Finding Her Voice: Priyanka Shetty’s MFA Journey from UVA to the World Stage
Priyanka Shetty came to Charlottesville in 2016 to study acting at UVA—and left envisioning herself not just as a performer, but a creator.
The Fralin Museum of Art Announces Fall 2026 Exhibitions
U.Va. Drama Brings ‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’ to the Stage
From Thursday through April 3, the Ruth Caplin Theatre will travel back in time to 19th century Russia for the debut of the University drama department’s production of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.” Decorative sets, dance interludes and passionate ballads make up the spirited narrative and energetic dance sequences of this immersive musical experience. The production features undergraduate, graduate and alumni performers with a wide range of talents and experience, all of whom have dedicated themselves to months of intense rehearsals in preparation for opening night.
The Indie Short Film Festival Returns to Highlight Independent Filmmakers
Kicking off Friday, the Indie Short Film Festival is back in full-swing for its third year in Charlottesville, cementing the Indie Short Film Festival as a Charlottesville staple. The festival will run from Friday through Sunday with showings of around 130 short films in venues along the Downtown Mall, as well as panels, a cinematography workshop and a launch party for the festival featuring live musical performances.
The Fralin Explores Tea Making as a Form of Global Connection with Teaware Exhibition
Drinking tea is one of the most common practices in the world, with Americans alone consuming 3.9 billion gallons in 2021. With instant tea bags and cafe matcha lattes becoming more prevalent around the world, it can be easy to forget the cultural significance that tea drinking has in the ease and convenience that these products provide. The Fralin Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, entitled “Crafted for Tea: Connecting Cultures with Teaware and Traditions,” highlights the skill, artistry and history behind the making of this common drink.
This Hoo is Behind the Scenes of Your Favorite Movies
In the Oscar-nominated movie “One Battle After Another,” Bob, a former left-wing militant played by Leonardo DiCaprio, has retreated to an isolated cabin in the woods with his teenage daughter, Willa, played by Chase Infiniti. When Bob questions Willa about the genders of some friends she plans to attend a dance with, she storms off to her bedroom, shouting, “It’s not that hard!” Chris Cortner, a University of Virginia alumnus and set designer, helped build that bedroom. His work, along with that of production designer Florencia Martin and set decorator Anthony Carlino, is now nominated for an Academy Award for best production design.
Data Meets Art at UVA
The subject is art, the theme is “truth” and the medium is data. The University of Virginia’s School of Data Science is hosting its annual Data Is ART Competition, inviting artists and data scientists to transform data into compelling visual narratives. In its third year, the competition is open for submissions until Sunday from artists across disciplines related to this year’s theme: what truth looks like in data. Awards include a grand prize of $2,500. Finalists’ work will be announced at a fall ceremony and publicly exhibited. In its inaugural year in 2024, the competition drew more than 130 submissions from seven countries and four continents.
From UVA Dorms to Hollywood Dreams
Karen Zipor knew she would eventually end up in Hollywood, but her career has still come as something of a surprise. “If 21-year-old Karen knew what was coming, she would not believe it,” said Zipor, who graduated from the University of Virginia in 2022 with degrees in drama and computer science. Since graduating, Zipor has worked on productions for Disney, DreamWorks, and Netflix, among other studios. She’s produced the talk show “Brittany Broski’s Royal Court,” which has featured guests like singer Harry Styles, comedian and “Saturday Night Live” star Marcello Hernandez, and Oscar-winning actor Jessie Buckley. She even started her own production company and has made both live and animated short films.
Arts This Week: 2026 Virginia Festival of the Book
The Virginia Center for the Book is hosting the 2026 Virginia Festival of the Book. Programming begins this Thursday with preview events, and will continue from this Friday, March 20th, through this Sunday, March 22nd. For Arts This Week, we spoke with the director of the Center, Kalela Williams.
A Conversation With UVA’s A.D. Carson About ‘Being Dope’
The book is part personal narrative, part critique of power structures in America. A.D. Carson is an associate professor of hip-hop and the global South in the University of Virginia’s McIntire Department of Music and a Shannon Center Fellow for Advanced Studies. A member of the UVA faculty since 2017, Carson founded the UVA Rap Lab, a “collaborative hip-hop cypher space” and classroom where students are encouraged to explore their experiences and thoughts through the medium of creating music.