RVANews-news archive
November 14, 2008
Pulitzer Prize winning play comes to University of Richmond’s Modlin Center
“The Skin of Our Teeth,” a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Thornton Wilder, will be presented by the University of Richmond’s department of theatre and dance starting Nov. 19.
The play follows the trials and tribulations of the fictional Antrobus family, and will be performed in the Alice Jepson Theatre. Dorothy Holland will direct the play. She is an associate professor of theatre, and said she had the production in mind for several years.
“It’s very theatrical and funny,” Holland said. “It has big ideas and it’s in a comedic vein.”
The dramatic comedy centers on the four members of the Antrobus family and their maid as they barely survive tragedies, wars and natural disasters. It is from these struggles that the name of the play derives, because the characters are only holding on by “the skin of their teeth.”
The cast of 22 is made up of students, faculty and two artists in residence, Joe Inscoe and Irene Ziegler Aston. Inscoe and Aston are playing Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus. Freshman Jackson Knox, who plays their son Henry, said working with the artists in residence had been enlightening.
“We have good chemistry overall,” Knox said. “They are really fun to work with, and they are helpful, they are always giving us tips.”
The other main characters in the play are the Antrobus’ daughter Gladys, played by sophomore Caitlyn Duer, and the family’s maid Sabina, played by Richmond alumna Liz Kirkwood. Kirkwood returned to Richmond to be in the play after falling in love with her character.
“She is really, really fun and really interesting,” Kirkwood said. “She is always the other woman, and she has such ideas about where she wants to go.”
The play includes many time periods, as well as an atmosphere of unrest, which stems from the World War II era when Wilder wrote it. The problems the family faces are allusions to historical, biblical and political events, among other things, said Veronica Seguin, a junior and assistant director of the production.
“It is a comedy with a message,” Seguin said. “It is a story of humanity and the resilience of the human race.”
The comedy aspect of the play makes it easier for the audience to absorb its message, Holland said.
“Because it’s theatrical, it can talk about more important issues,” Holland said. “It’s a funny and provocative view of the human race. Despite humanity’s foibles and failings and embarrassments, somehow we manage to survive.”
Because the original play opened in 1942, Holland said she had worked to modernize certain elements. The additions include a sparkly set, updated costume design, televisions piled on the edge of the stage, segways and more modern language included in the script. Seguin said the combination of the prehistoric and the modern added even more humor to the play.
“You see dinosaurs, mammoths, segways and T. V .’s all on stage at the same time,” she said.
The purpose of all modernization was to make the play as current now as it was when Wilder wrote it, Holland said.
“He was cutting edge and speaking to his time,” Holland said, “And we needed to do it too, so there is a mixture of different time periods.”
Although the set, costumes and script were modernized, both Holland and cast members said the play itself was timeless. Holland said she saw themes of climate change, economic crisis and political wrong-doing as particularly prevalent, and Seguin said she hoped the audience would notice the allusions to current political candidates. The play remains relevant, Knox said, because the audience can relate to the families’ crises.
“So many problems the characters face are problems that we all face today,” Knox said.
The show opens on Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and will run until Nov. 22 at the Alice Jepson Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, students, UR alumni and employees, $6 for children, and $10 for Richmond students.
Contact reporter Kate Foss at kate.foss@richmond.edu
November 13, 2008
School Board Rep Kim Bridges Updates the Near West End
Near West End School Board Rep Kim Bridges likes to keep her constituents informed. Here is her November update:
What would you do if you won $11,000?
If you’re Hill teacher Stephen Beckett, you make plans for Antarctica and then head back to the classroom like it’s just another day. As I suspected he would be, Mr. Beckett was outside of Hill this a.m. like he is every other morning, supervising kids while they chat, toss a football or shoot hoops before school. No sign of Northface gear since he won the REB award for teaching excellence this week, but this winner is already talking about podcasts direct to Hill from the Antarctic. These awards let teachers do “cool” things, but the best part is how the lessons learned make it back to Richmond students. Congratulations Mr. Beckett, and bundle up. Read more at http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-11-12-0168.html.
Election Thanks
You did it again 1st District! You came out in great numbers to vote and show everyone what an involved community we have:
https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2008/07261AFC-9ED3-410F-B07D-84D014AB2C6B/Unofficial/00_760_s.shtml
Thanks especially for going all the way through the ballot to vote for the lowly school board race. I was at the polls at TJ and Hill and talked to many people who were eager to learn more about our schools. Luckily, I had my handy dandy three-fold business card at the ready, with information about each of the 4 schools housed here in the 1st. (With the support of the Richmond Education Association and Coalition for a Greater Richmond.) I’m asking everyone—including Museum District Association members who’ll get some of the cards tomorrow at their annual meeting–to read up on the schools and then pass the card along to someone else in the district who may not know much about what’s going on in our schools.
Find out what an outside expert says about RPS auditing
Next Friday, November 21 is the culmination of some work which might be one of the most important tasks completed during this school board term. For the past nine months, I have been privileged to lead the school board’s Internal Audit committee as we have focused on a long-neglected but critical function for any organization. This committee, with valuable input from the business community and higher ed professionals, worked diligently to craft an audit charter and develop an annual audit work plan. And those efforts culminated in an external review which will be presented on 11/21 at 2:30. I know it doesn’t have the appeal of a school tour or a community event, but if you’re at all interested in the progress that RPS is making in oversight and operations, this is the meeting for you. I’ll send the presentation afterwards just in case you don’t make it.
Upcoming Events (before Thanksgiving)
Tuesday, November 18 from 8:15 – 11:45 - Get on the Bus tour of 3 RPS schools. Several 1st District citizens took the tour last spring and the responses were overwhelmingly positive. This time we’re touring Overby-Shepard Elementary, Martin Luther King Middle and Franklin Military Institute. FREE to you if you RSVP to 780-7100 by this Friday.
Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30 p.m. - TJ’s monthly PTSA meeting
Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m. - Learn about Richmond Community High and have fun with math at Hill’s PTA meeting. Bring some canned goods for Hill’s food drive.
Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 p.m… - Community Clean Up for Hill Athletic Field
Whether you have a child at Hill or not, you’re invited to join us as we revamp the athletic field at the corner of Thompson & Patterson. With more teams than ever using the middle school’s field, there’s work to be done and refreshments to be had. It’ll take a team effort!
Wednesday, November 26 at 6:00 p.m. – Harvest Dinner at Richmond Community High
And mark your calendar for the start of December…Barnes & Noble night to benefit Mary Munford’s coming up December 6 & 7. When you show the Munford flyer that’s available at the store, the school will get proceeds from your purchase.
See you at school! Kim Bridges, 1st District School Board representative
November 13, 2008
Look for Street Closings this Weekend due to Richmond Marathon/Half Mary/8K
In the Near West End, closings that will affect you due to the Marathon/Half Marathon/8K are:
Monument Avenue westbound between Mulberry and Westmoreland will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Grove Avenue westbound between Commonwealth and Granite will be closed from 7:30 to 9:30 AM.
The Huguenot Bridge will be closed to northbound traffic from 8 AM to approximately 11 AM. Northbound traffic on Huguenot Road will be detoured north from Huguenot Road onto Chippenham Parkway to the Willey Bridge
For a full list of closings go to the Richmond Marathon website.
November 10, 2008
Some thoughts on Cafe Caturra and Wine Bars in the Near West End
I’ve been thinking about Cafe Caturra recently and writing about it. There is so much I love about that place: the patio, the dual fireplaces, the coffee roasting right in the store. Plus I love that you can buy half glasses of wine, and I love the fact that you can sample and sample wine until you find just the right wine for you, and discuss the wine with the somewhat knowledgable staff.
But, they’ve got alot of competition in the neighborhood, with several similar concept wine bars opening in the next few weeks. We published a story about the Village’s Magnolia Wine Bistro and also you may have noticed a Near West End location of the very popular Barrel Theif Wine Shop & Cafe with almost an identical concept. Cafe Catturra’s advantage is that it is already open and already popular. Plus it has an huge affluent customer base withing walking distance (always a plus when you are drinking wine!).
But getting back to my personal experience there. I felt like the signature salad that I ordered was good but overpriced and the lettuce was a bit tough. If I remember correctly, the salad was $8.95 and the wine was $8 a glass. By the time you add in tax and a tip well you are talking over $20. Which might all be fine and dandy if the lettuce was tender and the wine was to die for. But apparently I have very simple taste and cannot appreciate wine as well as some can. I stood at Cafe Caturra’s counter sampling wine after wine trying to find one that I liked as much as Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw Shiraz, or 3 Buck Chuck. I couldn’t do it.
November 10, 2008
Last Chance to Have Your Say on Elimination of Westhampton 16 Bus Route
There has been lots of discussion lately about transportation, but if you ride the GRTC Westhampton 16, your final chance to have your say on the elimination of the GRTC bus route is coming up Nov. 18:
The third and final informal town meeting will be held to discuss proposed GRTC Transit System bus route changes, which would include route elimination or service reduction. The meetings will be led by GRTC Transit System CEO, John M. Lewis, and may include attendance by members of Richmond City Council.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
6:00-7:30 p.m.Richmond City Council Chambers
900 E. Broad Street
Richmond City Hall - 2nd floor
November 7, 2008
UR Weinstein Center hosts Hoop Up the Arts 3 on 3 B-ball Tourney
Thanks to the Church Hill People’s News for sending us this info on The Hoop Up the Arts 3 on 3 basketball tournament:
Come burn off those Thanksgiving Day calories, gather the relatives and
friends home from college and join the fun of the NTELOS First Annual Hoop
Up the Arts 3 on 3 basketball tournament hosted at the beautiful Weinstein
Center at the University of Richmond on November 28, 2008. All proceeds go
to benefit the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center in North Church Hill.
We will have four male divisions for ages 14 & up, including a 30+ league
with prizes varying from Dick’s Sporting Goods, G-Force Go Carts, Starbucks,
The Funny Bone and Chick-fil-a. Team registration only $100 per team of 3-4.
Check out www.robinsontheater.org for more information and contact Betsy
Hart at betsyrhart@gmail.com or 804.310.2887 with interest or questions.
Deadline: November 24, 2008
November 7, 2008
UR and VCU partner to impact City of Richmond
A group of University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University students is striving to make a difference in the city’s low-income communities by working one-on-one with struggling residents to help them achieve economic stability and pursue expanded opportunities.
National Student Partnerships was founded in 1998 by two Yale University undergraduates who saw a wide economic gap between their college and the city surrounding it. The students recognized the impact the skills they’d gained in school would have on the community, so they designed a program in which volunteers could personally coordinate access to employment opportunities and social services for people in need.
Today, NSP has grown to 12 offices located in major metropolitan areas across the country. Richmond sophomore Jaime Calero is one of the 15 volunteers working in Richmond’s downtown office.
“People come to us for help on housing, legal advice — things like that,” Calero said. “We help them write their resumes, set up e-mail accounts, direct them to social services. We either help them out personally or find a place that can help them. It’s great, I feel like I’m actually doing something.”
Senior Leona Chan has been with NSP for three years, first getting involved with the program through the Bonner Scholars. She spent around nine hours a week at the office, seeing more than 100 people each semester, she said.
The one-on-one sessions NSP could provide to people are what make the program special, Chan said.
“If they go to the Department of Social Services, they’re not going to get that one-on-one attention,” Chan said. “They don’t have the resources for that, so we’re someone they can talk to. Sometimes they would come just to stop by and say, ‘Hello.’”
Calero recalled a woman who came into the office seeking housing information and ended up talking to him about her marital problems and what to do about it.
“They come up with the challenges or the problems that they’re facing and we’ll come up with the solutions,” he said.
Another recent client was a foreign lawyer struggling to break the language barrier that was preventing him from finding a job in Richmond. Virginia wouldn’t recognize him without the proper applications, so NSP volunteers helped locate the licenses and certifications needed for him to begin practicing again.
“There’s so many different types of people we see,” Calero said.
Chan said NSP fit well into President Edward Ayers’ plan to establish more ties between the university and the City of Richmond.
“Our organization has been working with the Richmond community for almost 10 years and we’re making a pretty good impact,” she said.
But it is the current economic crisis sweeping across the nation that is keeping NSP volunteers busy. More people are coming in inquiring about homeless shelters and social services as the turmoil causes the city to cut more and more sources of aid.
“We’ve noticed that within the past month there’s been a lot more families on the verge of getting kicked out of their homes,” Calero said.
The NSP volunteers will try to raise some money to combat the city’s poverty rates with a Thanksgiving benefit a capella concert, an event they’ve been putting on for years. The on-campus fundraiser is scheduled for Nov. 13.
Contact writer Michael Gaynor at michael.gaynor@richmond.edu
November 7, 2008
Want to see Shows for Free?
I’ve mentioned before that I sometimes volunteer usher for the University of Richmond Modlin Center, and in exchange, I get so see some great shows for free. What a great opportunity for someone like me, on a budget, and not wanting to hire a sitter just to see a show.
Well, it recently came to my attention that the Richmond Landmark Theater (and in the 2009 Richmond Center Stage) will be looking for many more volunteer ushers. I wish I could tell you what acts and events were coming but that section of the webpage simply lists boring construction updates that seem exactly the same as last weeks.
I’m sure there is someone more knowledgable that can tell me what is going on with Richmond Center Stage. In the meantime, I’m putting out the call to ushers, who might want to join the ranks at the Landmark or Richmond’s other venues — call Tommy 232-3615 or email Vickie at landmarktheater [at] yahoo [dot] com
November 4, 2008
Too Much Candy? Donate it to Iraq! No I’m Not Kidding
Wondering how to convince your kids to give up all that Halloween candy? Here is a perfect idea! Donate it to soldiers in Iraq!
The Echo Lake Elementary School PTA and SCA are joining together on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to ask students to gather up their extra, unopened Halloween candy or new bags of candy for soldiers overseas.
The “Candy For Our Soldiers” project asks students to drop off their sugary donations on the way to the school’s annual Veterans Day assembly at 8:30 a.m.; Superintendent Fred S. Morton IV will serve as the featured speaker.
The SCA will help to package the candy in snack-size baggies, and every classroom will design a card to send to a soldier.
“The students feel a sense of pride as they show their appreciation to the men and woman serving here and abroad,” says Principal Jodie Brinkmann. “We are so grateful for all we have, and it’s nice to be able to share our treats with others.”
