MORE THAN JUST FILMS AT THE OLYMPIA FILM FESTIVAL >>>

Not only did the powers behind the 27th Annual Olympia Film Festival organize one of the best such events to date, they threw in extra treats like last week's Gossip show and this Saturday's Faun Fables performance at the Capitol Theater. Part performance, part spectacle, all art, and like just about nothing else I can think of, Faun Fables is not for everyone - but there's no denying the immense creative and theatrical Dawn McCarthy (the imagination and voice behind Faun Fables) has more than enough presence to hold a spotlight.

AMAZING OUTPOURING, BUT MORE MAY BE NEEDED IN FUTURE >>>

On Nov. 5, the board of directors for downtown Olympia's Capital Playhouse issued a letter to all past donors asking for help. Capital Playhouse's rent was past due. Along with the rent, show royalties, basic salaries and program continuation all needed funding. If $20,000 couldn't be raised within the month, the performing arts education center was ready to suspend operations.

"We thought we were going to have to close Capital Playhouse," explains the secretary of the board of directors Ned Hayes. "The situation was dire."

Hayes said that since sending the letter, Capital Playhouse has received a majority of the funds immediately necessary to continue operations. He says the outpouring of support from the community has been amazing, and because of recent donations the Playhouse believes they have the funds to finish out this year's productions.

"The kind of response we've gotten from the community has superseded our expectations," Hayes says. "We've received a majority of the funds we need to keep going. We still need a bit more, but we have turned the corner."

Capital Playhouse, a non-profit performing arts education center, has been open 24 years. The Playhouse operates a variety of different theatre and arts projects and maintains operations through ticket sales, program enrollment fees, and donations.    

Hayes says Capital Playhouse's finances took a turn this past summer. The Playhouse provided scholarships for children looking to attend the summer children's programs and could not afford the fees. Hayes says providing scholarships for children in need wasn't a wise financial decision, but it had been a standing policy never to turn away a child looking to participate.

"We wouldn't turn down a child," Hayes says. "So we paid out much more money for the programs than we had coming in."

To make matters worse, some long-term donors Capital Playhouse relied on needed to forgo their regular donations because of the tough economic times. The drop in sizeable donations crippled the Playhouse's operating budget. By early November the future looked bleak.

The board decided the only option would be to reach out to the community. The letter, sent to past donors and participants, explained the shortfalls in Capital Playhouse's finances, how individuals could donate, and how their donated money would be put to use.

Hayes said recent donations have relieved the immediate financial crisis, but Capital Playhouse is by no means out of the woods yet. Hayes explained there was no long-term endowment for Capital Playhouse. The board is currently exploring every cost saving measure possible.

SOUTH SOUND ARTS COVERAGE IN THIS WEEK'S VOLCANO >>>

Eclectic showcase: The 27th Annual Olympia Film Festival delivers nine straight days of goodness by Nikki Talotta

Sweet and morbid: Justin Hillgrove shows at Mineral gallery by Alec Clayton

Comforting cheese: Almost, Maine marks a serious, enjoyable about-face for Gold From Straw Theater Company by Joe Izenman

Worthy of Welles: University of Puget Sound stuns with The Cradle Will Rock by Christian Carvajal

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

SATURDAY, NOV. 6, 2010 >>>

1. Justin Hillgrove's Tim-Burton-meets-Edward-Gorey sense of fantasy can be seen at his solo show Black and White And Read All Over at the Mineral gallery. His love of literature, pop music and cinema pop up through a phantasmagorical cast of characters. If you haven't seen the show, today would be the day as Hillgrove will paint live with his buddy Mike Capp from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside Mineral.

2. Experience how everyday works of art played an important part of the life of mid-1800's. Fort Nisqually re-enactors and artisans demonstrate spinning, silversmithing, blacksmithing, woodworking, open-fire cooking and Native American basketweaving from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Experience what life was like in the 1800s (hint: they, too, couldn't stand the goddamn rain).

3. The second annual fundraising extravaganza that is Dancing with the Tacoma Stars is obviously a riff on not one but two popular TV shows. But who cares about originality when you can see Marilyn Strickland attempt the foxtrot? Raising money for Tacoma Musical Playhouse, tonight's Dancing with the Tacoma Stars at 5:30 p.m. inside the Temple Theater (akin to both "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars," with local celebs learning the ropes from Studio 6 Ballroom) will be a production you don't even have to bus the seniors in for. It'll be entertaining as hell.

4. Tacoma's theater company Gold from Straw opens the comedy Almost, Maine by John Cariani at 8 p.m. inside the Theatre on the Square.

5. The newly-built Gruv Lounge and Nightclub at Sixth and Proctor is expertly decorated: a chic bar, colorful-yet-unobtrusive lighting, a high-ceilinged dance floor adjacent to private karaoke rooms with comfortable seating. Gruv manager Calvin Murphy, who launched his DJ conglomerate Ocean Grooves in the same space in 1999 when it was the 6th & Proctor Bar & Grill, will reunite three DJs who spun in the same building 11 years ago - Donald Glaude, Omar and dAb - beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Art at Work Tacoma Studio Tours details in The Weekend Hustle

LINK: Warren Miller's Wintervention information in The Prefunk

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, NOV. 5, 2010 >>>

1. While the Weekly Volcano loves shopping in a boutqiue as much as the next girl, there's nothing like the rush we get from uncovering a hidden treasure at a local fashion party. So after you've thumbed through Vogue, Nylon, Elle, or wherever you go for your style fix, check the Ethereal Showcase at 8:30 p.m. in Tacoma's Opera Alley (729 Court C). The evening centers around the launch of Athena Renee Artistry, a local female owned business that excels at makeup services. When you're not having your face done at Ethereal, you'll enjoy the MLK Ballet troupe, burlesque, a fashion show featuring six local designers - including Vixens, Halter Hotties and Lisa Fruichantie - and music spun by Flat Black, Broam and Trevor Dickson. The $55 price tag includes cocktails with proceeds benefiting MLK Ballet.

2. The conceit of this production of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare's bloodiest and most incoherent of plays, is that Shakespeare In the Parking Lot Theatre Company doesn't present the play in a parking lot but rather an empty storefront as part of Spaceworks Tacoma. Titus All Rightus! Check it out at 8 p.m. at 913 Pacific Ave. in downtown Tacoma.

3. Picture shoppers dancing in the street, vendors humming a tune as they weigh their shiny apples and L&I agents stomping toward smelly fish stands, tapping their clipboards to the beat. Sound absurd? Don't be too quick to discount it; this shit's totally going down at 8 p.m. inside the Rialto Theater. Tacoma Opera presents Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera of love and love potions The Elixir of Love - a bright and colorful comedy for these dull, rainy days. The story concerns peasant boy Nemorino's abject helplessness after he is  love-struck by the rich (and seemingly unattainable) village girl, Adina. To make matters worse, the local army sergeant, Belcore, also has his sights on the lovely Adina, making Nemorino's quest seem ever more futile.

4. The strength of a play cannot rely on a good script alone. Likewise, good actors cannot make up for terrible writing. Thankfully, eleemosynary, hitting the Tacoma Little Theatre stage at 8 p.m., features a great script with a trio of delightfully talented actors bringing it to life. Written by Lee Blessing, eleemosynary alternates between narration and dialogue to tell the story of three generations of women. It is a smartly written script that covers the range of emotions and family experiences. Read a full review of the show here.

5. The formula looks something like this: One part gay-friendly Hilltop club staring its fifth anniversary right in the face; two parts tasty cocktails; three parts remixes, mashups and electro messes; one part back patio with heat lamps; one part soul music expert DJ Bobby Galaxy; one part DJ Broam hot off his Tacoma Arts Commission Amocat Award; one part DJ Chrome Diego; three parts sparkling clean bathrooms; one part awesome. The sum equals First Friday dance party at 9 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

LINK: It's Art at Work month!

LINK: Concerts go on sale today

LINK: New movies open

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THURSDAY, NOV. 4, 2010 >>>

1. Chandler O'Leary is kind of infatuated with Mt. Rainier - and this is a good thing. For one, it resulted in Local Conditions, O'Leary's interactive book. With 120 image flats and a viewing box, Local Conditions allows readers to literally create millions of Rainier-related scenes. The release of the book (a limited run of 26 hand-bound pieces of art) will be celebrated by an opening reception at UPS Collins Memorial Library from 4:30-6:30 p.m., which is kicking off a solo O'Leary exhibition at UPS through January.

2. November marks the ninth anniversary of Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month - a community celebration of the arts that includes hundreds of community-hosted arts and cultures events, exhibits and workshops, taking place daily throughout the month - packaged by the Tacoma Art Commission. Once again, the Weekly Volcano is a proud sponsor of the celebration. The whole kit and kaboodle officially kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. with an "Opening Celebration" at the Tacoma Art Museum. The event will include the AMOCAT award ceremony for Oliver Doriss, Fab-5 and Urban Grace Church., performances by the Tacoma Youth Symphony, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Symphony, and Tacoma Musical Playhouse, the TAM galleries will be open – which includes Mighty Tacoma, hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and a no-host bar.

3. The Tacoma Science Café kicks off its monthly science chat, over beers, with University of Washington Tacoma research scientist Julie Masura at 7 p.m. inside the Harmon Brewery and Eatery. Masura - huge into microplastics studies - will discuss how these teeny tiny particles are destroying our oceans.

4. Tacoma's theater company Gold from Straw opens the comedy Almost, Maine by John Cariani at 8 p.m. inside the Theatre on the Square.

5. The Big Wheel Steakhouse and Lounge in Parkland hosts "Ladies Club Nite Out" with DJ J-Fresh beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: It's Art at Work month!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

SUNDAY, OCT. 24, 2010 >>>

1. Billed as an "interactive celebration and creative exercise in commemoration of Tacoma Art Museum's 75th Anniversary," the Mighty Tacoma show features digital portraits by Tacoma-based artists that will be projected in the gallery and posted on the museum website. The show will includes a photographic survey of the city's neighborhoods, families at the museum, community groups and businesses. Drop by and see this mighty show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. It's the final day of the Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more details, and how to prepare for this final day, check The Prefunk.

3. King's Books hosts the fourth annual Anarchist Bookfair -  billed as a "revolutionary gathering for anyone interested in or curious about anarchy" - from noon to 7 p.m. Want to know how to live in harmony without the oppressive weight of the state bearing down on you? Here's your starting point.

4. Ikebana Society presents the Northwest Sakura chapter's "Annual Flower Exhibit" from noon to 4 p.m. inside the Washington Floral Service at 2701 S. 35th St. in Tacoma.

5. Now, you listen here, hombre. You and me, we done rode through all that "talk like a pirate" bosh, but all that balled-up palaver didn't hold a candle to talkin' like a cowboy. And you might think such frontier lingo wouldn't rightly fit into the flannel-mouthed Elizabethan purty-talk of one Wm. Shakespeare, but that just goes to show you ain't no feller to ride down the river with, so you just hobble your lip. Harlequin Productions buckaroo Scot Whitney at 2 p.m. done nailed that to the counter. His production of The Taming of the Shrew cuts a swell, and that's the real Simon Pure.

LINK: Pearl Django, Jo Dee Messina, Top of Tacoma's third anniversary party, Billy Farmer's open mic and more live shows in our Night Moves

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

ARTS COVERAGE IN THIS WEEK'S VOLCANO >>>

Sympathetic bestiality: Theater Artists Olympia's The Goat delivers the unthinkable, review by Joe Izenman

Full measure fandango: Harlequin's Shrew is fine as cream gravy, review by Christian Carvajal

Return to Joe's Diner: "Joe's Diner" is being billed as inappropriate for viewers under 13 because, let's face it, grown-up stuff is funny, by Joe Izenman

She-Demon v. The Judge: Riot to Follow's Hedda Gable meets her match, review by Christian Carvajal

Worthy of praise: PLU photography students are finalists in regional competition, by Alec Clayton

Spaceworks Tacoma: Re-presenting Barbara De Pirro and Holly Senn, review by Alec Clayton

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THURSDAY, OCT. 14, 2010 >>>

1. How many times have you seen it? A young couple gets a flat tire on St. Helens Avenue in downtown Tacoma and stops at Club Silverstone to innocently use the phone to call for help. Once inside there just happens to be a party in progress for the creation of super-hunk, Rocky Horror, which is orchestrated by the evil transvestite scientist, Dr. Furter. Naturally he and his gang of humanoid aliens from planet Transexual wreak havoc on the couple. The rest of the story is better experienced than read. The Blue Mousketeers actors, famous for reenacting The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Tacoma's Blue Mouse Theatre, will be at Club Silverstone tonight at 7. So grab your rice, newspapers, toast and toilet paper, and hit the Silverstone to hang out with all the kinky kooks.

2. Check out the eclectic body of 33 innovative works created by Visiting Artists at the Museum of Glass from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. King's Books hosts a Banned Book Tea from 3-4:30 p.m. at Collins Memorial Library on the UPS campus.

4. This November voters will be asked to make important decisions about taxes, liquor sales, industrial insurance, and more. These decisions will have a significant impact on the lives of families throughout this state. Representatives in support of these initiative and those that oppose them will discuss the issues addressed by these ballot initiatives at 6:30 p.m. inside the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma.

5. Maestro Gerard Schwarz, the longtime music director of the Seattle Symphony, is pretty much the shit. And we don't usually bestow such heady honors upon symphony types. Under his leadership the Seattle Symphony has become a world-class institution, and Schwarz has been repeatedly recognized for his brilliance and dedication to the craft. On a farewell tour of sorts, tonight will mark Schwarz's last Tacoma appearance before stepping down from his post at the end of the 2010-11 season. See him and his posse at 7:30 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, OCT. 1, 2020 >>>

1. Here we go again. For the 39th time. Olympia Arts Walk. It's a madhouse of art, music and performance arts of all types. Arts Walk turns all of downtown Olympia into a very crowded and festive art gallery and performance space. Professional artists, amateur artists, students from elementary school through college, musicians, storytellers, and performers of all types show their stuff in galleries, cafes, barber shops, tattoo parlors and on the streets from 5-10 p.m. Be sure to catch the Silent Art Auction inside the Capitol Theater, as well as these highlights.

2. Throughout the month of October, you'll receive discounts - and help support the Breast Cancer Resource Center - after you purchase a $10 hot pink bra pin at participating Sixth Avenue businesses. The kick-off event featuring pink chick merchandise and pink hair extensions happens at 5:30 p.m. inside Cork! a wine bar located at 3012 Sixth Ave.

3. The Broadway Center opens its season with Cirque Mechanics' Boom Town, whichbrings together a number of great circus performers and tosses them onto a stage filled with 19th century mining equipment upon which they flip, twirl and twist about. Trust us: it's awesome. Taking audiences on a trip to the 1860s "small frontier town" of Rosebud, where two "ambitious saloon owners" are battling for the gold rush-fueled patronage of the townsfolk. The Cirque Mechanics explosiveness starts there at 7:30 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater and only gets better. 

4. Poet Chloe Bonnett headlines the Speak Your Soul open mic at 8 p.m. inside The Den Tea Bar. Donations go toward the Fund for Women & Grils.

5. DJ Broam and Chronie Diego will drop the latest in electro pop beats at the First Friday Dance Party at the Tempest Lounge beginning at 9 p.m. 

REMEMBER: 253Heart Film Festival is tonight

LINK: New movies open today

LINK: Concert go on sale today