Author: Jessi DiPette

“The Secret Garden” Opens This Dec. at VMT

January 01, 1970

Virginia Musical Theatre presents The Secret Garden December 1 – 3 at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved children’s classic blossoms anew in this enchanting musical by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman and Grammy Award®-winning composer Lucy Simon. Follow young, orphaned Mary Lennox as she’s sent from her home in India to live with her reclusive uncle on his haunted English country estate.

Guided by an exceptionally beautiful score, Mary’s unapologetic curiosity and the help of unlikely companions send her on a thrilling quest to untangle the pieces of her family’s past and, most importantly—discover herself.

Three convenient ways to purchase tickets:

  • Call VMT 757-340-5446
  • Stop by the Sandler Center Box Office
  • Visit www.ticketmaster.com
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Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s SoundBridge Offer Opportunities for Young Professionals

January 01, 1970

JOIN OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AN EXCITING ARTISTIC COMMUNITY!

SoundBridge brings together Hampton Roads young professionals under 40 to engage with one another and the arts in an exciting atmosphere. The program offers a three-performance package that includes tickets to the performance, invitations to themed receptions, and so much more.

SOUNDBRIDGE MEMBER BENEFITS
Three (3) tickets to SoundBridge performance nights
Three (3) invitations to exclusive receptions at each SoundBridge performance night
One (1) drink ticket per SoundBridge performance night
Access to monthly Symphony Notes eNewsletter
A special VSO tote bag
Two (2) passes to one (1) Open Rehearsal
Access to VSO’s Spotify Channel for a customized listening experience, including streaming playlists and VSO recordings
Special engagement and volunteer opportunities

 

Learn More and register for a FREE VIP RECEPTION at https://virginiasymphony.org/soundbridge/

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Winner of Proteus New Plays Festival Audience Favorite Award to Play Extended Run at The Z: Boxes of Someday

January 01, 1970

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia-The audiences have spoken! After four new works completed their limited runs during the Proteus Festival’s New Plays Fest, the 2023 Audience Favorite was crowned. This year’s winner, “Boxes of Someday”, takes the stage for an extended workshop run at The Z from November 10-18. 

 

The 2023 Proteus New Plays featured four new works written in The Z Playwrights Lab. Audiences were invited to rate the plays to pick the audience favorite, and the winner was announced during the 2023 Block Party on October 7. 

 

“Boxes of Someday”, written by LouJ Stalsworth and directed by Sharon Cook, follows Widower Ray Calabria as he nears the sale of his house to a young couple who, that same day, must make a life-shaping decision of their own. The piece is a love story of then and now, as audiences take a journey through 42 years of his memories. 

 

The performance will feature a cast of local actors, including 3 pairs who portray Ray and his wife Margaret in various points of their lives. 

 

The workshop production will be directed by Sharon Cook. Cook recently directed the mainstage performance of “Refraction of Light” in the 2022-2023 Curtain Up! New Plays season at The Z to wide acclaim. 

 

“Boxes of Someday” opens November 10, 2023 at The Z, located at 4509 Commerce Street in Virginia Beach Town Center. The production runs Fridays and Saturday at 7:30pm with 3pm matinees on Saturdays. Tickets are $20. Patrons can save with a 5-ticket Flex Pass, available at thez.org/flexpasses. Tickets are on sale now at thez.org. 

 

The Zeiders American Dream Theater is a non-profit professional theater dedicated to presenting new works and featuring emerging artists. 

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The Underground Performing Arts Collective Starts off the Season with Inaugural Performance of A Motown Christmas by Nate Jacobs 

January 01, 1970

CONTACT: Sharon Cook 

[email protected], 757-291-3326 

This legendary jukebox musical revue pays tribute to musical icons we all know and love 

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (October 12, 2023)— The Underground Performing Arts Collective (UPAC) and The Arts Academy at UPAC (501c3) invite the public to celebrate its inaugural production of “A Motown Christmas.” Created and adapted by Nate Jacobs, this jukebox musical revue features many of the legendary Motown catalog audiences will love and enjoy! 

Music featured are those favorites from Motown artists such as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, and more! This promises to be a holiday favorite the entire family will enjoy! 

Director Derrion Hawkins (Black Girl Magic, School Girls) says he hopes audiences will leave this production “having their joy restored, particularly in the wake of so many tragic events playing out in our world today. ” Along with a cast of talented singers and dancers, the production’s creative team includes celebrated local choreographer Jennifer Kelly-Cooper (Flyin’ West, Escape to Margaritaville, Black Girl Magic) and musical director Ja’Mel Dean (Black Girl Magic, Shackles Lounge). 

Motown was determined to “cross over” during its time, to reach a wide diverse audience and stretch listeners beyond their single-genre tunes. UPAC, with support from Zeiders, strives on those same principles of providing safe artistic platforms to diverse and underrepresented artists to expand their art throughout the Hampton Roads Community. Celebrate our inaugural performance and the legacy of Motown this holiday season!

WHO: The Underground Performing Arts Collective, Directed by Derrion Hawkins, Choreographed by Jennifer Kelly-Cooper, and Musically Directed by Ja’Mel Dean 

WHAT: A Motown Christmas musical revue created and adapted by Nate Jacobs, presented by The Underground Performing Arts Collective in collaboration with Zeiders American Dream Theater 

WHEN: Thursday, November 30th, 7:30pm 

Friday, December 1st, 7:30pm 

Sunday, December 3rd, 4:00pm 

Friday, December 8th, 7:30pm 

Saturday, December 9th, 3:00pm & 7:30pm 

WHERE: Zeiders American Dream Theatre 

4509 Commerce Street 

Virginia Beach, VA 23462 

HOW: Purchase tickets online: thez.org/events/a-motown-christmas General Admission: $25 

Box Office: 757-499-0317 

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About The Underground Performing Arts Collective 

The Underground Performing Arts Collective and The Arts Academy is a 501(c)(3) founded in 2023, providing safe, inclusive platforms to performing artists and designers from underrepresented, diverse populations to create art that inspires, educates, promotes social change, and builds community. 

To learn more about UPAC visit undergroundarts.co

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Tragic Story of “Radium Girls” Play Brings Awareness of Labor Movement History 

January 01, 1970

NORFOLK, Virginia – Modern workplace safety would not be what it is today if it were not for five young women dying from radium poisoning who filed a lawsuit against their corporate employer nearly 100 years ago. It’s a tragic story that’s not widely known, but Little Theatre of Norfolk will bring it to life on stage in the play “Radium Girls” from October 20 to November 5. 

Marie and Pierre Curie won the Nobel Prize for discovering the element radium. Its radioluminescence made it marketable in a variety of ways–a “cure-all” for everything from treating cancer to impotence, energy elixirs, cosmetics, toothpaste, and glow-in-the-dark paint for watches. The technique for painting the tiny watch dials involved molding the paint brushes into a fine point using the mouth. When questioned, the workers at U.S. Radium Corporation were told it was safe. It was common for women to start working as dial painters as young teenagers, but by the time they reached their 20s, some started to get sick with disturbing health issues and similar painful ailments disintegrating their jaws and weakening their bones. The young women were dying. 

In 1925, five of the fatally ill workers–Grace Fryer, Quinta “Maggie” McDonald, Edna Hussman, Albina Larice, and Katherine Schaub, filed a lawsuit against U.S. Radium Corporation, hoping for compensation for their costly medical expenses. The company denied the claims and made legal maneuvers delaying the trial, hoping the plaintiffs would die before the case ever made it before a jury. Dubbed “Radium Girls” in the press, headlines of the case captured public sympathy and outrage. Just days before the trial was set to begin, the women agreed to a settlement. It was one of the first cases where workers won compensation from an employer. Besides exposing the dangers of radioactivity and workplace hazards, the case was cited as a leading cause in the 1970 creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

This true story is what inspired Kelly Gilliam to direct “Radium Girls” at Little Theatre of Norfolk. “I love history and stories based on historical events. The play itself and the subject matter are so important. The story of these girls deserves to be heard–the exploitation of workers and corporate greed that caused the pain and ultimate death of so many young women,” explained Gilliam. “I also very much want to bring this story to life in an interesting and meaningful way, ensuring that the history and the people being portrayed are accurate and done with respect to the story.” 

Ash O’Leary is just the right person to entrust with the attention to detail required of Gilliam’s vision. Ash plays Grace Fryer, the brave young woman who filed the lawsuit on behalf of herself and the four other dial painters. “I like to go to the source material and historical accounts, and see how it compares to the play’s script. I’ve been going through the audiobook ‘Radium Girls’ as well as doing some of my own research to get a feel for both the historical woman and the fictionalized one in the script,” said O’Leary. “The stark contrast between portraying a woman who grows increasingly bolder in her internal fortitude while growing increasingly weaker in her physical state is a really wonderful challenge to take on to grow, learn, and incorporate as an actor.” 

Audiences may find the play has modern relevance, as today’s news headlines are increasingly peppered with worker strikes across various industries. “The story is a timeless one of fighting for what’s right despite seemingly insurmountable odds, and I think it is especially relevant to today’s overworked culture that too frequently puts profit over human flourishing,” said O’Leary. 

The story of “Radium Girls” reminds us of an era when workers didn’t have the rights they have today, truth in advertising wasn’t questioned, and consumers were not warned of product dangers. However, most of us never knew there were five young women fighting to the death to credit for taking the first steps that led to a safer future.  

“Radium Girls” opens October 20 at Little Theatre of Norfolk, located at 801 Claremont Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Norfolk. The production runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through November 5. Tickets are available at ltnonline.org or by calling the box office at (757) 627-8551. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. Patrons may save with a season flex pass for $102, which is six tickets that may be used in any combination. Parking is free in the lots behind the theatre and across the street. 

 Little Theatre of Norfolk is a volunteer-led, non-profit community theatre, continually operating since 1926. 

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Student Opportunity: Reflections National Arts Contest

January 01, 1970

Celebrate the transformative power of arts education by encouraging your student(s) to participate in the Reflections Arts Contest!

Reflections is a national arts contest facilitated by the National Parent Teacher Association and this year’s theme is ‘I am Hopeful Because…’.Along with a written artist statement, Pre-K through 12 students and special artist divisions, are invited to create theme-based artwork in the categories of dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography or visual arts.

To learn more about submissions, deadlines, and awards, visit Virginia Reflections. 

For questions, please email .

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Contact Information

Zeiders American Dream Theater
4509 Commerce Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Email Us
Box Office: 757-499-0317

 

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