Beauty and the Beast

A Holiday Panto Written by Vince Brady Directed by Trista Duval November 30 – December 22, 2024 The raucous, fabulous, and family-friendly Holiday Panto returns with one of our most popular titles to date! As ever, the Panto brings a classic fairy tale together with the wonderfully over-the-top characters you love, giving you plenty of …

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Folk Musical Legend John McCutcheon at Traditions

by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Since his emergence on the folk scene in the ’70s, John McCutcheon has not only been one of the most respected songwriters and instrumentalists out there, but he’s also been one of the most prolific. The man nailed a stone cold genre classic in 1977 with “The Wind That …

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The REDS

Fiddle Fest Keeps It Traditional

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Within the citywide celebration that is Arts Walk, there’s nestled a mini-festival with a focus on the fiddle. Fiddle Fest, scheduled for the Friday night of fall Arts Walk, has since 2004 been a showcase for traditional music — an art with a long history. “Traditional music hasn’t always …

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Hot Club Sandwich

Join the Hot Fan Club

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS There’ll be a special on the menu next Friday at Traditions Café: Seattle’s Hot Club Sandwich, a multilayered creation of gypsy jazz, classic jazz and international folk tunes. Founded here in Olympia at the turn of the last century, Sandwich has won rave reviews from critics and played on …

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The Slocan Ramblers

The Slocan Ramblers Preach the Gospel of Bluegrass

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS It’s no surprise bluegrass brought The Slocan Ramblers together. The Canadian quartet plays bluegrass and plays it well. The band won the 2015 Edmonton Folk Fest emerging-artist award, and its album Coffee Creek was nominated for traditional album of the year at the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards. No, …

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Emma's Revolution

Emma’s Revolution CD-Release Concert

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Emma’s Revolution, the hard-hitting duo of activist-musicians Pat Humphries and Sandy O., will hold a CD-release concert at Traditions Café and World Folk art to celebrate the release of their new album, Revolution Now. They’ve been creating and performing music together for 25 years, all while working to spread …

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Terren Zander and Olympia Poetry Network

Olympia Poetry Network Celebrates the Dead (Poets)

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Once a month, the lights at Traditions Café dim and the noise of a room packed with poets and novelists dies down to a hushed whisper. The crowd anxiously awaits one of Thurston County’s highest-regarded and longest-standing literary events: the Olympia Poetry Network’s monthly reading and open-mic session. This …

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Lacey Ethnic Festival

Weekend Preview: March 10, 2017

WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, the Lacey Ethnic Celebration brings more stunning music, dance, and cultural performances to the stage than you can count. Don’t forget all the other amazing theater and dance around town, either. Just grab your tickets and find a seat to relax in, …

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Tom Rawson

Tom Rawson at Traditions Café

by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS Northwest favorite Tom Rawson is part folksinger, part storyteller and all about bringing people together. Rawson got his start as a peace activist, and that positivity still shines through in his work. Whether he’s singing a classic folk tune, recounting an old story or simply cracking a joke, Rawson …

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The Heartsparkle Players with top row Cameron Osier, Gaston Excell-Rehm, Sara Rucker and Lydia Beth Leimbach; Aeryk Bjork

The Thunders Have a Passion for Books

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS In “Playback Theatre,” the action on stage comes, not from books or scripts, but from the minds of audience members who are invited to tell their stories and see them come to life on stage. But at a Playback performance Feb. 10, books and personal stories will share the …

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