Arts Briefs | Feb. 26 edition

Published 4:20 pm Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Vashon Poet Laureate

Nominations/applications for Vashon Poet Laureate position are now open, with a deadline of March 15.

Initiated in 2011, past poet laureates are Margaret Roncone, Lonnie Kaneko, Cal Kinnear, Merna Hecht, Sandra Noel, Susan Lynch, Ina Whitlock and Ann Spiers.

Open Space for Arts & Community is now managing the poet laureate program. Visit openspacevashon.com by clicking on the home-page banner, or click on “programs” and then “poet laureate” to find more information and an online application. Questions? Call 206-408-7241 or fill out the form on the contact page of openspacevashon.com.

The program, long supported by the community, is in good hands with the staff of Open Space, said Ann Spiers.

“They have met with us many times and listened to our history, our successes, and challenges over the past decades and have handily constructed what promises to be a vital program with a layered and wide reach into Vashon’s poetry presence,” she said.

Oscar films

Vashon Theatre will present four Oscar-nominated films as they were meant to be seen, on the big screen, in the lead up to the Academy Awards on March 15.

Catch “See Me in the Good Light,” nominated for Best Documentary, on Feb. 26 and 27. The Norwegian film, “Sentimental Value,” starring Stellan Skarsgård and nominated for nine awards including Best Picture, will be screened Feb. 27 to March 2. The Brazilian film, “The Secret Agent,” nominated for Best Picture and three other awards, will be shown March 2 to 5. “Train Dreams,” shot in Eastern Washington and also nominated for Best Picture and three other awards, will be presented by Vashon Film Institute at the theater on March 3.

Find out screening times and buy tickets at vashontheatre.com.

Loren Sinner & Friends

Loren Sinner and close musician friends will play a special show from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at Snapdragon Bakery and Cafe, celebrating Bob Weir’s legendary roots rock and improvisational music.

Enjoy wine, beer on tap, cider, signature cocktails and snacks at the show. No ticket is needed, but bring cash for the musician tip jar at this concert, presented by Debra Heesch.

Morning Star

Morning Star, showcasing some of the best Korean cultural dance and music in the Pacific Northwest, is next up in Folklife Fridays series, at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

Morning Star’s dynamic performances are accompanied by a variety of drums, gongs, zithers, a colorful array of costumes and original choreography.

The edition of the Folklife Friday series is presented in collaboration with Northwest Folklife and Morning Star Cultural Center, which is committed to enriching lives through artistic expression, educational opportunities and cultural appreciation. Find out more and get tickets at openspacevashon.com.

Masters of Irish Music

Vashon’s Masters of Irish music concert series will kick off a new season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Vashon Havurah, located at 15401 Westside Highway SW.

That evening, master fiddler and composer Randal Bays will join forces with fiddler and vocalist Susan Waters and guitarist and vocalist Clint Dye.

Bays is an American fiddler who’s been deep into Irish traditional music for many years and is well known on both sides of the Atlantic. He has a special love for the fiddle traditions of counties Clare and Galway.

He has recorded and toured in the U.S. and internationally with such musicians as Martin Hayes, James Kelly, Daithí Sproule, James Keane and many more. In 2021, he received the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award from O’Flaherty Irish Music. Bays lives in the Seattle area and is the artistic director of Cascadia Irish Music Week.

Waters, a native of Vermont, took up the fiddle in her 20s and soon developed a strong, rhythmic style perfectly suited to the music of western Ireland. She met Bays in the late 1990s. They’ve been playing together ever since, finding time along the way to get married and raise two sons who are also both fine musicians.

Dye, who now plays with Irish button accordion master John Whelan in his new band, Taisce Baile, has a wealth of experience playing at festivals and events on the East Coast.

The concert has a requested donation of $25 at the door. Contact Jan Strolle at 206-228-0730 or janstrolle@comcast.net to make a reservation. Stick around after the show for an Irish music session — musicians and non-musicians are all welcome.

Ghost Boat auditions

Ghost Boat Theater will audition actors and actor-musicians for its inaugural production on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

The production will premiere Jennifer Dice’s comic adaptation of “The Odyssey,” with traditional and original songs curated and created by music director Kat Eggleston. The play requires a few strong singers.

Auditions will be in groups of up to six actor/musicians. There is no need to prepare a monologue or song for the audition, but those who are adept at playing instruments should bring them.

Performance dates are June 26-28, at Open Space. Find out more and sign up at ghostboattheater.org. Questions? Email steven@ghostboattheater.org.

Wizard of Oz

Follow the yellow brick road to see the kids of Vashon Center for the Arts’ youth musical theater program in “The Wizard of Oz,” running four performances Friday-Sunday, Feb. 27 to March 1, at VCA. Two separate casts will perform the show over the weekend, telling the timeless story of Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, as they journey to reach the Emerald City so the great and powerful Wizard of Oz can help them get home. Find out more and get tickets (free for youth) at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Vashon Music Scholarship

The annual fundraiser for Vashon Island Scholarship Foundation’s music scholarship will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at Vashon High School’s theater. The scholarship, formerly called the Paul Colwell and Vashon Events Scholarship, is now under the umbrella of the Scholarship Foundation.

Performers at the benefit concert will include Mark Graham, Orville Johnson, Ray Hanowell, Nell Coffman, Kim Thal, Ryan Hotchkiss, Rob Hotchkiss, Dianne Krause, Steve Itterly, Carter Castle, Mikey Naucus, Jeff Kanzler, Steve Amsden, Kat Eggleston, Chuck Roehm, Josie Reiling, Daryl Redeker, Paul Gerard, JT Wingett, Wilson Abbott, Chris Anderson, and Paul and Steve Colwell. The emcee will be Craig Beles.

All funds raised will go to scholarships awarded to graduating seniors who intend to continue with music in their higher education.

There is suggested donation of $10-$20 at the door, with check, credit card or Venmo accepted. Donations to the fund are also accepted at vashonscholarships.org. In the comment or memo box, include the words “for the Vashon Island Music Scholarship.”

Sunny War

Sunny War, a rising guitar virtuoso, will play a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

In her early 20s, War quit her job in a mall to pursue music full-time. She produced her first EP, “Worthless,” and sold it herself, one CD at a time, on the Venice Boardwalk in Los Angeles. The spirit of determination and hope is carried into the folk-punk sound Sunny War has since made her own. In less than a decade, War has released four EPs and five studio albums, each garnering increasing attention and accolades from critics.

Michael Simmons, of L.A. Weekly, has described her playing as powerful: “I haven’t heard a young guitarist this dexterous in eons.” Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Glitterfox

Portland band Glitterfox will return to the island after their crowd-pleasing set at the 2024 Strawberry Festival, playing an early, all-ages show at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Vashon Theatre. Known for their soulful harmonies, heartfelt songwriting, and high-energy indie rock sound, Glitterfox brings a warm, feel-good night of music. Get tickets at vashontheatre.com.

Hadestown

The talented theater students of Vashon High School will storm the stage in “Hadestown Teen Edition,” adapted from Anaïs Mitchell’s spectacular Broadway musical, in eight performances taking place from March 13 to 28, at the VHS Theatre.

Inspired by traditions of classic American folk music and vintage New Orleans jazz, “Hadestown” follows two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers, Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of immortal King Hades and Lady Persephone — taking audiences on a hell-raising yet hopeful journey to the underworld and back.

Find out more and get tickets now at tinyurl.com/en7u83sx.

Drama Dock

Drama Dock will host its its 50th anniversary gala on Saturday, March 21, at Vashon Center for the Arts. The event will bring together generations of artists, supporters and theatergoers for an evening of food, entertainment and star-studded theatrical derring-do.

Tickets are $65 for general admission or $125 for a “golden ticket,” which enters attendees into a raffle to win a prize package. Purchase them and find out more at dramadock.org.