By Kristina Stucki

Journal contributor

Island Stage Left, a nonprofit theater company, will be performing its annual winter show free of charge at Brickworks on Dec. 22, 23 and 24. This year’s performance will be islander-favorite “Omnium Gatherum,” performed by Daniel Mayes, Helen Machin-Smith, Mark Mazzarella, Patti Bair and Sarah Boden.

“Omnium Gatherum,” which translates to “a gathering of all,” refers to both the audience the show gathers together as well as the variety of material performed.

“I spend all year looking for pieces that might work,” Machin-Smith said. “There’s so many different kinds of art. We’ve married a Palestinian harmony with an Israeli song. We’ve got medieval stuff, we’ve got songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, we’ve got pieces that were just composed last year. We have stories, poetry, sections of books – we’ve got jokes! We’ve even got a bit of a Monty Python skit.”

Island Stage Left, cofounded by Machin-Smith and Mayes after the two met doing theater and performing in Ashland as part of the Shakespeare Festival, has been offering free professional-quality theater to the San Juan Islands for 25 years. Donations are accepted and are tax-deductible, but no admission is charged.

“It’s been about 15 years since we first created ‘Omnium Gatherum,’” Machin-Smith said of the winter show, which is the only Island Stage Left performance that she herself performs in rather than directs. “People seem to really enjoy it. We’ve had an awful lot of people come see us over the years. We’re so grateful to be on this island and have the audience we have. It’s a real treat to be able to do this locally.”

Known for their summer series “Shakespeare Under the Stars,” which was able to continue when indoor performances couldn’t during the pandemic, Island Stage Left is bringing back their spring and fall indoor shows this year – hopefully at the fairgrounds. When asked if she has any ideas for what those shows will be in 2025, Machin-Smith said she “only” had a stack of about 12 beside her to whittle down. But for now, it’s all about the holiday show.

“From traditional to modern, from touching to hilarious: songs, stories and poetry,” is how Machin-Smith described what she’s put together. “We have it all!”

Returning audience members will recognize some old favorites from previous years’ iterations, but will find a lot of new material as well. The performers, who are mostly local, have already been rehearsing.

“Rehearsing like mad until we go up!” Machin-Smith laughed. “Tell everyone they’re in for a really good evening of lovely entertainment that will cheer them up and send them into the new year in a better frame of mind.”

Showtimes and information about other upcoming performances can be found at www.islandstageleft.org.