EUGENE ONEGIN
We’ve asked some of our most involved members of VAA to do some guest blogging on this site. There’s simply so much artistic activity happening on the Island that we actually need a few field reporters to keep you informed of the latest and greatest. Vashon is a modern day renaissance, isn’t it! Please welcome the observations of my first guest, Jo Anne Bardeen.
Cast of Eugene Onegin – Photo by Shawn Sipe
Count them, 95 Vashon Islanders with names listed in the credits for the just completed production of Vashon Opera’s Eugene Onegin! And, that number came before the program pages listing the founders and many monetary donors to the now three years’ old opera company.
Singing and dancing “Russian peasants” in the chorus, props gatherers, set construction crew guys, teenage dancers, scenery painters, orchestra members, publicists, the artistic director diva and her husband…….these people are your Vashon neighbors. And, one and all, they are helping to bring world class opera singers and amazing productions to the Vashon Island stage.
Upwards of 800 people saw Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin performed at Bethel church and marveled at the talent, the costumes, the set and the just plain magic of hearing and seeing opera in such an intimate setting. Opera- lovers who have seen performances in famous theaters all over the world gush about having the singers so up close and personal as they are in Vashon Opera’s productions. Up close and personal is both good and bad though. Audiences at the performances were urged to move closer to their neighbors in order for all ticket-holders to be seated. This request included the phrase “cozy up until we get the real performing acts theater built”!
Next season’s operas include Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte on Sept. 14 & 16 and Puccini’s two one act operas Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicci on May 17 & 19, 2013. www.vashonopera.org
LELAVISION CELEBRATES THE VISION
The following note was written today to Vashon Allied Arts. It’s days like this that lift us up. It’s people like this that push us forward. And at the end of their note, check out the YouTube link. They inspire us and this video inspires them. I hope you’re inspired by it all.
“Through time, through the ages what endures is art. It is everything human kind leaves to its heirs……
Vashon is already known for its out of this world off the charts artfulness. The arts center will be a larger launching pad.
Thank you for doing this work. Thank you for your vision. And we are appreciating all your hard work right now.”
Ela Lamblin and Leah Mann
TOMORROW’S MASTER CLASS
Azim’s self-portrait
Our Island children are creating art with Vashon Artists in Schools (VAIS), showcasing their work, and making themselves, their families, and all of us proud. Have you seen their work? If not, get out to Heron’s Nest (and meet our new manager, Ellen Parker). Get out to Bettie’s Little House. And get out to Wings, and Vashon Bookshop. Under the tutelage of VAIS residencies, Chautauqua and McMurray students are making relevant and vibrant art!
Island artist, Rose Belknap, challenged 82 elementary school children to learn to draw 27 Vashon birds. One side was given a realistic rendition, but the other side…. Well, the children let their imaginations run wild. It seems we have little Warhols and Gauguins running around the Island.
And, the self portrait above is indicative of the talent we have right here on Vashon. Azim created this self-portrait with VAIS sponsored residency artist, Jeffrey Zheutlin for McMurray’s Humanities 8th grade class with Stephanie Detwiler.
Thanks to VAIS director Pam McMahan, 170 students – that’s right, 170 – have their art on display for the month of May.
Vashon Island School District’s collaborative program is worth its weight in gold… gold paint, gold glitter, gold… well, you get the point! And let me point out, Vashon Center for the Arts, in its future gallery, will one day showcase these talented young artists, the creative forces of a new golden age here on Vashon.
IT’S ALL REAL NOW
Another exciting milestone on the way to breaking ground for the new arts campus has just been passed. Land Use Permits Notices have just been put up on the old McFeeds building.
Now, to a lot of people, this might seem like just a minor bureaucratic process of little note, but it’s a signal that a lot of important work has been completed, and the path is clear for the final push.
What it means is that an enormous amount of plans, design documents, and paperwork have been filed and reviewed by the appropriate government agencies, and that approvals are making their way through the system to allow for the groundbreaking to come. It means our crack VCA team is doing everything just right, by the book, and standing up under the close scrutiny of the county overseers.
And it represents a significant hinge, where all that is behind us, and now it’s up to us to finish raising the capital needed to get the shovels ready.
Here at VAA, we’ve been coming in every day, thinking and wishing and imagining that this beautiful arts campus is going to actually be real. Well, today’s the day to believe it. There’s too much energy, too much support, and too much hard work already done to keep Vashon from becoming the regional art center we know we can be.
Watch this blog as we step through the rest of the process. Together, the Island is making a dream take shape and become real. Because that’s what artists do. Yeah!
DANCE OF DEATH
Mike Urban Photography
She went mad and died of a broken heart. She was then accepted into a group of ghostly virgins. Poor Giselle, poor beautiful Giselle. Every actor and dancer must bring something of him or herself to a role, and this weekend Camille Kappelman pulled depths of soul from herself to dance one of the most sought after roles in ballet.
Vashon Center for Dance performed one of the great romantic ballets, first seen in Paris in the mid nineteenth century. The modern choreography was created for this production by Artistic Director, Christine Juarez. Stunningly beautiful, the Vashon corps danced with true professionalism and excellence. Quinn McTighe was outstanding, appearing as Hilarion, who literally dances himself to death, and an extremely emotional danseur nobel, Sam Opsal, moving us as Albrecht.
At the Blue Heron we heard stories of the dancers wreaking havoc on their toenails while rehearsing on the subpar floor, and having to stage blocking for a classical epic in our small, cramped danced studio. When we see something created by our Island artists as wonderful as this, we long even more for a proper stage. We know our dancers would jump, um, grand jete, at the chance.
In the meanwhile, bravo to the entire cast, to Christine, and to all those tireless, dedicated volunteers. It truly was an outstanding performance of a wonderful, historic ballet.
E PLURIBUS UNUM, Man
E PLURIBUS UNUM, Man
Our great country’s motto is “out of many, one” and it perfectly describes how different people from so many backgrounds, can come here and live together as one people, as Americans. It doesn’t mean we change our ideas or perspectives, but that they all fit together and make a powerful whole.
Art is like that. Art makes us come together and we then share a common experience, that is, the emotion and perspective of the artist. We all enter with our own lives and context, but for a moment, we collectively join the vision and the feelings communicated in the art. All of us, in the theater, experience the same catharsis. All of us, at a concert, feel the same soaring emotions.
When you walk through the lobby at the end of a great performance, you can feel the same glow and vibe from all those around you. Each person entered with their own troubles and cares, thoughts racing privately, but we walk out sharing the deepest stirrings of our souls, our collective unconsciousness linked.
On Vashon, there are so many people, each worthy souls, each with valid and smart ideas. Sometimes you think we’re so opposite that there is no cohesion. But one thing can be relied on to make us one.
Art brings us together, man. Melting pot, indeed.
The Importance of Drama Dock
Left, Gaye Detzer (Importance of Being Ernest)
Gaye Detzer, a classically trained violinist, was in search of an orchestra. She found one to play in at Vashon Allied Arts, in a Drama Dock production of Cabaret. Soon she was conducting. Her first job; Guys and Dolls. She then found herself bitten by the acting bug. Once she began acting in Drama Dock productions she realized all the bits and pieces it took putting a production together. She wanted to help out, so she joined the board. That led Gay to yet another job – President of Drama Dock.
Each year Drama Dock does a winter show at the Blue Heron, and a spring play and summer musical at Vashon High School. Finding space for these productions has always been an issue. In fact, this summer Drama Dock will not have their show at VHS due to construction. Like VAA, they are very grateful for the use of churches on the Island. However, a professional theater is really what they’re looking for.
“Drama Dock is eager to see the new theater built,” Gaye told me. “A professional space means no more putting away props, which is so time consuming. It means no more crossing fingers, praying the lights will work. And, I also think the new theater will really challenge all of us to work even harder than we do now. People will rise to the occasion in the professional environment. In fact, the very space itself will inspire everyone. I’m certain of it.”
We’re certain too – that our new theater will have everyone rising to the occasion. And we’ll be working hard to accommodate everyone’s needs to pull off one professional show after another. Oh, the fun of it all!
Prelude To A Concert
Rowena Hammill has played in chamber ensembles around the world. She was the Associate Principal of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and is still an Associate Principal Cello of Los Angels Opera. That being said, we know how fortunate we are to have her as part of Vashon Allied Arts’ family.
Yesterday, Rowena stopped in the Blue Heron to chat about the new theater and concert space. (We talked her into a little impromptu concert, which you can see above.)
What was foremost on her mind was the idea of bringing Vashon Chamber Music to a young audience. She told me the space itself can strip away some of the fear factor classical music sometimes has. That young people go into the concert hall and love the music, but get a stodgy vibe.
We talked about how to create a flexible space, not just making it smaller or bigger for chamber music or orchestra, but how to attract new audiences by re-imagining the traditional concert experience.
Because the lobby of the new theater is large enough, we’ve always envisioned using it in different ways. We can imagine Rowena setting aside an area in the lobby for chamber musicians, where very young children could hang out and play, while listening to the performers. On a Friday night, a singer/songwriter could perform and a beer and wine bar can be set up to give twenty and thirty somethings a more casual atmosphere.
It’s all about thinking outside the box, or the traditional concert hall in this case, to make a new experience for the younger generations. It’s nice to know we will offer the traditional arts experience as well as something a bit more cutting edge. We mean it when we say, VCA is for the entire community.
WALK RIGHT IN, SIT RIGHT DOWN
Our Town Theatre Group, Tannery Pond Community Center, Johnsburg, NY
So I’m reading the paper over the weekend and come across an article about the global construction explosion of performing arts centers. In the U.S. alone, there have been over 360 performance arts theaters built since 1994.
From 200 seat theaters in Carmel and Johnsburg, NY (above), to 450 seat theaters in Madison and Thousand Oaks, and a lot in between, concert halls that are similar in size and scope to VCA have sprung up around the country.
Unlike the halls of the 70s and 80s, the modern idea is to make the venue accessible. Instead of entering through parking garages, today’s venues are open to the street, to the neighborhood, to the community.
This perfectly defines the idea behind Vashon Center for the Arts. Our campus is designed to invite the community in, from the open front to the surrounding gardens.
As alternative as Vashon sometimes thinks it is, we are part of a national trend. These buildings are the conspicuous icons of local culture and civic pride. Ours will be, too.
VOLUNTEERS ARE OUR BACKBONE
Starting off as a grassroots organization, Vashon Allied Arts certainly understands the value of volunteerism. And with an all volunteer board governing us, they set the model from the top down.
We are so fortunate to have devoted volunteers serving in every conceivable capacity. Our retail store, Heron’s Nest, has a dedicated group of almost 20 volunteers, some who have been with the Nest for years. Our annual art auction could not happen without a committed team of nearly 100 volunteers over the course of the two day event. That’s so impressive when you consider the time involved to manage an affair of such magnitude.
The Garden Tour is also run by a faithful cadre of 80 to 100 volunteers each year. Individual gardens are hosted by an “Angel” who has several other volunteers under his or her wings. Volunteers also run our Garden Market and sell tickets during the weekend. Together, they guide and answer questions from hundreds of visitors. To put it simply, the Garden Tour just wouldn’t be, if not for volunteers.
Volunteerism is a priceless gift – it’s the giving of someone’s time without the expectation of something in return. The Blue Heron Dance Company could not possibly orchestrate a smooth running performance without a myriad of volunteers. Many of the dance parents that volunteer stay for years as their children grow up in the dance program, but countless parents also stay on, even after their own children have graduated, so that they can mentor and support the new students coming into the program.
We have volunteers in our front office who show up like clockwork each and every week, volunteers who work at every performance we hold. We even have “Flower Ladies” who provide stunning arrangements of flowers in the Blue Heron every Friday, every week, all year round.
We depend on our volunteers every day at VAA; you are our backbone. Like Bukowski said, “All a man’s got is his time”. So thank you for giving that one exceptional thing – your time.
