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.
Four performance groups join forces for holiday season staged reading
The 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.
Tickets on sale now to Chris Mann: A Night with The Phantom at the Wayne Theatre
Chris 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 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 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.
Stonewall Jackson House in Lexington plans Christmas event
The Stonewall Jackson House will present Christmas at the Jacksons’ on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m.
At this holiday event, visitors will be invited to step back in time to a candlelit Christmas and experience the excitement of preparing for guests by helping with the final details. Visitors will have a chance to choose the perfect handmade gifts for family and friends, prepare ingredients and churn butter in the kitchen, and pick the proper outfit for dinner. There will also be seasonal music and complimentary refreshments.
Admission will be non-perishable food for humans or pets to benefit the Rockbridge Area Relief Association food pantry. The museum shop will be open during the event.
For more information, call 540-464-7704 or visit www.stonewalljackson.org.
Civil War Christmas program at New Market museum
The Virginia Museum of the Civil War will present a Civil War Christmas program at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This event, which is free with paid park admission, will allow visitors to explore what Christmas in the Shenandoah Valley was like in 1859 as a slave insurrection at Harper’s Ferry was suppressed and young men were called to active duty at Charlestown.
Likewise, visitors will have a chance to experience the camp of the 51st Virginia Infantry outside New Market in December 1864, with low rations and even lower morale.
Inside the museum, visitors can create ornaments for the museum’s tree or their own tree. A special showing of Old Time Christmas from the Shenandoah Valley will begin in the museum theater at 2 p.m., and the museum gift shop, the General’s Store, will be open for Christmas shopping.
Admission is $10 for adults age 13-64, $9 for adults age 65 and older, and $6 for children age 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are admitted free of charge, as are VMI cadets, parents, and VMI alumni.
Beverley Street Studio School Gallery opens new exhibit
Servant of the Map by Elizabeth Schoyer will open Friday, December 2, in the Beverley Street Studio School Gallery at 22 West Beverley Street Staunton.
The opening is from 5:30 – 7:30pm with an artist’s talk at 6:00pm. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibit runs through Sunday, January 22, 2017.
Elizabeth Schoyer holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Philadelphia College of Art. She shows her work at Les Yeux du Monde in Charlottesville, VA and most recently there was an exhibit of her work at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She is a drawing professor at the University of Virginia.
Elizabeth’s paintings and gouaches are guided by Maria Sibylla Merian, Napoleon Bonaparte, Henry Bates, and Ernest Shackleton as they travel across Suriname, Egypt, Amazonia, and Antarctica. These explorers’ and naturalists’ resolve to continue to questioning the mysteries of the world in spite of the perils and comedy of errors that characterize their journeys, greatly influence Elizabeth’s work.
Like them, she is drawn to the wonder and beauty of discovery regardless of the apparent futility of the expeditions and great challenges that they presented. United in their common curiosity about the natural world, Elizabeth considers them to be her “collaborators”.
American Shakespeare Center gears up for the holidays
The American Shakespeare Center is gearing up for its annual Holiday Season with festive, funny, and heartwarming performances that will please both the naughty and the nice. The 2016 Holiday Season continues in the tradition of past seasons featuring performances of A Christmas Carol, The Santaland Diaries, and The Twelve Dates of Christmas.
A Christmas Carol celebrates its fifteenth year of performances at the Blackfriars Playhouse with ASC on Tour’s Andrew Goldwasser donning the top hat this year as Ebenezer Scrooge. The classic tale by Charles Dickens is re-imagined for the Blackfriars Playhouse with new twists, surprises, and a production filled with music and cheer for the whole family. Goldwasser is joined by the troupe of the 2016/17 Hungry Hearts Tour, which returns to Staunton for the Holiday Season after visiting 21 locations on the fall leg of this year’s tour.
The Santaland Diaries has been a staple of the ASC Holiday Season for the past twelve years and will take its final bow (for a while) this year. It is an outrageously funny one-man play from David Sedaris about his experience as an unemployed soap-opera-writer-wanna-be taking a job as an elf at Macy’s department store in New York City. ASC veteran Chris Johnston slips into the candy-cane tights for the first time in this modern holiday classic.
The Twelve Dates of Christmas is also slated to rotate off the Holiday Season line-up after this year’s production. What happens when Mary sees her fiancée making out with his co-worker on national TV? She dumps him and drop sher engagement ring into a Salvation Army kettle. What follows is a riotous adventure through a year in Mary’s life, offering a hilarious and modern alternative to the old standards of the holiday season. Miriam Donald Burrows returns to the Blackfriars stage for this perfect date- or girls-night ASC classic.
Performances begin in rotation on November 29 and continue through December 31. Premium level tickets start at $42 and can be purchased online at www.AmericanShakespeareCenter.
About the American Shakespeare Center
The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va., recovers the joys and accessibility of Shakespeare’s theatre, language, and humanity by exploring the English Renaissance stage and its practices through performance and education. The ASC Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre, is open year-round for productions of classic plays, which have been hailed by The Washington Post as “shamelessly entertaining” and by The Boston Globe as “phenomenal…bursting with energy.” Founded in 1988 as Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, the organization became the American Shakespeare Center in 2005 and can be found online at www.americanshakespearecenter.
New Market Museum to host Civil War Christmas program
The Virginia Museum of the Civil War will present a Civil War Christmas program at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This event, which is free with paid park admission, will allow visitors to explore what Christmas in the Shenandoah Valley was like in 1859 as a slave insurrection at Harper’s Ferry was suppressed and young men were called to active duty at Charlestown.
Likewise, visitors will have a chance to experience the camp of the 51st Virginia Infantry outside New Market in December 1864, with low rations and even lower morale.
Inside the museum, visitors can create ornaments for the museum’s tree or their own tree. A special showing of Old Time Christmas from the Shenandoah Valley will begin in the museum theater at 2 p.m., and the museum gift shop, the General’s Store, will be open for Christmas shopping.
Admission is $10 for adults age 13-64, $9 for adults age 65 and older, and $6 for children age 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are admitted free of charge, as are VMI cadets, parents, and VMI alumni.
VDOT announces lane closures lifted over Thanksgiving weekend
If you plan to travel over Thanksgiving, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) travel-trends map can help you determine the best times to drive during the holiday period.
To make travel easier, VDOT will be lifting lane closures where possible during the holiday period. If you’re looking for real-time traffic information, 511virginia.org can help through the long Thanksgiving weekend, and every day.
MOST MAJOR WORK ZONES SUSPENDED DURING THANKSGIVING TRAVEL
VDOT will suspend most highway work zones and lift lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon Wednesday, Nov. 23, until noon Monday, Nov. 28.
TRAVEL-TRENDS MAP HELPS PREDICT PEAK CONGESTION
VDOT’s online, interactive travel-trends map shows peak congestion periods on Virginia interstates during the three previous Thanksgiving holidays (2013-2015). For the first time, this year’s map shows expected congestion in northern Virginia on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as well.
The map shows varying amounts of interstate traffic by time of day, using red for heavy congestion, yellow for moderate congestion and green for little or no congestion.
To use the map, slide the button along the date bar at the top of the map to update predicted traffic information at half-hour intervals between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. for each day. You also can zoom and pan to specific areas of the state.
- Based on the traffic data, periods of heavy congestion was most likely to occur from mid-morning to evening on Wednesday and Sunday. In addition, routes to to/from NOVA are likely to be congested mid-morning to evening on Tuesday.
- US-1 and other popular arterials with access to shopping are likely to be congested throughout the weekend.
REAL-TIME TRAFFIC INFORMATION ON 511
Real-time information about traffic, incidents and congestion on Virginia roads is available at 511Virginia.org.Download the free mobile VDOT 511 app, or call 511 from any phone. To report a road problem or get answers to your transportation questions, call VDOT’s Customer Service Center at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623) around the clock.
NORTHERN VIRGINIA HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLE (HOV) SCHEDULE AND OTHER INFORMATION:
- I-66 and I-395 – HOV restrictions will be lifted on Thursday, Nov. 24. . Normal HOV restrictions remain on Friday, Nov. 25. Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road HOV ramps are open westbound to all traffic. For more information on northern Virginia HOV schedules, visit www.virginiadot.org/travel/
hov-novasched.asp. - Direction schedule for the Interstate 95 Express Lanes/I-395 reversible lanes:
o Wednesday, Nov. 23 – Lanes close northbound at 10 a.m., open to southbound traffic at 1 p.m.
o Thursday, Nov. 24 − Lanes close southbound at midnight, open to northbound traffic at 2 a.m. and remain northbound throughout the Thanksgiving Day.
o Friday, Nov. 25 – Lanes resume normal schedule of northbound closure at 11 a.m., open to southbound traffic at 2 p.m.
For information on the 95 and 495 Express Lanes schedules and rules visit www.expresslanes.com.
HAMPTON ROADS HOV SCHEDULE, TUNNELS AND OTHER INFORMATION:
- I-64/I-264/I-564 HOV diamond lanes – HOV restrictions will be lifted on all HOV diamond lanes on Thursday, Nov. 24.
- I-64 reversible lanes – Schedule remains the same. HOV restrictions will be lifted on Thursday, Nov. 24.
- I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) – Local traffic to Virginia Beach is encouraged to use the I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT) as an alternative to the HRBT. To Virginia Beach, take I-664 south to the MMMBT. Then take the Portsmouth/Norfolk exit (exit 15A) to I-264 east to Virginia Beach.
- Travel to Outer Banks – Local traffic to the North Carolina Outer Banks should use I-664 and the MMMBT to save time. From I-664 south, take I-64 west to exit 292, Chesapeake Expressway/I-464/Route 17. Keep left to continue to the Chesapeake Expressway (Route 168), and take Nags Head/Great Bridge (exit 291B) to the Outer Banks.
- Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) – Tune to 1680 AM to stay informed on Hampton Roads traffic, travel conditions and construction information.
THREE I-95 REST AREAS AT LADYSMITH, SKIPPERS OPEN WITH TEMPORARY FACILITIES
Three rest areas, two in Caroline County on northbound and southbound I-95 at Ladysmith and another on northbound I-95 in Greensville County at Skippers, were demolished in April and are being reconstructed. While new rest areas are being built, temporary restroom facilities will be available at these sites.
WORK ZONES AND OTHER TRAFFIC ALERTS
While VDOT will lift most lane closures for holiday travel, motorists may encounter permanent work zones or travel delays in the following locations:
Accomack County
Route 609 – Road closed for widening project in the Town of Onley. Follow detour.
Route 709 – Road closed for widening project. Follow detour.
U.S. 13 – Improving drainage in the Town of Onley. Traffic reduced to single lane in both directions.
Albemarle County
Route 29
- Narrowed lanes and shoulder closures between Route 643 (Polo Grounds Road) and Route 1719 (Towncenter Drive). Speed limit in work zone reduced to 40 mph.
- New traffic pattern on Route 29 at Route 631 (Rio Road). Motorists should follow directional signs. Speed limit in work zone reduced to 35 mph. More information: www.
Route29Solutions.org.
Amherst County
U.S. 501 – Replacing bridge at Route 130 intersection over James River. Two-way traffic on new bridge. Temporary signal in use.
Brunswick County
I-85 – Repairing bridge over railroad at mile marker 28. Traffic limited to one lane both directions. Ramp from I-85 north to Route 1 closed. Ramp from Route 1 south to I-85 south closed. Follow posted detours.
Botetourt County
I-81 – Reconstructing the eastern section of the exit 150 interchange at the intersections of Route 11 and Route 220 Alternate. Exit 150B off-ramp from I-81 northbound onto Route 11 is narrowed and reduced to one lane. Width restriction in place. The right turn lane on the off-ramp will be closed from the deceleration lane off of I-81 to the merge of the ramp onto Route 11 toward Route 220.
Buckingham County
Route 20 – Replacing bridge over Slate River. Speed limit in work zone reduced to 45 mph.
Campbell County
Route 29 – Repairing bridge over Otter River. Traffic restricted to one lane.
U.S. 460 – Constructing turn lane eastbound at Route 656. Lane closures in place.
Chesterfield County
Route 288 – Paving roadway. Single alternating lane closures both directions between Courthouse Rd. and I-95 on Monday, Nov. 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Culpeper County
Route 29 – Constructing restricted crossing U-turn intersection at Route 718 (Mountain Run Lake Road). Median crossover closed at intersection. Follow detour.
Fauquier County
Route 245 – Replacing bridge over Broad Run. Traffic restricted to one lane controlled by temporary signals.
Frederick County
I-81 – Reconstructing interchange at exit 310. Shoulders closed. Speed limit through work zone reduced to 60 mph.
Greensville County
U.S. 301 – Replacing southbound bridge over rail tracks north of Emporia. Traffic detoured to I-95.
Halifax County
U.S. 501 – Constructing right turn lanes at U.S. Route 40 and Route 632. Lane closures possible.
Isle of Wight County
U.S. 58 – Replacing bridge over rail tracks and Route 632. Follow detour.
Route 621 – Replacing bridge over Passenger Swamp. Road closed. Follow detour.
Route 680 – Replacing bridge of Stallings Creek. Road closed. Follow detour.
Lynchburg
Route 29/460 – Constructing safety improvements from Concord Turnpike to Candlers Mountain Road in both directions. Speed limit in work zone reduced to 45 mph.
Madison County
Route 230 – Replacing bridge over Conway River. Traffic restricted to one lane controlled by temporary signals.
Newport News
I-64 – Widening interstate. Trucks traveling westbound restricted to right lane between Jefferson Avenue (exit 255) and Yorktown Road (exit 247).
Pittsylvania County
Route 29 – Replacing bridge over railroad tracks. Route 29/803 connection temporarily relocated. Southbound detour in place.
Portsmouth
I-264 – Constructing Martin Luther King (MLK) Extension. Right lane closed on I-264 westbound between Effingham Street and Frederick Boulevard. Two lanes will remain open to traffic.
Rockbridge County
I-64 – Rehabilitating Maury River bridges. Westbound traffic will detour across median to eastbound lanes between mile markers 53.3 and 55.3. Traffic both directions restricted to single lane and will use eastbound bridge during work on westbound bridge. Speed limit through work zone reduced to 55 mph.
Southampton County
Route 35 – Replacing bridge in Boykins. Traffic reduced to single lane in both directions. Temporary signal in place.
U.S. 58 Business – Reconstructing roadway in Courtland. Single lane closures in both directions.
Stafford County
I-95 – Extending the 95 Express Lanes south of exit 143 (Route 610/Garrisonville). All travel lanes open; concrete barriers in place along the shoulder northbound and southbound in work zone.
Sussex County
Route 301 – Replacing bridge over Nottoway River. Detour in place.
Washington County
I-81 – Reconstructing interchange at exit 14. Lanes shifted due to bridge reconstruction at exit. Speed limit through work zone reduced to 60 mph.
I-81 – Reconstructing two interstate bridges over Halls Bottom Road near exit 10. Speed limit through work zone reduced to 60 mph.
Waynesboro
Route 340 – Replacing bridge over South River. Road closed between Constitution Park and East Avenue. Through traffic will use Broad Street (Route 250) as detour.
Wythe County
I-77/I-81 overlap – High traffic volumes could slow or stop vehicles through this eight-mile stretch. Be alert for delays on northbound I-77 at the I-81 merge.