New artistic director aims to make Olympia Family Theater more inclusive, accessible

For Lily Raabe, Olympia Family Theater’s new artistic director, creating community is even more important than creating theater.

“At the center of everything is always community,” said Raabe, who just moved from Seattle to Olympia with partner Alvin Thomas, who works in digital media and marketing, and Australian shepherds Aja and Cash.

The theater isn’t yet ready to return to producing shows, though it’s hosting educational programs. The first show is likely to happen in the spring, once young audience members have had the opportunity to be vaccinated.

So Raabe is beginning with a series of online and in-person meetings beginning Nov. 11 to gather feedback from those involved with the theater and those who’d like to be.

“I want this to be a collaborative process,” she said. “I want the vision to evolve so we can craft something that serves this place and the people.”

Raabe, who grew up living with her parents on a converted school bus, was drawn to Olympia in large part by the vibrant and loving group of staff, volunteers and supporters surrounding the 15-year-old theater, founded by Jen Ryle, who just stepped down as artistic director, and Samantha Chandler, chair of the theater’s board.

“I am not really from anywhere,” Raabe said. “I am from a school bus. I’ve been craving a community and a place to put down some roots.

“When I met Jen and Samantha and heard about everything they’ve built here, it seemed like a place where I could have that sense of place and also create that for other people. It’s a place where I can contribute to something that’s really beautiful.”

Raabe, who’s served as development director for the Intiman Theater in Seattle, directed the Northwest Arts Streaming Hub and created theater with groups ranging from children and youth to incarcerated men. She has the background and skills to take the family theater further, Ryle said.

“We had a great bunch of candidates from all over the country,” Ryle said of the search to fill her job. “Lily was the standout. … We wanted someone who had lots of experience not only creatively and artistically with making theater happen, but also with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work. She’s also done a lot of development and fundraising.”

Raabe aims to make the theater, already known for its inclusive casting, more accessible and more inclusive.

“I come from a working-class family,” she said, “and I want to make sure that all working-class families are able to access all OFT programs. … I want to make sure it is a space that is racially equitable, that is featuring Black, indigenous and people of color on stage, and welcoming them with wide-open arms into our audiences. I want to create experiences that are accessible for audiences and artists with disabilities.

“I want to make theater that is as diverse as the region and the city that we live in and also the world that we are moving toward,” she said, noting that by 2043, white people will be in the minority in the United States.

She wants to see Olympia Family Theater not only including diverse audiences and artists but also working toward and teaching the community about equity and justice.

“I believe that all theater is educational,” she said. “It’s a joy to be in a place where that is front and center. The point is that we’re all here to learn and to grow and to be better humans.”

Of course, the point also is to tell great stories — Raabe loves fantasy, science fiction, mythology and more — and to have a good time doing it.

“It’s fun to get paid to play theater games and to make believe and to tell stories,” she said. “What a dream.”