Show within a show

Seattle playwright David Gordon, who while growing up on Vashon was active in Vashon High School and Drama Dock productions, has authored a new play, “Within a Show,” that will have its world premiere production running Oct. 10-13 at TPS Theatre4 at the Seattle Center Armory. The show can also be streamed online.

The play is billed as the ultimate “show within a show,” which opens like a conventional backstage farce, but quickly escalates and veers in multiple directions as actors playing actors go off-script, and even puppets in the show get ideas of their own.

Find out more and get tickets at withinashow.com.

Call for artists

Vashon Center for the Arts has two calls for artists for future shows: the 18th Annual Miniature Show, and “Birds Take Flight,” which it will present with Vashon Nature Center.

The deadline for submissions to the miniature show is Nov. 6. Artists of all disciplines may submit work. Size matters: all 2-D art cannot be more than 36 square inches, including the frame, and 3D art should measure no more than 6 inches in any direction. The exhibition will run Dec. 6-22, at VCA. For more details and to apply, visit bit.ly/MiniatureShow2024.

The deadline to submit work to “Birds Take Flight” — an exploration of avian-inspired creativity — is Dec. 2. The exhibition will celebrate the diversity of interpretations that artists can bring to life through all mediums, reflecting the beauty, symbolism, and dynamic energy of birds in flight. The exhibition dates will be Jan. 3-Feb. 2. For more details and to apply, visit bit.ly/CallBirdsTakeFlight.

Seth Zuckerman talk

Island author Seth Zuckerman will speak on the topic of “Living in a Forest Nation at a Time of Climate Change,” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Zuckerman believes there is a way out of this vicious circle: more thoughtful forest stewardship that makes our forests healthier and more resilient in the face of a changing climate. His talk at VCA will stress the need for a reciprocal, adaptive relationship with the forest that recognizes the climate is no longer static, if it ever was.

“Come to this talk and see why one of the most important tools for climate-friendly forestry is a chainsaw, even more than a planting shovel,” Zuckerman said.

Zuckerman is the author of the newly published book, “A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry.” His talk at VCA is being presented in collaboration with Vashon Nature Center. For more information and tickets, visit vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Authoritarianism Rising

In part three of a five-part speaker series Dr. Larry Hubbell will examine the complex and pressing issue of authoritarianism in the United States. The talk, “The Apostles,” will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

“The Apostles” will focus on enablers of authoritarianism, including key individuals, the Republican Party, the Supreme Court, and the Electoral College, and how these entities have supported or facilitated authoritarian tendencies.

Hubbell is a 10-year resident of Vashon and the former director of the Institute of Public Service at Seattle University. Each talk in his series explores different aspects of authoritarianism, providing insights into its historical roots and contemporary manifestations. Attend one or all—each talk is designed to stand alone, offering a broader understanding when experienced as a series.

Find out more and get tickets at openspacevashon.com.

Chamber Orchestra

Vashon Maury Chamber Orchestra will present its fall concert, “Baroque Spooktacular,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Music director Danielle McCutcheon will welcome soloist and guest artist Mike Woolf, who will play the Sammartini Recorder concerto in F Major, and VMCO musicians will perform Woolf’s new composition “Bright and Stormy Night.”

Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Irish music masters

Two masters of Irish music, Rory Makem and John Whelan, will join forces in a concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Vashon Havurah, located at 15401 Westside Hwy SW.

Rory, the son of the great Tommy Makem who led the folk revival of the 1960s, is a seasoned performer with more than 35 years on the road. He has toured extensively with The Makem Brothers, the Makem and Spain Brothers, and for 17 years played guitar with his father.

Continuing a legacy handed down from his grandmother, the legendary source singer Sarah Makem, Rory breathes life into songs of workers, sailors, lovers and fighters, accompanying himself on guitar, banjo, mandolin or bouzouki.

He has played on movie soundtracks, and recorded with luminaries of modern folk music, including Tom Paxton, Bill Staines, Roger McGuinn, Dave Mallett, Jonathan Edwards, Schooner Fare, and many more.

Seven-time All-Ireland champion accordion player, Whelan is a recent addition to Vashon’s music scene. Whelan was born to Irish parents living in Dunstable, England, and raised in the vibrant London Irish music scene of the 1970s, learning his craft from such legends as Lucy Farr, Roger Sherlock, Paddy Taylor, Mick O’Connor, and his teacher, Brendan Mulkaire.

He has twice received the “Musician of the Year” award from the Irish Music Association.

Tickets are available by donation with a suggested donation of $20-$25, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Reservations can be made by contacting Jan Strolle at 206-228-0730 or janstrolle@comcast.net.

Pete Droge at Triple Door

Islander and alt-rock music icon Pete Droge, joined by his longtime partner in life and music, Elaine Summers, will play a show at The Triple Door, in downtown Seattle, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7. The concert is a Debra Heesch Production.

Remarkably, aside from playing a song or two at some benefit concerts, this will be Droge’s first Seattle show in 18 years.

“I cut my teeth playing the clubs in Seattle back in the Stone Age, so it feels great to return to the big city for a show,” Droge said. “I’m especially excited to play The Triple Door. It is a magnificent space with a killer sound system. And great food. Get there early and make a night of it.”

Droge hopes many islanders who saw his sold-out show at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) will be in attendance, and said he and Summers were changing their set list so that VCA concert-goers will hear different songs.

“We’re even including songs we’ve never played live before,” he said.

The show is all but certain to sell out, so get tickets soon at tripledoor.com.

Elaine Summers and Pete Droge, on Vashon. Droge will play his first Seattle show in years, joined by Summers, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at The Triple Door. (Karen Moskowitz photo)