Theater Artists Olympia’s ‘Anna Considers Mars’ to be performed at their new home 

Rachel Benton

Sometime back in 2025, I asked you to cross your fingers that Theater Artists Olympia (TAO) would find a new home soon — and I am thrilled to report that they did!

Their parent company, Oly Theater, will be debuting the new space with the TAO production “Anna Considers Mars” toward the end of the month. 

 The new Oly Theater location is the building that once housed the Johansen Olympia Dance Center at 412 Jefferson St SE. The building will not only be home to TAO, but will soon provide viable theater space for other artistic groups in the area for rent. The building will be rebranded as the Jefferson Street Arts Center. Email info@olytheater.com for more information.  

Oly Theater and Theater Artists Olympia would like to thank Ken Johnson, Sandy Desner and everyone involved with the Inspire Olympia grant for making this possible. 

“Anna Considers Mars” is truly the cherry on top of this positive development. Click here to learn more information about show dates and where you can purchase tickets.   

 ‘Anna Considers Mars’ 

What better for a show with outer space themes than a star studded cast? “Anna Considers Mars” will have TAO talent, including Leslie Gordon, Gabe McClellan, John Serembe, Heather Christopher, Kate Arvin and Drew Doyle.  

To learn more about this show, I had the opportunity to speak with TAO Artistic Director Pug Bujeaud.  

“When you are the artistic director of a theater company, you spend a lot of time reading scripts, and for this next show, I knew I wanted to do something that’s written by a lesser known playwright, ideally a West Coast playwright.” Bujeaud shared with me.  “This show really jumped out at me when I read it.”  

Playwright Ruben Grijalva mentions things in the “Anna Considers Mars” script that felt personal, close and important to Bujeaud, like the Hoh Rain Forest, which is her second favorite place in the world next to the Redwoods. 

In a nutshell, this play is about what our future, perhaps nearer than we think, could look like if we do not take significant action to reduce the impacts of climate change and stop using harmful environmental practices. This play proves to be prolific because it was written before all the Elon Musk conversations surrounding these topics.  

“Anna Considers Mars” takes place during a time when the world is literally drying up from global warming and the government starts to consider the possibility of living on Mars. Anna was a child when the first person steps on Mars, and when she grows up, she wants to live on Mars — and she gets picked.  

What an honor to have your dream come true, right? Yes, but as anyone who has pursued their dream can tell you, it does come at a price. What does that look like for Anna? For us? Come to the play and you will find out.  

This will be a show you do not want to miss. Get your tickets here.  

 An invitation 

When I first heard that TAO found a new home, I literally jumped for joy. This troupe of local talent has worked so hard and contributed so much to our area. I invite you to celebrate alongside me!  

As Bujeaud described to me, purchasing the building was a leap of faith. I genuinely believe this will be beneficial for our community in more ways than one. They say it takes a village, and this is a time when that assistance could be really impactful. Here are some ways you can help: 

• During these first days, Oly Theater and TAO could use assistance with practical projects like painting, flooring and all other tasks to help the building shine for the new show. If you have the time and ability to volunteer to help with these projects, or you would like to donate supplies like flooring and paint, please email: info@olytheater.com.  

• Moving into a new space always ends up costing more than expected. A donation during a time like this can go a long way. Oly Theater and TAO are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, which means donations are tax deductible. Click here to learn more. 
• When in doubt, buy tickets to the show, share this article, do whatever feels right to help spread the word about all the wonderful work being done! Click here for more event information.