It’s that time of year — when Edmonds raises the curtain on its upcoming performance arts schedule. And we have a dazzling 2014-15 lineup waiting in the wings – and already on stage – with The Phoenix Theatre leading the way with its early season opener, “Rumors” by Neil Simon.

The Driftwood Players will follow in quickstep with its upcoming offering, “Night Watch” by Lucille Fletcher, a dramatic production that will launch the venerable company’s 56th season.

And, as if having our playhouses filled to capacity wasn’t enough, Artfully Edmonds hears from the Cascade Symphony Orchestra that – on the eve of its 53rd season – season tickets are already in short supply. So if you’re looking forward to a thrilling autumn/winter arts season 2014-15 – Edmonds is the place to be.

Looking back over the summer, we’ve had sand sculpture contests for the kids, as well as drama classes, ARTspot classes, Parks and Recreation crafts sessions, ballet recitals and Edmonds Center for the Arts’ Education Matinees. So in response to the teacher’s question, “What did you do last summer?” Edmonds students can certainly attest to a rich arts experience over the past three months.

Additionally, Edmonds has enjoyed resurgence in popularity for its third Thursday art studio and gallery stroll, now known as Art Walk Edmonds. This popular mingle-with-the-artists tradition continues to draw hundreds to Edmonds, the freshest arts destination in the Puget Sound area.

Let’s take a look at what’s happening this week as the colors of our sunsets deepen, and summer draws to a close:

Playhouses

Phoenix Theatre
Firdale Village
9673 Firdale Ave.
Through Sept. 21
Fridays/Saturdays ~ 8 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.

Rumors
By Neil Simon
Directed by
Christine Mosere
Reviewed by Artfully Edmonds here.

I was breathless at the conclusion of “Rumors” – which is just exactly what the playwright had in mind. A Neil Simon classic, “Rumors” opened 26 years ago in San Diego and after just two short months was moved to the Broadway stage of the Broadhurst Theatre.

Now the capable local cast of Melanie Calderwood, Ernie Cusack, Monica Chilton, Dan Jacoby, Woody Lotts, Rebekah Dawn, Larry Albert, Christian Ver, Annie St. John, Asa Sholdez and Molly Brusewitz pulls off pranks and pratfalls for the Phoenix in this production.

Synopsis from the playbill: Four couples show up at the home of the deputy mayor of New York and his wife for their 10th wedding anniversary party. However, the host has shot himself in the ear lobe and his wife is missing. A cover-up ensues and becomes progressively more difficult to sustain as the other guests arrive, and no one can remember who has been told what about whom. Doors slam and hilarity abounds as each couple becomes more crazed.

For tickets call the Box Office at 206-533-2000 or go online to phoenixtheatreedmonds.com.
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Coming Very Soon to
Driftwood Theatre
950 Main St.
Sept. 19 – Oct. 5
Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays ~ 8 p.m.
Sunday matinee ~ 2 p.m.

Night Watch (MS)
by Lucille Fletcher, published by Dramatists Play Service

A superior thriller from its first bloodcurdling scream to its last heart-stopping surprise.

From her living room window, insomniac heiress Elaine Wheeler witnesses a murder being committed in the building next door, but the police find nothing. Her loving husband and her best friend are concerned, worried about her sanity.

Who is the real victim? Surrounded by a cast of odd characters, any and all of whom could be in on the plot. Menace and suspense mount in this ingeniously devised thriller until the final, breath-taking moment.

Watch for reviews and news from Artfully Edmonds as the Driftwood Players get ready to open their 56th season.

Tickets for “Night Watch” are available by calling the Box Office at 425-774-9600 or visit their online ticket office.
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Cascade Symphony
Edmonds Center for The Arts
410 4th Ave. N.
Season Opens: Monday, Oct. 20 ~ 7:30 p.m.
Tickets going quickly!

Cascade Symphony Orchestra (CSO) proudly announces the opening of its 53rd season, and reminds patrons that, “tickets are in short supply, with only 100 or so tickets still available for each concert.” This news comes on the heels that its season tickets completely sold out last year.

The season’s first performance will open with Symphonic Dances on Monday, Oct. 20. In addition to the Rachmaninoff work of that title, Op. 45, the program will feature Angela Fuller Heyde as violin soloist in the Dvorak Violin Concerto, Op. 53 in A minor. Also included will be the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky and “Poem” from At Twilight, Idyll for Orchestra, Op. 39, by Zdenek Fibich.

Season highlights, which will be covered in depth by Artfully Edmonds as the season progresses, follow in brief:

CSO’s Holiday Concert will be presented on Dec. 15. Program highlights include excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and popular holiday melodies in the form of a sing-along.

Jan. 19, 2015 “That it should come to this!” The third concert of the CSO season will honor Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

CSO’s annual Children’s Concert will be given on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. This year’s concert will feature Dave Dolacky in a repeat performance as narrator of “The Story of Babar the Little Elephant”.

On March 16, 2015, the orchestra will present Viva la Orchestra. Sarah Larsen will perform as mezzo-soprano soloist in several selections by composers including Massenet, Sibelius, and Rachmaninoff.

On April 12, 2014 small ensembles composed of members of the symphony will perform at the Edmonds United Methodist Church. The program will be announced closer to the performance date.

On May 11, 2015 the season finale will open with the popular Academic Festival Overture by Brahms and conclude with Dvorak, the Legend.

All concerts, with the exception of the Ensemble Concert and the Children’s Concert, are performed at the Edmonds Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. They are preceded at 6:30 by a Pre-Concert Lecture given by Dave Beck of KING-FM.
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Literary Corner

Reminder: Chapter by Chapter:
An Edmonds Literary Walk
Saturday, Sept. 13 ~ Beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Edmonds’ EPIC Group Writers invites the public to take part in “Chapter by Chapter: an Edmonds Literary Walk” which will take readers and writers on a literary sampler starting at the Edmonds Library and proceeding to the EdCC Conference Center, Edmonds Bookshop, and Hazel Miller Plaza.

The literary walk will feature four stops, titled in sequence Participate, Process, Publish and Present.

Details of the event were covered in the Artfully Edmonds Brief of Sept. 4.
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Edmonds Story Time

Café Louvre
210 5th Ave. S.
Sunday, Sept. 14 ~ 3:30 pm

Former Peace Corps Worker Mary Trimble will read from her memoir: “Tubob: Two Years in West Africa with the Peace Corps.” Mary and her husband arrived in The Gambia in 1979 for their two year Peace Corps stint. Tubob, which means stranger in The Gambia, was a word with which they soon became familiar.

Edmonds Story Time: Every Sunday 3:30 – 5 p.m.. Find out what’s new at https://www.facebook.com/EdmondsStoryTime.

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Write On The Sound (WOTS)
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Oct. 3-5

Francis Anderson Center and
Edmonds Center for the Arts

It’s “In under the wire time” if you are planning to mingle with the writers and authors attending WOTS this year.

Artfully Edmonds is informed that tickets to hear Keynote Speaker: Robert J. Sawyer. 
“The Writing Life: Past, Present, and Future” are still available on a single-ticket basis (no registration for the conference required.) Tickets to attend only the keynote are arranged through the Edmonds Center for the Arts box office. Call them at 425-275-9595.

Sawyer has been coined “just about the best science fiction writer out there” by the Ottawa Citizen. If you want to get a glimpse of just who Sawyer is before you buy your ticket, a click! click! on his bio might help: https://www.sfwriter.com/bio.htm

And, if you see publishing in your future, please consider the wonderful workshop that has been constructed by Gerri Russell, “Publishing 101: Take Your Book from Concept to Completion” Half-day Workshop (Friday, Oct. 3. noon-4:30 p.m.).

“This session is for anyone who is interested in self-publishing and wants to do it right so they can maximize their impact on the market. Anyone can just throw a book up for sale. There are tips and tricks galore in Gerri’s seminar to help authors reach the market they intended and to earn the income they deserve. Whether you’re starting from scratch or coming from traditional publishing, building a career in today’s publishing world presents different challenges and opportunities. You’ll learn about the importance of a good editor, about cover art that will get you noticed, about launching your book on every platform, in every form, in every country, as well as how to find your audience, understand the market, create a brand, and build a platform to steady sales. After a long career in journalism, Gerri Russell left to pursue her passion for historical romance. Since 2006, she has published 8 titles, winning two Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Awards and an RT Book Reviews American Title II Award.”
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The Gallery and Art Scene

Cole Gallery
107 5th Ave. S.
Sept, 13 – Oct. 13

Reception for Iris Scott
Abounding Color

The Cole Gallery announces that, “After much anticipation, we are delighted to present a brand new show featuring Iris Scott.”

The gallery’s reception and show opening for this sought-after artist will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

In celebration, Cole Gallery will serve hors d’oeuvres and wine.
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Coming Soon!
Edmonds Art Studio Tour 2014
Sept.  20-21
Saturday & Sunday ~ 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Edmonds Arts Festival will soon present the 9th annual Edmonds Art Studio Tour. What does the tour offer, you ask? An opportunity to visit, at your own pace, the private studios displaying the work of 42 local artists in our scenic city. Imagine chatting with the participating artists right in their studio space surrounding by their easels, sculptures, and metal-working benches. Witness first-hand how the Edmonds Art Studio Tour 2014 artists design and construct their jewelry, and ask them questions as they are doing so.

You will have the opportunity to purchase finished work right at the artist’s studio!

A map for the tour stops of participating studios are available here.

Brochures are available at ARTspot, 408 Main St.

Visit www.edmondsartstudiotour.com for general information. For additional and specific information contact Julaine Fleetwood, 424-712-1825 or email Julaine at julainefleetwood@gmail.com

— By Emily Hill

Emily Hill, a long-time resident of Edmonds, is the author of two novels and one short story collection. She is retired from a career in public information and news media relations. If you would like your event listed, or venue featured, in Artfully Edmonds, Emily invites you to contact her at arts@myedmondsnews.com