Two downtown Olympia stages are filling up between Wednesday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 19, with a milestone storytelling competition and a painter's career-spanning retrospective.

The 10th annual StoryOly Grand Slam takes over the Capitol Theater on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m.

Top storytellers from the past year will compete with new true tales in front of three local celebrity judges.

Funk quartet Moon Scooter opens at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6.

Amy Shephard and Elizabeth Lord co-founded StoryOly a decade ago. Lord, a professional storyteller, hosts the Grand Slam.

The event is open to ages 14 and up, and adult content and language are expected.

Tickets are $23.25 in advance and at the box office. No one will be turned away for lack of funds on the day of the show.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Downtown Creative District, according to the Olympia Film Society's ticketing page. The Capitol Theater is at 206 Fifth Ave. SE.

Painter Debra Van Tuinen is showing nearly six decades of work at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE.

A free public reception runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Van Tuinen is one of the original artists who inspired the creation of the Washington Center Gallery, according to the center.

The retrospective includes drawings, etchings, paintings and encaustics, with pieces dating as far back as 1969, OlyArts columnist Molly Gilmore reported.

Van Tuinen is known for large abstract paintings that reflect her fascination with light, drawing on Northwest landscapes, seascapes and what she calls "inner landscapes."

One surprise in the show, Gilmore noted: a black-and-white period. A photo in the column shows Van Tuinen's "Dusk," an oil encaustic with gold leaf on panel, hanging beside a 1974 charcoal self-portrait and two small encaustic works.

"I aim to incite wonder and curiosity in others as my work captures the light emanating from within the canvas …" Van Tuinen wrote in an artist's statement quoted in the OlyArts column.

The exhibition runs through Tuesday, Oct. 6. The gallery is open by appointment noon to 4 p.m.

Monday through Friday. Call 360-753-8585 to schedule a visit. Ticketed patrons can view the show one hour before Washington Center performances.