Credit check: UVA students protest new grading policy

With courses moved online for a significant portion of the spring semester, colleges across the country have had to decide on the fairest way to grade students in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. While some institutions, like Yale and Columbia, have opted for mandatory pass/fail policies, others, like the University of Virginia, have implemented […]

In brief: People power, tech takeover, bye-bye bikes, and more

People power Opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline scored a huge victory last week when the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals repealed Dominion Energy’s permit to build an invasive compressor station in Buckingham County’s historic Union Hill neighborhood. “Today we showed that our community, our community’s history, and our community’s future matters more than a […]

ARTS Pick: Let There Be Light (rescheduled to Sat.)

Glow up: The longest night of the year is celebrated with beauty and promise at the annual Let There Be Light festival. To honor the approaching solstice, curator and artist James Yates features illuminated outdoor works by Circe Strauss, Patty Swygert, Chris Haske, Andrew Sherogan, Dom Morse, and a group of Murray High School students, […]

ARTS Pick: Spamalot

Got wit? What happens when Camelot’s King Arthur and his knights get goofy, ridiculous, and even a bit nutty? You get Spamalot, the musical-comedy that swept the Tonys in 2005. The play is an adaptation of the comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in which King Arthur recruits a band of disorganized misfit […]

ARTS Pick: Lynn Trefzger

Talking hands: Self-taught ventriloquist and comedian Lynn Trefzger brings more than four decades of experience to a routine that’s polished but unpredictable. Her cast of characters includes a recently potty-trained toddler excited to share, a confrontational drunk camel, and an old man who keeps things fresh in the bedroom with Saran Wrap. Trefzger’s performances, which […]

ARTS Pick: Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa

Behind the smile: Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa is a true-crime musical that explores gender identity and the artistic genius of Leonardo da Vinci. The story is told through one actor, accompanied by music from the Italian Renaissance provided by the Core Ensemble, and follows the origin of the famous image, […]

ARTS Pick: Time of Your Life

Funny not funny: Contemporary playwright Alan Ayckbourn weaves themes of domestic strife, family dysfunction, and a longing for lost love through the perspectives of three different couples in Time of Your Life. After a birthday toast to happy times, Gerry Stratton and his two sons split the narrative in a play that uses time travel—backward […]

ARTS Pick: Let There Be Light

In the shorter days leading to the solstice, things can get gloomy, but for the group of artists featured in Let There Be Light, the darkness offers inspiration. From glowing jellyfish constellations to the hidden world of woodland creatures, the art installations and performances at the annual event are a testament to the bright artistic […]