Centerstage and FW Symphony join for Sondheim and Stravinsky

Published 10:55 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Two major performing arts organizations are collaborating for the first time in Federal Way in a production titled “Celebrating Innovation” at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center.

The venue is located at 31510 Pete von Reichbauer Way S.

The performance is a co-production between Federal Way Symphony and Centerstage Theatre and will feature the work of Stephen Sondheim and Igor Stravinsky, performed through musical instruments, song, dialogue and dance.

“If you typically come to the symphony shows, it’s not going to be like anything you’ve seen here before, because it’s a total mash-up of those elements of live theater and the symphonic elements. And if you’ve only seen shows at Centerstage before, then it’s going to be unlike any show you’ve seen before…if you’ve seen us, or you’ve seen them, you still haven’t seen this,” Centerstage Artistic Director Trista Duval told the Mirror.

Sondheim is known for revolutionizing musical theater, and Stravinsky transformed the music of ballet in his time.

This performance will feature select Sondheim songs, then a presentation of “L’Histoire du Soldat (A Soldier’s Tale)” by Stravinsky.

“This is like a life dream…I’ve loved this piece since I was 8 years old, which is to say for 62 years,” Federal Way Symphony director Adam Stern told the Mirror.

This is the third time in his life he’s worked on the piece.

“The first time was in college, when I conducted just the music, which you could do as a concert piece. Then many years ago, I was the narrator in a production of it, but I’ve always wanted to do the whole thing,” Stern said.

The story of the Stravinsky piece follows an aspiring violin-playing soldier in a Faustian story about being careful what you wish for and happy with what you have. A love story, a deal with the devil, disguises, a princess and a high-stakes wager are all underscored with the live performance of the talented symphony members.

Kathi Villaruz, president of the Federal Way Symphony, told the Mirror that the collaboration with Centerstage inspired the addition of Sondheim songs to round out the other half of the show.

“That’s how the whole innovation theme came about,” Villaruz said. “Sondheim really did a lot of innovation in the world of Broadway and Broadway musicals for sure. And of course, Stravinsky was one of the most influential composers of the earliest, early 20th century, again, especially in ballet.”

Duval said that while the story isn’t one she would typically pick because it is “an old school, early 1900s morality play,” one message that resonates with her in this story is that “if you you collaborate with the devil, you don’t get to just walk away unscathed.”

While the Sondheim songs were mostly chosen on their merits and not their message, a theme emerged that ties them together with the themes in the Stravinsky piece.

“A lot of songs about the very human experiences of life. A lot of reflecting on past decisions…the first half is about reflecting on decisions you made…then the second half is the story of someone who who made a series of decisions that that leave them somewhere they would rather not be,” Duval said.

Some of Stern’s favorite innovations in the Stravinsky piece are that “nobody had ever put together this particular combination of instruments. He wanted all the groups represented. So there are two woodwinds, two brass, two strings and one very busy percussionist. So you get all of the flavors of the orchestral instruments, but in a microcosm.”

Duval said it’s been a great experience for the Centerstage actors to get to interact with the live music in a different way, sharing the stage rather than what is typical in their stage performances of the musicians preferring to be behind the scenes.

For Stern, he’s thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration as well, highlighting Duval’s talent. “The day that I met Trista, it’s like I was sucked into her vortex of energy and and never left. I mean, she’s a dynamo, and the moment I met her, I said, she’s got it. I don’t have to worry about a thing,” Stern said.

While this is the first time the FW Symphony and Centerstage have collaborated, they have done a lot of collaboration with other groups in town, like the Federal Way Chorale and the Youth Symphony.

“There’s really a lot going on in the performing arts in Federal Way,” Villaruz said, more than people might think.

More information and tickets can be found online.