Blog Archives

OASIS events on schedule for January 2017

oasisOn First Friday, January 6th, OASIS will host a reception for a new show titled “Fur the Love of Art” to benefit Cat’s Cradle.

OASIS and invited artists will exhibit animal-themed arts and crafts in a variety of media.  The First Friday reception, from 5-8, will include light refreshments, and is FREE.  There will be live music, an animal costume contest, a photo booth, face painting and lots more FUN

The exhibit continues through 31 January 2017.

January 14 and 28 at OASIS: FREE children’s art activities, from 10:30 to 12:00.  Activities will be on a first-come-first serve basis for children 5 years of age and older.  Media will be varied, and may include painting, paper crafts and other fun projects.  Preregistration by the prior Thursday (January 12 and 26, respectively) is required by emailingaskoasisart@gmail.com.

OASIS is a co-op gallery, which receives on-going sponsorship from WMRA/WEMC.  At OASIS, over 35 local artists and artisans exhibit and sell their work.  OASIS Fine Art & Craft is located at 103 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg.

For more information, call 540-442-8188, and email askOASISart@gmail.com, website of www.oasisartgallery.org, and at Facebook as OASIS-Art-Gallery-Harrisonburg-VA.


Woodrow Wilson birthday celebration

To commemorate the 160th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s birthday, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum will hold a special birthday celebration on Wednesday, December 28th from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM to honor our 28th President.

The Birthplace and Museum will be open to visitors at no charge. There will be children’s activities, music by Bill Harouff and the Stonewall Flutes of the Shenandoah, and light refreshments.  Members of the Pierce-Arrow Committee will be on hand to provide unique information about President Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow limousine. This year’s Open House is made possible through the generosity of our sponsor Union Bank and Trust.

Robin von Seldeneck, President and CEO of the WWPL, said, “December 28th is one of our favorite days of the year at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, as we celebrate the birth of Woodrow Wilson with an event for the entire community.”

The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library is open daily March 1 through December 31st and Thursday through Monday in January and February for visitors from around the world.  The Presidential Library sponsors educational programming for students of all ages each year, and owns a large collection of Wilson and Wilson-era documents, many of which can be accessed on-line at the digital archive, the Wilson Library at www.woodrowwilson.org.

Anyone interested in more information about the Wilson Birthday Celebration should contact Bob Robinson at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum at (540) 885-0897, ext. 102 or e-mail at rrobinson@woodrowwilson.org.


Wayne Theatre brings holiday classics to big screen

wayne theatreThe Wayne Theatre is celebrating the holidays on the big screen with a series of movie favorites.

Featured in the schedule of holiday films are screenings of “Polar Express,” “White Christmas,” “Home Alone” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”

“What better way is there to ring in the holiday season than seeing these classic films on the big screen at the Wayne Theatre,” said Tracy Straight, the executive director of the Wayne Theatre, which also plays host to the popular Monday at the Movies film series.

“White Christmas” will play on Monday, Dec. 19, as part of the Monday at the Movies series, which is hosted by Jimmy Overton of Alpha Vision Films.

Screenings for “White Christmas,” the 1954 classic starring Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday.

“Home Alone,” the 1990 comedy starring Macaulay Caulkin, will be screened on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Screenings of “Polar Express,” starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen, are scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 22, at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The series concludes on Friday, Dec. 23, with a screening of “Miracle on 34th Street,” the Academy Award-winning 1947 film exploring the story of a Macy’s Santa, at 8 p.m.

A Community Sing-Along will precede the screening at 7 p.m. on Friday.

All movies are Pay What You Will but advance reservations are recommended.

The Wayne Theatre is located at 521 W. Main Street in Waynesboro. For more information or tickets, contact (540) 943-9999 or visit www.waynetheatre.org.


Hank Williams tribute show at Court Square Theater on Dec. 28

court square theaterTribute to Hank Williams, a country, honky tonk, swingin’ extravaganza of musical friends collaborating to bring to life classic songs from the real roots of country music, is coming to Court Square Theater in Harrisonburg on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

GRAMMY® winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer host the evening with the master of the telecaster, Bill Kirchen, and Prairie Home Companion stars, Robin & Linda Williams. Add to that a fabulous band and you’ve got a great country show – one that sells out every year!

Hank Williams was a consummate country songwriter, with hits that included “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, “The Lovesick Blues” and “Jambalaya”. He died at the age of 29, on New Year’s 1953, leaving behind a legacy of songs and performances that will not be forgotten. In the six years of his recording career, Hank Williams songs created the definition of the perfect country song. This popular show brings together an all-star cast of friends who get together just once a year to celebrate the songs of a country music idol.

Bill Kirchen: The guitar slingin’, honky tonkin’, country croonin’ Kirchen has a brand new album, Transatlantica. The man is simply addicted to music, music halls, hot licks and country twang.

Robin & Linda Williams: From The Grand Ole Opry to Austin City Limits, Music City Tonight to Mountain Stage, Robin & Linda never cease to wow audiences wherever they go. “Individually their voices can melt cheese, and in duet they can do all-purpose welding.” Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion

Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: Known for their tight harmony singing and stellar instrumentation on guitar, banjo and mandolin, winners of 2 Grammy® Awards, 60+ WAMMY Awards and 14 GRAMMY nominations. Billboard Magazine called them “As close to flawless folk/bluegrass as it gets.”

Patrick McAvinue: Patrick leads the new generation of hot fiddlers with exquisite taste and versatility.  He has just joined the bluegrass supergroup Daily & Vincent and is in the prestigious class with this year’s Artists in Residence at the Music Center at Strathmore.

Mark Schatz: Mark tours with Claire Lynch and performed with Nickel Creek, Footworks Percussion Ensemble, Tony Rice and Bela Fleck.

Tickets are $24 in advance and $28 at the door. Court Square Theater is located at 41-F Court Square, Harrisonburg, VA 22801.

For more information visit www.valleyarts.org/cst or call 540.433.9189.


New York comic Anthony Devito coming to Charlottesville

The United Nations of Comedy Series closes out the 2016 season with one of the funniest comedians in New York, Anthony Devito, on Saturday, December 17 at 8pm at the Jefferson School Heritage Center.

As seen on Comedy Central, Gotham Comedy Live and the Jim Gaffigan Show, Charlottesville will not be disappointed as Devito and Friends bring you real-life relatable comedy of which the UN of Comedy brand has become known for. United Nations is responsible for bringing comic names such as Sheng Wang, Funnyman Skiba, Bridget McManus, Gina Brillon, Cocoa Brown, Jay Phillips, Jason Andors, Erin Foley, and many others.

For the first time ever in Charlottesville, Virginia, Anthony Devito headlines the series but he is not coming alone. Opening the show will be Winston Hodges, a rising comic from the region. Anthony is often referred to as your favorite comic’s comic, as he is a craftsman of putting together funny jokes and exceptional in the art of story telling. He performs at all of the top New York comedy clubs and throughout the nation. He will be routing east coast visits, performing in Washington, D.C. the week of the Charlottesville show which assisted in landing a date locally.  There will also be a special surprise added to the show so do not miss this hilarious night of comedy.

The Heritage Center was chosen as the host venue due to its ample free parking, convenient location in the heart of Charlottesville, and its state of the art facility. Also, the center is handicap accessible. The facility has become a cultural hub hosting events such as the Look3 Festival, Virginia Film Festival, and the Juneteenth Festival. Beer, wine and refreshments are always available at the venue.

Doors of the Jefferson School Heritage Center opens at 7pm and showtime at 8pm. Tickets are only $20. Pick yours up at Plan9 Music (Seminole Shopping Plaza 29N) and Sidetracks Music (2nd St Downtown along the railroad tracks). To reserve yours from the convenience of your home, buy tickets safely online: https://unofcomedy.eventbrite.com  Beer, wine and refreshments will be available for your further enjoyment.

The Jefferson School Heritage Center is located at 233 4th Street, Northwest, Charlottesville, VA 22903, across the street from Staples (Downtown). For more information: 434.825.0650.


Rosanne Cash and The Cat in the Hat this March at The Paramount

The Paramount Theater is excited to present two live onstage performances to the March 2017 lineup.

On Thursday, March 9 at 8 p.m., The Paramount welcomes Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash. Cash’s exciting show celebrates her highly-acclaimed and three time Grammy winning album, The River & the Thread.

The River & the Thread (2014) is a collection of original songs that connects and re-connects Rosanne to the American South, the place of her birth and the home of her ancestors. Rosanne follows her acclaimed Grammy nominated and award-winning album The List (2009) with her own poetic survey of places and people of the South on these beautiful and varied songs written with her collaborator, musical director, guitarist and husband, John Leventhal.

On Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m., The Paramount presents Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, performed by Childsplay of Tempe, Arizona. In The Cat in the Hat, Childsplay creates a wild Seussian storytelling experience pulled straight from the pages of the classic rhyming book.

From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears at their door, Sally and her brother know that the Cat in the Hat is the most mischievous cat they will ever meet. With the zaniest antics and the wildest ideas, he transforms a dull rainy day into an amazing adventure!

Tickets to these live events at The Paramount Theater are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at The Paramount Theater’s Box Office, by phone at 434.979.1333, or online at www.theparamount.net.


W&L professor Barton Myers to keynote 154th anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg

barton myersBarton Myers, associate professor of history at Washington and Lee University, will give the keynote lecture for the 154th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. at the Richard Kirkland Monument on the battlefield.

The title of Myers talk is “A Nation Remembers: Fredericksburg.” It will recall the events of December 1862 and their enduring legacy.

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park will present a series of special programs and tours that will recall the Battle of Fredericksburg on the 154th anniversary of the battle, on Dec. 10 and 11.

The weekend will feature both traditional programs and new events that tell the story of the battle and its impact on the people who lived there, the soldiers who fought there and the nation at large.

See nps.gov/frsp/learn/news/upload/2016-11-10-Fredericksburg-anniversary-events.pdffor the other events of the weekend.

Myers is the author of “Rebels against the Confederacy: North Carolina’s Unionists” (2014) and Executing Daniel Bright: Race, Loyalty, and Guerrilla Violence in a Coastal Carolina Community, 1861-1865” (2009) which was a winner of the 2009 Jules and Frances Landry Award for the best book on a southern studies topic.

In 2015, Myers won the Rising Star Faculty Award given by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

He has received fellowships and research grants including the Ballard Breaux Visiting Research Fellowship at the Filson Historical Society, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Digital Humanities Grant and the Andrew W. Mellon Research Fellowship.

Myers joined Washington and Lee University in 2013 and has also taught at Cornell and Texas Tech. His teaching and research interests include the Civil War, war and society, the U.S. South, irregular warfare and political dissent.


Four performance groups join forces for holiday season staged reading

american-shakespeare-centerThe American Shakespeare Center Education Department is set to take audiences through the ages at the Holiday Season Staged Reading. The American Shakespeare Center Staged Reading Series is an opportunity for theatre companies and education groups to experiment with rarely-performed plays in the Blackfriars Playhouse.

The Holiday Season Staged Reading begins Sunday evening with a medieval mummers’ pageant, produced by students from the Shenandoah Governor’s School, under the direction of Cassy Maxton-Whitacre. Audiences will then be transported to the 14th Century with a reading of a play from the York Mystery Cycle, a collection based on biblical texts and apocryphal stories, produced by Shut Up! It’s Shakespeare, a student performance group from Shenandoah University. Ben Johnson’s Christmas masque from the 17th Century follows, performed by local performance collective Spectacle and Mirth, under the leadership of Carmel Clavin. Finally, students from Stuart Hall, under the direction of Jeremy West, will present a Victorian-style pantomime featuring familiar figures such as Ebeneezer Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes. Each of the four productions will last between ten and thirty minutes, with music, dance, and seasonal merriment.

“The Holiday Season Staged Reading is a chance for us to explore how theatre has tied in to festive celebrations for centuries,” says Cass Morris, ASC Academic Resource Manager. “The theatre has always been a space to bring people together, and we’re thrilled to open up the Blackfriars Playhouse stage to four wildly different performance groups for this special occasion.”

The Holiday Season Stage Reading takes place Sunday, December 4 at 7:30pm in the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse. The performance is pay-what-you-will with a suggested donation of $5. Visit www.AmericanShakespeareCenter.com or call the box office at 1.877.MUCH.ADO for more information.


Tickets on sale now to Chris Mann: A Night with The Phantom at the Wayne Theatre

chris-mannChris Mann will appear at the Wayne Theatre with his “A Night with The Phantom” show on Friday, January 13, 2017, at 8 p.m.

Mann is hailed by critics as “the best phantom since Michael Crawford!” After 700 performances in Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of “The Phantom of the Opera,” Mann is inviting audiences to spend “A Night with the Phantom” to celebrate Broadway’s greater hits.

Tickets are on sale now.

Tickets prices range from $40 for admission to $150 for the full VIP Treatment.

Add-Ons include (per person):

  • $35: Includes Admission to Cocktail Party, Meet & Greet
  • $65: Balcony Seating, first two rows, plus Cocktail Party, Meet & Greet
  • $110: Exclusive VIP Treatment including seating in Orchestra Pit, private bar service, private meet & greet, rose and mask (only 10 seats available)

Mann rose to fame as Christina Aguilera’s finalist on NBC’s “The Voice.” Since then, his albums “Roads” and “Constellation” have topped the Billboard charts and he started in two of his own PBS television specials.

Chris has performed with the National Symphony for President Obama, at Christmas in Rockefeller Center and headlined his own symphony tour where his golden voice and hilarious stage stories dazzled audiences across the country.

He has performed on TV shows included Ellen, The Today Show & The TonightShow with Jay Leno and was an original member of The Warblers on the hit TV show, Glee.


Arts Council of the Valley launches fundraiser to replace Court Square Theater seats

arts-councilArts Council of the Valley has launched “Save A Seat at Court Square Theater,” a fundraising campaign to replace the seats in Court Square Theater. After 18 years of providing the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community with year-round entertainment, the 250-seat downtown performing arts venue has decided that its seats have had enough.

The goal for the campaign is $75,000 – the cost of purchasing and installing 250 new theater seats. “Court Square Theater has been a central part of downtown Harrisonburg’s revitalization, providing a place for our community to enjoy great films, music and theater. We hope that our patrons will help us invest in the future of the theater for the years to come,” says ACV Executive Director, Jenny Burden. The organization hopes to meet its fundraising goal by April 2017 so that it can purchase and install the much-needed new seats in May 2017.

Since opening its doors in 1998, Arts Council of the Valley’s Court Square Theater has seated over 600,000 visitors, providing downtown Harrisonburg with a diverse program of films, live music, theater, comedy, and community events. The venue has hosted musical acts such as Ralph Stanley, Eddie from Ohio, Seldom Scene, the Hackensaw Boys, and local favorites, the Steel Wheels. The downtown landmark hosts a regular schedule of films, live theater productions by the Valley Playhouse, and has been a venue for annual events such as Super Gr8 and Latino Film Festivals, MACROCK, and First Night Harrisonburg.

Community businesses and individuals are encouraged to support the fundraising campaign. The various levels of support start at $100 and benefits include permanent recognition on theater seats and in the theater lobby, movie tickets, and a limited edition print of Court Square Theater, created by local artist, Elwood Madison III.

Donations can be made online at valleyarts.org/saveaseat, by calling 540.433.9189, or in person at Court Square Theater or Arts Council of the Valley.

Court Square Theater is located at 41-F Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia.