Two days ago we reported about U of R’s new venture downtown and now, we are reporting on the Barksdale’s new downtown show.  The Barksdale’s website confirms that Guys & Dolls, their summer musical, will indeed be downtown, at the Empire, but it is mainly for production reasons – it is a  big musical needs a big stage (not the theater in the round that Barksdale offers).   With the possible exception of future summer musicals,  other Barksdale productions will continue to be held at the Willow Lawn location.

And to put an end to any rumors, although there is talk on the street, Theater IV has no plans to move the  kids shows to Barkesdale’s Willow Lawn theater.

Come see “The Firehouse Theatre Cabaret” the night before opening… for free!
“The Firehouse Theatre Cabaret” - IDR
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: The Firehouse Theatre Project
Street: 1609 West Broad Street
RSVP: at Facebook

The location of the April 10 symposium kicking off the inauguration of Edward L. Ayers as president of the University of Richmond has been changed to accommodate high demand for tickets.

“New Perspectives on the American Civil War” will be held on campus at the Robins Center at 4:30 p.m. April 10. A book-signing by the three panelists — Ayers, Harvard University president and history professor Drew Gilpin Faust, and University of Virginia professor of the Civil War Gary W. Gallagher — will follow.

Ticket requests have significantly exceeded the capacity of the originally scheduled location, 600-seat Camp Concert Hall, and continue to come in. Admission is free and open to the public, but advance online registration is required at inauguration.richmond.edu. For more information, call 804-287-1800.

[via]

Local Near West End business, Rigsby’s Jig,and its owner, Eleanor Robertson, are profiled in this weeks Times-Dispatch.

Nick Young wanted to be prepared for his daughter’s wedding reception.

Young, along with his wife, daughter and her fiancé, decided to take dance lessons at Rigby’s Jig dance studio in western Henrico County.

The studio offers wedding preparation and group classes, private lessons and weekly social dance parties.

“We started six to eight months in advance of our daughter’s wedding in July 2007,” Young said. “We all danced at the wedding. My son-in-law turned out to be a better dancer than I am. But for two Army guys — I’m retired and my son-in-law is an active-duty soldier — we did well.”

Young credits his success to Rigby’s owner, Eleanor Robertson.

“Eleanor is a wonderful dancer and a great businesswoman,” Young said. “She’s very patient and she doesn’t discourage easily. She has perseverance and creativity.”

We are so lucky in the Near West End — the University of Richmond constantly bring fabulous performances here that would othewise skip Richmond. Arlo Guthrie, Ira Glass, from NPR’s This American Life, Bobby McFerrin and D.J. Spooky are all coming this spring to the Modlin Center.
Look here for upcoming reviews of these performances. In the meantime, check out the Modlin Center’s calendar. They are constantly adding additional show times as ticket sell out.
These are the kind of performances that you can pretty much pick any one, maybe even someone you’ve never heard of and go and as your are leaving them say, “that was amazing! How did I not know about that performer?”
One such performer is D.J. Spooky and his Rebirth of a Nation. [via]

“Where other DJs remix songs, adding beats and blending melodies, Miller remixes culture in his style—blending music and as a writer, producer, critic, philosopher and multimedia artist.” —Philadelphia Daily News

After a two-year world tour, conceptual artist, writer and musician DJ Spooky will bring his acclaimed multimedia performance piece Rebirth of a Nation to the Modlin Center. An audio and visual re-imagining of D.W. Griffith’s groundbreaking and polarizing 1915 classic, The Birth of a Nation, the work combines DJ Spooky’s celebrated skills as a club DJ, multimedia storyteller and social critic to transform the silent era epic into a mesmerizing commentary on political corruption and racism. Rebirth of a Nation has drawn acclaim around the world, from the Herod Atticus Theater at the base of the Acropolis in Greece to the London IMAX, Europe’s largest movie screen.

Plus, the Modlin Center has its own blog! How cool is that? Complete with a link to audience reviews and comments.

I remember way back in the early 90’s when I worked for Style Weekly, my editor, Sue Robinson-Sain, asked me to cover a short story on how UR’s Modlin Center had just hired Kathy Panoff as its new director. I covered it but never really understood what a boon to UR and Richmond it would be until now. She has really done so much to improve the quality of performances here in Richmond.

Looks like the Barksdale Theater started their own blog. Here’s to tooting your own horn. At least maybe now we’ll have the inside scoop on Richmond’s theater scene, even if it is biased….

Tonight, they open a new play, Moonlight and Magnolias, at least it stars the very talented Scott Wichmann, so you know it is going to be funny.

The University of Richmond’s Modlin Center has provided the following info regarding their upcoming events for the month of November.

Lionheart offers early classics and new works for men’s voices

Lionheart is one of America’s leading ensembles in vocal chamber music. This all-male sextet is best known for its interpretation of medieval and Renaissance a cappella music, with Gregorian Chant as the keystone of its repertoire. Hailed by Early Music America for their -rich, true tones and flawlessly blended harmonies,-Lionheart will mesmerize Richmond music lovers with -Wayfaring Stranger,- a diverse repertoire of a cappella music from the 13th century to the present day.

Check out Lionheart’s recording and take a listen

Read more >

The Third Practice (3P) Electroacoustic Music Festival comes to the University of Richmond Friday and Saturday. The mixed media and music festival features music for instruments, laptops, computers, video, stereo and more. This year, the theme is world music in all its forms. The Community Idea Station Blog has a soundclip on the festival and its Indonesian virtual puppeteer that are part of the festival. Concerts are free and open to the public. Performance times are Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 20th at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The Barksdale Theater is now offering discount last mintute tickets 15 to 90 minutes before the show. The best part: they are only $15, less than half of the regular price. Right now they are showing
“Member of the Wedding” at Willow Lawn and “Deathtrap” at Hanover Tavern.
[via]

I mentioned earlier that I always go to the Indian Festival because I love it so much. We’ll I also always go to the 2nd Street Festival too. This year, (this weekend, in fact) they’ve managed to hold them on the same weekend, only one block apart! Granted, parking is going to suck, but I love the community. I love the atmosphere, I adore the music and I never seem to mind reminding myself or my kids what it is like to be in a minority for a change.
The festival, in case you haven’t been, takes place all up and down 2nd Street from Jackson to Broad Street. The area once known as the Black Wall Street of America, or the Harlem of the South. The highlight of course is the jazz, but also, there is great gospel, step dancing, street vendors selling goods, children’s activities, and well once again, the music.
Not sure why the hosts, Venture Richmond (formerly known as City Celebrations and Downtown Presents) put the schedule in PDF, so no one could post it on thier blog, but here are is the link. The festival is totally free.
Highlights include:
Reggae legends A.A.E at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday
SPBC Imani Female Step Team at 3 p.m. on Sunday
and my personal favorite, The James Gates Quartet at 4:40 p.m. on Sunday.

Richmond Symphony Petting Zoo and the Sixth Mount Zion Mime Minestry get my “most curious” votes. I want to go find out what a symphony petting zoo and a mime minestry are….or maybe I don’t.