Celebrate Marshall McKay Murray
A celebration of the life of islander Marshall McKay Murray, open to all, will take place at 12 p.m on Oct. 16, at the Burton Conference Center, 9326 SW Bayview Dr.
Murray, who died on Saturday, Jan. 2, was a beloved islander known for his virtuoso performances of leading roles in many local theater productions. His clear baritone singing and no-holds-barred dancing — at times, memorably, while wearing roller skates or towering stiletto heels — garnered him lead roles in local musicals including “Honk,” “Chicago,” “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Into the Woods,” “Side by Side by Sondheim,” and “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”
He was also a capable musician, serving as percussionist for the singing trio, The Curvettes — a group that included his equally talented wife, Stephanie Murray, who co-starred with Murray in most of the shows he appeared in on Vashon.
Lecture: In the Company of Crows and Ravens
Inspired by the award-winning book of this title by John Marzluff and Tony Angell, a lecture by esteemed art scholar Rebecca Albiani will explore crow and raven imagery from several different cultural contexts, including examples from Pacific Northwest Indian art, German Romanticism, Japanese painting, and Picasso’s blue period. The talk takes place at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at VCA. Tickets, $15 to $18, are on sale at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Bruce Phares Piano Quartet
Vashon’s own, jazz-bassist Bruce Phares will bring a new quartet of all-star virtuosi, with Hans Teuber on saxophones, New York’s Jeremy Bacon on piano, and Stefan Schatz on drums, to a show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at VCA. Teuber is a recipient of the Earshot Jazz Hall of Fame, Bacon has performed at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and numerous other NYC jazz meccas including Blue Note and Birdland. Chris O’Brien opens the show. Get tickets, $23 to $25, at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Book Lust: A Conversation
Attend a book by Nancy Pearl and Steve Scher at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, at VCA. Pearl is a voracious reader, a best-selling author, a librarian, a literary critic, NPR host, and a well-known promoter of the pleasure and importance of reading. She is also the creator of the internationally recognized program “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book.” She and her old friend Steve Scher will discuss all things books and bookish at this talk. Tickets, $15 to $18, are on sale at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Pacific Northwest Theatrical Intimacy presents workshop
As theaters finally begin to open again after long pandemic closures, theater-makers are revolutionizing their practices in order to improve upon the way that things were done before. One way artists are doing so is by establishing a culture of consent. Intimacy direction is a blossoming movement within the theatrical sphere that places priority on creating specific and repeatable choreography in scenes of intimacy so that everyone’s boundaries are respected and never crossed.
Want to learn more about how you can join this effort to make rehearsal rooms more ethical?
The Vashon DOVE Project is teaming up with Pacific Northwest Theatrical Intimacy to present a two-part introductory workshop on best practices for intimacy in theatre. Participants will be introduced to the foundational concepts behind theatrical intimacy practices in use today and will learn and discuss practical ways to apply these concepts across all areas of production and administration. This workshop is designed for theatre-makers of all kinds and levels of experience.
The virtual event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 30, via Zoom. The first part of the workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and the second part will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are available on a sliding scale of different prices. To register, visit vashondoveproject.org/post/intimacy-direction-workhop. Questions? Contact Ellie Hughes at mod.hughes@gmail.com.
