7+ things to do in South Sound this weekend, Nov. 7-9
Friday through Nov. 16
Much more than film
The 31st annual Olympia Film Festival kicks off Friday night, featuring a mixture of old and new films plus a concert. (Please read Molly Gilmore’s story on the festival elsewhere at www.theolympian.com/entertainment for many more of the details.) Almost all the fun will be at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $10 for regular screenings, $7 for Olympia Film Society members, $4 for children 12 and younger. (Children are admitted free to family films.) Full and partial passes are available too. For more information, go to olympiafilmfestival.org.
Here are a few of the first weekend highlights you don’t want to miss:
Seattle grunge icons Mudhoney play for opening night, along with Tacoma’s Girl Trouble. The concert starts at 9 p.m. Friday; doors open at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, $12 for Olympia Film Society members at Rainy Day Records, online and at the box office (if there are any left).
“My Last Year With the Nuns,” with a Q&A with creator and star Matt Smith (6 p.m. Friday with reception beginning at 5:30): Smith shares his story of growing up Catholic in 1960s Seattle in this adaptation of his 1997 one-man show.
“Planet of the Apes” (5 p.m. Saturday): A rare 35mm showing of ‘Planet of the Apes’ from 1968.
“Heaven Adores You” (7:30 p.m. Saturday): This documentary about singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, who died in 2003, focuses on the power of his music and includes 15 unreleased tracks.
All Freakin’ Night (11:59 p.m. Saturday): The annual horror movie marathon features an international lineup of films — “Moebius,” “The Burning,” “The Howling,” “The Incredible Melting Man” and “The Fog” — all shown in 35 mm.
Author Peter S. Beagle presents his 1982 film of his book “The Last Unicorn” at 6:15 p.m. Sunday. (See Craig Sailor’s interview with Beagle elsewhere at www.theolympian.com/entertainment.)
“CLAW: The Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers” with a Q&A with filmmaker Billy Hunt and members of Oly CLAW, the local team (11 p.m. Sunday): This documentary tells the story about the women who arm wrestle (and dress up for good causes).
Friday
Prepare to chair dance
Known for his pop-tinged jazz and his showmanship, German-born, Canadian-raised pianist and singer Michael Kaeshammer will perform his boogie-woogie tunes at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 7) at The Washington Center for Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $35-$42 for adults, $32-$38 for students, seniors and military, $17.50-$21 for youth plus a $3 service fee. You can get yours by phone at 360-753-8585 or online at washingtoncenter.org.
Friday & Saturday
Sprinters and marathoners
Olympia Family Theater is bringing “The Tortoise and the Hare” to life at its new location at 612 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. The play is part of its daytime show series, with performances at 1 p.m. Friday (Nov. 7) and 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, go to olyft.org.
Friday-Sunday
Theater with a twist
The 1950s noir comedy mystery “Red Herring” is in its final weekend, with showtimes of 7:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1:55 p.m. Sunday. The production is at Olympia Little Theatre, 1925 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia. Tickets are $10-$14 and are available at Yenney Music, Brown Paper Tickets, and at the box office. For more information, go to olympialittletheatre.org.
Saturday
Write that book!
This probably won’t seem fun or entertaining unless you have always felt you have a novel in you. If so, you can join local author Lindsay Schopfer for a three-part writing class at Tumwater Timberland Regional Library, 7023 New Market St. Schopfer — author of the fantasy adventures “Lost Under Two Moons,” “The Beast Hunter” and the Keltin Moore Online series — is a writing coach. The three three-hour classes — at 1:30 Saturdays through Nov. 22 — will cover where to start your story, how to make your story a page turner and writing satisfying endings. The free workshops are designed as a series but any one can be taken separately. To find out more, call 360-943-7790.
Saturday
Get on the dance floor
Get into the groove with Seattle-based Polyrhythmics when they perform at 9 p.m. Saturday at Rhythm & Rye, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia. The eight-member band has a hard-hitting instrumental Afrobeat sound, so be sure to wear your dancing shoes. For more information, go to facebook.com/rhythmandrye.
Sunday
Star-crossed music
The Olympia Symphony will present a concert titled “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” a concert featuring music by Bellini and Prokofiev inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” — as well as Bernstein’s music from “West Side Story,” which is a musical, racially charged version of “Romeo & Juliet” set in 1950s New York. The concert also will feature double-bass soloist Logan Coale playing Lars-Erik Larsson’s Concertino for Double Bass, Op. 45. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $25-$55 for adults and $22.50-$49.50 for military at 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org.
This story was originally published November 6, 2014 at 6:16 PM with the headline "7+ things to do in South Sound this weekend, Nov. 7-9."