ in the days to come. The show will be running April 17 to May 3.
Harlequin’s Where the Summit Meets the Stars
As described on the Harlequin website, “When a near-death experience derails Rose’s flight through Southeast Alaska, she awakens to find herself in the care of the kind man who pulled her to safety.” Harlequin will take you alongside their journey as the two travel by boat through the darkness and fog.
Speaking with Harlequin Marketing and Communications Director, Helen Harvester, we learned that Harlequin Artistic Director Aaron Lamb learned about the show from Josephine Keefe, a Nez Perce actor and theater artist, who starred in Sovereignty at Harlequin in 2021, and “with
whom Aaron has maintained a close artistic relationship since.” Harlequin is honored that Keefe will direct this production. This is also the only time this show has been produced since the world premiere in Juneau, Alaska.
This play honors Indigenous voices, their eternal impact, and why we must continue to listen to them. Stories like these contain intriguing layers and opportunities for compilation and to untangle the mysteries that lie deep in our souls.
The show will run May 1-17t at the State Theater, 202 4th Ave E, Olympia.
OFT’s The Hobbit
Producing this show is a big honor for Olympia Family Theater, as it is the first community theater in the world granted permission to produce The Hobbit, which until now has only been licensed to professional theaters. OFT is not just bringing a classic story to the stage, they are making history. This show will take us all on an adventure through freezing mountains, frightening forests, and to places where we might ultimately find courage and friendship.
OFT begins their show description with a charming statement: “Our unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins, would much rather be sitting in his cozy Hobbit Hole with a cup of tea and a plate of bacon and eggs.” If that’s not relatable, I don’t know what is!
Deep down, the nature of this story requires Baggins to be brave and step out of his comfort zone to do something that will make the world a better place. Much like Baggins, none of us have to do it alone!
Join OFT for this adventure and get your tickets at their box office before they sell out.
This show will run May 14 through June 7 at the Olympia Family Theatre, 612 4th Ave E., Olympia.
SPSCC’s Anastasia the Musical
From the ever iconic Once Upon a December to the deeply meaningful Journey to the Past, Anastasia is a classic musical that began as an animated film in the ’90s and has blossomed into a Broadway show and beyond. It is truly a treat that our beloved SPSCC Theater Collective is bringing this show to our community.
Anastasia is about hope, the promise of a brighter future, following your dreams, and creating your own destiny (even in a complicated society).
Director and theater professor, Dr. Lauren Love shared, “Our superlative costume designer, Charlotte Darling, is already at work creating the grandeur and richness of the Russian monarchy and Parisian fashion in the early twentieth century.”
This performance will run May 22 -31 with admission being a donation at the door.
Friday and Saturday performances start at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, 2011 Mottman Rd SW, Olympia..
See this article in the Spring 2026 Print Edition.