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 …
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 …
WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, there’s no shortage of theatrical performances, classic dance and musicals to keep you out on the town. The only question is whether you’re in the mood for heart-pumping fun or looking a chance to relax as the curtain opens. Click here to …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Nöel Coward’s 1940s-period romance Present Laughter is as funny today as it was when Coward himself played the lead character, a character he admitted was a spoof on himself. It’s now playing at Harlequin Productions in Olympia, with Aaron Lamb in the role Coward originated, directed by …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS For many people, theater is a way of life. For Olympia-born Pug Bujeaud, it began as a way of staying alive. “I had social anxiety before those things were talked about,” Bujeaud says. “I was so shy in high school that I would walk around the outside of the …
WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, Olympia has more theater performances premiering than you can imagine, plus heavy-hitting readings and conferences to keep you on your toes. Click here to listen to our podcast version of Weekend Preview, sponsored by by Shur-Kleen Car Wash. Follow the links below …
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 …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Student actors, playwrights and stage crews scored big in the latest statewide Thespian Festival, held at Central Washington University March 16-17. Students and their teachers are rightfully proud and look forward to nationals this summer, though it isn’t clear all will be able to attend. Here’s what a few …
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 …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Imagine you’re on the set of a Hollywood movie made in 1934, with big-name stars filming A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and magically the real Oberon and Puck from the Shakespeare play show up on the set. If such a thing could happen, it would be a recipe for comedy…or …