The student performers of UR Free Theatre and Dance (Photo by Jamie Betts courtesy University of Richmond)
After a pandemic hiatus, the Modlin Center for the Arts at the University of Richmond opens its doors again for in-person performances. This year’s lineup features acclaimed jazz bassist Christian McBride, country music royalty Roseanne Cash, folk musician and former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops Leyla McCalla, and the Grammy-winning bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers.
“This coming season… is our reestablishment and the emerging of our continuing relationship with both the campus and the community of Richmond after the kind of interim hiatus years of the pandemic,” Modlin Center for the Arts Executive Director Paul Brohan says.
The Modlin Center’s 165,000 square-foot facility opened in 1996 and houses galleries, classrooms, studios and performance spaces. The venue closed its doors during 2020’s lockdown and pivoted to posting performances from other venues on its website. Last year, there were a small number of in-person shows presented to smaller audiences. With the venue back at full capacity, Modlin staff say they wanted to showcase different types of art and artists and make it accessible.
UR is on the GRTC bus line, and ample parking is available once you wind your way through the narrow streets of its 350-acre campus. No ticket to an event exceeds $35. The Modlin Center also features many free performances throughout the year, with its UR Free Theatre and Dance season as well as the department of music’s free concert series.
“Modlin has long presented a really wide and deep diversity of performing arts and artists that are represented, and the genres that we present are not reflected in any other venue in the region,” Marketing and Strategic Communications Manager Erika Stanley says. “And as a part of this ongoing work to lift up the arts, it's really important to hear from so many different perspectives, because that’s what makes our culture vibrant.”
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Photo by Josh Goleman)
Next month, the play “Smart People,” a comedy about racial and sexual politics on the eve of Obama’s first election, will be staged for two nights (Oct. 1-2). On Oct. 6, folk musicians Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi perform, and later in October there is “Step Afrika, Drumfolk,” a musical about what happened when enslaved Africans were banned from using drums. In November, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band plays as part of their 60th anniversary celebration, and the play “Miss You Like Hell,” about a road trip with a troubled teenager and her estranged mother, comes to the center.
“[What] I'm very pleased with this year is the high number of women artists, women-led arts ensembles and organizations, and artists that are committed to our season,” Brohan says.
A few artists visiting the campus will also interact with university students and the community. Singer-songwriter Roseanne Cash, daughter of legendary country singer Johnny Cash, comes to the campus in February for a sold out-show and will participate in a discussion on how the arts can strengthen women as leaders. Syrian American spoken-word artist Amal Kassir will perform at the Modlin Center on Nov. 12, and the following semester, she’ll return to work with a small group of students at the university. The students will develop their storytelling skills and write and perform their pieces at the end of the workshop.
“It's not just about artists that we can bring to the stage, but people need to see themselves reflected, both onstage and in the audience … because the arts are for all of us,” Stanley says. “People from all over Richmond and beyond can see just incredible performances and transformational experiences, right in their backyard.”
Performance Preview
Sept. 20-25
The Richmond Ballet’s season opens with a Studio Series performance of “Scarred Bouquets” (Skarpetowska/Brahms) and a world premiere by Ma Cong. Showtimes vary. $25-$50. richmondballet.com
Oct. 14-16
The Virginia Opera presents “The Valkyrie” at the Dominion Energy Center at 8 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. $85.80-$492.50. virginiaopera.org
Chris Rock (Photo courtesy Altria Theater)
Oct. 23
Singer Sonia De Los Santos performs at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts as part of its Family Arts Day Celebration at 3 p.m. Activity tables, art projects and food will be available in the Booth Lobby at 1 p.m. $5-$25. modlin.richmond.edu
Oct. 25-26
Comedian Chris Rock comes to the Altria Theater at 8 p.m. $49.50-$170. altriatheater.com
Nov.12
Singer and self-described “cabaret artist” Georgia Rogers Farmer brings her show “Come on Over” to the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen at 7 p.m. $40. artsglenallen.com
