Here what we’re looking forward to this week: GalaxyCon returns, a staged reading at Firehouse Theatre explores the messiah complex, UR hosts a panel discussion on climate action, and the art of Tsherin Sherpa is on view at the VMFA. Have a good one!
Saving the World
It’s a good thing the kids care. As we march toward a global climate crisis, young people and artists are the ones working overtime to raise awareness in hopes of slowing the destruction of our planet. A lunchtime panel discussion at the University of Richmond on Tuesday, March 15, moderated by Mary Finley-Brook, associate professor of geography and the environment, will feature spoken-word artist Selina Leem of the Marshall Islands. They’ll discuss the role that artists and youth play in spurring climate action. Presented in conjunction with the Modlin Center’s Small Island Big Song artist residency and One Book, One Richmond, the free event (pizza will be provided) takes place from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the Adams Auditorium at Boatwright Memorial Library.
—Scott Bass, News Editor
Return of the Con
The March 18-20 edition of GalaxyCon Richmond is positively stacked with celebs, from “Star Trek” stars William Shatner and Brent Spiner to “Star Wars” (and “Breaking Bad”) villain Giancarlo Esposito, not to mention a trio of actors from Amazon’s hit superhero satire “The Boys.” That said, as a longtime comic book fan, I’m more drawn to guests such as writer Christopher Priest, whose “Black Panther” comics laid the groundwork for the blockbuster movie, and writer-artist Dan Jurgens, who killed off Superman in 1992. (He got better.)
—Chad Anderson, Copy Editor-at-large
Second Coming?
Firehouse Theatre will present staged reading workshops of “Trinity” March 18-20. Based on the book “The Three Christs of Ypsilanti,” the play follows a psychologist’s study of three schizophrenic patients who all believed they were Jesus Christ. As he works to provide insight on the source and treatment of delusions, he’s forced to confront his own. Milton Rokeach, who wrote the book, conducted the study in 1959 at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan. Tickets are $20; masks and proof of vaccination are required.
—Nicole Cohen, Special Projects Editor
Wandering Spirits
Where do spirits go when they are displaced or otherwise forced to abandon their homes? This question provides inspiration for classically trained Tibetan artist Tsherin Sherpa. His family left Tibet around 1950, and at age 30, he moved from Nepal to California. “Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits,” a 36-piece mid-career retrospective of Sherpa’s work, continues through Oct. 16 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Sherpa’s vivid realizations are mashups of ancient Buddhist and Tibetan representations with that which is contemporary. The spiritual figures, uprooted from their tradition, seek accommodation within the new world in which they find themselves. Tickets are $8 to $10.
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Other Suggestions
- History Happy Hour, presented by the American Civil War Museum, comes to Capital Ale House on Monday, March 14.
- The Eighth Annual Jazz4Justice, with guest conductor Richmond Flying Squirrels CEO Todd “Parney” Parnell, takes over the VCU Singleton Center’s Vlahcevic Concert Hall on Thursday, March 17.
- See “Forgotten, Nudes, Landscapes,” works by painter Gideon Appah, at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU through June 19.
River City Roundup is Richmond magazine's weekly compilation of the best things to see, do and experience in the region, compiled by our editors. Get each week's installment directly in your inbox every Monday by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
