Civic Rep, a new theater company in residence at Open Space for Arts & Community, will present “A One Night Stand with Tennessee,” a coming-out celebration and fundraiser to launch its inaugural season at the Open Space. Entrance is free, and all are invited to come celebrate the life and work of Tennessee Williams at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 23, in the Bruce Black Box Theatre at Open Space.

The fundraiser will feature live music, food, drink and performance. An excerpt of Civic Rep’s production of “The Two-Character Play,” directed by Civic Rep’s co-artistic director L. Zane Jones, will feature company members Robin Jones and Sam Read. Los Angeles-based writer, director and actor Doug Tompos will also perform portions of his one-man show about Tennessee Williams, “Bent to the Flame.”

Two years ago, Civic Rep’s co-artistic directors Robin Jones and L. Zane Jones moved from Seattle to Vashon.

Though they continued to produce theater in Seattle, they also set out to get to know the artistic community on the island, organizing gatherings of theater artists and holding readings of plays in their home. In 2016, they produced a series of play readings at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Now, the dramatic duo has announced that several island theater artists — Michael Barker, Jeanne Dougherty, Charlotte Tiencken, Tea Lee, Maria Glanz and David Mielke — have been invited to become members of the Civic Rep company.

It’s a goal of the company, Jones said, to have an ensemble of actors and directors who will work together over a period of time.

The company will be in residence for the entire 2018-2019 season at Open Space for Arts and Community.

Civic Rep’s season at Open Space will include a production of “Something Unspoken” and other one-act plays by Tennessee Williams in early November. In May of 2019, the company will present “The Night of the Iguana.” Amanda Westbrook, the executive director of Open Space, said she is thrilled to welcome Civic Rep to the newly renovated arts space, which includes the black box theater.

“As we watched the renovation of Open Space unfold, we envisioned different forms of art and expression,” Westbrook said. “One image that kept coming to mind was a resident theater company.”

Jones said the partnership with Open Space seemed a wonderful fit.

“There is a synchronicity with us in terms of their goals and their vision for an arts center for the island,” she said.

For more information on the event, visit openspacevashon.org.