Experience local chamber music
The Vashon-Maury Chamber Orchestra will play in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Vashon Center for the Arts. Directed by Karin Choo and Justin Cole and featuring violinist Svend Rønning, the program will include Jean Sibelius’ “Andante Festivo,” Jerry Kracht’s “Three Prayers” and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.” Tickets, $18 to $5, can be purchased at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Get tangled in a community talk
A free community talk and conversation, “Tangled: Why your Hair Matters to Society,” will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Vashon Havurah. Speaker Anu Taranath, who is a professor at the University of Washington specializing in global literature, identity, race and equity, will discuss the meaning of hair in context to the stories we tell ourselves about beauty, bias and belonging. More information about the event is available online at bit.ly/32i88zW.
Michael Meade tackles climate change
Michael Meade, local author, mythologist and storyteller, will bring timeless tales to a presentation on the topics of climate change and cultural confusion, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Vashon Methodist Church. Tickets for the evening are $12 general and $8 for students. Meade’s talk, said organizers, will focus on myths of renewal, tales of transformation and a call for unity and wholeness in our era’s confusing times. Meade is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation and author of “Awakening the Soul,” “The Genius Myth,” and “Why the World Doesn’t End.” For more information, visit mosaicvoices.org.
Music at the skate park
A free, all-ages concert will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at Burton Adventure Recreation Center’s skate park. Two bands, Bad Saint and 20 Eyes, will perform. The evening, sponsored by Vashon Park District, Vashon Boards, MODE Music School and Bandstand Music, is meant to raise awareness and support for the park, which is planning improvements soon. In addition to the music, there will hot dogs and raffles for helmet and Frisbee giveaways at the event. The park is located at 10500 S.W. 228th St., on Vashon.
‘Footloose’ takes the stage
A talented cast of more than 30 musical theater students will perform the 1980s classic musical, “Footloose,” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts. A dress rehearsal at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, has a $5 ticket price. Regular tickets are $14 to $10. For more information, visit vashoncenterforthearts.org.
A classical actor salutes ‘Sweet William’
A salute by Michael Pennington to William Shakespeare that is part biography, part analysis and part performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts. Pennington is a classical actor steeped in Shakespearean knowledge. His career has spanned more than 40 years and he has played leading roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the English Shakespeare Company, which he co-founded in 1986. Perhaps best known to film fans as Moff Jerjerrod, commander of the Death Star in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, he is also the author of books on “Hamlet,” “Twelfth Night” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” among others.
In his one-man show, Pennington will present the story of Shakespeare’s life and work and his own experiences with Shakespeare. With only a chair and a red handkerchief on stage, Pennington’s performance takes him in and out of characters, combining commentary and biography with performances of famous and lesser-known monologues. Tickets, $25 to $10, are on sale at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
