The Stage is Set For Drama Dock to Shine in 2021

We can’t wait to open the doors and raise the curtain for a great new season of live entertainment.

1976. America’s Bicentennial. Dancing Queen, from ABBA, was #1. “Happy Days” was the most popular TV show. A gallon of gas cost 59 cents. And a group of arts-minded neighbors on Vashon created a nonprofit called Drama Dock to bring quality stage presentations to our island.

Forty-five years later (gas has gone up a bit!), we celebrate the many accomplishments of our community’s longest-running theatre organization. Over the last nearly five decades, Drama Dock and its cast of performers, stagehands, and other volunteers have presented serious plays, holiday favorites, musicals, and great comedies.

Especially important is the label nonprofit. No theatre can pay its bills purely on ticket sales. This island has supported Drama Dock for nearly half a century. We are grateful for the thousands of tickets sold, the pages of program advertising and gifts of materials that have made our shows possible.

Those involved in our performances have been talented residents of Vashon, with an occasional addition from the mainland. Thespians of all ages and levels of expertise have graced our stages. People from all walks of life have built and painted the sets. Many of our island’s young people had their first exposure performing with Drama Dock. Several have taken these experiences to college theatre and beyond.

Other performing organizations have been founded on the island by people who got their start with Drama Dock. We are delighted with the endless possibilities of even more theatre and look forward to rich collaboration.

Whether you are a newcomer to Vashon, a theatre veteran who is ready to re-engage or a long-time islander looking for something new to do, Drama Dock is the place you can stoke your dramatic, comedic or musical fires. If you like to pound nails, push a paintbrush, or be involved in the technical side of theatre, we have a place for you. Whatever your interests, you will find all your fellow volunteers to be a fun and interesting group of island neighbors.

Drama Dock continues to evolve: With a fresh new logo, a brand spanking new website and a clear vision of the future, Drama Dock is looking towards a bright horizon as the arts reawaken on Vashon. We welcome a new generation of Board members who will continue to build on the bedrock of this enduring arts organization.

At the helm is Lisa Peretti, producing artistic director, who brings 30 years of professional experience to Drama Dock. An islander since the age of five, Lisa knows Vashon Island intimately and is proud to lead the iconic Drama Dock organization into the future. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Education, a Post-graduate degree in Acting and Musical Theatre from Mountview Theatre Academy (London, UK), and an M.A. in Performance Studies from The University of London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (UK). Multi-talented, she is an actor, singer-songwriter, theatre educator, director, and playwright. Drama Dock is thrilled to have Lisa leading the organization.

For 45 years, Drama Dock has been a cultural gem for this place we call home in the center of Puget Sound. The top song may have switched from ABBA to Justin Bieber, but one thing remains the same: Drama Dock steadfastly shines its light across the sound, beckoning all back to the theatre.

We can’t wait to throw open the doors, raise the curtain and bring up the lights for a great new season of live entertainment – for you.

Join us for Drama Dock’s return to the stage with the Tony Award-winning show “ART,” a riotous play about art and friendship. This play kicks off The Vashon Theatre Arts Fest and opens at Vashon Center for the Arts, July 15 to 18, during Strawberry Festival. Tickets are on sale now at vashoncenterforthearts.org. Be sure to check out the following two weekends of theatre with productions from the Vashon Rep at vashonrepretorytheatre.org. A month of live theatre!

Visit DramaDock.org for upcoming performances for the 2021 and 2022, including “The Buddy Holly Story” and an original work written by Lisa Peretti, “Winghaven Park.” This musical play, set on Vashon Island in 1944, explores the consequences of war and forgotten love. Set during the tensions of WW2, movie star Vera Webster returns home to Vashon on a War Bond tour and must face the past and the people she left behind.

Jon Flora, a member of Drama Dock’s board of directors, is often seen on the ferry driving a three-wheeled meter maid scooter.