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Artsline - May is filled with dance, music, comedy & more!

Stavna Ballet
Stavna Ballet will perform excerpts from Don Quixote at Firehouse Theatre. See details below. (Image used with permission.)

Artsline: Virtual Edition || May 9, 2022

“There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” ~Vicki Baum

It’s May and there’s a tug-of-war between indoor and outdoor opportunities to enjoy the art scene in RVA and beyond. This week we have dance, music, literature, and so much more! Plus, it’s festival season – so loosen your belt and be prepared for the amazing food only Richmond can offer. Check out all the great happenings below!

To list your events on Artsline, go to vpm.org/artsline.


1. STUDIO FOUR
Dance
Tuesday-Friday, May 10-13, 6:30pm
Saturday, May 14, 5pm & 8pm
Sunday, May 15, 1:30pm & 4:30pm
Thursday-Friday, May 19-20, 7pm
Richmond Ballet, 407 East Canal Street, Richmond, 23219
$25-$100

Presented by Richmond Ballet, Artistic Director Stoner Winslett’s Echoing Past uses seldom heard piano music by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel to explore one woman’s journey – the reality of continuing to go forward, the reflections of her past experience, the decisions both in and out of her control, and the necessity of finding strength from within. Val Caniparoli’s What’s Going On takes a cutting edge look at some of today’s most provocative societal issues, including war, race, sexual orientation, politics, the environment, and more. Set to iconic protest songs from the past sixty years, paired with powerful images and headlines, Caniparoli’s new work examines where we have been and where we are going as a society. Purchase tickets online.


2. ARTS ON THE LAWN
Visual Arts
Saturday, May 14
Hermitage Richmond, 1600 Westwood Avenue, Richmond 23227

The Hermitage brings back Arts on the Lawn! Enjoy local artists and creators as they showcase their work. Funds raised will go towards The Hermitage’s Opening Minds through Art program, benefitting people with dementia. Food Trucks and Live Music. No registration required.


3. UNCOMMON DOGS LAUNCH PARTY
Photography
Wednesday, May 11, 5:30pm Reception
Exhibit shows through May 25
Common House, 303 West Broad Street, Richmond, 23220

Join Common House Richmond for the launch of Uncommon Dogs — a photography showcase by Wendy Humble (wife of VPM's COO), featuring four-legged friends who offer emotional support when needed most. Walk through Common House to see photos and then meet in the Social Hall to get to know Wendy and Richmond's fellow dog lovers over drinks and snacks from the bar. Donations will be collected to benefit  Fetch a Cure and  RACC, Richmond's favorite rescue shelter. RSVP online or at 804-525-9320.


4. LEBANESE FOOD FESTIVAL
Culture, Dance, Music
Friday – Sunday, May 13-15
St. Anthony Maronite Catholic Church, 4611 Sadler Road, Glen Allen, 23060

The 36th Annual Lebanese Food Festival hosted by St. Anthony’s Maronite Catholic Church brings food, sweets, music and dancing. Rain or shine. Admission free, no registration required.


5. 77TH ANNUAL BOOK & AUTHOR EVENT
Literary Art
Thursday, May 12, 6:30pm
Virtually and at Tuckahoe Women’s Club, 4215 Dover Road, Richmond, 23221
$30 Virtual | $75 In-Person

The Junior League of Richmond brings the 77th Annual Book & Author Event - the longest running event of its kind in the country. Hosted once again by Bob Deans, this event will feature seven distinguished authors and will allow you to discover new authors and books while supporting the Junior League of Richmond and its mission. Purchase tickets online.


6. WASHINGTON'S HEIR: THE LIFE OF JUSTICE BUSHROD WASHINGTON
Literary Art, History
Thursday, May 12, 6pm
Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, 23219

Join the Library of Virginia for a talk by author and professor of law Gerard N. Magliocca on the first published biography of Bushrod Washington, the nephew of Founding Father George Washington and an attorney and politician who served on the Supreme Court of the United States. In Washington's Heir: The Life of Justice Bushrod Washington, Magliocca draws on his research as a fellow at the Washington Library at Mount Vernon to tell the story of Justice Washington, through which new perspectives on George Washington and Chief Justice John Marshall also emerge. The author uses Washington's journal to reveal new information on some of early America's landmark constitutional cases, as well as examining his inheritance of both Mount Vernon and of the enslaved people of the Washington family. Register online for this free event.


7. POURS AND PASTIES BURLESQUE AND VARIETY SHOW
Dance, Theatre, Comedy
Friday, May 13, 8:30pm
Strangeways Brewing, 2277A Dabney Road Richmond, 23230
$12 Advance | $15 Door | $20 VIP

Burlesque Right Meow is back at Strangeways Brewing with a new cast full of burlesque, circus arts, and comedy that's sure to leave you teased and pleased all night long! This month's amazing lineup: Bert Shaffer Darshe Dazzles Empress D'Naste Hannah Boone Isabel Astrum Mary Jane French Selene Noire Murphy Lawless Scarlet Starlet Sally Stardust. Intended for audiences 18+. Purchase tickets online.


8. SHAVE A LIFE 2022!
Comedy
Saturday, May 14, 2pm
CSz Richmond Theatre, 8906 West Broad Street, Richmond, 23294
$14

CSz Richmond Theatre brings back their annual fundraiser for the St. Baldrick's Foundation to help find a cure for children’s cancer. Join the fun as two teams of improv heavyweights battle it out for points and laughs in a comedy match with raised stakes - somebody's going home bald, including a whole bunch of Loyal Fans! Purchase tickets online.


9. J. PAVONE STRING TRIO
Music
Wednesday, May 11, 7:30pm
Firehouse Theatre Project, 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, 23220
$10 Advance | $15 Day Of

The J. Pavone String Trio has performed at the Graham Foundation in Chicago, NYC Winter Jazzfest, Firehouse12 in New Haven, Roulette and ISSUE Project Room in Brooklyn, and The Rotunda in Philadelphia. This tour celebrates the release of their third album  ...Of Late on Astral Spirits Records and features a new ensemble lineup of Pavone on viola, Aimée Niemann on violin, and Abby Swidler playing both violin and viola. Presented by Firehouse Theatre. Purchase tickets online.


10. MENDELSSOHN AND STILL
Music
Friday, May 13, 6:30pm at Lancaster Middle School, 191 School Street Kilmarnock, 22482
Saturday, May 14, 6:30pm at Northumberland High School, 201 Academic Lane, Heathsville, 22473
$36 (Students free)

The Northern Neck Orchestra concludes its 30th season with Felix Mendelssohn’s legendary Violin Concerto, featuring Moises Cunha, the orchestra’s Concertmaster and Principal Violinist, and William Grant Still’s landmark Symphony No. 1. Purchase tickets online.


11. STAVNA BALLET
Dance
Friday, May 13, 7pm
Saturday, May 14, 2pm & 7pm
Firehouse Theatre Project, 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, 23220
$15

Enjoy the diversity and excellence of the Stavna Ballet company dancers, featuring experts from Don Quixote and contemporary ballet works choreographed by Director Shannon McConville, Ballet Master Angelica Burgos, resident choreographer Kristina Edwards, and guest artist Eric Rivera. Purchase tickets online.


12. RICHMOND PHILHARMONIC GALA CONCERT
Music
Sunday, May 15, 4pm
Pre-concert talk at 3pm
St. Christopher's School, 711 St. Christopher's Road, Richmond, 23226

“Ode to Joy,” the theme of The Richmond Philharmonic’s free Gala Concert, represents both a celebration of the full orchestra’s return to making music and 50 years of fulfilling its mission to promote the art and appreciation of classical orchestral music for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Members of the Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale and Richmond Concert Chorale will join the Philharmonic to perform Beethoven’s magnificent Ninth Symphony. Pre-concert talk features Music Director Peter Wilson and VPM Music Host Mike Goldberg. No registration required.

 


If you are an arts or cultural organization with lectures, exhibitions, performances, 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, check out the  list of local and national resources from Richmond CultureWorks.

Artist Wendy Humble's photojournalism work has been featured on VPM and she is the wife of VPM's Chief Content Officer.

Hermitage Richmond, Junior League of Richmond, Library of Virginia, and Richmond Ballet are sponsors of VPM.

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