‘Artrageous’ brings its spectacular blend of art, music and magic to Orcas Center

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 24, 2026

By Darrell Kirk

Staff reporter

If you’ve never seen a 6-by-9-foot portrait painted live while a full band performs, a flutist switches to laser harp and audience members find themselves pulled onstage — well, you haven’t seen “Artrageous.”

The touring troupe is coming to Orcas Island for the first time, and lead artist Lauri McKelvey-Francis is ready. “It’s our first time on Orcas Island and we hear it’s really fantastic and beautiful,” she said in an interview with the Islands’ Sounder. “We’re excited to meet everybody and it’s just gonna be a lot of fun.”

The group will present its one-of-a-kind 3D visual concert on Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m., combining live painting with music, movement and audience participation. There will be a special free performance for students that same day.

With nine or 10 performers on stage at all times, the show is part concert, part circus, part live art gallery. Artists race to complete life-size canvases — 6-by-6 or 6-by-9 feet — before the music ends. Musicians double up on instruments. The drummer paints.

“There’s something happening on stage all the time,” McKelvey-Francis said. “There’s either art being painted, music, audience interaction, comedy, people on stage, [and the] audience on stage with us. So if you love music, it’s for you. If you love art, it’s for you. If you love getting your family involved, it’s for you.”

The experience starts before the curtain rises. Troupe members work the theater early — passing out props, running art activities and meeting guests. Come early if you want in on that. After the show, the stage becomes a live gallery where audiences can see the freshly finished paintings up close and meet the troupe. For a VIP backstage tour or a chance to get onstage, contact McKelvey-Francis directly at lauri@ent123.com.

As for how she got here: “I just joined this band of crazy people and it’s like joining the circus. I didn’t really have any other path for myself.” The troupe has performed in every U.S. state except Delaware, in 12 countries, at the NBA All-Stars Halftime Show, alongside Blue Man Group in Las Vegas and with Cirque du Soleil in Austria. They head to Dollywood for a monthlong residency in March.

But beyond the spectacle, what drives Artrageous runs deeper than entertainment. McKelvey-Francis speaks with quiet conviction about the healing power of what they do.

“I don’t know how many times somebody has approached me after our show with tears running down their face, saying they just so needed this in their life right now,” she said. “Either their husband just passed away, or this is their first time out, or they’re battling cancer.”

Through their nonprofit, the troupe donates shows to communities and runs arts education programs for children. It was during one such outreach show in Ohio that a high school student approached McKelvey-Francis after the performance with words she will never forget.

“This saved my life,” the student told her.

“That is literally why we do this,” McKelvey-Francis said. “If you can reach somebody on that level — just one person — it’s magical.”