October galleries

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library 2450 Old Ivy Rd. “Their World As Big As They Made It: Looking Back at the Harlem Renaissance” showcases the visionary works of writers, artists, and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance. Plus, other permanent exhibitions.  Angelo Jewelry 220 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Diamonds & Rust,” mixed-media paintings […]

Watch party

A decade-spanning love story, a curmudgeonly prep school teacher’s Christmas break, a musical documentary—the 2023 Virginia Film Festival features a variety of moving, lyrical, and laugh-out-loud cinema across its 120-plus programs. The festival takes place from October 25–29 at various theaters around Charlottesville, opening with Bradley Cooper’s highly-anticipated Maestro, which focuses on the relationship between […]

Dropkick Murphys

Embrace your inner punk and ship out for a night of headbangin’ tunes with Dropkick Murphys. The Boston rock ‘n’ roll outfit has been steadily building its discography since 1996, with chantable songs like “Rose Tattoo,” “The State of Massachusetts,” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” Its recent records, This Machine Still Kills Fascists and […]

Three Notch’d Road

Three Notch’d Road opens its 13th season with Genius of Bach, a program celebrating two masterworks by the great German composer. The baroque ensemble is joined by cellist René Schiffer for the Goldberg Variations arranged for strings and the fifth Brandenburg Concerto. Also performing are David Ross on baroque flute, Fiona Hughes on baroque violin, […]

Constellations

When you fall in love in the multiverse, the possibilities for heartbreak and happy endings are endless. Four County Players’ Constellations follows a beekeeper (Amy Dawn Hamburger) and a physicist (Reed Willard) as they meet at a party. Maybe they hit it off and grab a drink—or maybe they don’t, and they go their separate […]

Bring you back

Blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd made his first hit record when he was only 16 years old. Now, almost 30 years later, the child phenom is relishing the past while looking toward the future. Shepherd completed an exhaustive tour promoting the 25th anniversary re-release of his breakout album Trouble Is… in May. He’s back on […]

A fine pairing

The theme of Anton Chekhov’s 1898 play Uncle Vanya is captured by two words in the title of Aaron Posner’s 2015 adaptation: life sucks. That message won’t have audiences leaving the theater downhearted, however, when Live Arts kicks off its 33rd season with a concurrent run of Uncle Vanya and Life Sucks. Even if the […]

‘What can I get ya?

By Mary Esselman, Maeve Hayden, Tami Keaveny, and Susan Sorensen Walking in to a busy diner is an exciting sensory experience. The clang of silverware and dishes banging around, orders called from front-of-house to back, and air laden with the savory perfume of the kitchen. Trays go by filled with warm toasty waffles, deliciously greasy […]

Go On, Be Brave

In 2014, Andrea Lytle Peet was diagnosed with ALS at 33 years old. She was told to get her affairs in order, so she did, and she waited. Eventually, Peet got tired of waiting and decided to start living. The documentary Go On, Be Brave follows Peet for more than three years as she sets […]

Joy Oladokun

Joy Oladokun documents her life in songs. Her new record, Proof of Life, takes stock of her journey thus far, from examining her experiences as a proud queer Black person, to celebrating the simple pleasures of being alive. “My lyricism is very open, and I’m able to dip my toes into genres and styles I’ve […]