This grandest of grand operas features an epic backdrop for what is in essence an intimate love story. Set in ancient Egypt and packed with magnificent choruses, complex ensembles, and elaborate ballets, Aida never loses sight of its three protagonists. Few operas have matched Aida in its exploration of the conflict of private emotion and public duty, and perhaps no other has remained to the present day so unanimously appreciated by audiences and critics alike.

Jodie Comer’s (Killing Eve) Olivier and Tony Award-winning performance in Suzie Miller’s gripping one-woman play returns to cinemas. Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge. Prima Facie takes us to the heart of where emotion and experience collide with the rules of the game.

Sam Mendes (The Lehman Trilogy) directs Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton in this fierce and funny new play. 1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.

Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS.

Seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. This explosively funny satire, about a rogue U.S General who triggers a nuclear attack, is led by a world-renowned creative team including Emmy Award-winner Armando Iannucci and Olivier Award-winner Sean Foley.

Join the Threshold Collective for a special four-week series exploring the end of life in all it’s different expressions. Each event will have a film, discussion, and opportunity to learn about local resources. The Threshold Collective will be in the Madrona Room from 3:30-5pm sharing information of a variety of topics. There will be a table with information on MyDirectives, a free online platform that leads you through the process of filling out your Medical Directive. Other tables include The Orcas Conservation/Green Burial Project, Death Cafe, Orcas Library and a proposed “public memorial board” for downtown Eastsound. Films will start at 5pm with discussions following the films.

While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.

A young filmmaker sets out on a 10,000-mile exploration of the national parks with his childhood best friend during the centennial year of the formation of the National Park Service. This stunning road trip is a tribute to the national parks and their history and is also a recognition of the people that appreciate them and work to maintain their beauty.

Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life. Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose. 

Fidelio’s unusual structure, glorious score, and life-affirming aura make it a unique experience. It has been called a hymn to freedom and human dignity. Formally a singspiel (with musical numbers separated by spoken dialogue), Fidelio had a long and complex gestation. Its uplifting spirit made it the obvious choice for several important productions marking the end of World War II, including the reopening of the Vienna State Opera in 1955.

A profoundly humane comedy, Le Nozze di Figaro is a remarkable marriage of Mozart’s music at the height of his genius and one of the best librettos ever set. In adapting a play that caused a scandal with its revolutionary take on 18th-century society, librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte focused less on the original topical references and more on the timeless issues embedded in the frothy drawing-room comedy.

As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colourful life is in danger of spiralling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and various relationships compete for his attention, Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching.

Rossini’s perfectly honed treasure survived a famously disastrous opening night (caused by factions and local politics more than any reaction to the work itself) to become what may be the world’s most popular comic opera. Its buoyant good humor and elegant melodies have delighted the diverse tastes of every generation for two centuries, and several of the opera’s most recognizable tunes have entered the world’s musical unconscious, most notably the introductory patter song of the swaggering Figaro, the titular barber of Seville.

The story of this incendiary and powerful opera is derived from a brief biblical account: A young princess of Judea dances for her stepfather Herod and chooses as her reward the head of the prophet John the Baptist. This subject captured the imaginations of generations of visual artists, but its full possibilities were perhaps best realized in Oscar Wilde’s 1891 tragedy (which was banned from performance in several countries). Strauss’s score combines the grandeur of Wagner’s epics with the focus and emotional punch of the short Italian verismo operas.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s gorgeous survey of Cocteau’s work, life and views is a nearly peerless gift to all living in 2025 whose souls are nourished by art. Her exceptional collaborators are led by the actor Josh O’Connor, whose reads Cocteau’s words throughout the film, and whose perfect interpretation of Cocteau’s inner world gives vivid, fresh presence to his essence.

As part of their weekend celebration of welcoming salmon back to Orcas Island, Long Live the Kings is hosting a free screening of the documentary “Mother: Sisterhood in the Wild” at the Orcas Center on Friday, September 12 at 6:30pm (917 Mt. Baker Rd.). The film follows five remarkable BIPOC women who learn to survive and thrive together on an Arctic Circle expedition. A Q&A with filmmaker Chad Brown will follow the screening.

October 15-19, we will screen incredible films over the course of five days in three venues that boast state-of-the-art cinema projection systems. Films at the Orcas Island Film Festival are, "the crème de la crème of the first-tier festival circuit," says Charles Mudede, Film/Art critic from The Stranger. Attendees will see these films before their official theatrical release and the festival provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers and film lovers to connect and share the cinematic experience as well as parties, panels and special events.

Orcas Center presents on the Center Stage Screen: Met Opera: La Sonnambula Tuesday, November 11th at 1pm Runtime:195 minutes Tiered Ticket Pricing:

When this landmark musical debuted on Broadway in 2010, it won 3 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama – one of only ten musicals in history to receive this prestigious honour. A ground-breaking and intimate portrait of a modern family, Next to Normal “tears at the heart in a way few musicals manage” (Attitude)