Fun things to do this week in Thurston County

April 19 and 20

A rom-com on pointe

“Coppelia,” which Studio West Dance Theatre is staging this weekend, is ballet’s great comedy, according to famed choreographer George Balanchine. And Studio West’s Stephanie Wood-Ennett goes further, calling the tale of a love triangle among a man, a woman and a life-size doll “the iconic romantic comedy.” “It’s essentially a story about life and relationships that we can all connect with,” she said in a press release about the dance company’s spring production. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $16-$28. Find out more at 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org.

April 20

Make your way to Norway

Saturday, Norway is a whole lot closer to Olympia, thanks to Olympia Norway Day. Norwegians and those who’ve never been near the place can meet Vikings and fjord horses, sample lefse (a pancake made with potato) and meatball sundaes (also known as kjøttkaker med poteter) and enjoy the arts and culture of the far northern land. The event, sponsored by the Sons of Norway and Daughters of Norway, happens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, 3054 Carpenter Road SE, Lacey. And don’t worry that you can’t a-fjord it; admission is just $3 and free for children younger than 12. Get details at 360-923-1242 or olympianorwayday.com.

April 20 and 21

Short but mighty

Being short is sometimes considered a drawback — the tall, it’s said, make more money, to cite just one example — yet there are advantages, too. Some studies have shown health benefits to being short, for example. And in the world of filmmaking, there are advantages to being short, too, says Andy Stark, who programmed the Olympia Film Society’s first Short Cuts Film Festival, happening this weekend. The festival’s two programs show the power of short films. See program 1 at 4 p.m. Saturday or 7:30 p.m. Sunday and program 2 at 6:30 p.m. Saturday or 5 p.m. Sunday at the Capitol Theater, 205 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets to each screening are $9, $6 for film society members. Find out more at 360-754-6670 or olympiafilmsociety.org.

April 22

Happy birthday, dear Charles

Join Olympia’s Jazz Tentette for a celebration of the 93rd anniversary of jazz great Charles Mingus’ birth. The concert will pay homage to bassist/composer Mingus’ music, which encompasses the history of jazz from Dixieland to avant garde. Hear the tentette — which features such local notables as Syd Potter, Brad Schrandt, Aaron Wolff and Daven Tillinghast — from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Monday at Rhythm & Rye, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia. The suggested cover charge is $5-$25. For details, call 360-705-0760.

April 22

Local literary light

Olympia native Hal Schrieve, now a librarian trainee and novelist in New York City, will be in town to celebrate hir (Schrieve’s preferred pronoun, pronounced “here”) critically acclaimed first novel “Out of Salem,” a young adult title about a non-binary zombie. It’s a fantasy with serious points to make about the plight of transgender youth, the prevalence of homelessness and the power of friendship. Schrieve will talk about the book and sign copies at 7 p.m. Monday at Browsers Bookshop, 107 Capitol Way N., Olympia. Get details at 360-357-7462 or browsersolympia.com.

April 25

Dance about social justice

Philadanco, the Philadelphia Dance Company, one of the nation’s top African-American dance companies, is currently touring the Northwest. The company, known for its dances about social justice topics and for its work preserving African-American dance traditions, will dance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Minnaert Center for the Arts at South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. The performance, presented in cooperation with Ballet Northwest, is part of SPSCC’s Artist and Lecture series. Tickets are $25, $20 for students and seniors, and free for college students, staff and faculty. Get details at 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org.

April 25

Opening the box

The Olympia Improv Collective will be opening Pandora’s box Thursday, and if the show is as much fun as the publicity material, the performance should be a boxful of laughs. The collective’s poster asks audience members to “bring a small cursed object to determine our fate,” and online publicity materials include the intriguing quote “How was I supposed to know she was going to open it?” — attributed to “Zeus, god of knowing she was going to open it.” Check out the improv (and don’t forget your favorite cursed object) from 7 to 9 p.m. at Octapas, 414 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. The cover charge is $5. Get details at facebook.com/wearetheOIC/.

This story was originally published April 17, 2019 at 5:38 PM.