Arts & Culture

You’ve probably heard the expression ‘It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.’ It’s a favorite of sportscasters. But the cliche refers to the world of opera, where plus-sized sopranos perform arias that bring down the house. Now, an opera company in Virginia plans a production in praise of the fat lady – an adaptation of a Broadway play called Fat Pig.

After struggling to safely stage plays during the pandemic and then grappling with issues surrounding theater management, the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton is back with a new creative director and a new style of decision-making.

Conservators opened up a small lead box found instead the pedestal that held up the Richmond’s removed Robert E Lee Statue Wednesday, finding a coin, books, and a cloth envelope.

The pandemic has been a blessing for the nation’s authors – among them a lifelong Virginian who writes, on average, two books a year. His name is David Baldacci. His first novel – Absolute Power – sold 150 million copies. Now – at 60 – he’s ready to release three more books.

Post-pandemic there were seven empty storefronts on the main drag in Scottsville. And while some saw a forlorn landscape, Erin Root saw an opportunity.

Ruth E. Carter's career highlights include Black Panther, Selma, Coming 2 America, and a number of films from director Spike Lee.

Peter Leonard talks about opera, covid, and their big upcoming production

The title novella of Jocelyn Nicole Johnson's debut is set in the near future in Charlottesville, Va., where descendants of Sally Hemings' take shelter from a racist mob in Thomas Jefferson's manor.

Known as the 'Cuban Nijinsky', Cuban defector Rolando Sarabia is now the company's Artistic Director.

The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton kept going through more than a year of pandemic, but now the curtain has come down – the theater canceling its fall season to restructure and retrain a dwindling cast and crew.