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A woman stands on a completely dark stage with a spotlight illuminating her face and half of her body. She has a red and white striped fabric draped on her shoulder, and she is forcefully pointing to the side with a serious expression on her face.
Drama

Finding Her Voice: Priyanka Shetty’s MFA Journey from UVA to the World Stage

When Priyanka Shetty arrived in Charlottesville from India in 2016, she came with a clear goal: to launch her career as an actor. She enrolled in the University of Virginia’s MFA in Acting program seeking strong foundational training that would support a life in theater, film and television. What she discovered, however, was something much bigger than that. Working alongside her peers and visiting artists and exploring a wealth of opportunities beyond the classroom, Shetty began to imagine herself not only as an actor, but as a creator of original theatrical works.

https://as.virginia.edu/news/finding-her-voice-priyanka-shettys-mfa-journey-uva-world-stage

Tessa Ader with the Ader Emerging Artists with the Charlottesville Opera

Celebrating the Life Tessa Ader

The recent passing of historic UVA Arts benefactor Tessa Ader marked the final chapter of a life filled with love, art, a sense of adventure, and a legacy that will enrich the UVA and Charlottesville communities for generations to come. Ader’s historic lead $50 million gift to fund the building of a performing arts center is the largest gift to the arts in the University’s history and will transform the arts landscape by providing a state-of-the-art home for concerts, dance, theater and interdisciplinary art forms.

February 5, 2026
Bright orange background with a flower boarder. In the center says "Virginia Theatre Festival" in white letters, the word "Theatre" larger than the rest.
Drama

Virginia Theatre Festival Announces 2026 Season

The Virginia Theatre Festival’s 2026 season will open on Saturday, June 20 with the melodramatic madcap romp, Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty. VTF’s 52nd season runs through July 26 and will also feature the Tony Award-winning musical Disney’s Newsies and Frida…A Self Portrait, a one-woman show that explores and celebrates the life, art, and enduring legacy of legendary artist and cultural icon Frida Kahlo. The Virginia Theatre Festival is a program of the University of Virginia, with support from the Office of the Provost, Vice Provost for the Arts, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Drama, and The Caplin Foundation.

https://virginiatheatrefestival.org/virginia-theatre-festival-announces-2026-season/

A dark auditorium with lights on at the front of the room where a group of performers stand while interacting with the chalkboard.
Drama

Joint Comedy Student Group Performance Proves That ‘Good Things Come in Threes’

The Incident, Amuse Bouche and The Whethermen joined forces Friday in Warner Hall for their semesterly tradition — a free, three-group comedy show. Aptly titling the show “Good Things Come in Threes,” the three groups each brought their own unique humor to the performance over a hilarious evening.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/01/joint-comedy-student-group-performance-proves-that-good-things-come-in-threes?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A purple background with various clipart images: a computer with the Canvas application open, a treble clef, a spaceship, theatre masks, music notes, and a film camera.
Drama

Intriguing and Imaginative Arts Courses to Take This Spring Semester

As students fret over perfecting their schedules last-minute, some struggle to select a holistic courseload to engage in all that the University has to offer. There are many exciting art-related classes available every semester, in which students often take advantage of the opportunity to broaden their horizons, fulfill graduation requirements and in certain cases boost their GPA. Whatever the case, here is a list of a few, waiting to be added to schedules and hidden in the Student Information System.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/01/intriguing-and-imaginative-arts-courses-to-take-this-spring-semester?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

Two men stand closely in front of a black background and stare directly into eachothers' eyes.
Drama

‘The Fifth Step’ at The Paramount Theater 1/8

Experience critically acclaimed British performances with National Theatre Live in HD’s presentation of The Fifth Step. Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses,” Dunkirk) and Emmy- and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, “The Responder”) star in the subversively funny play by David Ireland, directed by Finn den Hertog. In a story built around recovery from alcoholism, the lead characters trade stories, bond over black coffee, and build a fragile friendship based on shared experiences before dangerous truths emerge.

https://c-ville.com/the-fifth-step-at-the-paramount-theater-1-8/

A stage with a red rug and a small neon sign that says "Don't Tell Comedy" in white and red letters.
Drama

Don’t Tell Comedy is Charlottesville’s Most Mysterious New Forum for Laughs

Founded in 2017 in Los Angeles, Don’t Tell Comedy has since expanded to over 200 cities around the country. Recently, they found a new home in Charlottesville and have put on several events around Albemarle County. Local comedian Chris Alan brought this chapter to Charlottesville in 2024 after establishing a comedy open-mic presence in the City and performing at Don’t Tell shows in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Washington, D.C..

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/12/dont-tell-comedy-is-charlottesvilles-most-mysterious-new-forum-for-laughs?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_latest

Three students sit in a black box theatre on benches, writing in their script books, with a black chalk board on an easel behind them.
Drama

The University Student Producing Theater Class Performs ‘Where Words Once Were’

This Wednesday, DRAM 3652 “Producing Theatre” put on their semester-long culminating performance of “Where Words Once Were.” Free to all, the play was performed in the Helms Theatre. With audience members seated on three sides of the stage — a configuration known as black box theatre — and a stripped down set, viewers were able to immerse themselves within the dystopian universe.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/12/the-university-student-producing-theater-class-performs-where-words-once-were?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

Light blue background with a sketch of a cardboard box with various items of clothing floating around it, as well as a clothing hanger in the center.
Drama

Out With the Old, In With the Nuuly

Life as a University student can mean dressing for many occasions, from football tailgates to sorority formals and from thirty degree mornings to sixty degree afternoons. This fall, many students have increasingly found that subscriptions to Nuuly — an online fashion rental company — are a sustainable way to both expand their closets and find fun pieces for special events and everyday wear.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/11/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-nuuly?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A woman in a gold dress stands to the right of frame, wind blowing in her hair, standing in a huge field with clouds in the sky.
Drama

Arts This Week: Queen Lear

You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. For Arts This Week, we chatted with actor and writer, Kate Bennis, about her involvement with the play Queen Lear. Tell us a little bit about your involvement with Queen Lear.

https://www.wtju.net/arts-this-week-queen-lear/

A small black box theatre shows a line of performers at bows, pointing to the back of the theatre to recognize their director. The lights are directed at the performers.
Drama

Virginia Players Create a “Play in a Day”

For the first time since 2019, Virginia Players performed “Play in a Day” this semester — a production written, directed, rehearsed and memorized in roughly 24 hours. This year, Maggie Polistina, Virginia Players Artistic Director and fourth-year College student, found it important for the organization to bring back “Play in a Day” after its hiatus, wanting to encourage new students to join the team for a low-commitment, fun experience.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/11/virginia-players-create-a-play-in-a-day?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A gallery room showcases six historical outfits displayed close together in mannequins. There is dark, moody lighting.
Drama

Killer Outfits: UVA Collection Spotlights Deadly Designs Through History

The term “fashion victim” might bring to mind someone who participates in a regrettable trend or has a penchant for clashing patterns and garish color pairings. But some styles from the past and present make that moniker literal. The University of Virginia’s Historic Clothing Collection, hosted by the Department of Drama, includes a multitude of garments that have poisoned, choked and burned their wearers or the workers who made them. From arsenic dyes to “father-killer” collars, these styles in some cases claimed the lives of thousands. UVA Today met with the collection’s manager, Marcy Linton, to learn more about these items and get a close-up look.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/killer-outfits-uva-collection-spotlights-deadly-designs-through-history