Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.
A cast mostly comprised of performers over the age of 50 will take the stage at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29, in a special, one-hour production of “Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.” directed by Marita and Elise Ericksen.
The cast includes Jean Richstad (Fiddler), Mark Wells (Tevye), Shannon Flora (Golde), Holly Johnson (Tzeitel, daughter), Julia Gardener (Hodel, daughter), Lauri Hennessey (Chava, daughter), Joy Ghigleri (Matchmaker) and many other notable local performers.
The production is part of a new program at VCA, inviting older actors to take the stage in productions of music theater.
The show has been in rehearsal for only two weeks — described as a fast but joyful experience by Hennessey, Flora, and other ensemble members.
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Vashon Island Film Festival
The second annual Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF) boasting 12 feature films, appearances and talks by directors and an array of other events, is set to unspool on Aug. 10-13, at Vashon Theatre and in its new outdoor event pavilion, the Backlot.
Founded by international film producer and longtime island resident Mark Mathias Sayre, the festival is the flagship program of the Vashon Film Institute, which also presents educational programs, events, and workshops focused on youth.
Sayres said he is proud of the programming in this year’s festival — a lineup of 12 award-winning films and 10 shorts now traveling the festival circuit.
“We’ve got coming-of-age stories; children, adults, and families gone wrong; smart, short, and sharp horror; an inspiring examination of a female football league; a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction spy saga; and long-overdue salutes to two of the PNW’s most legendary bands, to name a few of our offerings,” Sayre said. “I think there’s something for everyone in this year’s program.”
All screenings are slated to take place in person.
Narrative features include Lance Larson’s “Deadland,” a tense drama taking place on the Mexian-U.S. border, and Jessica Michael Davis’ “Escaping Ohio,” which Sayres describes as a fresh perspective on the teenage rom-com.
Canadian director, co-producer, and writer Chandler Levack’s multiple award-winning film, “I Like Movies,” is also on the bill.
A horror/mystery/drama mash-up, “Raging Grace,” directed by Paris Zarcilla, will come to Vashon after winning the Grand Jury Award for a Narrative Feature at Austin’s SXSW festival.
Other major prize-winning films in the festival are Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper,” which won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema at Sundance this year, and a hybrid docu-narrative film by Lawrence Chen, “Starring Jerry as Himself,” which last January took a trio of top prizes home from Slamdance.
One of the most hotly anticipated films in the festival is a new director’s cut of the prizewinning, critically acclaimed documentary, “Boom: A Film About the Sonics,” by filmmaker Jordan Albertsen.
Find out more about the festival and purchase tickets at vashonislandfilmfestival.com.
