What’s Happening Nov. 14 – 21

Rock out at the skate park, films light up the screen, dreams lost, found and transformed, and more.

‘She Kills Monsters’ bows at O Space

Drama Dock and Open Space for Arts & Community will co-present “She Kills Monsters,” this weekend and next. The play, by acclaimed Asian-American playwright Qui Nguyen, will have a preview 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Open Space. Showtimes will continue at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 15, 16, 22 and 23, and 1 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 17 and 24, at Open Space. The play will also have a “pay what you can” performance at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at Open Space. Regularly priced tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors, and ADA. To purchase, visit openspacevashon.com. The show tells the story of a young woman who embraces her inner warrior to find a community of like-minded outsiders within the mirrored halls of the role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. Drama Dock suggests parental guidance for audience members younger than 14, due to mature themes.

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, raffles for Frisbee and skate swag at the event. The park is located at 10500 S.W. 228th St., Vashon.

Youth take “Footloose” to the stage

A cast of more than 30 musical theater students will perform the 1980s 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.

Gabe Dawson, a cast member and youth intern at VCA, said he and more than two dozen other cast members, ages 8 to 17, are excited to perform the show and hope audience members will sing in their seats and dance in the aisles. The production will include a full band to play the show’s familiar songs, including “Holding Out For A Hero,” “Let’s Hear It For The Boy,” “Almost Paradise,” and the title song.

“Doubting Thomas” plays Vashon Theatre

“Doubting Thomas,” a film produced by Vashon native son Mark Sayre, will be screened at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Vashon Theatre. A post-screening discussion with Sayre and the film’s director/star/writer Will McFadden will take place after the film. The film tackles racial and social issues: When a black baby is born to white parents, a family’s life is torn apart as secrets are revealed and the legacy of racism in America hit home. The film has won several prizes on the film festival circuit, including the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at Dances with Films in 2018 and Outstanding First Feature at the Tallgrass International Film Festival in 2018.

See “Eat My Shorts” at Vashon High School

An evening of short 10-minute plays, “Eat My Shorts,” will be performed by Vashon High School theater students, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturdays, November 15, 16, 22 and 23, in the VHS Theater. According to Stephen Floyd, VHS theater teacher, the plays are mostly comic, and come with a rating of PG-13, with subject matter and language that some parents may find inappropriate for small children. Admission is by donation, from $1 to $100, with no one turned away for lack of funds. The students are also collecting non-perishable food items for the Vashon Food Bank. The final performance, on Saturday, Nov. 23, will include a silent auction of dessert items and student artwork, with proceeds raising funds for a group of VHS students to go on a theater and arts education tour of New York City in the spring.

Queer Film Series continues

“Better than Chocolate,” a 1999 film that tells a story of family, friendship and coming out in a lesbian and trans community in Vancouver, will be presented at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Vashon Theatre. The film is part of an ongoing series of films with LGBTQ themes presented by the Vashon Heritage Museum and the Vashon Senior Center. For more information, visit vashonpride.org.

“Dreaming in American” at the Havurat

“Dreaming in American,” a production by the Tales of the Alchemysts Theatre, a troupe of professional actors and musicians who explore Jewish literature and stories, will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Havurat Ee Shalom, 15401 Westside Hwy S.W.

The show will bring to life three stories by renowned Jewish novelists Sholem Asch, Bernard Malamud and Anzia Yezierska. Using music and spoken word, the 90-minute production explores the Jewish immigration and assimilation experience of the last century, depicting dreams lost, found and transformed. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. More information is available online.