Pigs on the Wing

Pigs on the Wing Take Flight

by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS The Wall, a flamboyant, nearly 90-minute concept album, is a towering monument of self-indulgence — and in this case, that’s a good thing. It’s a textbook example of a band given free rein to follow every tangential whim and conceptual side street, but the resulting record is chock-full of …

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Ballet Northwest's The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Jerome Tso

Into the Woods for Ballet Northwest’s The Sleeping Beauty

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS For those familiar with the classic fairy tale — or Disney’s animated takes on it — Ballet Northwest’s The Sleeping Beauty has a few surprises. After the wicked fairy curses her, after she pricks her finger on a spindle, after a kiss ends her long sleep, the Aurora of …

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Lauren Fox

Lauren Fox at The Washington Center

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Singer and actress Lauren Fox, who’ll sing the songs of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen on Friday, is 39. But musically, at least, she’s an old soul — obsessed, she says, with music made in the decades before she was born. “That’s the era I’m stuck with,” Fox said …

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Young Arts Ambassadors, 2016

Young Arts Ambassador Youth Showcase

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The arts are for everyone to create and to enjoy. The Washington Center for the Performing Arts’s Young Arts Ambassadors are learning about the arts from the inside out, and they’ll share their knowledge and creations at a showcase this Saturday. A benefit for the program, the showcase features …

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Amy Shephard, photo by Heather Schofner Photography

Center Salon at The Washington Center

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Billed as being “much like Parisian salons of old,” Center Salon at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts will fill the intimate space of the Black Box with art, literature, music and theater. Amy Shephard, actor, singer and co-founder of StoryOly at Rhythm & Rye, will emcee the …

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Blubber with puppet designer Jamie Jenson

OFT’s Original, Punk-Rock Musical: Fishnapped!

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Evergreen State College alumna Amy Shephard has collaborated with Andrew Gordon and Daven Tillinghast to write Olympia Family Theater’s final show of its 11th season, Fishnapped! “It’s an interactive, musical mystery involving a missing goldfish,” says Shephard, who also choreographs the production. The musical numbers, composed by Tillinghast, are …

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Ken Waldman, photo by Art Sutch

Fiddling Around With Poet Ken Waldman

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS “Good satire has its place.” That’s a simple, yet timely point made by fiddler and poet Ken Waldman about today’s tumultuous political climate. Like many poets and musicians, Waldman uses his storytelling craft, not only to process his reactions to politics, but to create meaningful art as well. This …

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Giselle at Studio West Dance Theatre

Studio West Dance Theatre Presents Giselle

by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS Studio West Dance Theatre presents ballet classic Giselle, an adventurous choice for the studio and an emotionally effervescent piece certain to leave audiences filled with joy and energy. From love and the supernatural to vengeance and forgiveness, the ballet spans a multitude of universal themes. Director Stephanie Wood-Ennett spoke …

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Weekend Preview: April 14, 2017

WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, Olympia brings stunning musical performances, laugh-out-loud improv shows and a hearty dose of storytelling to keep you entertained each night. Get ready for another week of pure entertainment!   Click here to listen to our podcast version of Weekend Preview, sponsored by Shur-Kleen Car …

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Jeff Hines-Mohrman as Willy Wonka

Willy Wonka and the Everlasting Showstoppers

by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS “Who can take a sunrise / Sprinkle it in dew?” We suspect any child of the 1970s, or of any decade since for that matter, could immediately answer that musical question. It’s “The Candy Man,” of course—in this case, a very specific candy man, the mischievous (and ostensibly homicidal) …

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