by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Prepare to laugh when Harlequin Productions stages the Noel Coward comedy Present Laughter — with “Present” pronounced as the adjective, not the verb. Written in 1939 and first staged in 1942, this classic farce is about the successful, self-obsessed actor Garry Essendine as he confronts a midlife crisis while …
WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, we’re bringing you everything you need to know about debut author readings, hilarious plays and stunning art exhibits around Olympia. The only question is how you’ll pick from this week’s stellar lineup of events. Click here to listen to our podcast version …
by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Kathy Dorgan, a member of the Washington State Thespians Teacher Hall of Fame, is celebrating 20 years of directing plays at Olympia High School. If not for a broken leg as a teen, however, this California native and former athlete might have taken a very different path. “I was …
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 …
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) …
WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, there are enough high-profile author talks and beautiful classical music performances to keep you bouncing between venues. Grab your tickets quick, before the seats fill and the lights dim. Click here to listen to our podcast version of Weekend Preview, sponsored by …
Linda and Scot Whitney, respectively the artistic director and managing artistic director of Harlequin Productions, announced that company’s upcoming season at their annual Eclectica! benefit on April 1. “You will note,” says Linda Whitney, “that rain appears to be theme. Rain cools, cleanses, restores, depresses, compresses, challenges and can even delight.” It sounds like it’s …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS I watched a preview performance of The Trip to Bountiful at Olympia Little Theatre. This is a finely polished production. Written by Horton Foote and directed by James T. Patrick, Bountiful is a quiet, intimate, little play. There’s nothing bombastic or showy about the story or the …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Come out of the rain to kick off spring with Olympia Family Theater’s production of Alice in Wonderland—a lot of fun for kids from 3 to 73. Adapted from the book by Lewis Carroll by the multitalented writer, actor and director Kate Ayers and directed by OFT …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The setting is bleak, harsh, cold. Everything is gray. When the lights come up we see a figure in a fetal position on a square riser. Four men and one woman come in, all wearing black suits and white shirts, with a skirt on the woman, the …