Catch a conductor-pianist, a play about Hitler, or tales of ‘Bad Life Choices’
PIanist to conduct symphony from keyboard
Noted pianist Michael Sheppard isn’t just the featured musician for the Olympia Symphony Orchestra’s “Listen”; he’ll also be conducting the concert, happening Sunday, Nov. 16. Ludwig van Beethoven was known to conduct from the keyboard himself, and his Piano Concerto No. 4 will be the centerpiece of the concert, which will also include Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Capriccio Brilliante” and Michael Daugherty’s “Le Tombeau de Liberace,” an irreverent tribute to the flamboyant pianist. The music will begin at 3 p.m. at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $10-$66.
Also giving a concert this weekend is the Olympia Peace Choir, which will perform at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1601 North St. SE, Olympia. The concert is free, with donations welcome.
SPSCC theater group revisits 1930s Berlin
The South Puget Sound Community College Theatre Collective’s production of “A Bright Room Called Day,” opening Friday, Nov. 14, follows a group of artists living in Berlin during Hitler’s rise to power. Tony Kushner’s 1987 play also includes a then-contemporary character, an activist who drew parallels between Adolf Hitler and the then-President of the United States at the time, Ronald Reagan. Kushner actually revised the play in 2018, adding yet another layer of comparisons between past and present, but the collective is staging the original version. “Kushner encourages us to experience the layering of history over key moments, including our own, and in so doing to reflect on how we are practicing citizenship,” director Lauren Love, the head of the college drama department, said in a news release. The cast includes Rachel Permann, Dale Sharp, Meghan Goodman, Jesse Morrow, Jerry Romasco, Sophie Bustetter, Sebastian de la Cruz, Kimberlee Wolfson, Tom Sanders and Jewelz Boling. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-15, plus Nov. 21-22; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, plus Nov. 23 at the Minnaert Center for the Arts at 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. Admission is by donation, with $12 suggested; college students, faculty and staff will be admitted free.
Patton Oswald at Capitol Theater
Comedian, actor and movie lover Patton Oswalt is spending the weekend in Olympia. First, he’s going to do his standup act at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, on Friday, Nov. 14. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $53.25 general admission or $48.25 for Olympia Film Society members; some VIP tickets for the front rows also are available. Oswalt then serves as guest film programmer for the rest of the weekend, having selected two Pacific Northwest set films to be screened and discussed. On Saturday, OFS will screen Robert Altman’s 1971 film “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” and Oswalt will be featured in a post-film discussion. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $43.25 GA and $38.25 OFS. Finally, on Sunday, OFS will screen Nicolas Cage in “Pig,” with another post film discussion with Oswalt. Doors again open at 6 p.m. and the film screens at 7 p.m. Tickets are $43.25 GA and $38.25 OFS.
Grown-up stories
StoryOly, Olympia’s monthly story slam, draws crowds of listeners excited by the opportunity to hear friends, neighbors and strangers tell true personal stories. This month’s slam, happening Tuesday, Nov. 18, looks likely to be particularly juicy: The theme is “Bad Life Choices.” The slam gives volunteer storytellers eight minutes each to spin their tales and maybe spill their guts. The event, hosted by professional storyteller Elizabeth Lord, starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday (and the third Tuesday of each month) at The Brotherhood Lounge, 119 Capitol Way N, Olympia. Admission is by donation, with $10-$20 suggested and no one turned way for lack of funds.