Spooky season is upon us, so it’s the perfect time to revisit the camp and comedy of ’80s cult classic The Monster Squad. Dracula believes the creatures of the night should rule the world, and he’s enlisted a cadre of creeps to aid the cause. Can a plucky pack of prepubescents stop the monsters before the clock strikes midnight? This special showing features a post-screening Q&A and autograph/photo session with cast members André Gower and Ryan Lambert. Definitely more fun than a kick to the nards.
The lights are on and everybody’s watching K.P. Powell as Macbeth at American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton through November 23. Image courtesy of American Shakespeare Center.
“We do it with the lights on,” says The American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse website about its use of “universal lighting.” So right up front you know that whatever you see in its elegant, woody environs will take place with the house lights aglow.
Understandably, in its staunch attempt to maintain historical accuracy wherever possible, the ASC’s staging conditions reflect the decision to keep the joint looking like what we surmise The Bard of Avon may have presented himself. Admirable.
Watching other Shakespeare and Elizabethan plays at ASC, that decision has never been an issue for me. With its engaging acting and uptempo pace, the company’s current production of Macbeth, directed by José Zayas, works on many fronts. Yet, I feel that it suffers at times because of that unwavering dedication to keep the room well-lit.
And while the Blackfriars of old did it with the lights on, too, the pre-electric powered atmosphere would have been a much dimmer affair. I’m willing to concede that this may be my own hang-up. After all, I hold Macbeth close to my heart as a supernatural bloodbath of a play, more than a political thriller or a treatise on the dark nature of man.
Aside from my personal grievances, it’s a great production. And before we go into my gripes, here’s the gist of the story for anyone who’s forgotten: Three witches tell Macbeth that he’ll be king, and then he and Lady Macbeth murder a bunch of people they’re close with to make that prophecy happen faster. It doesn’t work out, and they both die too.
This production has many positives that have nothing to do with lighting. K.P. Powell does a thoroughly commendable job as the sometimes fierce, sometimes cowering Macbeth, interpreted with an irrepressible warmth. While just about every version of The Scottish Play unwinds a coldly reptilian, and at times weak-willed character, Powell, to my memory, may very well be the only likable Macbeth ever created. He’s almost too charming—and occasionally quite funny—but if we’re to believe that the role he’s assumed convinces those around him of his goodness as he slashes his way up the political ladder, the charismatic portrayal checks out.
Nervous laughter elicited from the crowd at odd times is surely the result of Powell’s continued eye contact with audience members under such illuminated conditions. No doubt they were often laughing a bit more than the script—or Powell for that matter—was pulling for.
Alongside Powell, Kenn Hopkins, Jr. as Macbeth’s ill-fated bestie Banquo, is a mountain of a man with a booming voice that positively fills every corner of the theater with a strength demanding attention. Also excellent, Angela Iannone embodies a commanding King Duncan, summarily slain offstage in Act Two.
Though there’s clearly a challenge in tasking a troupe of eight with performing no less than 16 characters, it felt like the main looming hindrance—lights—threatened the overall success of this interpretation. For me, the three “weird sisters” have an appropriately otherworldly quality elevated by a trio of grotesque, mascot-like, oversized heads and gauzy flowing shrouds. When they emerge at the start of the play to predict Macbeth’s future, they could be frightful and monstrous. They should be. Yet they are too plainly out in the open, undermining the ability to persuade us we’ve settled into the hazy Scottish moors in the thick of a thunderstorm.
The lack of obscurity works against the action indicated in the text later on as well. Deep in the “thick night” and “blanket of the dark,” Lady Macbeth mentions when she and her husband carry out their regicide, it’s just more difficult to buy. An audience always requires a healthy suspension of disbelief, but it was asking too much of Leah Gabriel (Lady Macbeth); a proposition made even more difficult when she’s wandering about insanely whispering over her part in the king’s murder in the final act.
During the play’s culminating scenes of war, the light strikes again. Tragic hero Macduff avenges his slaughtered family and rights the wrongs against the royals by killing and beheading Macbeth—yet spirited, compelling Aidan O’Reilly is undermined by the visual clarity of the action. The fight scenes would work well in a more strategic staging, but as O’Reilly and Powell grapple and stab at one another, the brightness of the room casts their struggle as mere pantomime unbefitting such fine acting.
One saving grace of staying historically accurate comes in the incorporation of persistent musical elements, albeit with a 21st-century vibe. The unexpected use of the bass line of TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me” (incorrectly credited to a cover version by Lera Lynn) helps build tension. Same goes for other dramatic moments heightened with a cacophonous soundtrack made off-stage with a din of drums and crash of cymbals.
To be fair, I’m not suggesting that the ASC needs to install spotlights and dry ice machines at Blackfriars. Only that perhaps more serious consideration be given to uphold the darker interests of a sinister, spooky play. Yet if you always imagined Macbeth, at its core, as a backstabbing title tussle or a psychological thriller about the power of suggestion, you’ll love this even if you have to wear sunglasses.
What do we always say? If you’ve got it, haunt it—and Charlottesville’s got “it” in spades, as long as “it” is a frightening amount of Halloween (and pre-Halloween) fun. You’ve got just over three weeks to drink in all the boos you can handle, and we’ve scared up the best options in (and out of, if you’ve got your broom handy) town. Happy hauntings!
Let’s boo this!
File photo.
While we prefer to gorge on Laffy Taffy, bite-sized Snickers, and Dubble Bubble, we know some of you crave a little, shall we say, balance. Don your costume for the YMCA Gatorade Halloween Hustle—a family-friendly 10k run (or two-mile walk, which we hear includes treats and surprises) and sweat out the sugar. Proceeds from the event support YMCA financial assistance, so everyone has access to the facility. $40-75, 8:30-10:30am. October 26, Brooks Family YMCA. piedmontymca.org
Poison pen
You don’t have to write the great American novel to gain notoriety around these parts. Instead, enter C-VILLE’s annual Two- Sentence Horror Story Contest and hear your words read aloud by actors from Live Arts theater (and published in the October 30 issue of C-VILLE). Remember: two sentences only, by the stroke of midnight on October 11. Visit bit.ly/2024cville horrorstorycontest to enter.
File photo.
Yappy Halloween!
File photo.
Three for the doggos
Strut Your Mutt Halloween Pageant
A benefit for Caring for Creatures, The Shops at Stonefield’s annual pageant includes a K-9 costume contest (with cash prizes!), trick-or-treat goodie bags, a raffle for handmade quilts by award-winning quilter Lolly Schiffman, live music, and vendors. $10-20, noon-4pm. October 19, The Shops at Stonefield. strutyourmutthalloweenpageant.org
Pups on parade
Here’s your chance to show off Fido in his Sherlock Holmes get-up and Fifi dressed as the cutest raccoon this side of the Ivy landfill. The annual Downtown Mall Doggie Howl-O-Ween pooch parade and costume contest has categories for the funniest, most creative, most Halloween-y, best group theme, and best in show. The evening also includes dog trick-or-treating, a photographer, a caricature artist, and $2,000 in raffles and prizes. Suggested donation of $15 benefits Hooves and Paws Animal Rescue, 5-8pm. October 25, Central Place. pawprintsboutique.com
Howl~O~Ween
Keswick Vineyards hosts its annual Howl-O-Ween event, where your furry friends come dressed in their cutest costumes and parade around (literally, there’s a puppy parade in the tasting room) for all to see. A costume contest follows, so tell your pals: Don’t be a haunt mess. Free, noon-4pm. October 27, Keswick Vineyards. keswickvineyards.com
Rock on
File photo.
Well these sure do sound like a ghould time.
Spooky Funk Halloween Party Music Pop~Up
Dance party alert! DJ Ryan (aka Kendall Street Company’s drummer) will spin the tunes all night—you come ready to party, drink, and dance your boo-ty (get it?) off. Free, 6-9pm. October 25, Flying Fox Winery & Vineyard. flyingfoxvineyard.com
Fifth Annual Samhuinn Fest at Thistlerock with House of Hamill & the Donnybrooks
For the uninitiated, Halloween began more than 2,000 years ago as an ancient Celtic fire festival, Samhuinn (“sow-in”). Thistlerock Mead Company pays homage to the holiday’s origins, carrying on the traditions. Participate in fairy house-building workshops, crown-making, pumpkin-carving, and more, plus live music and fire-cooked food. Free-$15, 2-10pm. October 26, Thistlerock Mead Company. thistlerockmead.com
Ghouls Night Out
IX Art Park hosts this Halloween-themed costume rave in its Looking Glass gallery. Be prepared for spooky and surreal to collide in this immersive environment with lights, installations, and cutting-edge DJ-led beats. $20-75, 8pm-2am. October 26, IX Art Park. ixartpark.org
The Pollocks Howl~o~ween
Local favorite The Pollocks take the stage for a “spine-tingling night of music and mayhem.” $15, 7-9:30pm. October 26, The Batesville Market. batesvillemarket.com
Hard Rock Halloween
Van Halen and Stone Temple Pilots tribute bands Bad Halen and Sex Type Things, respectively, take the stage at Rapture for a hard-rock show. Free, 10pm. October 31, Rapture. rapturerestaurant.com
Get your fill
File photo.
Nothing says Halloween like a stomach full of mini MilkyWays. Here’s where to grab a handful (and then some).
Downtown Safe Halloween
Ting Pavilion hosts this Charlottesville Parks & Rec-sponsored free event, with live performances and a DJ, plus crafts, games, a costume contest—whew! (There’s also a quiet zone for those who are scared of crowds.) Trick-or-treating downtown follows the event from 4-4:30pm. 2-4pm, October 19. Ting Pavilion. tingpavilion.com
Trick~or~Treating on the Lawn
A tradition that started in the late 1980s, Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn is for costumed kids of all ages, who are invited to visit each of the 54 Lawn rooms (and the Range) to scavenge for sweets. Free parking is available from 3:30pm at the John Paul Jones Arena garage, South and West lots, and from 4pm in the Culbreth Road garage. Hourly parking is also available nearby. Free, 5-7pm. October 31, The Lawn and Range, UVA. studentaffairs.virginia.edu
Party like a rock star
Annual favorite the Mock Stars Ball returns for two evenings of intentional camp paired with some serious rock chops. Local musicians combine forces to form supergroup cover bands and impersonate big-timers such as Billie Eilish, The Cranberries, Sublime, Backstreet Boys, Brooks & Dunn, Smashing Pumpkins, and many more in a benefit for The Shelter for Help in Emergency in honor of Whitney French. $20-25, 8pm. October 25 and 26, The Southern Café & Music Hall. thesoutherncville.com
Photo by Tristan Williams.
It’s craftacular
Ready to (cat) scratch your creative itch? These three spots have you covered this season.
Halloween Mask~Making Workshop
Head over the mountain for this one, a mask-making class at Staunton’s Art Hive. Ideal for all ages and skill levels, the two-hour workshop will take you through the process of creating a personalized mask, starting with design and sketching and ending with final touches like glitter, feathers, or fabric. All materials are provided. 11am-1pm, $15. October 12, Art Hive Creative Reuse and Art Center, Staunton. arthivestudio.net
Halloween Macrame
The Scrappy Elephant invites you to make a Halloween-themed (a ghost! a jack ‘o lantern!) macrame craft. Says the creative reuse retailer: “This simple project is perfect for those who have never done macrame as well as those more experienced.” For ages 12 and up. $30, 2:30-4pm. October 20, The Scrappy Elephant. scrappyelephant.com
Paint + Sip Costume Party
Follow the instructor’s directions to create your own version of Batty Moonrise, a spooky skyline featuring (did you know?) the only mammal that can truly fly. Pro Re Nata hosts—and a free drink is included in the price of your $45 ticket. Oh, and come dressed up—it’s on Hallow’s Eve Eve! 6-8pm, October 30. Pro Re Nata. blueridgebrushes.com
Supplied photo.
Get lost
Supplied photo.
Make your way through one of the Blue Ridge Mountain Maze’s corn mazes (now located at Blue Toad Hard Cider, near Wintergreen). Equipped with just a crayon and a blank survival guide, you’ll scout an escape path through five acres while taking in a panoramic view of the mountains. Tickets include access to plenty of family-friendly attractions, like the country store, farm animals, movies in the meadow, and the Farmy Fun Zone. Up for a more chilling experience? Come back at night to navigate the maze by moonlight.
Child’s play
File photo.
For two evenings, Virginia Discovery Museum opens its doors for Boo Bash—carnival games, activities, and crafts. Plus, says the museum’s website, “Conduct eccentric experiments with UVA L.E.A.D. in the Mad Science Lab, concoct kooky potions in the Witch’s Cabin, dance the boogie-man boogie in the glow-in-the-dark Monster Mash room.” Proceeds support VADM’s programming. $18-65, 5:30-7:30pm. October 24 and 25, Virginia Discovery Museum. vadm.org
Witch you were here
Halloween’s not all plastic pumpkins and sticky children (blech!). For those of you with more sophisticated taste, try these.
File photo.
Haunted Happy Hour
Before the October 18 showing of Live Arts’ What the Constitution Means to Me, enjoy spooky drinks and $20 tarot readings by Jess Bronson of Sealed in the Stars on the theater’s rooftop terrace. Free, 5:30pm. October 18, Live Arts. livearts.org
Fall of the House of Usher screening
Enjoy live piano accompaniment from UVA film lecturer Matt Marshall while watching Jean Epstein’s 1928 surrealist adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s maddening novel. $5, 8pm. October 24, The Looking Glass at IX Art Park. ixartpark.org
Witches Tea Service
On West Main, Cakebloom hosts a proper tea service, with a “spoookkkyyy menu of tricks and treats.” Not hard to solve that mystery: We’re betting cake will be on the table. Come dressed in your favorite costume and be entered to win a free eight-slice sampler or, if you’re a runner-up, a free five-slice sampler. $45, noon. October 26 and 27, Cakebloom. cakebloom.com
Frights, Flights, & Bites: Halloween @ Ethos
Ethos Wine & Tea invites you for a trick-or-treat-style tasting (plus snacks!) of natural and local wines and organic teas. The event will take place on the sidewalk outside the Main Street café. $30-35, 6-9pm. October 31, Ethos Wine & Tea. ethoswineandtea.com
Halloween Organ Concert
Drink in a short concert of spooky organ music, followed by an up-close tour of the organ itself (we assume organ the instrument, but it’s Halloween, so who knows?). All ages are welcome to this free event. 4-4:30pm, October 31. Westminster Presbyterian Church. westminsterorganconcertseries.org
Ilya Tovbis announced the 37th annual Virginia Film Festival program to an audience at The Jefferson Theater on Tuesday evening. Staff photo.
Stories of survival, the trials and triumphs of friends and families, animated offerings, and films from around the world. The 37th Virginia Film Festival brings together an incredibly diverse program of features, shorts, and documentaries for your consideration.
The festival takes place from October 30–November 3 at various theaters throughout Charlottesville, opening with Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning work Anora, starring Mikey Madison as a sex worker from Brooklyn caught up in a Cinderella story after impulsively marrying the son of a Russian oligarch.
Beyond some of the highest-profile films of the festival season, this year’s slate boasts an expanded look at genre-defying movies that herald the future of cinema. “This year we are looking at more films exploring the liminal space between fiction and nonfiction as well as at different cross-genre modes of telling stories,” VAFF Artistic Director Ilya Tovbis says. “We have always focused on diversity in our programming but this year we are taking that even further with an increased focus on animation, a deeper dive into horror and genre films, and an overall eye toward looking ahead at what is to come in cinema.”
A series of panel discussions featuring industry experts, including actors, directors, producers, and writers, lends context to the films with notable guest artists including actor Lamorne Morris (Saturday Night, “New Girl”), director Tracie Laymon (Bob Trevino Likes It), and author Roxana Robinson (Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life).
Robinson’s book serves as the basis for Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, an enlightening documentary from Charlottesville’s Academy Award-winning filmmakers Ellen and Paul Wagner, which chronicles the life, art, and legacy of the “Mother of American Modernism.”
This year’s centerpiece film, Emilia Pérez, from Academy Award-nominee Jacques Audiard (The Prophet), stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón in a compelling cross-genre crime drama/family story/movie musical. It won the Jury Prize for director at the Cannes Film Festival.
Tickets go on sale to the public at noon on Friday, October 11. Donors get early access. Visit virginiafilmfestival.org for more information.
Marrisa Blair and then-fiance Marcus Martin attended Heather Heyer’s memorial service at The Paramount Theater. Photo by Rob Garland.
In memoriam
August 12 survivor Marissa Blair died on September 19 at the University of Virginia Hospital due to complications from pneumonia related to metastatic colon cancer. She was 35 years old.
Blair survived the August 2017 deadly car attack that killed her friend and co-worker Heather Heyer when her then-fiance Marcus Martin pushed her out of the path of the vehicle. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo by former Daily Progress reporter Ryan Kelly, Martin can be seen mid-air after being struck by the vehicle.
Following the attack, Blair continued her involvement in anti-racist activism, successfully suing Jason Kessler with eight other survivors for his involvement in organizing the Unite the Right rally.
“Marissa brought so much joy to her family, friends and everyone who knew or crossed paths with her,” reads a portion of the obituary shared by Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory. “She was a bright shining light with a true beauty inside and out and will be missed to a degree that words could never express.”
Blair’s service was held on September 28 in Lovingston, Virginia. In addition to flowers, the family requests people plant a memorial tree in her honor. Information on the memorial tree effort can be found in Blair’s obituary (obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com/marissa-blair).
Cost of business
Charlottesville staple Eljo’s is for sale by Myles Thurston, who has owned the store for 50 years. If the menswear business is not purchased by the end of the year, the iconic Barracks Road store will close its doors permanently.
Opened by Elliott and Joseph Hyman in 1950, Eljo’s demographic has shifted away from UVA students over the decades. Most of the store’s current clientele are from outside of Charlottesville, with half of Eljo’s sales now custom-ordered clothing.
Thurston became a partner in the business in 1974, eventually buying Eljo’s from the Hyman brothers in 1984.
“After more than 70 years of business, and more than 50 of them in our family, we have decided it is time to find a new caretaker for Charlottesville’s best custom-designed clothing options for our community’s leading businessmen and professionals,” reads a post from Thurston on Eljo’s website.
Anyone interested in purchasing the business and remaining inventory can contact Thurston directly.
File photo.
Phones down
Emergency and non-emergency phone lines were down for more than nine hours in Fluvanna County on September 28. The Fluvanna County Emergency Communications Center was notified of the interruption at approximately 1:45am, setting up temporary emergency and non-emergency numbers during the outage. Service to both lines was restored the same day at roughly 11:35am.
Underwater
Mint Springs Valley Park is closed following flooding from Hurricane Helene that caused significant damage to the roadway by the park’s entrance. Albemarle County Parks & Recreation shuttered the area indefinitely on September 29. The damage is in a different location than the culvert that burst in early August after Tropical Storm Debby, which closed the park for several days.
Photo via Albemarle County.
Fatal fire
A structure fire in Scottsville killed one person on September 27. Albemarle County Fire Rescue responded to a request for service at about 4:38am in the 4000 block of Jacobs Creek Drive, where crews found a heavily involved fire engulfing a single-wide trailer and spreading to a nearby vehicle. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and had not been identified at press time. Authorities say the fire does not appear suspicious.
Charcoal-roasted chicken has two locations under different names since Al Carbon on Route 29 flew the coop. Photo by Tom McGovern.
New name, same flame
The charcoal-roasted chicken artists in the Route 29 kitchen formerly known as Al Carbon are asking to be called El Tizon. According to owner Claudio Hernandez, “Only the name has changed, not the fine quality food which we have always served and will continue to serve.”
Yelper Duane Z. clears up the confusion: “Someone marked the Google page ‘permanently closed,’ but this is not correct,” they write on the restaurant review site. “The partners had a dispute and split the two restaurants in Charlottesville. The operator of El Tizon has been the main manager since its inception and will continue serving the very best food you’re used to, with new and exciting additions to the menu.”
To further add and/or clear up confusion, the second Al Carbon location at 5th Street Station retains the original name, and handles all online orders for its mouthwatering Peruvian chicken. So, keep calm and pollo on—because the flavors you love aren’t going anywhere. We think.
Top of the Early Mountain
Jon Ruel, a leader from Napa Valley’s Trefethen Family Vineyards is Early Mountain Vineyards’ new president, and he brings a wealth of West Coast experience to Virginia’s wine scene. Ruel’s interest in EMV was sparked during a blind tasting where he sampled the Madison vineyard’s wines alongside Napa Valley selections. “I believe that this pioneering region, the talented team, and the unique terroir at Early Mountain have all the qualities to produce wines and experiences that can break through with wine-loving consumers worldwide,” Ruel said in a press release.
Ruel will make a sublime pairing with winemaker Maya Hood White, who was recently nominated for Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and whose Quaker Run chardonnay was named one of the Top 100 Wines of the USA by wine critic James Suckling.
Sip and support
The first rule of wine club? Talk about wine club! Eastwood Farm & Winery, a women-owned, multi-generational winery and innovative wine incubator is excited to introduce the Winemakers Wine Club. Members will receive four quarterly shipments and exclusive perks like guided tastings. Choose from mixed, all red, or all white wines at sign up. If you’re a killjoy and don’t like bubbles, you can opt out of sparkling wines via email.
The club supports Eastwood’s Barrels & Tanks winemaker incubator, championing the future of Virginia wine. And don’t miss each allocation’s Tasha’s Pick, which features selections from seed-stage winemaker Tasha Durrett. Her own creations are coming soon!
Restaurantarama
With several leases expiring and the challenge of finding the right fit for the food hall vibe, Dairy Market bid farewell to Citizen Burger Stand, 434th Street, Al Basha, Grn Burger, and South and Central.
Opening soon are Currylicious, serving up Nepalese and Indian street food, and Sizzle Shack, a new burger spot. With two burger counters leaving (plus Bach, see below), what’s going to make Sizzle Shack sizzle? Sample it and email us your dining feedback.
Additionally, the market is prepping for a smoothie spot, a coffee-shop-and-bakery combo, and an unnamed diner-tainment venue with games such as pool and darts. More good news: free parking.
Kylie Britt and Tiffany Nguyen welcome you to Ethos Wine & Tea. Sip a diverse selection of natural, local, and innovative wines including Britt’s top Shenandoah Valley cab franc and riesling. For those who prefer tea, Nguyen’s favorite genmaicha provides a nutty, bright flavor whether served hot or iced. Complement your drinks with panini on Cou Cou Rachou English muffins and a variety of desserts from Splendora’s.
South Paddock Winery, part of Whitehall Farm’s expansive 310 acres within the Monticello AVA, celebrated a soft opening on August 10. This all-season venue features a vineyard producing cabernet franc, petit verdot, and chardonnay, and also equestrian experiences with Rock Branch Horse and Cattle, which operates the Whitehall Stable.
After a dramatic start involving alleged arson that damaged their Vocelli Pizza, Kellie and Brian Washington rebounded swiftly by opening Roux St. Cafe in the Woodbrook Shopping Center in August. This new eatery serves made-from-scratch Cajun Creole cuisine and caused Redditor WHSRWizard to rave, “This is what the Good Lord intended when he invented shrimp and grits.”
Diilishus Fish & Chik’n will bring soul food to the former Mel’s Cafe location, which closed following owner Mel Walker’s passing in May. Cathy and D Jones are set to open the doors of their Black-owned business in early October, offering a menu of Southern comfort foods.
Burger Bach at Stonefield hosted its final Happy Hour on the Lawn on August 31 before shutting down in early September. The Short Pump location has also closed, directing customers to its remaining Carytown, Midlothian, and Durham, North Carolina, spots.
Lumberjacks, lagers, and lederhosen
On October 4, Devils Backbone Brewing Company moves its Oktoberfest to The Backyard in Charlottesville, where festivities include stein-hoisting contests, a two-pound pretzel-eating contest and live music. Feast on classic fare like smoked Vienna Lager brats with braised kraut and Vienna Lager beer mustard on a toasted bun. Prost!
Boasting indie bona fides as a founding member of Brooklyn’s Jupiter One and a former member of the Athens, Georgia-based of Montreal, Kishi Bashi is touring in support of his new album Kantos. With a sound that defies easy categorization, the multi-instrumentalist draws inspiration from diverse sources of culture, history, and expression. He defines Kantos as “a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful.” In the new era of artificial intelligence, the LP functions as a celebration of the human spirit, championing the vast possibilities of anthropocentric art.
Saturday 10/5. $25–40, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
The Voyages season is underway at Live Arts. Whether capturing the spirit of adventure, making way into the unknown, or stepping back in time, the 2024-25 lineup shares thematic elements related to trailblazing, travel, and trips near and far. On stage now, An Iliad and What the Constitution Means to Me embody very different voyages. The former presents a modern retelling of Homer’s classic epic, ruminating on war and relationships. The latter traces the personal journey of its award-winning playwright as she dissects the titular document drafted more than 200 years ago.
Through 10/28. Dates, showtimes, and ticket prices vary. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org
If the project proceeds, the hotel at 218 W. Market St. would replace a shopping center that includes The Artful Lodger, The Livery Stable, and several other businesses. Photo by Eze Amos.
A New York-based developer who had planned to build a nine-story apartment tower on the site of a downtown Charlottesville shopping center has sold the property for $5.75 million.
Jeffrey Levien’s company Heirloom Development bought 218 W. Market St. in June 2020 for $4 million, but sold the property in mid-September to Cavalier Hospitality LLC. That entity is based out of Glen Allen, Virginia, and has not yet filed new plans for the property.
However, Levien says he will still be involved in the development of a hotel as a partner.
“I just couldn’t make the economics work for residential under the new zoning code,” Levien says.
Under the inclusionary zoning rules in the city’s new Development Code, one of every 10 units in any new development in non-residential areas must be guaranteed to be rented or sold to households below specific incomes. No such requirement would be necessary for a hotel, something that is an allowed use under the zoning that went into effect this past February.
Levien pursued the residential project at 218 W. Market under the older rules, which required a special use permit for additional height and density. City Council approved a permit in September 2020 despite concerns from former mayor Nikuyah Walker that the project did not address the need for affordable housing.
In August 2023, council agreed to a permit amendment to allow for a modification of the building’s massing. As part of that approval, Levien agreed to build a minimum of eight affordable units on-site or off-site with two units to be reserved for households making less than 50 percent of the area median income. That was above the minimum requirement but not enough to satisfy the concerns of City Councilor Michael Payne.
This spring, Levien brought a preliminary design to the Board of Architectural Review for a hotel with a design from Richmond-based NBJ Architecture. That body looked favorably on the concept, but it did not receive an official submission. No plans have been filed since.
So far there have only been a handful of new projects filed under the new zoning, which is intended to make it easier to build more housing units across the city and to eliminate the role of City Council in making decisions about what gets built.
One of these new projects, at 1609 Gordon Ave., would see an existing house razed to build a new structure with nine units. A 10th unit would need to be affordable.
Another new development at 2030 Barracks Rd. would see 12 affordable units built alongside 12 market-rate units.
Levien’s first development in Charlottesville was a luxury 56-unit apartment building that also redeveloped the buildings that contain Blue Moon Diner and a former convenience store. That project broke ground in 2018, nearly two years after council granted approval.
Another project that has not yet moved forward is the replacement of the University Tire building next door, at 612 W. Main, with another apartment building. Levien says he still plans to proceed with that project, which was approved by council on a 4-1 vote in October 2019. A final site plan has been approved but no building permit has been authorized.
If it proceeds, the new hotel would replace a shopping center that includes The Artful Lodger, The Livery Stable, and several other businesses. The BAR has approved a permit for demolition pending the issuance of a building permit.
After speaking with UVA law students, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
attended a fundraiser hosted by John
and Renee Grisham.
File photo.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff made a campaign stop in Charlottesville on September 25, speaking to a crowd of more than 200 University of Virginia law school students at the Kimpton Forum Hotel.
“It’s good to be talking to law students again,” said Emhoff, who is a practicing attorney and instructor at Georgetown Law. “I’m not teaching this semester because I’m spending full time campaigning so my wife can be the next president of the United States.”
Emhoff was met with raucous applause from attendees who’d gathered for a voter protection training organized by the UVA Law Democrats. Voter disenfranchisement is a chief focus for the Harris-Walz campaign amid increasing barriers instituted by Republican leaders under the guise of election integrity.
“As a practicing lawyer for over 30 years, I cannot tell you how important it is for what our profession does to protect democracy,” said Emhoff. “We are literally on the front lines protecting the rest of our fellow citizens from what could happen when the rule of law is ignored, abused, and taken advantage of, and that’s why lawyers have to be vigilant and prepared and ready for anything during this election season.”
Beyond preparing for the legal challenges anticipated post-election, UVA Law Democrats are also rallying behind voter protection and efforts to get out the vote.
The Virginia Democratic and Republican parties are both running major poll-watching campaigns for the November General Election. While similar in theory, the impetus and rhetoric around the volunteer drives diverges.
On the Republican side, state and national leaders are calling for poll watchers to protect election integrity and continue to peddle the claim that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from former president Donald Trump. The Virginia Democratic Party has also committed to election integrity, but does not deny the outcome of the last presidential election. The VDP Voter Protection Team, which includes poll watchers and phonebankers, emphasizes the importance of ensuring that voters are able to exercise their legal right to vote and combat misinformation and disinformation around the election.
“We’re going to continue to have these voter protection and election events through November 4 … and we’re going to be getting out the vote,” says Kirk Wolff, a second-year law student and vice president of UVA Law Democrats.
The student organization—which relaunched five weeks prior to the event with Emhoff—has rapidly rallied support on Grounds. According to Wolff and Law Democrats President Miles Cooper, more than 230 students have joined the group and there was a lengthy waitlist for the September 25 event.
“We [Cooper and Wolff] have a lot of close friends who are Republicans, and we saw that they were organizing Law Republicans, and we just couldn’t believe that there was nothing happening on Grounds for Democrats,” says Cooper.
While Cooper is excited by the energy around Law Democrats and the Harris-Walz campaign, he also hopes to rally more energy for 5th District congressional candidate Gloria Witt in the weeks leading up to the election.
“I think there’s a really, really great chance to send Witt to the House,” he says. “You can make a huge difference here. … If [Harris and Walz] don’t have the House and the Senate, it will impede their ability to execute the New Way Forward agenda. … It’s a team effort. That’s the way our founders envisioned it, and so we have to make sure that we send a really good team.”
