Original Works
“Original Works,” a highly-anticipated annual showcase of new choreography and contemporary dance performed by dozens of talented and accomplished dance students and professionals from Vashon, will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, March 15, and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Conceptualized and launched over a decade ago by long-time Vashon Center for the Arts dance faculty member, Vanesa Wylie, and former VCA director of dance, Christine Juarez, “Original Works” provides young people with the chance to present their artistic visions alongside those of seasoned professionals.
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Art Talk
Art historian Rebecca Albiani will speak on the topic of “Female Artists Over 80,” discussing important women artists, such as Alma Thomas, Louise Bourgeois, and Carmen Herrera, whose careers bloomed late in life. The talk takes place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 17. Purchase tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org. Youth ages 18 and younger are free.
Poetry book launch
Hear poets Yvonne Higgins Leach and Linera Lucas read from their new poetry collections, “In the Spaces Between Us,” and “Answering Chaos: A Handbook,” respectively, from 5-6 p.m. Thursday, March 21, at the Vashon Bookshop. Admission is free.
As You Like It
A multigenerational cast of more than 40 islanders will soon appear in a co-production of Drama Dock and Vashon High School Theater — a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub.
The musical will be directed by Christopher Kehoe, an accomplished regional theater artist who has appeared in or directed several local productions. Andy James, who has reinvigorated Vashon High School’s theater program in recent years, building an enthusiastic new community of theater-makers at the school, has directed the portions of the show featuring VHS actors.
The cast includes well-known island performers including Maria Glanz, Maya Krah, Chaim Rosemarin, Gabe Dawson, Hailey Quackenbush, Delilah Spence, and many more. A choir accompanying portions of the show will boast the voices of Joe Allison, Jean Berolzheimer, Kim Brown, Rebecca Graves, Catherine MacNeal, Pascal Py, and Sierra Tinhof.
The timeless story of “As You Like It” revolves around two teenagers, Orlando and Rosalind, who find themselves exiled in a strangely familiar, island-like forest.
Find out more about the show, and get tickets at dramadock.org/as-you-like-it.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, March 22, 23, 29 and 30, and 2 p.m. on March 24 and 30, at Vashon High School Theater.
Kissing the Joy as it Flies
Vashon Repertory Theatre will present “Kissing the Joy as it Flies,” Mike and Gerry Feinstein’s collection of revered author Brian Doyle’s sometimes comical, often moving observations and stories that celebrate being human, even in dark times.
The production is an encore presentation of the show, first performed in 2019, with new material. It is directed by Charlotte Tiencken and features members of the original cast — Cate O’Kane, Jeanne Dougherty, David Mielke, and Paul Shapiro, with musical interludes by Kat Eggleston.
The late Brian Doyle published more than 30 books of essays, fiction, and poetry and received many awards including the coveted Pushcart Prize before he died at the age of 60 in 2017. “Kissing the Joy as It Flies” is a celebration of his life and work.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22; 2 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24. Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Joseph Keckler and Lydia Lunch
Joseph Keckler, who made a memorable Vashon debut in 2022, will return to Vashon Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, to present another evening of his vivid stories and stirring songs. He will be joined by the legendary New York musician and writer, Lydia Lunch.
Keckler is a singer, writer, and multifaceted artist whose work has recently been presented by Lincoln Center, Yale University, and NPR Tiny Desk. He has created numerous songs, short films, and evening-length performance pieces and is the author of the essay and story collection, “Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World,” published in 2018 by Turtle Point Press.
Lunch was an iconic part of the No Wave movement of the 1970s in New York City; the muse of The Cinema of Transgression in the mid-80s; and continues to be a prolific writer, musician, poet, spoken word artist, and photographer.
Since 2019, she has hosted The Lydian Spin, a weekly podcast. Her decades-long career is the subject of “The War is Never Over,” a feature-length documentary film.
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Correction:
A performance by flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes and singer/multi-instrumentalist, Diego Amador Jr., announced in The Beachcomber’s March 14 “Arts Briefs” as scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 25, at the Vashon Grange Hall, has been postponed and will be rescheduled. Find out more at savannahf.com.
