Critic’s Corner: Best Visual and Performing Arts of 2024

Many of the South Sound’s best theater and visual arts critics write for OLY ARTS. We asked six of them to highlight some of their favorite visual and performance art shows from 2024, and we congratulate and celebrate the Olympia and Tacoma-area artists selected. Due to the limitation we put on the critics of no more than two or three shows, we are aware of and acknowledge that many great shows and artists were not picked. We are lucky to live in such a vibrant creative community.

Surveillance: aerial dance + video art theater

Surveillance is a live 90-minute multimedia video and aerial dance show. Through creative use of screens, projections, and aerial apparatuses, the show explores how technology mediates how we see ourselves and others. WHERE Airbound Arts, 312 Columbia St. NW Olympia, WA 98502 WHEN Friday 1/10 – doors 6pm, show 6:30pm Saturday 1/11 – doors 6pm, …

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Phantom of the Paradise Restaged

The operatic scale of “The Phantom of the Paradise,” with that awful scarred hero-villain, his teeth metal and his eyes mad, screaming into the night as he watches the seduction of the woman he loved … if all of this is getting your midnight cult classics motor revving, there might not ever be a better time to see it than on November 8th at the Capitol Theatre, where for its 50th anniversary it will be accompanied with a live band and an actor-adjacent performance on the stage.

Big Dreams for the Future of the Olympia Armory Creative Campus: Nonprofit Anchor Partners – Part Two

Olympia Armory Creative Campus’s eight anchor partners are already plotting how to make best use of their space. A common thread that ties them is an aim to cultivate a welcoming environment for visitors and to be of service to the community. There is a built-in connection to the local art scene which can potentially help the organizations to even better identify and meet public demand.

Silent Movie: Vintage Valentines

This Valentine’s weekend, fall in love with the magic of silent cinema and live organ music. Featuring Harold Lloyds Girl Shy and Laurel & Hardy’s Double Whoopee. We welcome film fans of all ages to step back in time to revel in the authentically recreated sounds and nostalgia from times gone by. In Girl Shy, …

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Tacoma Film Festival

by Adam McKinney — Every time fall rolls around, cinephiles in the South Sound perk up their ears and await the arrival of the Tacoma Film Festival. This time around TFF has shortened things to just a four-day-weekend, running October 10-13; while there will be fewer movies than a week would provide, this shorter period of time will be absolutely crammed with entertainment, both at the Grand Cinema and at the Blue Mouse Theater.

Trinity Irish Dance Company presents ‘JIG’

JIG, a Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) production, is a fresh take on TIDC’s internationally-renowned, alternative approach to a traditional form. Centered by a live band in a unique space, JIG immerses audiences in an authentic experience that celebrates the power of vibrations, rhythm and movement. Following its critically-acclaimed premiere season, JIG continues to redefine …

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Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema  

“It is a great honor to have such prominent authors [Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner] meet remotely with our community. They are lauded as two of the best film writers working today, and their new book is poised to become a foundational text about cinema and queer history.” Trans Film Festival and library Zoom event with authors.

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