The Curator: Musical Kickstarter, "Reservoir Dogs" on stage, "Swan Lake" on the move, Maria Jost and more ...

By Volcano Staff on March 25, 2013

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Spew sifts through the Internets for local arts stories so you don't have to.

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame's children's classic about the adventures of four animal friends was hit the stage at the South Puget Sound Community College, as part of the Olympia Family Theater season. In late 2012, OFT captured the 1908 novel's whimsical charm and injected just enough cheek and gentle satire to keep the grownups along for the ride. OFT turned it into a musical with 11 songs, but the group also sought to bring Grahame's classic into modern day a bit. This included adding in more relevant female characters - in Grahame's original, only three out of 60 characters were female. They also softened up Mr. Toad's character, giving him more of a connection to his friends. Now, the original four Olympia-based artists who readapted the play are teaming up with a sound engineer to create an audio version. Weekly Volcano scribe Kristin Kendle has the scoop on the recording, including details on its Kickstarter.

It is no easy feat to bring the naturalistic violence and dialog cadences of Quentin Tarantino from screen to stage. His films are masterpieces of jangly editing and shocking violence in the tradition of Peckinpah and Scorsese. Theater Artists Olympia and director Pug Bujeaud will give it a shot, opening Reservoir Dogs Friday, April 5 at The Midnight Sun in downtown Olympia. "I have always loved words. Quentin Tarantino is one of modern American cinema's greatest wordsmiths. I love the movie, but more than the cinematic reality of the thing it is it's bones that compel me. As iconic as the performances of Keitel, Roth, Buscemi et al have become, strip it all away and you have one hell of a script," writes Bujeaud on the blog, One Heist Told Twice. Jump on the blog for profiles of the actors, behind the scenes shots and more.

News Tribune arts critic Rosemary Ponnekanti reports Dance Theatre Northwest is taking its Swan Lake on the road.

Yesterday afternoon the Weekly Volcano attended the artist reception for Maria Jost at 1022 South. Jost's seven permanent collage-drawings paying homage to 1022 South's botanical ingredients are stunning. Post Defiance has the scoop on the show, as well as what makes Jost tick.

PLUS: Weekly Volcano theater critics review The Joy Luck Club, Philadelphia Story and Oliver!