Drama Dock clocks 50 fabulous years of shows

Published 10:30 am Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Once upon a time, a half-century ago, a small but intrepid band of folks decided to put on a show on Vashon. And then another, another and another. They called their company Drama Dock — a name aptly branding their theatrical enterprise as island-made. Fast forward to now — almost 150 shows later — when that remarkably resilient company is celebrating its 50th anniversary in high style.

The party began in February, when Vashon Heritage Museum opened a special exhibit, running through July 23, stuffed with artifacts, memorabilia and indelible backstage memories from the company’s past productions. And this month, a cast party to end all cast parties — Drama Dock’s 50th anniversary gala, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Vashon Center for the Arts — will bring Drama Dock’s past, present and future together in a night of food, fundraising and entertainment.

“For 50 years, Drama Dock has been a place where storytelling, talent, and imagination come to life,” said Kelly Godell, the company’s artistic director. “This milestone is not only a celebration of the work we’ve created together — it’s an investment in the artists and audiences who will define the next half-century.”

For the gala, Godell has enlisted a constellation of local stars to perform a retrospective showcase stuffed with iconic scenes and musical moments from standout Drama Dock productions throughout the years, including “Plaza Suite,” “Inspecting Carol,” “Chicago” and “Urinetown,” to name but a few.

The showcase will also include one show tune — the aptly named “Seasons of Love” from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Rent,” which Drama Dock will present in August at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Godell described taking a deep dive into the origin story and long history of Drama Dock to devise the evening’s entertainment — a process she began by leaning on the wisdom and institutional memory of current Drama Dock board members.

“I want to be a steward of their historical hearts and legacy,” she said. At the same time, Godell is also eying the future, saying she hoped the gala will inspire more islanders to support and get involved with Drama Dock. The showcase, she said, “is a reminder that we are a strong theater company and there is always room for everyone at the table.”

Touching lives on Vashon

The art of theater, by its very nature, is ephemeral — an encounter between audience and performers that exists in a moment in time before forever transforming into memory.

But Drama Dock — founded in 1976 by islanders including Laurel Watt, Tish Lopez, Marian Felker, Susie Kirschner and Shirley Speidel — has somehow kept reinventing and reinvigorating itself with every new production.

The company now counts hundreds of local residents as alumni — talented, not-so-ordinary islanders with regular day jobs who have also stepped into the spotlight in shows ranging from Neil Simon comedies to blockbuster musicals.

Drama Dock has also punched above its weight in terms of presenting new works of theater throughout the years, with the world premiere of former artistic director Lisa Peretti’s new musical, “Winghaven Park,” one of the most recent examples of this type of chutzpah and creativity.

Gaye Detzer, a current Drama Dock board member who has been involved in the company for decades, described not only the artistic rewards of her involvement — ranging from musical director to stagehand to actor — but also said she treasures the deep community ties she has formed through Drama Dock.

“You bond in the process of creating plays, learning how to trust and celebrate other people,” she said. “The friendships grow and keep getting better and better.” Hail Quackenbush — an islander who was a standout star in Vashon High School productions during the 2010s — first became involved in Drama Dock when he played a lead role in its 2019 production of “The Who’s Tommy.”

Quackenbush expressed his deep gratitude to the show’s director, Elise Morrill, saying his involvement with Drama Dock had reminded him of how much he loved the art of theater — and performing with his friends and neighbors. “Drama Dock is such a community-builder, bringing people together to create things of beauty,” he said. “We always need that, but now more than ever.”

A home for all ages

Throughout much of its long history, Drama Dock has also welcomed generations of children and teenagers into its fold.

These kids have appeared both in mainstage, family-friendly musicals, as well as ambitious youth theater productions helmed by local theater-makers and educators including Elizabeth Ripley, Marita and Elise Ericksen, Lisa Peretti and now, Kelly Godell. In a fruitful partnership with Vashon Center for the Arts, Godell is currently training a whole new crop of theater kids in youth productions including “The Sound of Music,” “The Lightning Thief” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

Many of the young cast members of these shows will likely join a grateful group of young adults for whom theater-making has become a life-long pursuit.

Maya Krah, who returned to Vashon after graduating from college, is one of them. Krah, who has been cast in Drama Dock’s upcoming production of “Rent,” first performed with Drama Dock years ago, in mainstage productions of the musicals “Oliver” and “Rent.” She also recounted fond memories of sharing stages with her mother, Jill Krah, who had followed her lead to also get involved with Drama Dock.

As she grew into her teen years, Maya was cast in Drama Dock’s Youth Theatre Initiative productions helmed by Elizabeth Ripley during her tenure as the company’s artistic director — experiences she described as deeply meaningful and pivotal to her development. “As a young person, Elizabeth made me feel like I had so much to offer, and she saw me and was willing to take a chance on me over and over again,” she said. “She gave us such strong advice and took us seriously as actors and singers, not just kids.”

Maya also remembers the intergenerational camaraderie and friendships she developed as a child and teenager with Drama Dock stalwarts including Lauri Hennessey, Gretchen Neffenger and Shannon Flora — a trio she will return to the stage with on March 21 as part of the 27-member ensemble of Drama Dock veterans performing the gala’s retrospective. The all-star, multigenerational cast also includes Elise Ericksen, Marita Ericksen, Dianna Daniel, Dianne Kutzke, Erika Strandberg, Liz Stephens, Sue Beer, Rich Wiley, Paul Shapiro, Maria Glanz, Damian Sevilla, Arlette Moody, Alex Drissell, Matthew Fontaine, Matt Wilson, Hail Quackenbush, Jeanne Dougherty, Leonard Su, Linda Lee, Brooke Osment, Steven Sterne, Marjon McDermott and Sierra Tinhof.

Find out more and get tickets to the gala at dramadock.com.

Elizabeth Shepherd is a former editor and reporter for The Beachcomber.