Artsline: Virtual Edition || July 5, 2021
“If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.” ~Barry Lopez
Storytelling is the theme this week – on stage, in song, at the movies, as an art. What is the story you need more than food? I’m sure you’ll find it out there – if not this week, then another. Keep looking – for you’ll find meaningful stories in the very earth around you, in the people we can now run into, in the air you breathe. We all have stories from our ancestors, from our childhood, from the pandemic. Tell yours. Someone might need to hear it. And this week, keep your ears open for the one you need to hear.
1. ELLA AND HER FELLA FRANK
Theatre, Music
July 9 – September 1, 8pm (Sunday matinees at 3pm)
Virginia Rep's November Theatre, 114 W Broad St, Richmond, 23220
$58
Inspired by the late Randy Strawderman’s 1999 hit musical of the same name, Ella and Her Fella Frank invites you to a heavenly concert with Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, played by Virginia Rep favorites Desirée Roots and Scott Wichmann. This inspiring new musical by Bo Wilson celebrates the enduring magic of music and live theatre as we pay tribute to Ella, Frank, and Randy. Purchase tickets online.
2. BLACKLIST
Theatre
July 10 at 8pm, July 11 at 5pm
The Basement, 300 E Broad Street, Richmond, 23219
$20 ($10/students)
In a return to pre-pandemic programming, The Conciliation Lab, the new company formed from the merger of TheatreLAB and The Conciliation Project, will offer the fourth edition of BlackList: A Celebration of Black Voices in American Theater, featuring the work of August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, Suzan-Lori Parks, and James Baldwin. As in previous years, the event will wrap up with the awarding of a scholarship in support of a current or college-bound African American theatre student. In addition, this year’s event adds an exciting community support element in the inclusion of the Black Market, an open market featuring goods sold by Black woman-owned businesses. Purchase tickets online.
3. RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!
Puppetry
July 8, 10am
Lancaster County Community Library, 16 Town Centre Drive, Kilmarnock, 22482
Join Barefoot Puppet Theatre for a free, in-person show of Run, Run as Fast as You Can at the Lancaster County Community Library in Kilmarnock.
4. FOLKTALES: THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL
Storytelling
July 8, 9pm
Online
$15 suggested contribution/$5 minimum
Join emcee Chetter Galloway and storytellers Eva Abram, Jenn Ameena, Norm Brecke, Jessica Robinson, Anne Rutherford, and Jack Scheer for Folktales: This Time It’s Personal, a storytelling show in which a personal story is perfectly paired with a folktale. Purchase tickets online.
5. R&B WITH COREY EL
Music
July 9, 8pm
Dogwood Dell Amphitheatre, 600 S Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA 23220
Bring your picnic dinner to Dogwood Dell and enjoy local musician Corey El play soulful rhythm and blues. Presented as a part of the City of Richmond’s Festival of the Arts at Dogwood Dell.
6. THE HISTORY & RITUALS OF AFTERNOON TEA
History, Culture
July 10, 2pm
Online
Summer reading enthusiasts are invited to join Powhatan Public Library for a very special virtual tea party. Historian Leslie Goddard, Ph.D. will explain the history, art, and ritual of afternoon tea. Attendees will learn how and when the custom of enjoying tea in the late afternoon began. You will also explore why afternoon tea was so important for the Edwardians in particular. Learn correct tea etiquette, what a proper menu included, and why the custom of afternoon tea remains so enduringly appealing. Attendance at the virtual tea party is free; however, registration is required.
7. EARLY VIRGINIA GENEALOGY
History
July 9, 10am
Online
$15
Explore the methods and resources for researching Virginia genealogy prior to 1850. Library of Virginia reference archivist Cara Griggs presents ways that information can be found despite record loss and records that lack detail. This workshop includes an overview of colonial government, focusing on a variety of record types that will help place an individual in a particular time and location and to potentially link generations together (provided that records survive). These include census records, tax records, and the records of religious organizations. Purchase tickets online.
8. JAWS
Film
July 6, 7pm
The Byrd Theatre, 2908 West Cary Street, Richmond, 23221
$10
The Byrd Theatre brings the Steven Spielberg 1975 classic Jaws. Synopsis: When an insatiable great white shark terrorizes the townspeople of Amity Island, the police chief, an oceanographer and a grizzled shark hunter seek to destroy the blood-thirsty beast. Purchase ticketsonline.
9. SHOWCASE OF SHORT PLAYS
Theatre, Literary Art
July 11, 8:30pm
Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Rd, Glen Allen, 23060
Staged readings of three original plays written by members of the Richmond Playwrights Forum and featuring favorite local actors! One performance only, at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. in the outdoor in the courtyard, weather permitting. There is no charge for the show but pay-what-you-will is encouraged.
10. MURALS OF JACKSON WARD WALKING TOUR
Visual Art, History
July 10, 10am
Meet in front of the mural at 325 North 2nd Street, Richmond, 23219
$20, children under 18 are free
Join the most experienced tour guides in Richmond to explore the diversity of one of city’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Visit murals, revitalized buildings and historic homes and learn the neighborhood’s rich history. Trace its evolution from immigrant, working-class neighborhood, to the “Harlem of the South” and a modern community today; and explore how art is telling the story of Jackson Ward. Presented by The Valentine. Purchase tickets online.
11. JON REEP
Comedy
July 8, 8:30pm
Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education, 11810 Centre Street Chester, 23831
$30
Pearl Street Comedy is excited to present Jon Reep - a nationally touring comedian whose contemporary country point of view has won over legions of fans in comedy clubs, on tv and in film. This show is intended for mature audiences, 18 & up. Presented at the new Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education. Purchase tickets online.
If you are an arts or cultural organization with social-distance-safe events such as online classes, virtual exhibitions or concerts, or even book readings, submit your events to Artsline here. If you are an artist or an arts or cultural organization in need of resources and tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, check out the list of local and national resources from Richmond CultureWorks.
