New direction: Miller Murray Susen puts on the bossy pants

Less than a week before opening night, Miller Murray Susen, the director and author of Four County Players’ holiday adaptation of Little Women, has one priority: to keep things calm. “I’ve never directed a full-length play and been in charge of adding in all the tech stuff,” said Susen. “I seriously don’t have a great […]

ARTS Pick: The Rimers of Eldritch

Venture into the American Midwest as UVA Drama presents The Rimers of Eldritch. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson peels back the motives behind a Missouri murder and assault, uncovering the murky morality of a small town in 1966. Director Doug Grissom’s production takes a haunting look into the Bible Belt during one of the most […]

ARTS Pick: Twelfth Night

Feed your intellect and a person in need at Thieving Magpie’s good-WILL-cville production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The Bard’s classic romantic comedy follows shipwrecked and separated twins Viola and Sebastian along a roller coaster of mistaken identities and proclamations of love. The holiday opener benefits the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, ReadyKids, Sexual Assault Resource […]

ARTS Pick: Fall Experimental Dance Concert

This year’s Fall Experimental Dance Concert at UVA promises to leap the barre by integrating high tech with modern dance choreographed and performed by students and faculty from the University’s dance program and engineering department. The show consists of 10 pieces that explore identity and embodiment in relation to automation like “Is It Okay to Remain Seated?” […]

ARTS Pick: Best of Both Worlds Dance Competition

Dance and step complement each other like peanut butter and jelly—and the Best of Both Worlds Dance Competition finds the top teams in a friendly battle during an evening filled with high-energy moves and grooves. The dance-off serves as a joyful celebration and an opportunity to connect with surrounding communities in a room full of […]

A teller of truths: Sixty years on the road with Hal Holbrook

“I think that this film gains its emotional integrity from the fact that everybody is speaking the truth. It was very moving to watch it. The one thing I was hoping that they would get was for everyone to stop acting like Hollywood people, and just tell the truth—about the mistakes we’ve made, the struggle that […]

Perspective shift: Denise Stewart plans for change in The Sugar

Local playwright, actor, UVA drama lecturer, and wellness coach Denise Stewart is on a sugar fast. “I’m on day four because I thought it would be interesting and fun and maybe something to blog about. It’s already hard,” she said. But not as hard as the 30-day raw food fast she did earlier this year. […]

Rising Star Awards allow students to shine

Take a moment to remember what you were like at age 16—whether it was learning to drive, passing a chemistry test, or finding a date to the prom, you probably felt like you had your hands full with the basic American rites of passage. Well, 24 high school juniors and seniors are about to make you […]

ARTS Pick: Every Tongue Confess

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust—a series of church burnings sets UVA Drama’s new season in motion with Marcus Gardley’s acclaimed 2010 play Every Tongue Confess. Weaving Biblical lore with the true history of a small Alabama town, this Southern spectacle also mixes gospel and blues hits for a soaring metaphysical journey. Director Theresa Davis […]

ARTS Pick: Fiesta del Sol

Despite being a ballet company, there are no tutus or relevés in this celebration of movement by the Latin Ballet of Virginia. You will find dazzling costumes and acrobatics mixed with the electric flair of Latino dance in a high-energy performance that celebrates Central American traditions. “Fiesta del Sol” fuses technical perfection and rich narratives […]