I’ve seen a few one-man or one-woman plays over the years and they’ve all had one thing in common: monotony. Being exposed to that kind of sameness adds up when you’re facing a lone actor strutting and fretting their ass off for 90 minutes or more—tasked with embodying the same persona for the entirety of […]
It’s got a mouthful of a title: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. But we can be thankful that Dave Malloy, the musical’s original composer, lyricist, playwright, and orchestrator confined himself to adapting only a sliver of War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy’s monumental tome. Self-aware of its complexities, the production reveals what audiences […]
What Driving food to the distribution center for the Emergency Food Network. Why Everyone should have access to nourishing food. How it went Like with most volunteer opportunities, I got more out of it than I gave. The Emergency Food Network is an organization that I have volunteered with in the past and recently rejoined. […]
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Alice Gerrard says she’s lucky that her life turned out the way it did: making friends with and playing alongside some of folk music’s most historically resonant figures. On Friday, March 20, Gerrard and Virginia state folklorist Katy Clune are set to discuss her book, Custom Made Woman: A Life in Traditional […]
It came as no surprise when Chris Kelly told his parents he wanted to attend Vanderbilt University. Sure, Vandy’s a great school. But the subtext was clear: Kelly, the son of two accomplished local musicians and a serial band leader during his four years at Monticello High School, was a natural fit for the biggest […]
Poet and multimedia artist Diana Khoi Nguyen often explores themes of intergenerational and family trauma through her work, which includes two books of poetry: Ghost Of, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and most recently, Root Fractures. In both books, photographs play a significant role, including family photos that Nguyen’s brother cut […]
If you’re a big fan of Clueless (1995), or Emma (1996), or even EMMA (2020), you’ll want to check out Kate Hamill’s latest adaptation of the Jane Austen classic before closing weekend. Ella Caplin shines in Live Arts’ Emma as a mischievous matchmaker who plots romantic entanglements and learns a little bit about life and […]
Virginia Festival of the Book brings one of the foremost contemporary photographers to town as Lexington, Virginia, native Sally Mann speaks on her new book, Art Work: On the Creative Life. The renowned artist, known for ethereal landscapes of the American South and intimate portraits of her family, blends aspects of memoir and how-to manual […]
The Indie Short Film Festival returns for its third iteration, bringing 132 films, panel discussions, and cultural programming to five downtown venues. With a full slate of domestic and international shorts—including 20 with Virginia connections—the festival showcases independent storytelling. This year’s programming includes timely takes on AI- and tech-induced issues (AI Jesus, 2025; Deb and […]
Jazz is a big genre. So big, in fact, that many subgenres have emerged throughout its more than 100-year history. From the provocative connotations of its New Orleans origins to the ever-present smooth variety unobtrusively filling places such as the corridors of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, there’s no question that jazz has morphed into a […]