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Three people are arguing. One guy is arguing with a blonde woman in a red jacket, and another woman sits in a directors chair in front of them with her hand on her head--looking very annoyed.
Drama

Hollywood Meets Climate Change in Wohl’s Film-Within-a-Play, Bringing Satire, Spectacle, and the Environment into Focus on the Helms Stage

UVA Department of Drama’s inaugural production of the 2025-2026 season, Continuity, by Bess Wohl, invites audiences to step onto a Hollywood film set like no other. Wohl’s sharp, funny play takes audiences behind (and beyond) the camera in a hilarious and thought-provoking satire about art, ego, and environmental apocalypse. A script that feels both fresh and relevant, Continuity is a witty satire of Hollywood’s best intentions and biggest contradictions. The story unfolds on a high-budget movie set where a cast and crew are filming a blockbuster about climate change — complete with fake icebergs, big egos, and a creeping awareness that the production’s spectacle may be undermining its message.

https://drama.virginia.edu/uva-announcing-continuity-oct30-nov8

Darryl Smith
Drama

The Heart of Live Arts: Darryl’s Next Act

To most of the Live Arts staff and patrons, he’s commonly known as “the heart of Live Arts,” a familiar, welcoming face behind the box office, or behind the concession counter, or sometimes up there on the stage. Darryl Smith has done it all – and he’s got the testimonials to prove it.

https://mailchi.mp/livearts/volunteer-news-6370502?e=c95706b2b5

A large brick building with huge windows down the entire wall, with a small body of water in front of the building and outdoor seating within the nature.

BOV Approves Design for New UVA Center for the Arts

A home for the arts is taking shape on Grounds. The Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee on Thursday approved the schematic design for the proposed Center for the Arts in the University of Virginia’s development parcel on Ivy Road, sending it to the full board. The board on Friday likewise approved the design.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/bov-approves-design-new-uva-center-arts

A black background with a woman with outstretched arms performing on the left side, and the text "the 434 initiative: $4.34 tickets to any performance" on the right.
Drama

The 434 Initiative

Live Arts is proud to announce the launch of The 434 Initiative, a bold new effort designed to welcome a new generation of theater lovers into the heart of Charlottesville’s vibrant performing arts scene. Rooted in the belief that theater should be accessible to all, The 434 Initiative offers $4.34 tickets to anyone 25 or younger—or anyone who has never been to a Live Arts production before.

https://livearts.org/show/434/

Gallery Image in Welcome Gallery with people walking around

Charlottesville Area Arts Council Planning Project Announces Steering Committee Members

A broad cross-section of artists, cultural workers, and community leaders has been selected to serve on the Steering Committee for the Charlottesville Area Arts Council planning project. The Steering Committee will guide the community-driven process to explore the creation of a future Arts Council for the Charlottesville area. Their role is to provide insight, ensure broad community perspectives are represented, and co-create recommendations for how a future Arts Council can equitably serve the city’s diverse arts and culture ecosystem. The committee members were chosen from a pool of 59 applications submitted by local artists, organizers, educators, administrators, and community supporters.

September 23, 2025
A picture of a small outdoor covered stage at night, with red neon sign at the back that says "CROZET" and has 3 people talking on stage.
Drama

Scapegoat Underground Continues a Staple of the University Comedy Scene

Two University students formed the comedy duo Scapegoat Underground in order to participate in a University stand-up comedy tradition — and this year, they were in charge of planning that same event. Featuring student comedians and drawing in crowds from across the University, Kieran Warner, third-year College and Commerce student, and third-year College student Jack Yasenchok, hosted the third annual Step Comedy Jam Sept. 9.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/09/scapegoat-underground-continues-a-staple-of-the-university-comedy-scene?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A small hallway and a store entrance are covered with posters advertising arts events.
Drama

Upcoming Charlottesville Arts Events Offer More Than Meets the Eye

As the fall semester begins, University students are looking forward to enjoying the constellation of arts that the University and Charlottesville have to offer. This fall’s arts season does not disappoint, boasting a breadth of events from trusted University drama department productions to momentous visits from big names like Adam Sandler and Tyler Childers.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/08/upcoming-charlottesville-arts-events-offer-more-than-meets-the-eye?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A fourth year UVA student stands in front of a bright red curtain with a wooden stool and is talking into a microphone.
Drama

The Southern’s Monday Night Mic Provides a Safe Space for Upcoming Comedians

Almost every week at the Downtown Mall, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall hosts Monday Night Mic standup comedy that is free and open to the general public. Pioneered and hosted by Chris Alan, professional comedian who has opened for the likes of Michael Che, Louis C.K. and Amy Schumer, the night allows comedians of all walks of life to try out their material amongst their peers and a small crowd.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/08/the-southerns-monday-night-mic-provides-a-safe-space-for-upcoming-comedians?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

An orange circle with with black and white outline, with the phrase Live Arts bolded in the center.
Drama

LIVE ARTS Announces Its 2025/2026 Season of Passion

Live Arts Theater announces its 2025/26 Season of Passion: four plays, one musical and a new works festival. The 35th Season opens with Lisa Amour’s AIRLINE HIGHWAY, followed by a holiday offering, the musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. In 2026, Live Arts presents Sarah Ruhl’s STAGE KISS, followed by Shakespeare’s HAMLET, and Dominique Morisseau’s BLOOD AT THE ROOT. The Season of Passion wraps up with our fourth annual WATERWORKS Festival, our “fringe-adjacent” celebration of new theatrical works that continues to attract writers near and far and engage hundreds of volunteers every year.

https://livearts.org/2025/07/live-arts-announces-its-25-26-season-of-passion/

An on-stage production of Jungle Book shows kids dressed in monkey costumes and various other animals while singing.
Drama

Empowered Players Brings Accessible Theater to Fluvanna County

For many aspiring actors in rural areas, opportunities to engage in the performing arts are scarce — theater programs in these areas are often underfunded or non-existent. Located just south of Charlottesville in Fluvanna County, Empowered Players is working to change that — by bringing free theater classes to children in the rural area, which culminate in a public production showcasing the students’ skills.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/07/empowered-players-brings-accessible-theater-to-fluvanna-county

Two actresses from the show pose onstage, both holding coffee mugs in a kitchen, smiling and extending their arms.
Drama

The Heart Sellers

The Virginia Theatre Festival keeps rolling with The Heart Sellers, a deeply moving play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lloyd Suh. Set in 1973 in the wake of the Hart–Celler Act’s abolition of immigration quotas in America, two 20-something immigrant women meet by chance in a grocery store on Thanksgiving night. The women spend an evening bonding over what they’ve left behind, and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead in a new country.

https://c-ville.com/the-heart-sellers/

The actors and actresses from the show gather in a clump, all with their hand up to one ear to signal listening.
Drama

The Pirates of Penzance

Charlottesville Opera’s second summer production, The Pirates of Penzance, unfolds in a pitch-perfect comedy of errors featuring sentimental swashbucklers, ineffectual police officers, and deeply dutiful young lovers. A technicality threatens to upend Frederic’s newfound freedom, catching the young man in a tug of war of loyalties that sets him both at odds and in league with the titular crew of privateers. Hilarity unfolds in a libretto penned by W.S. Gilbert, accompanied by memorable music by Arthur Sullivan.

https://c-ville.com/the-pirates-of-penzance/