Summer Arts Fest

Vashon Center for the Arts will have its second opening reception for its Summer Arts Fest from 5-8 p.m. Friday, July 26.

Artists with new works on view will include Carolyn Buehl; Michelle Friars; Jeff Good; Kassana Holden; Rachael Osborn; Ilse Reimnitz; Deborah Taylor; and John Woodard. Also showing is the Vashon Potters group show with Marla Smith; Chuck Bonsteel; Sara Barry; David Olsen; Eric Nelsen; Liz Lewis; Lin Holley; Karen Fevold; Mary Rose O’Reilley; Mary Hosick; Roxanne Thayer; Gale Lurie; and Laurie Thorpe.

VCA’s Summer Arts Fest (SAF) is a nine-week festival dedicated solely to Vashon artists. These artists create a wide range of works including glass art, paintings, jewelry, metal works, mixed media, print, up-cycled art, sculpture, and pottery.

SAF’s schedule is slightly different than VCA Gallery’s regular monthly rotation. It consists of three rounds of exhibitions, with each running for three weeks. The gallery will also be open from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, for the First Friday gallery cruise. Regular gallery hours are 12-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The gallery will be closed for installations on July 24 and 25, and Aug. 14 and 15.

For more information visit gallery.vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Drama Dock show

“A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney,” a play by acclaimed playwright Lucas Hnath, will be presented by Drama Dock at 7 p.m. Friday, July 26, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

The play premiered in New York City to rave reviews in 2013, with The New York Times calling it a “blackly comic inversion of the public Disney persona.”

Find out more and get tickets at dramadock.org.

Disney’s Descendants

The latest production of Vashon Center for the Arts’ youth theater program, “Disney’s Descendants,” will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday, July 26, and 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at VCA.

The show, with song and dance, takes audiences to the Isle of the Lost — home to the teenage children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil. When the four troublemakers are sent to attend prep school alongside the children of beloved Disney heroes, they have a difficult choice to make: should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good? Jam-packed with comedy, adventure, Disney characters, and hit songs from the films, the show is fun for the whole family.

The Saturday matinee for the show is “sensory-friendly,” and recommended for seniors and small children. It will feature accommodations including increased lighting throughout the performance; lower sound levels; fewer ticket sales to allow for more space and movement between patrons; the approved use, with headphones, of tablets and other electronic devices during the performances; and the option to bring in and use special seating devices as needed. Fidget toys are also welcome at the matinee.

Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Stupid Bike Night

Vashon’s band of pedal-powered visionaries needs cash to keep the treasured tradition rolling down the road on Vashon.

The campaign, at tinyurl.com/uv8mjb8r, details the costs of the event, including storage space and necessary tools and other costs, for the next three years. (See page 6 to read a commentary about the fundraiser.)

Another chance to support Stupid Bike Night will be “Barn Burner,” a micro music festival to take place from 3-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at Dig Deep Gardens. The fest will feature performances by The Duration, Twig Flicker and Croaker.

Studio Ghibli Festival

Friends of Mukai’s popular Studio Ghibli Festival will continue with two more screenings of masterworks by revered animator Hayao Miyazaki at 7 p.m. every other Tuesday.

Next up in the series are “My Neighbor Totoro” on Tuesday, Aug. 6; and “Princess Mononoke”, on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Both films will be shown in English.

Leah Mann, executive director of Mukai Farm & Garden, said the festival, so far, has been a sweet success, with films attracting packed houses.

The popularity of the series has prompted an additional attraction at future screenings: Karaoke, starting at 6:15 p.m. to encourage earlier arrival as the concession line is so long, she said.

Screenings are free to the public with a suggested donation of $5 per person at the door.

Visit mukaifarmandgarden.org for additional information about the shows.

“Like Walking on Eggshells,” by Gale Lurie, can be seen in VCA’s Summer Arts Fest. (Courtesy photo.)