Our Town & Sanctuary City

Winner of the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town has stood as a timeless pillar of the American stage, while Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City asks the question: in a nation built on the promise of opportunity, how do we determine who benefits? See both productions for a deeper understanding …

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Barefoot in the Park

Paul and Corie Bratter are newlyweds in every sense of the word: he’s a straight‑laced lawyer; she’s a free spirit chasing her next thrill. Their sixth‑floor Manhattan walk‑up is riddled with leaks, bad plumbing, and a paint job long overdue. After a six‑day honeymoon, Corie’s eccentric mother crashes the party, and their quirky attic neighbor, …

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Million Dollar Quartet

book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux original concept and direction by Floyd Mutrux inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins directed by Emily A. Rollie December 4, 1956. Sun Records. One legendary night. When a twist of fate brings Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins into the same Memphis recording studio, music history is made. Inspired by the true story of that once-in-a-lifetime jam session, Million …

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Review: Building Madness at Harlequin Productions

Desperate to keep their architecture company afloat, Max and Paul hire the mob to build a police retirement home in Kate Danley’s screwball comedy now playing at Harlequin Productions. For people who love those great old comedies from Hollywood’s Golden Era of the 1930s, “Building Madness” is a ticket to hilarity.

Halloween at Harlequin

You are about to spend an evening with Edgar Allan Poe in a play by Olympia playwright Bryan Willis, plus a reading of a new short story by Olympia’s own Jim Lynch in a one-night-only Halloween celebration at Harlequin.

REVIEW: Fun Home at Harlequin Productions

Harlequin Productions ends their 2021-2022 season with the riveting musical “Fun Home” based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same name by Alison Bechdel.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

REVIEW: Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Harlequin Productions

The rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, with text by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, started as a performance in drag clubs and became an international phenomenon. It’s now playing at the State Theater of Olympia’s Harlequin Productions, starring Adam Rennie as Hedwig and Mandy Rose Nichøls as Hedwig’s husband and assistant, Yitzhak.

Kenneth Ruthardt

Celebrating Sovereignty at Harlequin Productions

This spring, Olympia’s Harlequin Productions is doing something that’s never been done in this area. It’s producing Sovereignty, a historical drama about Native Americans, written and directed by Native Americans, performed by an ensemble of Native and non-Native actors, with direction, set, costume and lighting design by Native artists brought to Olympia from all over the United States.

REVIEW: Murder for Two at Harlequin Productions

Strap in for Murder for Two at Harlequin Productions, 90 minutes of mayhem and laughter — not to mention singing and a lot of amazing hijinks on the piano. Two actors, Jon Lutyens and Katherine Strohmaier, play more than 13 characters in a tour-de-force escapade for both.

Harlequin Productions Plans 2019 Season Under New Leadership

by Tom Simpson and Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS Early in 2018, the Harlequin Productions ship hit the shoals of the #MeToo movement. Alleged sexual harassment of actors and staff led to rapid changes in staff and policies. (Read more at OlyArts.com/harlequin) On June 1, at the company’s annual Season Announcement Gala, Eclectica!, Harlequin sets …

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