Jump shots

Seeing is sometimes unbelievable at the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour short film screenings. Take to the mountains, the sea, and uncharted terrain as you ride along with the outdoor action, defying gravity from your seat while enjoying soaring moves and dizzying views. The event benefits the Shenandoah National Park Trust. $25, times […]

What’s shakin’

It’s impossible to deny the Grateful Dead’s place in the rock music zeitgeist. From Steal Your Face and dancing bears artwork, to concert tape trading and tie-dyed T-shirts, love for the Dead spans multiple generations—all stemming from the reliably mind-blowing live shows the band pumped out over the course of 30 years. John Brackett puts […]

Scout’s honor

The Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline began selling cookies in January, and the famous treats are available for just one more month. But selling cookies isn’t just a sweet way to raise cash, it also teaches money management, team building, and decision-making. And, of course, the funds go to other endeavors like camping trips and […]

Goth primer

Director Zelda Williams’ horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein is a mediocre pastiche of older films with an uneven storyline stitched together from overly familiar macabre material. The film will appeal mainly to teens who are only just beginning to discover its sources, but to longtime moviegoers, it plays like ersatz Tim Burton, admittedly with occasionally hilarious […]

In flux

By Dave Cantor In early February, saxophonist Ken Vandermark flew from his Chicago home to London for a series of shows paying tribute to the late Peter Brötzmann—a prickly figure who is rightly considered among the most disruptive influences in jazz over the past 50 years. “I learned … I don’t really even know how […]

Storied songs

When Guatemalan singer-songwriter Sara Curruchich sings in her mother tongue, the heart and soul of her message is clear. A Mayan Kaqchikel woman, Curruchich performs rock, folk, and traditional music as both activism and art. The passionate advocate for women’s rights has performed around the globe, releasing albums since 2015, and receiving numerous awards for […]

Her own style

Madi Diaz is done making other performers sound good. After a stadium tour opening for Harry Styles, followed by watching the megastar perform night after night as a member of his backing band, Diaz (aka “Nashville’s secret weapon”) is making her own mark with a new LP. On Weird Faith, the singer blends folk, Americana, […]

Short-timers, big impact

When you remove books from the shelves of school libraries, who benefits? And, more importantly, who suffers? (Hint: future generations.) These are questions that The ABCs of Book Banning examines over the course of 27 minutes. The Oscar-nominated short documentary is one of five finalists that explore various topics—uneasy peace in Taiwan, America’s racial wealth […]

New Works Festival

UVA Drama’s New Works Festival treats audiences to a varied collection of short works, ranging from drama to farce, that explore everything from workplace woes to matters of the heart. The pithy plays are written, directed, designed, and performed by students. Travel back in time to regency-era England in Becca Davis’ The Sapphire Hyacinth, follow […]

Kinky Boots

Feathers are flying and there’s glitter galore at Live Arts’ Kinky Boots. The heart-warming musical sees an unlikely partnership blossom between Charlie Price, owner of a failing shoe factory, and Lola, a fabulous drag queen in need of a pair of sturdy stilettos. Xavier Taylor dons a sky-high wig for the role of Lola opposite […]