Do the Oscars at Vashon Theatre

Vashon Theatre will hold its annual Oscar Party on Sunday, Feb. 24, complete with a live broadcast of the star-studded event. Dress up in your finest Vashonwood style — doors will open at 4 p.m. for red carpet festivities, with the concession stand open for popcorn, treats, beer and wine. Party-goers can all fill out a ballot with their predictions for the awards; the winner will receive a grand prize. The Oscar show begins at 5 p.m. During commercial breaks, there will be a costume contest with prizes given to the best-dressed child, teen, adult and the winner of the coveted Cher Award for the most over-the-top costume. A sumptuous vegetarian dinner, catered by La Biondo, will begin at 6 p.m. Admission to the show is by suggested donation of $10; all proceeds will go for much-needed updates and renovations to the historic movie house. Dinner is an extra $14 ($8 for those age 8 and younger). To find out more about this beloved local event and reserve tickets, visit vashontheatre.com.

Singer/Songwriter Joe Panzetta and Friends

Joe Panzetta will perform at Snapdragon’s Hastings-Cone Gallery at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, playing original songs on voice, guitar, piano and harmonium. He’ll play solo and in various combinations with Bill Moyer on tabla and frame drum, Barry Cooper on trumpet, and Saint Ophelia band mates Rebekah Kuzma, Dan Tyack, Wesley Peterson and Chuck Keller.

Saturday morning at the Met

Vashon Theatre will stream the Metropolitan Opera production of Donizetti’s charming comedy, “La Fille du Régiment,” starring tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Pretty Yende, at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2. The morning will feature mimosas and an intermission brunch at the theater. Tickets to the opera cost $20/$18; brunch of local pastries, fresh fruit and more is an additional $8. Buy tickets at vashontheatre.com.

Freedy Johnston in concert

Singer, songwriter and recording artist Freedy Johnston will return to Vashon for a house concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the Havurat Ee Shalom. Johnston’s album “The Perfect World” was named by the New York Times as one of the best albums of 1994. Johnston is currently focused on touring the West Coast. He played at Havurat Ee Shalom to a sold-out crowd in December and will return to play material from a dozen albums, choice covers, and new material he is planning for a new album. Tickets are $25; buy them at https://bit.ly/2X9IFHD.

Save the dates for local chamber music

The Vashon Maury Chamber Orchestra will play “Sinfonia Concertante” in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Vashon Center for the Arts. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 4, more chamber music will be in store with Vashon Chamber’s “Cello Virtuosity III,” also at VCA. Later in the month, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 24, Vashon Chamber will present “Stars of the Oregon Symphony.” It’s all part of VCA’s multi-part series of classical music this spring. For more information and tickets, visit vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Flamenco comes to Vashon

“Luz,” an evening of Flamenco dance and music, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at Havurat Ee Shalom. The evening features Seattle-based Flamenco dancer, Savannah Fuentes, joined by acclaimed Spanish-Romani guitarist Pedro Cortes and singer/percussionist/dancer Jose Moreno. The all-ages performance will be the sixth stop of a 30-date tour of Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada. Tickets range from $34 to $8 and can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com/event/4074528.

Strum away the winter blues

Joe Schonbok will lead a workshop in how to play a stick dulcimer from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23 and 24, at Judd Creek Ranch Gallery. The workshop price includes a Strumbolina stick dulcimer for every participant, made from reclaimed old growth Douglas fir, to take home after the workshop. For more information and to register, visit juddcreekranchgallery.com. The cost is $150. The gallery regularly holds workshops with artists; check out the upcoming schedule of exhibits and classes at the website.

Rock an audition

There will be open auditions for Drama Dock’s summer musical, “The Who’s Tommy,” from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, at the McMurray Band room. Be prepared to sing and have an appropriate spoken audition piece. Elise Morrill is directing the production of the rock opera, which will open on June 27 at Vashon Center for the Arts. For more information contact Morrill at 510-427-1571 or e_morrill@yahoo.com.

Call for Artists – Vashon Summer Arts Fest

Vashon Center for the Arts has announced its call to all Vashon visual artists for its second annual Summer Arts Fest, July 6 to Aug. 25. Novice and experienced artists are welcome to apply. The VCA gallery space will become multiple mini-galleries with shows exhibiting for two weeks on a rotation schedule that allows for new shows to open each week. The call is for solo and group shows, as well as workshops and demonstrations. Apply by March 15 at vashoncenterforthearts.org/gallery.

Don’t miss a Townes tribute

A night of music will honor the brilliant but troubled Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at Vashon Theatre. The night, “Love Me Some Townes Van Zandt,” will be produced by islander Debra Heesch and feature a line-up of performers, including Star Anna, Mike Dumovich, Jeff Kanzler, Kat Eggleston, Danny Newcomb, Rebekah Kuzma and more. The night will mark the 75th birthday of Van Zandt, who died in 1997 at the age of 52. His music lives on, with songs like “Pancho and Lefty,” “I’ll Be There in the Morning” and “If I Needed You,” which have inspired countless other songwriters and singers. Tickets, $15, are available at the theater box office or vashontheatre.com.

Vashon author a finalist for a prize

Endicott and Hugh Books has announced that island author Catherine Johnson’s memoir, “Finding Mercy in this World,” has been named as a finalist in the annual Sarton Women’s Book Awards. The book and author were the subjects of a Beachcomber profile in March 2018. The awards are sponsored by the Story Circle Network, an international nonprofit community of women writers. The program is named in honor of May Sarton, who is remembered for her contributions to women’s literature as a memoirist, novelist and poet. The awards are given annually to women authors writing chiefly about women in memoir, biography and fiction published in the United States and Canada and selected from works submitted. The awards are limited to submissions published by small/independent publishers, university presses and self-publishing authors. Winners in the five categories (memoir, nonfiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction and young adult fiction/nonfiction) will be announced in April.