Look into it

Questions of intent and meaning loom palpably over a pair of exhibitions at Second Street Gallery: Josh Dorman’s “how strange it is to be anything at all” and “Dirty Mirror” by fiber artists Dance Doyle and Caitlin McCormack. Both shows invite extended scrutiny because the artists take unconventional approaches to their chosen forms of expression. […]

Open book

The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is the subject of Free and Open to the Public, a film documenting its 100-year history, and the Maupintown Media production offers something most organizations would rather avoid: an unvarnished look at a checkered past. “The library was looking at its 100 years of service and the current state of public […]

Go ahead, bake our day

By Chris Martin Based on the astonishing number of bakers and bakeries in Charlottesville, the city appears to have a voracious appetite for carbs. A quick search on Google lists almost 30 area bakeries, cake spots, bagel makers, patisseries, and farmers’ market stands that offer a wide variety of floury treats. What follows is a […]

For kicks

By Julia Stumbaugh To the average Charlottesvillian, a pair of Jordans probably looks like sneakers. To local engineering student Mylz, they are one crafting knife and an airbrush away from a work of art. SpeedyCustomz, Mylz’s online shoe design and customization business, began with a permanent marker on a friend’s Vans, and evolved into elaborate […]

Pick: Masterchef

Joy of cooking: Are you a great cook and a fierce competitor? Can you handle having your culinary creations judged down to the smallest leaf of parsley? The immersive stage show MasterChef Live brings past MasterChef and MasterChef Junior contestants together to take on live cooking challenges and demonstrations—and its family-friendly, interactive format means the […]

Pick: Every Brilliant Thing

Center stage: Live Arts welcomes audiences back inside the theater with Every Brilliant Thing, a story about depression that’s both deeply touching and laugh-out-loud funny. After his mother attempts suicide, a 7-year-old boy writes her a list of all the things that make life worth living, from ice cream to Kung Fu movies. As he […]

Pick: The Four Seasons

Going for Baroque: For its 11th season, the ensemble Three Notch’d Road tackles Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, as well as a sampling of his solo pieces, using historically authentic Baroque instruments. Acclaimed violinist Aisslinn Nosky leads the ensemble, with Fiona Hughs and Natalie Kress on violin, Maureen Murchie on viola, Jeremy David […]

Pick: Asha Greer

About Asha: A quote on Asha Greer’s website reads, “Consider the purpose of life as living.” This says as much about Greer’s artistry as it does about her deeply spiritual pursuits. Charlottesville peers refer to Greer as a legend in the community, and say her humanity has touched lives around the planet. “Celebrating the Work […]

Pick: The O’Malley Gambit

Women’s world: Girls rule in Charlottesville Playwrights Collective’s presentation of The O’Malley Gambit. Local playwright Kate Monaghan weaves drama, power, and feminism into the story of a meeting between Ireland’s clan leader Grace O’Malley and England’s Queen Elizabeth in the late 1500s. What begins as a negotiation for the release of O’Malley’s son, imprisoned and […]

Anxiety disorder

Dear Evan Hansen is based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, which won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Alas, the film does not ascend to the same heights as the stage production.   As harsh as it might seem, idiot plot is a handy descriptor for Dear Evan Hansen. Essentially, idiot […]