Dear friends and neighbors—have you noticed how much the Orcas Center is doing to make a huge variety of cultural events available to our community at a nominal fee?
The art exhibits, which change monthly, are simply extraordinary. The current one put up by the Orcas Island Historical Museum is fascinating, but no less so than those that have preceded it for the last year.
The plays have been varied and meaningful, and have involved a broad cross-section of our community, including many children. Through the wonderfully diverse medium of drama our young folks are learning and practicing a great many skills that will serve them well as they mature (showing up and being patient at rehearsals, memorizing, following a schedule, speaking loudly and clearly, learning about history, racism, life and death—etc., etc., etc.).
A corps of volunteers has supported the directors and participants in these events with grace, imagination, and relevance.
Most recently, high density digital equipment has been installed, allowing people to see opera productions, plays from Broadway and the London stage, major urban art exhibits, and other cultural events of world significance. The admission fees are $9-$15.
Individual memberships start at $10 a year. Small businesses can advertise in the Playbill for a reasonable fee, showing their support for the center and gaining more visibility.
It is also the home of our choral society, band, and the brilliantly successful Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. And, and, and…yes, there’s much more. But come and experience it for yourselves, if you haven’t already. It is an inspiring reflection of the creativity within our community, and now that we have the high-density digital broadcasts, the broader world as well.
And it is ours. We islanders created it and we islanders keep it going. We are grateful to all those whose truly generous financial support has helped much of this to happen in the first place, but we are equally grateful to everyone who has had any part in both the creation and appreciation of events, to say nothing of all the behind-the-scenes detail work, most of it volunteer, that makes it all possible.
Sincerely,
Antoinette Botsford & Vance Stephens
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