Roger Ebert was my first film critic —really, the first non-fiction writer of any kind whose work I devoured. My parents had Pauline Kael, but for my generation Ebert was the gateway drug to film study and appreciation, best sampled in his 1,000-page annual anthologies of reviews, which were an encyclopedic and insightful peek into […]
Still glowing With global warming now confirmed, the weather is sure to go straight to hot, with scorching beach-worthy weather breaking out any day now. Getting ahead of that first sunburn, The Embers are headlining Surf on the Turf, an inland beach bash complete with dancing, dinner, and drinks. The quintessential band of the sand […]
The 17th-century never looked as wildly seductive as it does within the world of Aphra Behn. There’s a war in the background of Liz Duffy Adams’ Or, but more importantly, Behn—a spy, poet, and key feminist writer—moves in a social circle marked by cross-dressing and free love.
What goes around If you think that bureaucracy and red tape are absurd, Czech playwright Václav Havel couldn’t agree more. And in his Soviet-era satire The Memorandum, everything from language to human sociality becomes ridiculous. When office worker Josef Gross finds a memo written in the supposedly efficient Ptydepe language that’s impossible to discern, he […]
The Tom Tom Founders Festival has a dense schedule, seeking to offer something for everyone, from concerts to street parties to symposia on innovation. A glance at the calendar can be bewildering, and it may be tough to know where to turn. Although every attendee is sure to find something to enjoy, one event in […]
Playing it forward A year behind bars during the early years was not entirely lost time for Felipe Coronel. It gave him the focus to hone his talents, and the motivation to take a few political science classes, both of which transformed him into a deeply political, determined, and charitable artist. Finding new ways to […]
Chick flicks Critics talk a lot about the male cinematic gaze and the masculine domination of film throughout the medium’s history. So where do women fit in the modern progressive landscape? The Bantam Theater, in collaboration with Richmond’s Studio Two Three, presents Females and the Frame, a 70-minute program of regionally and internationally-produced short films […]
The newly-founded Reckless Theatre Company—not to be confused with the New York-based group of the same name—is the project of a trio of UVA Drama majors, Ahmad Helmy, Anne Connelly, and Adam Santalla. The troupe was founded this year with the intention of bringing theatrical events to the wider community while sharpening their dramatic skills. Their […]
The Harrisonburg-based music festival MACRoCk celebrates its 16th year this weekend with yet another solid line-up of local, regional, and touring indie-rock bands. Initially founded as the “Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference,” MACRoCk has now severed ties with JMU and local station WXJM, but remains committed to throwing a killer annual festival. This year’s roster includes […]
Uber achiever The richly talented Jessye Norman is not a standard singer. To clarify, she does sing standards, as well as opera and Broadway ballads, but she refuses to align herself with any stereotype. Her set list consists of classics by Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Bernstein, but Norman innovates through the sheer power of […]