Soul Nite will return to the Island at 9 p.m. Friday, April 30, at Vashon Theatre. This all-ages, all-star 1960s soul music celebration will feature rare performance footage projected bigger than life on the silver screen. James Brown, Etta James, Otis Redding, Barbara Lynn, Stevie Wonder and many others will be featured. There will be beverages and, of course, clapping, singing and dancing in the aisles. Admission is by donation to Vashon Film Society.
Good Merchandise, which sells Island-made items as well as those created within 50 miles of Vashon, will host a grand opening in its new location, the former home of Terrence McBride jewelry, from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 7, during the gallery cruise. Store hours in the new location will be Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Facing Guatemala,” a new exhibition of Pam Ingalls’ portraits of villagers in Guatemala, will open from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 30, at The Hardware Store Restaurant. Guitarist Daryl Redeker will provide music at the reception. The show is part of the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour and will continue throughout May. For more information, visit www.pamingalls.com.
Mark Wells will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, at Café Luna. Wells is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, and his vocal style has been compared to James Taylor and Paul Simon.
Greg Dember will perform his music, accompanied by drummer Moises Padilla, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1, at Café Luna. Dember said his original songs may remind listeners of Elliott Smith, Wilco and Paul Simon, among others.
Rose Marie Everding, a New Mexico-based author who grew up on Vashon, will return to the Island to read and sign copies of her two novels, “Don’t Tell, Baby,” and “Before the Music,” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Books by the Way. Both books are loosely based on the author’s own childhood and early adulthood.
Rodeo, a ballet with music composed by Aaron Copland, will be performed by Blue Heron Dance students at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9, at the Vashon High School theater. The performance will also feature original works choreographed by Blue Heron’s advanced students. Tiny dancers ages 2 to 6 will appear in a piece based on “Norwegian Dances” by Edward Grieg. An abbreviated version of the show, designed to appeal to preschoolers, will take place at 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 7. Admission to that show is $5 per person. Tickets to all other performances are $10 to $13 and are for sale at Blue Heron, Heron’s Nest and Books by the Way.
UMO Ensemble, Vashon’s acclaimed physical theater company, will bring its irreverent approach to ancient tales of wonder in “Zen Tales,” to be presented at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Open Space for Arts & Community. UMO said the show will feature “red-nosed monk clowns tackling Buddhist, Zen and Sufi stories through mask, puppets, music, laughter and breathtaking physical skill.” Tickets, $15 for adults and $5 for children, are on sale at Books by the Way, The Hardware Store Restaurant, and by calling (206) 408-8059.
