The Olympian’s picks for fun and culture this week

By Molly Gilmore Contributing writer

February 7, 2020 5:45 AM

The REDS perform at the Thursday night kick-off dance at the 9th annual Oly Old Time Music Festival. From left, Dante Faulk, River Schuerell, and brothers Eros Faulk and Sage Scheuerell. Steve Bloom Olympian file photo

Feb. 7-23

Another kind of Shakespeare show

“Equivocation,” opening Friday at Olympia Little Theatre, is not a play by Shakespeare — it’s a play about him. Bill Cain’s 2009 political thriller imagines the bard, here called Shagspeare, being asked to write some theatrical fake news. The show, directed by Pug Bujeaud, stars Shakespeare stalwarts Brian Hatcher and Drew Doyle. Performances are at 7:25 p.m. Feb. 7, 8, 14, 15 and 20-22 and 1:55 p.m. Feb. 9, 16 and 23 at the theater, 1925 Miller Ave NE, Olympia. Tickets are $9-$15. Find out more at http://olympialittletheater.org, or call 360-786-9484.

Feb. 7 and 8

Last chance for ‘delightful pandemonium’

That’s one of the colorful phrases local theater critic Alec Clayton used in his review of Harlequin Productions’ “Noises Off.” Clayton clearly had a ball at the wacky farce-within-a-farce, which is in its closing weekend at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Among the production’s attractions are an elaborate revolving set (one act is viewed from backstage) and a cast of well-regarded actors, including Harlequin favorites Helen Harvester, Jason Haws and Aaron Lamb. Tickets are $20-$36, with discounted rush tickets available a half-hour before curtain. Get details and tickets at https://harlequinproductions.org/, and read more about the show at https://www.theolympian.com/entertainment/article239096938.html.

From left, actors Helen Harvester, Jason Haws and Megan Ahiers perform a scene from Harlequin Productions’ ”Noises Off.” The farce closes this weekend. Shanna Paxton Photography Courtesy of Harlequin Productions

Feb. 7

Postcard power

“Power Tools” is the South Puget Sound Community College’s ninth annual Fine Art Postcard Exhibition, closing Friday. The art, including paintings, photos, ceramics, fabric and mixed media, addresses the theme in a wide array of ways, and all of the pieces are for sale at a silent auction. If you haven’t seen the show, this is your last chance. And if you have seen it and hope to buy a piece, getting to the reception is a must because people will be watching their favorites and increasing their bids until the last minute. The exhibition is on view from noon till 7 p.m., with the reception beginning at 4:30 p.m., at the newly renamed Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, inside the Minnaert Center for the Arts at SPSCC, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. Find out more at http://spscc.edu/gallery, or call 360-596-5527.

Visitors check out the “Power Tools” Fine Art Postcard Exhibition at the newly renamed Leonor R. Fuller Gallery inside the Minnaert Center for the Arts at SPSCC. The art is being auctioned off, with the silent bidding wrapping up before the closing reception Friday night. The Olympian

Feb. 8

Guys get naked

OK, so The Naked Magicians, performing Saturday in Olympia, do magic and tell jokes, but the Aussie duo’s marketing material and photos suggest that their main entertainment qualification is that both are well-muscled and willing to perform sans trousers. That’s most likely all you need to know to decide whether this is the show for you. All (or most, anyway) will be revealed at 7:30 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $25-$69 — oh, and the show is open only to people 18 and older. Get details and tickets at http://washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.

Feb. 9

Symphony gets jazzed up

The Olympia Symphony Orchestra is putting on “Jazz-Colored Glasses” for its Sunday concert, which features George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris” along with Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Turkish March,” Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade in A Minor and the foxtrot- and waltz-inspired “The Chairman Dances,” by contemporary composer John Adams. The music begins at 3 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $6-$60. Find out more at http://olympiasymphony.org or http://washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.

Gold-dusted chocolate Oscar statues are pictured at the Governors Ball Press Preview for the 92nd Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre Jan. 31 in Los Angeles. The Academy Awards will be Sunday, Feb. 9. Chris Pizzello Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Feb. 9

Walk the red carpet

As fashionable folks know, the Academy Awards are not just about movies. The awards also are a reason to dress to impress and see and be seen. That’s true in Hollywood and also right here in Olympia. The Olympia Film Society’s annual Oscar Party celebrates the big day in grand style with a red carpet and a real Oscar statue that’s available for photo ops, plus trivia and Oscar-ballot contests. Singer/actor/dancer Amy Shephard will be hosting the festivities, which begin with a fashion parade at 4 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. The simulcast of the awards show starts at 5. Tickets are $7-$10. Get details and tickets at http://olympiafilmsociety.org, or call 360-754-6670.

Feb. 13-16

Seems like old times

Back before that old-time rock and roll, there was old-time music, the kind with fiddles and dulcimers and square dancing. If that’s your thing, then the place for you next weekend is the 12th annual Oly Old-Time Festival. The festival’s mix of concerts, jams, dances and workshops by a mix of local artists and nationally known ones kicks off with a dance from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at South Bay Grange, 3918 Sleater Kinney Road NE, Olympia. Tickets are $5. For the Feb. 14 concert and Feb. 15 square dance, tickets are $20. Everything is free for children 12 and younger, and the workshops — held at the grange and at Arbutus Folk School, 600 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia — are free for everyone. Check out the full schedule and buy tickets at http://olyoldtime.org.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore thinks of every day as a chance to stroll the red carpet. Hear more about local entertainment from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays when she visits 95.3 KGY’s Michael Stein.