This holiday season, the Academy Center of the Arts is excited to offer several heartwarming events for the Lynchburg community. Our holiday line-up will surely bring joy to children and adults alike. “With the hustle and bustle of the season, we thought that it was essential that we provide opportunities for you to spend time with your loved ones. Whether it’s a clay workshop, live performance, or a movie screening, the festivities at the Academy will bring families together to cultivate long lasting memories,” said Executive Director Geoffrey Kershner.
The Academy’s last Dinner and a Movie will be the 1954 holiday classic film, White Christmas. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3rd for a cocktail hour. Scott Cardwell, formerly of Bull Branch, will lend her expertise to the event by preparing a delicious meal and festive beverages inspired by classic Holiday Fare of the Swing Era. Cardwell will put her twist on classic cocktails like “hot buttered rum” (light on the butter), Champagne cocktails and more. Dressing up in your best clutch pearls, big skirts and double-breasted suits highly encouraged! We are taking a break and this will be our LAST dinner and a movie for a while. Don’t miss out!
DINNER & A MOVIE: WHITE CHRISTMAS
We have added two holiday Family Clay Workshops. Parents and children will have the wonderful opportunity to create something together and cherish it for years to come. Create a clay Christmas Tree and paint it with colorful glazes on December 3rd. Then make your own Santa Claus Ornament using hand building techniques! This class is great for kids and adults who are new to clay and people who have used clay before. Students will also have the ability to create your own Christmas ornaments with your own designs on December 10th.
FAMILY SATURDAY: CLAY CHRISTMAS TREE
FAMILY SATURDAY: CLAY SANTA & CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
Virginia Repertory Theatre is returning to the Academy for two performances of “Twas The Night Before Christmas.” The VA Rep, formerly Theatre IV, has been internationally acclaimed for excellence as a children’s theatre. Based out of Richmond since 1975, they tour national-caliber, educational plays to schools and public venues in Virginia and across the country. Inspired by the timeless poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and by the real life of its author, Clement Moore, “Twas The Night Before Christmas” exemplifies the holiday spirit in a beautiful way that accentuates the importance of family. The shows will begin at 9:30 a.m. and at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 17th.
VA REP: TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
To round out the holiday merriment, the Academy is excited to screen world-class opera and ballet performances. These High Definition performances are presented by Rising Alternative, a company that has provided live-recorded fine arts performances to venues in 44 countries worldwide. The first screening features “The Three Tenors in Concert,” which will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2nd. Three of opera’s most prolific singers, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras, assembled on the outdoor stage of the Baths of Caracalla to perform operatic arias and popular tunes. The second screening will be the Vienna State Opera House’s performance of “The Nutcracker,” which will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 18th. With choreography by Rudolph Nureyev, the ballet stars Liudmila Konovalova as Clara, and Vladimir Shishov as Drosselmeier and The Prince.
