Brian Jansen

Brian Wayne Jansen: Brave Chameleon

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Whether as the lothario Vince in Brian Willis’s Seven Ways to Get There, the title character in Agamemnon, the purely evil Emperor Saturninus in Titus Andronicus or the insane Renfield in Tacoma Little Theatre’s Dracula, Brian Wayne Jansen is a larger-than-life presence on any stage. And he’s an exhibiting …

Read more

Dennis Rolly, photo by Scot Whitney

Dennis Rolly: Larger Than Life

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS When not appearing on area stages, Dennis Rolly can be found serving customers at Pellegrino’s Italian Kitchen in Tumwater or riding scooters (a Taiwanese SYM 200 and an Italian Piaggio 500) with his wife, Gail, or traveling cross country. The latter is an every-other-year excursion, usually going to Kentucky, …

Read more

"Strange Fire" by Alec Clayton

Alec Clayton: Artist, Author, Critic

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS When artists stop creating art in one medium, they most likely start in another. Whether the transition is from painting to sculpting, drawing to writing or dancing to photography, the chances of an artist being truly “done” with art are slim to none. When talking about Alec Clayton, Olympia’s …

Read more

Christian Doyle, photo by Scot Whitney

Christian Doyle: The Natural

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS “Christian Doyle is one of those rare actors who makes it look like anyone should be able to do what he does, it’s so effortless and natural,” says film and stage actor Scott C. Brown. Local theatergoers have seen Doyle in many shows, most likely singing and acting in …

Read more

Lynette Charters

Lynette Charters: The Language of Materials

by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS “You like to make pretty work about serious issues,” said Susan Christian, owner of Salon Refu. Christian was speaking to her friend, the animator and visual artist Lynette Charters, and Charters had to agree. “My work always has an underlying social commentary,” said Charters. With a life full of …

Read more

Elizabeth Lord

Elizabeth Lord: Storyteller

by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS “Once upon a time, there was a young woman who knew exactly what she wanted out of life.” That woman is Elizabeth Lord, and thus begins her story as an Olympia-based actor, teacher, vaudeville performer and, above all, storyteller. Lord describes herself as a “professional talker” who turned her …

Read more

Ted and Jen Ryle

Jen and Ted Ryle: Olympia Family Theater’s Dynamic Duo

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Meet Jen and Ted Ryle, the couple behind Olympia Family Theater. Theater is a touchstone for the Ryle family. Fittingly, the Ryles met each other at an audition at Shoreline College. “I nudged my friend when Ted walked in, and said ‘Who’s the straight guy? I want him!’” Jen …

Read more

Jason Haws in The Understudy at Harlequin Productions

Jason Haws: Seeker of Truth

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Jason Haws is a shapeshifter. Whether onstage or in front of a classroom, he glides effortlessly between roles and is utterly unforgettable in each, always stealing the show. As director Brian Tyrrell, who’s known him for over twenty years, articulates, “Jason Haws is a chameleon.” Though Haws had dreams …

Read more

Casey Bruce and Frank Hussey of Danger Room

Casey Bruce and Frank Hussey: Heroes of Danger Room

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Occasionally, we all stumble across real places that make us feel like we’re in a fictional world, places where we can do or be anything we want. Olympia has at least one of those places tucked right into the heart of the downtown area. You can feel the shift …

Read more

Maggie Ferguson-Wagstaffe in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress at Harlequin Productions

Maggie Ferguson-Wagstaffe: Born for the Stage

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS With her jazzy voice, inflamed red hair and that mischievous twinkle in her eye, Harlequin Productions’s resident secret weapon has for years been none other than actor Maggie Ferguson-Wagstaffe. She’s currently gracing Harlequin’s State Theater stage as both Miss Erikson and Lady Saltburn in Present Laughter. She describes this …

Read more

Skip to content