Alice in Wonderland

Tumble down the rabbit hole with the cast of “Alice in Wonderland,” to be presented by students of Vashon Center for the Arts’ youth musical theater program, at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

The Sunday matinee performance is billed as “sensory friendly,” geared toward audience members who are seniors or very young, or those who have sensitivities.

Visit vashoncenterforthearts.org for tickets.

Jam In The Atrium

Vashon’s ongoing free Jam in the Atrium series — hosted and performed by island bassist Bruce Phares, joined by top-echelon jazz performers from the mainland — will convene for its next session from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 2.

Phares will wield his mighty bass as part of an all-star quartet of Northwest performers — joined by drummer John Bishop, pianist Bill Anschell and tenor saxophonist Rick Mandyck.

All the guests, Phares said, are multiple Earshot Jazz award winners, with Mandyck named Northwest Instrumentalist of the Year, and Bishop being inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2008.

Anschell has been named Northwest Instrumentalist of the Year three times and also won the prize for Northwest Jazz Ensemble of the Year in 2006 and 2022. He was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2016.

Visit facebook.com/groups/jamintheatrium for more information on all the players.

Incubator Series

Vashon Repertory Theatre (VRT) will celebrate Northwest women playwrights with a series of five play readings, set for March 6-9, in its fifth annual Incubator Series of new plays.

The event, staged at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA), will open with an original play by islander Deb McCabe, “A Place Like This,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, the series will present “Angel of Belgrade,” by Kendra Phillips.

On Saturday, March 8, the series will stage two plays.

The first, at 2 p.m., is “Becoming Awesome,” a young woman’s coming-of-age story by playwright Y York. At 7:30 p.m., “Mercy,” a musical by Elizabeth Heffron and Hope Wechkin, will bring Seattle theater scene star Sarah Rudinoff to Vashon to lead a cast of island singers and actors as they tell a tale of trying to save lives in a broken healthcare system.

The Incubator Series finale, at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 9, is a family-friendly adventure tale by Maggie Lee, “Sheathed,” telling the story of a fictional fantastical universe 10 years after a long, devastating civil war between the followers of Lord Tsuka and the Empress Kaji.

Visit vashonrepertorytheatre.org and vashoncenterforthearts.org for more details and to purchase tickets. Enter the code VRT to get 10% discount on a package of all five plays.

Countercurrent

Countercurrent, a high-octane contra dance and folk music duo based in Olympia, Washington, will play a concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, at the Vashon Havurat, located at 15401 Westside Hwy. Islander and musician Kat Eggleston is presenting the show.

The duo, made up of Alex Sturbaum and Brian Lindsay, brings masterful guitar, lyrical fiddle, harmony vocals and foot percussion to their shows.

Countercurrent’s vast repertoire of songs includes potent contemporary anthems, traditional ballads, old-time hollers, and biting content that leaves no room to wonder where the duo might stand on political topics. The duo’s “lively interplay, tight vocal harmonies and unstoppable grooves,” said Eggleston, “make their audiences wonder: ‘How does that much sound come from just two people?’”

There is a suggested donation of $20 at the door for the show. Email kat@kateggleston.com for additional information.

Ride the Cyclone

Students of Vashon High School’s theater program will present a musical, “Ride the Cyclone” in six performances taking place Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, and Thursday-Saturday, March 20-22.

The New York Times has called the musical “delightfully weird and just plain delightful.”

The musical tells a high-flying story: Six teenagers from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, have gone off the rails — literally — on a roller coaster called the Cyclone. One of them will get the chance to come back, thanks to the all-powerful fortune-telling machine Karnak. With their lives hanging in the balance, they dish, debate, and sing out their deepest fantasies.

This show is occasionally raunchy, said director Andy James, but there will be a family-friendly performance on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m.

Find out showtimes and get tickets at tinyurl.com/zzsbxux5.

Acrobatic Conundrum

Acrobatic Conundrum, a virtuoso ensemble of circus artists, will present “The Circus of Second Chances,” at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

Ensemble members Emma Curtiss, Melissa Knowles and Terry Crane will perform astounding circus stunts throughout the evening. The 85-minute show, appropriate for all ages, features rope acrobatics, Cyr wheel, hand-balancing, live baking, and clowning.

Max Sarkowsky, a theater artist from Vashon and Seattle, is the sound, audio and scenic designer of the show.

Visit acroconundrum.planningpod.com for tickets to the show.

Correction: Earlier versions of this article stated in error that an upcoming Jam in the Atrium would take place Saturday, March 1. The actual date of the performance is Sunday, March 2.

We strive for accuracy and regret the error.

VHS student Elliot Woods created this poster for Vashon High School’s upcoming production of the musical “Ride the Cyclone.” (Courtesy photo)