Hijinks and happenstance collide in one of Shakespeare’s most-loved comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Set in a magical forest outside of Athens, four young lovers fight for each other’s affections on the eve of their duke’s wedding. Meanwhile, six would-be thespians create stress in an attempt to impress the duke’s marriage party, and Oberon—king of […]
Hijinks and happenstance collide in one of Shakespeare’s most-loved comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Set in a magical forest outside of Athens, four young lovers fight for each other’s affections on the eve of their duke’s wedding. Meanwhile, six would-be thespians create stress in an attempt to impress the duke’s marriage party, and Oberon—king of […]
Back to the Bard: Shakespeare knew something about quarantines, having lived through several during the plagues of the early 1600s. The urge to break out is palpable as American Shakespeare Center launches its season with safely distanced, outside performances that encompass the Bard’s work in tragedy, history, and comedy, starting with Macbeth. Actor-manager Chris Johnston […]
Take a listen: With a pivot to podcasts, UVA Drama’s New Works Festival is all ears this year. The fifth annual student-run fest offers five short audio pieces (including one musical), which will be streamed on WTJU. Faculty mentors Dave Dalton and Doug Grissom realized audio dramas were a creative solution to replace the currently […]
Bringing down the house : Amiri Baraka’s 1964 play The Slave takes place during a race war and ends with a deadly house collapse. As final as that sounds, local playwright and vocalist Ti Ames (right) continues the story: See About the Girls is set 14 years later, and imagines that Walker Vessel’s biracial daughters […]
Soulful revival: Charlottesville musicians Calie Garrett and Gary Green give us a chance to celebrate the welcome—and long awaited—return of warm weather and dogwood blossoms with an afternoon of much-needed soulful jams in an outdoor setting. On the piano, Garrett draws upon her background of gospel and soul to play both familiar favorites and originals. […]
Seeing Saw: Saw Black has that rare musical talent that makes listeners want more. With his lyrical delivery and production technique, Black seduces with soulful country-folk that is sometimes plaintive, sometimes weird and whispery. Many of the Richmond singer-songwriter’s tracks can be found on Warhen Records, including the sold-out 2020 cassette Horsin’ ‘Round. Black performs […]
It’s a laugh: As any comedian knows, there’s no rush like standing in front of a roomful of strangers and making them laugh. At the weekly Comedy Open Mic Night, hosted by local comedians Heather Kilburn and John Rad, you can work out all the material you perfected at home during the pandemic. Preregister, and […]
Lighting the way: In Let Go of Me, playwright, director, and filmmaker Kelley Van Dilla combines pre-recorded and live performances to explore connections and disconnections between people. The virtual play features Van Dilla in an autobiographical reflection on the relationship between a trans non-binary teen and their mother, who is bipolar. Through 3/28, Suggested household […]
Phoning in the overture: When Victory Hall Opera’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata was canceled, the cast turned to their iPhones—but not for pandemic-induced doom scrolling. Instead, they collaborated on filming UNSUNG, the first feature film made by and about opera singers. In it, the cast navigates the challenges of life during a pandemic, and […]
By Shea Gibbs The “Reverend” Bill Howard found his calendar wide open when the pandemic hit last year. The musician and hospitality industry worker had been gigging regularly with his beloved Americana band, The Judy Chops, and had some free time to fill when the live shows abruptly ended. Howard’s solution? Weekly livestreams on Facebook […]