Arts Briefs | August 15 edition | Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Summer Arts Fest

Check out the third and final rotation of artists in Vashon Center for the Arts’ 7th annual Summer Arts Fest — a nine-week celebration of work by exclusively local artists — at an opening reception from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at VCA.

The festival welcomes both new and experienced artists, working in a wide range of media. This year, glass art, paintings, jewelry, metal works, mixed media, prints, upcycled art, and pottery have all been included in the festival.

The artists in the final show, running until Sept. 1, include Tina Anderson, Darsie Beck, Andrea Bellon, Gregory Foster, Bob Horsley, Tamara Paris, Jill Rickabaugh, Melissa Treharne, and Lenard Yen.

In addition, the jewelry of Marie Higuera will be featured in VCA’s gift shop throughout the month.

Finding Nemo

Talented musical theater camp students will perform “Disney’s Finding Nemo Kids,” at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

The show is a 30-minute adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie, “Finding Nemo,” with new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Families will love this story full of family, friendship, and adventure. Saturday’s matinee is a sensory-friendly performance — great for seniors and little ones. For more details and tickets, visit vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Jazz and wine

Palouse Winery will welcome a trio of top jazz players from 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at a wine-tasting and afternoon jam boasting acoustic guitar master Jamie Findlay and vibraphonist Susan Pascal, joined by ubiquitous island jazz bassist Bruce Phares.

Findlay is acclaimed for his numerous recordings and prolific educational talents as a jazz guitar teacher. With two CDs under his name, “Wings of Light” and “Amigos del Corazon,” he is also a very busy performer and composer, both in the U.S. and abroad. Find out more at robertsmusicinstitute.com/jamie-findlay.

Pascal is lauded for her 4-mallet musicality and improvisational skills. Her Northwest appearances include the Earshot Jazz Festival and Centrum Jazz Port Townsend. She has been a special guest artist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and Seattle’s Gypsy jazz group, Pearl Django. Her straight-ahead jazz group, the Susan Pascal Quartet, has been nominated twice for Best Acoustic Group by Seattle’s Earshot Jazz.

Make a reservation for the show at palousewinery.com/wine-tasting-reservation.

Princess Mononoke

Friends of Mukai’s popular Studio Ghibli Festival will conclude with a screening of “Princess Mononoke,” directed by revered filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Vashon Theatre.

The screening is free to the public with a suggested donation of $5 per person at the door. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. for the festival’s popular karaoke prelude, this time led by emcees Betty Peralta and Amelia Bolyard.

The film has a parental warning summed up as “Some princesses slay,” said Leah Mann, executive director of Mukai Farm & Garden.

Fragile Thunder

David Gans, Anela Lauren, and Stephen Inglis will perform with their acoustic band, Fragile Thunder, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

The trio calls themselves “musical children of the Grateful Dead” — both composing their own music and interpreting songs from a wide variety of sources, and also allowing their performances to construct themselves to the greatest extent possible.

The Rae Isla Band will kick off the evening with a new set.

This year, Isla has had a string of new releases, national tour dates, and a recording of “Ezra” — the title track for an upcoming Bleecker Street Films release starring Robert DeNiro, Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and others.

Get tickets at openspacevashon.org.

Oscar’s Journey

“Oscar’s Journey, the Fall and Rise of the Bird King,” a new play by Bryan Willis, will be presented by Vashon Repertory Theatre at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, at Vashon High School Theatre. The play was originally set to be performed in Vashon Center for the Arts’ Heron Meadow, but the location changed due to the chance of inclement weather.

The play, directed by Andy James and starring island adult and youth actors, tells the imagined story of Thomas Dambo’s giant troll now ensconced in Point Robinson Park, on Maury Island.

The interactive, one-hour show is kid-friendly, with plenty of humor for adults and a gentle message for all, and will be punctuated with original music performed by Kat Eggleston, accompanied by Mark Graham.

Audience members should bring chairs, blankets, as well as non-alcoholic beverages to the show. Admission is pay-what-you-will, with a suggested donation of $20. Find out more at vashonrepertorytheatre.org.

Correction: This article was updated on Aug. 21 to note a change of venue for the play, “Oscar’s Journey.”

Michael Wishoski and Kaycie Alanis, as human parents discover their baby has been switched with a troll baby, in “Oscar’s Journey, The Fall and Rise of the Bird King.” (Susan McCabe photo)