Apr 03 Wednesday
FIREFLIES by Donja R. Love plays March 29 through April 20 at Live Arts Theater in downtown Charlottesville. A Virginia Premiere, FIREFLIES is Part Two of Donja R. Love’s "The Love* Plays" trilogy, which explores Queer love through Black history. A story of endurance and empowerment centered on the Civil Rights Movement, FIREFLIES is directed by Ti Ames and features Arianna Jones and Simeon Brown. Visit livearts.org for tickets and information.
Apr 04 Thursday
Learn the basics of stand up! Registration is open now online and throughout April for X2 Comedy Classes at Explore Museum where the BIG kids can play too! Just a few slots left…
Classes begin May 1st and meet weekly on Wednesdays from 6pm-9pm with Showcase on June 1.
Learn the basics of stand up and joke writing in these interactive fun workshops! You'll develop a 5-minute set in this 4-week course and perform it in the student graduation showcase. Tune into your unique funny bone to find your authentic comedic voice. Learn skills to be funnier at social gatherings, storytelling, speaking engagements, writing and more. If you like comedy or just want to be funnier then this is the class for you.
To get more information and registrar visit the Classes Tab at www.x2comedy.com. Questions call Dawn 540-560-3356 or email hello@x2comedy.com.
The Plains District Memorial Museum is presenting a new exhibit: "The Bookshelf: 20th Century Local Historians," which will be on display until June 2024. Much local history has been preserved by little-known local historians, most of whom were life-long residents. This exhibit focuses on ten of these historians. Some have written one book on a specific area; others have written more extensive works. If you are interested in reading about the history of our communities, come to the museum and do your own search using research tools included in the exhibit! The Exhibit is based primarily on a new collection of local history which was recently donated to the Museum's Library.
The Plains District Memorial Museum is open weekly Thursday through Sunday, 1-4 pm.
Apr 05 Friday
In partnership with the Rockfish Valley Foundation, Blue Ridge PRISM is happy to offer an in-person workshop to guide you through invasive plant management in the spring and summer.
Join Blue Ridge PRISM’s knowledgeable staff at the beautiful Rockfish Valley Trails to learn about invasive plant ID, herbicide safety, basic management strategies, and a step-by-step tutorial on how to use herbicide techniques as well as manual control options.
This in-person workshop will take place on Friday, April 5th from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in Nellysford. The site of the workshop is a short walking distance from the main trailhead (Camille Trailhead) of the Rockfish Valley Trails in Nelson County. This workshop will include an invasive plant identification walk on the trail.
It is our hope that participants will be able to take what they learn and utilize it in their own backyards.
Please visit the event website for more information and to register for this workshop.
If you like chocolate this is the event for you! It has never been easier to support a cause you care about than by feasting on chocolate treats and enjoying a leisurely stroll around wonderful downtown Harrisonburg. Your participation in this event directly supports Collins Center's mission to promote healing to all affected by sexual harm in our community.
Please join us on Friday, April 5th, 2024, between the hours of 4 - 7:30 pm. Visit participating businesses and organizations, "the gems of downtown," and collect and indulge in chocolatey goodness crafted with love and donated by local chocolatiers. Each site will offer a different type of chocolate treat for you to collect as you enjoy your stroll. Chocolates, gelato, and truffles... oh my!
For more details regarding registration, FAQs and more visit the event's website here.
Arts Council of the Valley invites you to join in the arts-focused fun on the First Friday of EVERY month! Throughout Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, 40 venues offer a variety of new art exhibitions, live performances, poetry, comedy, music, artmaking activities, food, and so much more. You can find a list of venues, online map, and pdf with links to First Fridays of the Valley events – all updated monthly – at valleyarts.org/first-fridays-venues! Thanks to Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Exclusive Sponsor for 2024 First Fridays of the Valley.
Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) celebrates the opening of TWO new exhibitions at Smith House Galleries on April 5, with a reception 5-7 pm during First Fridays of the Valley! "Grown, Built, Seen" by Trotter Hardy and "The World of Black and White" by Saul Harris both feature detailed photography from all across the globe. Local poetry group First Monday Poets share their own work inspired by four photographs from each exhibition during the opening reception, where you can visit with the artists, enjoy a live poetry reading, and sample light refreshments!
Trotter Hardy, formerly a law professor, is now a photographer inspired by symmetry, pattern, and tonal elegance. Hardy’s photography features botanical subject matter, human-made objects, and unique settings; in his artistic approach, he gravitates toward elements often overlooked in the day-to-day, highlighting the inherent beauty in things that would remain otherwise unseen.
Saul Harris began making black and white photographs in the 1960s, carrying his camera with him for another 50-plus years while moving amongst Chicago, Israel, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Often using black and white film - and developing it himself - Saul captures portraits of people and items in their environments, finding the beauty in what “is,” and photographing it.
Both exhibitions run through April 26, with in-person visits Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm. The galleries will also be open Second Saturday (April 13) from 10 am to 2 pm. Each exhibition will also be available online (valleyarts.org/current-exhibition) in early April.
This year's musical is The Little Mermaid, Jr., an absolute classic with a cast of over 50 amazing youth in the cast and crew! The show is just such an amazing celebration of talent from the entire cast and really celebrates the nostalgia of the original while embracing the fun that middle schoolers can bring.
We hope that you'll join us for our wonderful production, just 1 month from now!
Tickets are ON SALE NOW to the public! Visit www.seatyourself.biz/mmsshows to reserve your seats. Oh, and please share this news with our community. It's too good not to enjoy with as many in our audiences as possible, singing along with your favorite songs.
Let our show become Part of Your World as we journey Under the Sea as Prince Eric attempts to Kiss the Girl. Meanwhile, Ariel collects her Gadgets and Gizmos as she fights to gain acceptance from her father and live a life, wonderin' free, out of the sea, finding her true love and becoming Human Again. You'll be humming along to the entire show and we welcome it!
Thanks for your undying support of the Performing Arts in Harrisonburg and beyond!