One of the ways the Academy serves the community is through offering internships to college students interested in learning various aspects of working for a nonprofit arts organization. We offer opportunities in graphic design, theatre tech, development and fundraising, community outreach, and much more. Students get hands-on, real-life experience working with members of our staff to accomplish goals and projects that further the Academy’s mission to serve the community through arts and culture. This summer 2019, we have 7 interns working with us in various departments. Sydney Adams works as a graphic design intern in our Marketing and Communications Department, working directly under our resident graphic designer, Emily Psolka. Sydney has enjoyed the challenge of her job. “I love working under a time limit and learning higher quality design,” she says. She had the opportunity to design the playbill for our youth summer theatre camp production of Newsies. Izzi Diaz is a social media intern with us this summer. As a Business Administration major focusing on Digital Marketing and Advertising, she’s received a lot of hands-on experience working with our social media accounts, content calendars, and covering shows. She especially loved covering the performances of […]
Costume Design Students Showcase Work on Historic Theatre Stage
Written by: Adara Jensen At the Academy Center of the Arts, students participate in incredible youth theatre performances that build friendships, develop professional skills, and create memorable experiences. Not only do we desire to continue to offer successful youth theatre programs, but we are also beginning to offer technical theatre classes for youth who prefer behind the scenes action. One example is our first time ever “Intro to Costume Design” summer camp taught by Lindsay Patton, our Youth Theatre Costumer. In this week-long class for ages 12-18, students first learned some history of costume design in both theatre and film. They saw the Academy’s costume shop and learned how some costumers add embellishments from existing items to create new looks. The remaining days were spent learning introductory sewing techniques, which included skills such as threading the machine, straight stiches, and hand sewing. With this new knowledge, students created lioness tails for the Academy’s Disney’s The Lion King Jr. production, which performed July 19th and 20th. In addition to sewing the tails, the students constructed Pumbaa’s paper mache headpiece for the show. Afterwards, they were able to observe a costume fitting for the camp and even enjoyed one […]
Looking Forward to Newsies
This year’s Academy Youth Theatre production is front page worthy news! Get ready to see the hit Broadway musical Newsies on the recently restored Historic Academy Theatre stage. The show follows Jack Kelly, a newsboy in turn-of-the-century New York City, as he and his fellow newsies go on strike against unfair pay and fight for their rights. The show is full of incredible dance numbers and classic songs such as “Carrying the Banner, “Seize the Day”, and “Sante Fe”. Unlike a typical production of Newsies with a cast primarily comprised of male actors, this production is split 50/50. Olivia Blankenship is excited to be performing in the ensemble of this fantastic show. “I think it’s so cool that there are a lot of girl newsies!” This is her first Academy Youth Theatre experience. “I’ve been learning a lot and it’s definitely intense, but a lot of fun!” Elise Jones is also breaking boundaries in her role as Spot Conlon, one of the lead newsboys. The role is very different from what Elise normally would play, but she’s up for the challenge. “Newsies is such a charming show and the music is incredible!” she says. Make sure you […]
‘Follies’ Searching for Pit Orchestra Instrumentalists
Community Through Theatre is seeking Pit Orchestra Instrumentalists for the upcoming Spring Production of Follies. All interested parties should contact Randall Speer, rspeer@randolphcollege.edu. Available Parts: Flute: up to 4 players (2 double at piccolo) Oboe/English horn: 1 player B-flat clarinet: up to 5 players (1 doubles at E-flat clarinet; 1 doubles at bass clarinet) Bassoon: 1 player Alto Sax: up to 2 players Tenor Sax: up to 2 players Bari Sax: 1 player French Horn: 1 player Trumpet: up to 3 players Trombone: up to 3 players Guitar (acoustic): 1 player Violin: up to 6 players Viola: up to 2 players Cello: up to 2 players Bass (acoustic): 1 player Percussion: up to 2 players Keyboard: 1 player Performances: Friday, May 10, 2019: 7:30 PM Saturday, May 11, 2019: 7:30 PM Sunday, May 12, 2019: 2:00 PM Friday, May 17, 2019: 7:30 PM Saturday, May 18, 2019: 7:30 PM Sunday, May 19, 2019: 2:00 PM
Meet the Staff: Tabitha Abbott
by Morgan Yeatts As a Lynchburg native, Tabitha knows just how far downtown Lynchburg has come through the years. Before coming to the Academy Center of the Arts (ACOA), she worked at Amazement Square, eventually becoming their event planner, and then their Operations Director. Later, an event coordinator position was created for her at United Way. She has also worked with the Downtown Lynchburg Association to plan Get Downtown. Needless to say, Tabitha knows how to get things done. “Event planning is being really organized and creative; it’s something I kind of fell into that I love.” Tabitha met Dorie Smiley, former Operations Director of the ACOA, through the Downtown Lynchburg Association, of which Dorie is Vice President. As Dorie was in the process of stepping down from her role at the ACOA, preparing for retirement, Tabitha applied for the job and started in October of 2017. Although she isn’t planning events as much as she used to, Tabitha loves her position here at the Academy. “My position lends itself to be a part of everyone’s department and being a part of it in such a wide reaching way is really cool and special. It […]
Meet the Staff: Tyler Herron
by Morgan Yeatts Tyler Herron knew from a young age that lighting design was the career he wanted to pursue. He remembers telling his parents that, someday, he was going to be a lighting designer for a mega church. Growing up, he gained experience working with the lighting design crew at the church he attended in Hope, Arkansas, and at the age of 12, was invited to go on tour with David Phelps, Christian southern gospel singer, and work with his lighting team. Tyler attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, with the intended major of theatre with an emphasis in technical theatre. Part way through his degree, he got a job at as lighting designer for a mega church in Little Rock, bringing his youthful predictions to fruition. When he got the opportunity, he left school to work there full time, and stayed for over 5 years, gaining invaluable experience through hands on work. A time came when Tyler felt that he needed a change, a new challenge, so he began applying for lighting design jobs all over the nation. “I needed to find someone who would take a chance on me,” he said. Although he had […]
Meet the Staff: Dorie Smiley
by Morgan Yeatts Dorie Smiley has been with the Academy Center of the Arts since its beginning. Dorie began as a volunteer for the Academy of Music over 21 years ago, which eventually evolved into a part-time position when the Academy of Music merged with the Fine Arts Center to create the Academy of Fine Arts to eventually become the Academy Center Center of the Arts in 2015. She was fascinated with the restoration of the historic theatre, and this fascination, combined with her love for historic buildings and architecture, attracted her to the Academy. She began at the bottom, raising awareness about the restoration of the theatre, writing thank you notes to donors, collecting the mail, basically doing “anything that needed to happen”. From there, Dorie continued to progress and ultimately became the Director of Operations for the Academy Center of the Arts. In October of 2017 she stepped down in preparation for retirement. Currently, she serves as the construction liaison for the Historic Academy of Music Theatre renovations, assisting as a staff representative to the construction committee. For years, Dorie has seen the Academy prepare to restore the Historic Theatre, and now, […]
Meet the Staff: Tremayne Edwards
by Morgan Yeatts Growing up, Tremayne Edwards, Box Office Manager here at the Academy Center of the Arts, never really had a answer to the question “what do you want to be when you grow up”. This wasn’t because he didn’t have any dreams or goals, but can be attributed to the fact that Tremayne has a deeply rooted desire to work with and help people, so he believed essentially any job that would allow him to do this was the job for him. He describes himself as one of those people who has never met a stranger. “If I haven’t made you laugh by the time we finish talking, I will buy you dinner”, he says, “and I’ve never had to yet”. One day, he was looking on the Academy website and saw the job posting for Box Office Manager, and knew that his passion for people and his personality would make him the perfect fit for this job. Since starting the job in February of this year, he’s assisted countless visitors and patrons. Tremayne calls himself the gatekeeper of the Academy. “Everyone has to go through me” he says, and he approaches this role wholeheartedly. […]
The Luck of the Irish
One year ago today the Academy hosted the first annual Top Mixologist. Although it was a great first run this year’s event was an even greater success raising over $15,000 for the Academy’s Community Outreach Initiative. In keeping with the theme “The World Awaits”, bartenders from all over the city represented various nations around the globe. Guests were able to taste drinks and foods from all over the world without leaving Lynchburg. The bartenders and servers got very creative with their decorations and outfits. From Ireland to Cuba, vibrant colors and delicious samples could be found wherever you looked. With a wide selection of drinks and dishes to taste, the competition was stiff. Ultimately, Daniel Servas representing Ireland won the popular vote securing RA Bistro’s title for the second year. Last year, Sasha Cash kept with the Willy Wonka theme and took the first Top Mixologist title dressed like an Oompa Loompa. The Top Mixologist fundraiser a fresh take on an event the Academy once hosted called “Palettes & Palates”. Sales from tickets and merchandise at this fundraiser go towards the Academy’s work in the Lynchburg community. The Academy’s Community Outreach Initiative offers educational experiences, safety aids, and community enrichment […]
Holidays in High Definition
This holiday season, the Academy is excited to present a new type of event to the Lynchburg community. Thanks to Rising Alternative, we will be screening High Definition footage of The Nutcracker as well as The Three Tenors in Concert. Rising Alternative is an innovative company that presents special events such as opera and ballet in High Definition. This company’s special events screenings brought diverse audiences to the wonderful world of cinema. Their team has provided live-recorded fine arts performances to venues in 44 countries worldwide. Rising Alternative has proven to be successful, bringing over 210 programs to around two million viewers. The first “alternative content” screening will feature the 1990 performance of The Three Tenors in Concert. Three of the world’s greatest opera singers, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras assembled on the outdoor stage of the Baths of Caracalla. They performed operatic arias and popular tunes with selections from operas like “Tosca” and “Turandot.” The tenors, accompanied by a 198-member orchestra led by Zubin Mehta, enchanted the audience through the regular program and three encores. This recording of the tenors’ debut concert holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling classical music album. THREE TENORS CHRISTMAS CONCERT HD […]
