Press Release Archives - Academy Center of the Arts

Mike Super Wages Psychic Abilities Against the Price of Audiences’ Tickets

December 13, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

Mike Super Wages Psychic Abilities Against the Price of Audiences’ Tickets (Lynchburg, VA) On Friday, December 13, 2019, representatives from the Academy Center of the Arts, BWX Technologies, inc., Bank of the James, and Campbell Insurance broadcasted live from the Academy’s social media pages to reveal exciting information regarding “America’s Favorite Mystifier” Mike Super, and his performance at the Historic Academy Theatre, 524 Main St., this January. Before a live online audience, it was revealed that Mike Super had made an official prediction of the News and Advance for January 24, 2020, the date of Mike Super’s performance in Lynchburg, Virginia. The prediction was recorded by Mike Super, sealed into an envelope, and shipped to Lynchburg via FedEx to the Academy Center of the Arts. The Academy broadcasted live at 10:30am on December 13, 2019, as two officers from the BWX Technologies’ Police Department transported the envelope by foot to the Bank of the James’ downtown Lynchburg branch, where it was then locked inside a large safety deposit box and sealed it into the safe deposit box room, secured under lock and key and behind a high-security level gate. Prior to locking the envelope away, the BWX […]

Nebraska Theatre Caravan Cancels National Tour of ‘A Christmas Carol’ After Crash

December 12, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

NEBRASKA THEATRE CARAVAN CANCELS NATIONAL TOUR OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL AFTER CRASH Nebraska Theatre Caravan, the professional touring wing of the Omaha Community Playhouse, has just announced the cancellation of the national tour of A Christmas Carol. This includes the December 19, 2019 performance at the Academy Center of the Arts’ Historic Academy Theatre in Lynchburg, VA. The tour bus for the Nebraska Theatre Caravan production of A Christmas Carol was in an accident near Waterville, ME on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, at 11:30pm, when the charter bus, owned and operated by Arrow Stage Lines drifted off the right side of the road and subsequently overturned on its passenger side and came to rest down an embankment. While no major injuries were sustained, the accident has resulted in the cancellation of the remaining dates of the national tour. “While we are sad to see the tour cut short, we consider our theatre a family, and the safety and physical health and wellbeing of those involved is most important,” said Kate Whitecotton, Company Manager. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out in support of our touring members of A Christmas Carol. We have immense respect and deep appreciation for […]

Audition Notice for ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’

November 15, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

AUDITION NOTICE The Academy Center of the Arts’ Community Through Theatre Committee is excited to announce open auditions for their upcoming production of: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and Adapted by Simon Stephens Directed by: Corey Wilson Based on the novel by Mark Haddon, fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at mathematics but ill equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world. AUDITION INFORMATION Roles are available for actors ages 17+. The Academy and CTT are fully committed to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities and all ethnicities and backgrounds are encouraged to audition. Please note that this production requires most […]

Brian Setzer Forced to Cancel Performance in Lynchburg, VA Due to Injury

November 11, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org For Immediate Release: 11/11/2019 BRIAN SETZER FORCED TO CANCEL PERFORMANCE IN LYNCHBURG, VA DUE TO INJURY Under doctor’s orders, iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner Brian Setzer has been forced to cancel his 16th annual “Christmas Rocks! Tour” by The Brian Setzer Orchestra due to a severe case of tinnitus. This includes his November 23, 2019 performance at the Academy Center of the Arts’ Historic Academy Theatre in Lynchburg, VA. The over 20-city annual and critically acclaimed holiday extravaganza by SETZER and 19-piece ORCHESTRA was his best-selling Christmas tour to date and set to start this week, running from November 15 in Minneapolis through December 21 in Los Angeles. Setzer says he deeply regrets this inconvenience to his fans and thanks them in advance for their love and support. “It’s heartbreaking to disappoint my fans who have shared my Christmas seasons with me for over fifteen years,” says SETZER. “I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused all of the amazing people who make my tour happen and to my unbelievably loyal and devoted fans. I hate to let you down and I hope you’ll understand.” Box […]

Community Through Theatre Hosts Auditions for Ain’t Misbehavin’

July 25, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

The Academy Center of the Arts‘ Community Through Theatre is hosting open auditions for ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’, our fall musical, running Nov 1-3 & 7-10. Send all questions to Joshua Carter at fatswallermusical2@gmail.com. Synopsis: The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s comes to life in the three-time Tony award-winning musical revue, Ain’t Misbehavin’. Join us on a journey through the timeless music of Thomas “Fats” Waller. You’ll be jumpin’ and jivin’ with memorable songs such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Black and Blue”, “This Joint is Jumpin’ ” and “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling.” One of the most popular, well-crafted revues of all time, the sometimes sassy, sometimes sultry, has moments of devastating beauty that is simply unforgettable. Audition Information: September 3, 4, 2019 5:30 PM 519 Commerce Street Lynchburg, Va 24502 Lippard Room (Please enter from rear of the building.) Please prepare 16-30 bars of a Blues, Gospel, or Jazz song. We will provide a pianist, so please bring sheet music in the key you desire to sing. The Director may request a sample of your improvisation skills. Audition Times: Please email Joshua Carter at fatswallermusical2@gmail.com requesting the 3rd or 4th audition dates. He […]

Academy Releases 19-20 Metropolitan Opera Season Broadcast Schedule

July 22, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org For Immediate Release: 7/22/2019 ACADEMY RELEASES 19-20 METROPOLITAN OPERA SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE The Academy Center of the Arts has just released the full 19-20 schedule of Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, to be shown in the Historic Academy Theatre, 524 Main St., beginning October 2019. These programs are presented in collaboration with sponsor Foster Fuels and partner Opera on the James. In addition to the broadcasts, audiences are invited to join staff, board members, and representatives of the Opera on the James for pre-screening talks, beginning one hour prior to the screening at 11:55am. Each pre-screening talk will focus on the presented opera of the day, as well as relevant topics. The 19-20 Metropolitan Opera Broadcast schedule at the Historic Academy Theatre is as follows: Turandot (Puccini)- Saturday, October 19, 2019 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast) Manon (Massenet)- Sunday, October 27, 2019 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast) Madama Butterfly (Puccini)- Saturday, November 9, 2019 12:55 PM (Live) Akhnaten (Glass)- Sunday, November 24, 2019 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast) Holiday Encore- Magic Flute (Mozart)- Saturday, December 21, 2019 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast) Wozzeck (Berg)- Sunday, January 19, 2020 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast) Porgy and […]

Academy to Hold Auditions for Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Follies’

February 4, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org For Immediate Release: 1/29/2019 ACADEMY TO HOLD AUDITIONS FOR STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S FOLLIES The Academy Center of the Arts is excited to announce that the first Community Through Theatre production in its recently opened Historic Academy Theatre will be Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical, Follies. Scheduled to be performed in 2019 on May 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, and 19, the rarely-produced play is considered to be one of Sondheim’s greatest shows. The Academy has assembled an experienced creative team to lead this project. Former EC Glass Theatre teacher Jim Ackley will direct the show. Randall Speer, Music Department chair at Randolph College, will be Music Director. Stephen Sondheim’s Follies will be choreographed by Rena Lindevaldsen, and Tyler Herron, the Technical Director for the Academy, will be the Scenic and Lighting Designer. Auditions for Stephen Sondheim’s Follies will be held on Sunday, February 17, 2019 from 2:00pm – 6:00pm and Tuesday, February 19, 2019, from 6:00pm – 9:00pm in the Academy’s Warehouse Theatre, 519 Commerce St. Auditions will include singing, reading, and a dance combination. Auditions will be open to all actors of varying ages […]

Czech Violinist Ivan Zenaty to Perform at the Academy

January 11, 2019 by Brittany Griffith

The Academy Center of the Arts and Forte Chamber Music are proud to announce that Ivan Zenaty, “the most important Czech violinist of this time,” will take the Academy Center of the Arts’ Historic Academy Theatre stage, 524 Main St., in performance on Saturday, January 12, 2019, at 7:30pm. The program includes works from Vivaldi and Beethoven. Ivan Zenaty reaches a broad public without abandoning the world of classical music for even a moment. Besides the technical perfection one would expect, he is also appreciated for his taste, style and a captivatingly beautiful tone. With his exceptional wealth of repertoire including more than 50 violin concertos, he is a favored guest artist with many international orchestras. Known for his versatility, his engagements also include solo recitals and chamber music collaborations. The springboard to his international career came as a result of being a prize winner in the Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition followed immediately by debut engagements with the Moscow and Czech Philharmonic. Other successes include First Prize at the Prague Spring Competition, as well as being a chosen laureate of the UNESCO International Rostrum of Young Performers. In the subsequent years following his victories, Zenaty made his orchestral […]

Over 600 Lynchburg Area Music Students Gain Access to Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

November 26, 2018 by Brittany Griffith

Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org OVER 600 LYNCHBURG AREA MUSIC STUDENTS GAIN ACCESS TO THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA The Academy Center of the Arts’ staff and board are proud to share that over 600 local middle and high school music students will travel to the newly restored Historic Academy of Music Theatre on Thursday, December 13, 2018, to experience the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s Big Band Holidays sound check with Wynton Marsalis. The sound check event will begin at 4:30pm in the Historic Theatre prior to the 7:30pm performance that evening. A question and answer portion will also be held between the students and musicians on stage prior to the concluding the event. “Youth outreach is really important to Wynton Marsalis,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director of the Academy Center of the Arts. “When arranging their visit, it was the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra who offered up this opportunity and it was something we jumped at. We loved the notion that not only would adult audiences benefit from this world-class artist but also area youth.” The Academy Center of the Arts is dedicated to […]

Mavis Staples Headlines Historic Academy of Music Theatre’s First Public Event

October 15, 2018 by Brittany Griffith

The Academy Center of the Arts has announced Mavis Staples, Grammy award-winning R&B-gospel singer and civil rights activist, as the headlining artist the first event of the Historic Academy of Music Theatre’s Opening Week Activities on Thursday, December 6, 2018, at 7:30pm. “The evening will celebrate the integration of the Historic Academy of Music theatre, a space that was previously segregated when it closed in 1958,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director of the Academy Center of the Arts. “We chose Mavis Staples as our headlining artist for this event because of her significant accomplishments as a civil rights activist and her continuing efforts to serve as a positive force for social equity”. Mavis Staples began singing with her family, The Staple Singers, in Chicago in the 1940s, later performing in Montgomery, Alabama for none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. Lauded as one of the greatest gospel singers of all time, her powerful voice has underscored some of the United States most pivotal and dramatic periods of social change, weaving herself into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, and hip hop over the last 60 years. Mavis Staples is both a Rock […]