‘Winghaven Park’ opens
Vashon’s Drama Dock theatre company will open the regional premiere of “Winghaven Park” on Friday, Aug. 26, at Vashon High School Theater.
The musical is set during the Vashon’s Strawberry Festival of 1944.
“Winghaven Park” is the creation of writer-composer Lisa Peretti, director Kelly Kitchens, musical supervisor Zachary Kellogg and producer Louis Hobson. It tells the story of a glamorous movie star’s return visit to her childhood home and her reckoning with her own unresolved personal history.
The show will have performances on Aug. 26, 27, 28 and 31, and Sept. 1, 2, and 3, at Vashon High School Theater. Find out more and get tickets at dramadock.org.
Jam in the Atrium
Bruce Phares’ “Jam In The Atrium” series at Vashon Center For The Arts (VCA) continues from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, with special guest artists pianist Jeremy Bacon and saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev.
Phares and Bacon have been featured in concert series numerous times over the last year, with Bacon’s prodigious New York-honed jazz chops showing his prowess at the keys.
Nikolaev is a highly-in-demand horn player in the region, both in recording studios and concert stages. Phares describes him as “a dynamic and lyrical player, with stunning technique and phrasing.”
Building on the excitement of last weekend’s packed audience for the noted vibraphonist Susan Pascal’s debut on the island, this performance will also be a dynamic musical foray, said Phares. The performance — the last in Phares’ series until October — will also be live streamed on the Jam’s group page: facebook.com/groups/jamintheatrium.
Opera’s cast includes luminaries
Vashon Opera will present an opera that is famously challenging for its principal singers, “Ariadne auf Naxos,” on Friday, Sept. 2 and Sunday, Sept. 4, at Vashon Center for the Arts, launching its 2022-23 season with its first foray into the beautiful and complex repertoire of Richard Strauss.
Cast members are up for the task. They include Marie Masters Webb — a singer The New York Times has called “immensely likable,” with a “warm, fresh soprano.” Mezzo-soprano Grace Skinner is the 2021 recipient of first place prize in the Seattle Opera Guild Singers’ Development Competition.
Tenor Errin Brooks is quickly gaining momentum as a tenor from Detroit, Michigan. Tony Webb has been praised by Opera News for his “fine comic flair and well-schooled voice.”
Baritone José Rubio has recently had engagements that included debuts at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Berlin Staatsoper.
Hallie Schmidt has performed with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Landlocked Opera, Painted Sky Opera, and Heartland Opera Theatre.
Get tickets to see this ensemble of artists, directed by Vashon Opera stalwart James Brown, in “Ariadne auf Naxos,” at vashonopera.org.
