Pick: Violet

An inspirational testament to the human spirit with toe-tapping music, Live Arts’ Violet follows a young woman’s journey in search of healing and transformation. In 1964, Violet embarks on a 900-mile Greyhound bus trip from North Carolina to Tulsa, where she hopes a televangelist preacher can pray away a grisly scar she received in a […]

Living under a Rock

Jordan Rock’s big brother has been a household name for the comedian’s entire life. That’s certainly had a significant effect on his still-burgeoning career as an actor and stand-up artist—but the Rock clan’s youngest member tries hard not to let Chris’ outsized influence define him.  “It’s definitely a balance. I’m still trying to figure it […]

Pick: Two Trains Running

The Charlottesville Players Guild continues its journey through August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with Two Trains Running. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play, set in 1960s Pittsburgh, follows restaurant owner Memphis Lee and his patrons and employees as they search for justice and love amidst a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. Leslie M. Scott-Jones directs a cast that includes […]

Pick: Randy Rainbow

Comedian, singer, and satirist Randy Rainbow hits the road for The Pink Glasses Tour, an evening filled with opulent costumes, stellar choreography, musical parody, and plenty of political spoofs. Rainbow’s memoir, Playing with Myself, landed him on The New York Times bestseller list, and his debut studio album, Hey Gurl, It’s Christmas!, debuted at number […]

One music

The concert begins with a thunderous gong and booming timpani. As the intro song progresses, a guttural drone pulses, seemingly from beneath the audience’s feet, while the breathy undulation of a distant horn floats over the rumble. Audiences new to Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble may not immediately recognize what they’re hearing. That’s because they’re listening […]

Pick: No Home but Ropes and Stakes

Haunting, hopeful, and striking, No Home but Ropes and Stakes is an original one-act play written and directed by Charlottesville High School senior Stella Gunn. Set in the 1930s, the atmospheric play follows an intriguing group of performers as they navigate the dark underbelly of a magnificent yet derelict circus. Eddie the Clown narrates as […]

Bell is back

Mariana Bell had a divergent pandemic experience from most musicians. Ask any songwriter, or any creative person for that matter, and most will say they experienced heightened inspiration during the C-word era. Not Bell. And she’s okay with that. That’s her journey. A longtime singer-songwriter who’s now a mother of two small children, Bell found […]

Pick: Nosferatu

Dare to brave a spine-chilling screening of the 1922 silent classic Nosferatu. The once-controversial, unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife of his real estate agent. Renowned percussionist Tom Teasley provides a live, tension-filled soundtrack using a variety of sometimes unexpected musical instruments […]

Pick: Brent Cobb and Hayes Carll

Travel buddies Acclaimed country musicians Brent Cobb and Hayes Carll are on the road for a special run of collaborative concerts. “We’re gettin’ together to give ourselves, as well as the crowds, something that I believe we’ll all talk about for a while,” says Cobb, who performs his new gospel album, And Now, Let’s Turn […]

Pick: Fall Concert for Youth

Spirited youth Albemarle Symphony Orchestra presents a program of contemporary and classical works at its Fall Concert for Youth. Conductor Philip Clark, who has played for the queens of England and Holland, will lead the orchestra through compositions from Harry Potter, Moana, Ghostbusters, Bach, and more. The evening also features a mystery emcee to keep […]