Fun things to do in Thurston County this week
May 3-25
The life of a wife
When it premiered in 1879, Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” stunned audiences with its depiction of a woman who comes to realize she’s been trapped in the confining role of wife. Harlequin Productions’ new adaptation, retaining virtually all of the original text, mixes the contemporary with the classic to look at where women have arrived 140 years later. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday plus May 8-11, 16-18, and 23-25 and at 2 p.m. Sunday plus May 12 and 19 at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $35, $32 for seniors and military, $20 for students and youth; for the May 8 performance, pay what you can. Find out more at 360-786-0151 or harlequinproductions.org.
May 3-31
Exploring space right here
The first Olympia Design Month aims to get more locals looking at and thinking about the spaces we inhabit. The citizens group Olympians for People-Oriented Places has put together a month of programs, posters and activities to share information about Olympia’s architecture and about the power of good design to make places and lives better. The event launches Friday with a free reception and screening of “Urbanized,” an acclaimed 2011 documentary about urban design. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Find out more about Olympia Design Month — which also includes a month-long walking tour of historic buildings — at opopnow.org.
May 3-11
High school musicals
It’s a sure sign of spring — and a good bet for musical-theater buffs on a budget: Both Capital High School and Olympia High School are opening musicals this weekend.
• “Mamma Mia,” the romantic comedy that introduced ABBA to a new generation, takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday plus May 9-11 and 1:30 p.m. May 11 at Olympia High School, 1302 North St. SE, Olympia. The school welcomes audiences to sing along at the May 10 performance only.
• “The Theory of Relativity,” a contemporary musical exploring relationships through seemingly unrelated songs and scenes, has showings at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday plus May 9-11 at Capital High School, 2707 Conger Ave., Olympia. The school rates the show PG-13. There’ll be an American Sign Language interpreter at the May 11 performance.
Tickets for both shows are $10, $8 for seniors and students. Get tickets and details at purplepass.com/osd_events.
May 4
Another arts walk (or bike or drive)
Can’t get enough of celebrating our region’s many artists? Spend Saturday exploring 26 studios and home-based galleries, plus the Monarch Sculpture Park, on the first South Sound Studio Tour, organized by enterprising Olympia artists Nicole Gugliotti and Hart James. The free artistic adventure, which includes destinations from Boston Harbor to Rochester and Tenino, happens from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pick up a map at Bar Francis, Browsers Bookshop, Childhood’s End, Olyphant Arts, Radiance or San Francisco Street Bakery, or see it online at southsoundstudiotour.com.
May 4
Long live the (drag) queen
Canadian comedian Mike Delamont has gotten a lot of mileage out of imagining God as a drag queen dressed in a floral power suit, a character who’s been described as “a cross between Dame Edna and Billy Connolly with a dollop of Eddie Izzard.” He’s done at least six shows based on the concept, and his “God Is a Scottish Drag Queen 2: The Second Coming” is, well, coming to Olympia on Saturday. Meet this creative take on a creator at 7:30 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $29 and $32. Get details and tickets at 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org — and find out more about Delamont, who has gone so far as to produce an album in which the Scottish God reads the Bible, at mikedelamont.com.
May 4
Musicians building the Bridge
Olympia’s The Bridge Music Project, which mentors youth through hip-hop, is hosting its first benefit concert Saturday. Olympia singer-songwriter Ethan Tucker, who competed on “The Voice” and has worked with Michael Franti, headlines the show, which also features Olympia’s Retro Jade and Tacoma’s Burn Band. There’ll be a silent auction and raffles, too. It all starts at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, with doors opening at 7. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and $20 for VIP tickets, which get you in the door at 6:30. Get details at bridgemusicproject.org or olympiafilmsociety.org.
May 4
Spring songs
The Olympia Chamber Orchestra and Saint Martin’s University Choir are celebrating the season with a free concert Saturday. The program includes both “Spring” from Joseph Haydn’s “The Seasons” and Johann Strauss Jr.’s “The Voices Spring Waltz,” along with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 80, with featured pianist Hyekyeong Hannah Cho, who teaches piano at the university. The concert also will feature members of Opera Pacifica and vocal soloists Daleen Haifley, Khristy Harvey, Darrell J. Jordan, Ryne Olson, Solomon Reynolds and Crystal Zimmerman. The music begins at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 114 20th Ave. SE, Olympia. Learn more at olympiachamberorchestra.org.
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 1:25 PM.