Penned by Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient Sarah Ruhl, Stage Kiss is a charming and profound comedy about romance and the theater itself. The narrative follows a play-within-a-play, exploring the lines between professional performance and personal passion. When two actors with a steamy past are cast as lovers in an overwrought 1930s […]
Penned by Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient Sarah Ruhl, Stage Kiss is a charming and profound comedy about romance and the theater itself. The narrative follows a play-within-a-play, exploring the lines between professional performance and personal passion. When two actors with a steamy past are cast as lovers in an overwrought 1930s […]
River Hawkins knows tequila. More to the point, he knows mezcal. When you’ve gone deep down the wormhole of tequila’s smokier, more bracing brethren, Hawkins says, tequila is almost too sweet. “I think of it as a dessert drink,” the Bebedero and Mejicali owner says of the typically 80 proof liquor—without a trace of irony. […]
Since the mid-’80s, Jon Spencer has been fronting bands and serving as a notable supporting character in what the world used to call alternative music. Despite using the word blues in everything from his group names to song titles to lyrics, he’s been steadily pumping out rock ’n’ roll in the traditionally dirty sense of […]
Barboursville Vineyards gets global props while we wait for the dirty horchata glazed donut By James Sanford The British wine periodical Decanter is raising a glass to Barboursville Vineyards’ Octagon 2017, which was named one of its top 50 U.S. wines of 2025. The Bordeaux-style blend of merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot is the […]
Soundscape Architecture, a new book co-authored by former UVA School of Architecture Dean Karen Van Lengen, explores how architecture and art can enhance listening as a social and political act. “When we listen, we begin the first act of engagement and communication with others,” writes Van Lengen. “Listening is also critical when we consider our […]
Washington, D.C.-born rapper and former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Cullen “Fellowman” Wade kicks off the 2026 Third Rail music series with a performance of his recent album No Safety Net, backed by DJ Blade Relic. The Charlottesville-based musician, producer, promoter, poet, and educator returns to the aggressive directness of his earlier material with new tracks […]
Originating as a form of festive courtly entertainment in 16th-century Europe, masques contain music, dancing, singing, acting, and allegory. The Death of Dido: An English Masque features an Italianate musical score by Johann Pepusch with an English libretto by Barton Booth, employing the same section of Virgil’s Aeneid as Henry Purcell’s famous 1689 opera Dido […]
Caromont Farms’ Gail Hobbs-Page recently attended Cheese: A World Around It, the world’s largest event dedicated to raw milk cheese. The conference is held every two years in Bra, Italy, the hometown of Carlo Petrini, founder of the International Slow Food Movement that champions “grandma cooking,” or traditional foodways utilizing whole foods and local, sustainably […]
Local music luminary Michael Clem performs new tracks from his latest release, 60¢ A Gallon. Between February and October 2025, Clem went to work at Carriage Lane Studios with producer Rusty Speidel, laying down a dozen new tunes that run the gamut of Clem’s Americana facility and featuring Paul Bell, Adrian Duke, Laurie MacAllister, Jen […]
Experience critically acclaimed British performances with National Theatre Live in HD’s presentation of The Fifth Step. Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses,” Dunkirk) and Emmy- and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, “The Responder”) star in the subversively funny play by David Ireland, directed by Finn den Hertog. In a story built around recovery from alcoholism, […]