Vashon Rep stages ‘Exonerated’
Vashon Repertory Theatre (VRT) will stage three performances of the play “The Exonerated,” which tells the stories of six people who collectively spent more than 100 years on death row before being exonerated for crimes they did not commit.
The production, co-sponsored by the Criminal Justice Action Team of the Vashon-Maury chapter of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25 and 26, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, in the Kay White Hall of Vashon Center for the Arts.
Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the audience. On Friday night, the cast will discuss their connections with the characters.
On Saturday night, Amanda Knox, exonerated after four years in an Italian prison from a wrongful murder conviction, will discuss her work with The Innocence Project.
Following the Sunday matinee, three experts will hold an audience discussion about the United States justice system past and present. They are Michele Storms, executive director of ACLU Washington; David Heppard, executive director of the WA Freedom Project, and Lara Zarowsky, executive and policy director of the Washington State Innocence Project.
For guaranteed seating at “The Exonerated,” purchase tickets in advance at vashoncenterforthearts.org. Walk-up admission is pay-what-you-will, with a suggested donation of $25 while seats remain. Patrons are required to show vaccine certification and wear masks. The play is not recommended for those younger than 13.
Masters of the genre play Irish music
The duo of John Whelen, a Vashon resident acclaimed for being one of the world’s best living button accordion players, and Sean Cleland, an award-winning Irish fiddle player, will play a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Church of the Holy Spirit, on Vashon. Contact Jan Strolle at janstrolle@comcast.net or call
Blue Monster Live in Concert
Blue Monster, a five-piece instrumental funk band from Vashon that has played venues and festivals throughout the Northwest since 2005, will play at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at Sporty’s. The band’s live performances combine heavy funk grooves laced with psychedelic improvisation. Members include Ken Jacobsen (guitar), Nigel Browne (drums), Tony Mann (keyboards) and J.P. Ouellette (bass).
Laura Veirs to take the stage at VCA
Oregonian indie-rocker Laura Veirs will appear in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
An acclaimed songwriter, Veirs is also known for her alternative folk style and mesmerizing vocals. Her newly released album, “My Echo,” includes appearances and contributions from Jim James, Bill Frisell, Karl Blau, Matt Ward and others.
It is the latest in Veirs’ artistic output of 11 solo albums, extensive tours and collaborations with the likes of Neko Case, kd lang, Sufjan Stevens, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists and many others. She’s also a podcaster (Midnight Lightning, about musician parents), an award-winning children’s book author (“Libba,” about folk musician Elizabeth Cotten), a mother and a songwriting teacher who uses a technique she designed herself, the Kaleidoscope Creativity Cards.
Tickets, $25 to $35, are on sale at vashoncenterforthearts.com. Patrons are required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
Eva Cain in Concert
Celebrate First Friday with live music at Vashon Brewing Community Pub from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 4. Musician Eva Cain will perform a variety of pop and country music covers.
Sondheim at Vashon Center for the Arts
Islanders can experience the glory of work by the late, great Broadway composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, at “Broadway Nation Live: The Genius of Sondheim,” to be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA).
Hosted by David Armstrong, former artistic director of the 5th Avenue Theatre, the combination talk and concert will feature musical performances by Anne Allgood, Joshua Carter, James Rocco, Billy Wildrick and Evan Stultz. Sondheim’s favorites to be performed will include “Send in the Clowns,” “Ladies Who Lunch,” “Being Alive,” “Broadway Baby,” and many more.
The event is part of VCA’s “Talks on the Rocks” lecture series, which invites experts and visionaries to share their knowledge and ideas in what is billed “a series of stimulating programs for curious people.”
Get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.com. All installments of “Talks on the Rocks” are available to view as live-stream simulcasts, for a suggested donation. Visit the website for more information.
Art Talk with Mary and Roxy Coss
As part of VCA’s “Talks on the Rock” series, the artist Mary Coss and her daughter, jazz musician Roxy Coss, will discuss their individual and collaborative creative process at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the Kay White Hall Lobby.
Mary will exhibit in the VCA Gallery in March, in celebration of International Women’s Day. Roxy is an internationally renowned jazz saxophonist-composer and the founder and president of the Women in Jazz Organization (WIJO). Both mother and daughter each create works with a social conscience that occasionally unite them in shared projects.
Get tickets to the event at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
