At least five colleges across Southwest and Southside Virginia are in the process of staging plays. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech has announced that a prominent violinist will perform on campus. Here’s an arts round-up:
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Wytheville Community College in final weekend of ‘The Sweet Delilah Swim Club.‘
Wytheville Community College is staging “The Sweet Delilah Swim Club” by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, with the final shows April 8 and 9.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in Snyder Auditorium of Grayson Hall on the WCC Wytheville campus. Ticket prices are $8 for general admission, $7 for senior citizens and students (any age, any school), and free for WCC students with ID.
Tickets will be available at the box office in the Johnson Lobby (adjacent to the Snyder Auditorium), which opens 30 minutes before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved by calling 276-223-4795 or emailing wcctheatre@wcc.vccs.edu. For additional information or questions about this performance, please check the WCC Theatre Facebook page.
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Averett stages musical ‘Head Over Heels‘ through Sunday
Averett University Theatre is staging the musical “Head Over Heels” at Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center (150 Mountain View Ave.) now through Sunday. This love story is set to the music of the 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s and features a book by Jeff Whitty and adaptation by James Magruder.
“Head Over Heels” follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction — only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts. A story of love and acceptance set to the hit songs “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.”
Advisory: Contains “adult situations.”
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Radford stages ‘The Drowsy Chaperone‘ starting April 12
Radford University presents the musical comedy “The Drowsy Chaperone” starting April 12.
The musical centers on a nameless character, “Man in Chair,” who spends a dreary afternoon listening to his favorite cast recording of a fictional 1920s stage production, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Before long, the forgotten musical comes to life in his living room with the man guiding the audience through it.
The show will run April 12 at 7:30 p.m., April 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. and April 17 at 2 p.m. in the Bondurant Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $6 for faculty, staff, students, seniors and groups of 10 or more.
There is also a Curtain Up! fundraiser on opening night with cocktails followed by dinner and the show. That event starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Scartelli Atrium in the Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
Tickets are available at https://rutheatretickets.universitytickets.com or by calling 540-831-5289.
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Violinist Sarah Chang to perform at Virginia Tech April 19
Violinist Sarah Chang — who shared the stage with the New York Philharmonic when she was only 8 years old and released her first album at 10 — will perform at Virginia Tech.
Joined by pianist Sonya Ovrutsky Fensome, Chang will perform sonatas by Brahms and Franck in a program that includes Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances” at 7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Moss Arts Center.
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
Tickets for the performance are $20-$45 for general public and $10 for Virginia Tech students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center’s box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
The Moss Arts Center adheres to the guidelines of the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Tech in its operations, including protocols for face coverings and cleaning and sanitation. More information about these requirements is available on the Moss Arts Center website.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.
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Bluefield Youth Theatre to present ‘Frozen Jr.‘ starting April 28
The Bluefield University Theatre in conjunction with Bluefield Youth Theatre presents Disney’s “Frozen Jr.” April 28, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. and May 1 at 3 p.m. in Harman Auditorium on the Bluefield University campus. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior adults in advance and $12/$7 at the door. Tickets are available online at bit.ly/Bluefield_FrozenJr.
With a script by Jennifer Lee and music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, “Frozen Jr.” is a stage script based on the popular animated feature “Frozen” and the Broadway musical of the same name.
The play features a cast of 32 children and youth from the two Virginias, ranging in age from 6 to 18. Elsa, the older magical princess, is played by Sarah Jacobs while the younger Anna is played by Hannah McMillion. Hans, the handsome prince from the Southern Isles, is played by Noah Munique, while the ice harvester Kristoff is played by Zach Bowman. Olaf, the lovable snowman, is performed by Adyn Daniels and Sven the reindeer is played by General Smith. The princesses’ parents, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, are played by Brian Fisher and Rachel White. Other cast members include Callie Wilkinson and Olivia Deel as young Elsa and Anna, and Jocelyn Pruitt and Isabella Deel as the adolescent sisters. Oaken, the comical shopkeeper, and his “Hygge” loving family, are played by Leif Young along with Kate Thyng, Blair Anderson, Gavin Bolton, Silas Frain, Levi Mullins, Elijah Thyng, Ellie Haynes, Elise Jacobs, Jasen Branham and Ellie Whittaker. The ensemble includes Caleb Cumbow, Laykin Fox, Kirsten Gilbert, Iyanha Gore, Teddi Groseclose, Skylar Harold, Ryleigh Lingenfelter, Staley Lyle, Ian Matullo, Abigail McComas, Daniel Mullins, Miles Munique, Finn Smith, Cannon Smith, Claire Thyng and Morgan Vencill. The production is directed by Bluefield University Theatre faculty Charles Reese and Rebecca McCoy-Reese. Musical direction is by Staley Lyle. Choreography is by Abigail McComas.
“We’ve been waiting a long time to do ‘Frozen Jr.,’” Charles Reese said in a statement. “We were a week into production when we were shut down by the pandemic in March of 2020. These children and young people have been waiting over two years to put this play on stage. Almost all of the cast returned with a few new people joining us. It’s been a long time coming but the cast is so excited to finally hit be in front of an audience. I know our patrons are going to love it!”
For more information, email Rebecca Kasey, director of public relations, at rebecca.kasey@bluefield.edu.
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Violinist Sarah Chang to perform at Virginia Tech
Violinist Sarah Chang — who shared the stage with the New York Philharmonic when she was only 8 years old and released her first album at 10 — will perform at Virginia Tech.
Joined by pianist Sonya Ovrutsky Fensome, Chang will perform sonatas by Brahms and Franck in a program that includes Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances” at 7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Moss Arts Center.
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
Tickets for the performance are $20-$45 for general public and $10 for Virginia Tech students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center’s box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
The Moss Arts Center adheres to the guidelines of the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Tech in its operations, including protocols for face coverings and cleaning and sanitation. More information about these requirements is available on the Moss Arts Center website.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.