Hampton Roads - Performing Arts
The Hampton Roads area has a number of theaters for both visitors and locals to enjoy off-Broadway shows, local play groups, operas, musicals, symphonies, and many more events of the sort.
Virginia Beach has just built the Sandler Center for Performing Arts, located in Virginia Beach’s newly developed “downtown” area. The Sandler Center was opened in November 2007 to address Virginia Beach’s limited theater facilities. The Sandler Center is a modern building with a beautiful and elegant interior. The acoustics inside are modern technology’s best, and will impress any audience member. In its first year, the Sandler Center will host a wide variety of events, including the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Symphonicity’s Messiah Sing Along, the Virginia Musical Theatre, an Argentinean tango company, the Virginia Beach Forum, Complexions, and many more groups and events. The Sandler Center also hosts acting and other classes as an educational pursuit, special matinees for students, and lots of background information for teachers.
Although it’s small, the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is a place to catch local groups presenting excellent dramas, comedies, musicals, mysteries and more, all extremely affordably. The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is practically a tradition; it has been open since 1948 and located on 24th street, a few blocks from the oceanfront.
Norfolk, VA is home to a number of venues, including Chrysler Hall, Norfolk Scope Arena, Harrison Opera House, Attucks Theatre, and Wells Theatre. The Norfolk Scope Arena opened in 1971 and is a large dome-shaped arena, featuring bigger shows, such as the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus, the Virginia arena racing, and other large conventions and concerts. Scope is also home to the Norfolk Admiral’s ice hockey team, who play from September through April.
Chrysler Hall is a sophisticated, classically styled theater for musical and performing arts events. Chrysler Hall can seat over 2,500 people in its main theater, and 225 in the “Little Hall,” a black box theater below the main theater. Although Chrysler Hall is the official home of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Broadway at Chrysler Hall Series, and the Norfolk Forum, Chrysler Hall hosts a number of other plays, musical events, and lectures.
The Harrison Opera House is a grand building both inside and out for operas and other elegant events. Located in downtown Norfolk, very close to the Chrysler Hall, the Harrison Opera House can seat a bit over 1,600 people. The 105 foot stage at the Harrison Opera House is the official home of the Virginia Opera; in 2008, they will perform operas such as Eugene Onegin and Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition, the Harrison Opera House hosts events such as the Virginia Youth Symphony and individual singers, such as Kathleen Battle.
Wells Theatre and Attucks Theatre are both smaller, more intimate theaters. In the Norfolk Financial District, along Granby Street, Wells Theatre is an impressively restored theater, evoking an older era for its 600 audience members through its ornate gold work on the stage front and theater walls. Wells Theatre originally opened in 1913, as the New Wells Theatre, named for Jake Wells, the builder and owner, who before his exploration into the theater management was the manager for the Richmond Colts baseball team. Mr. Wells opened his first theater in Richmond, Virginia, and Norfolk was his second theater on the map. Over time, Mr. Wells and his brother opened a total of forty-two theaters—seven of them in Norfolk—and became known as the “Fathers of Vaudeville in the Southeast.” At the time, New Wells Theatre was technologically advanced, very lavish, could seat over 1,600 people, and became the Wells’ flagship theater for these reasons. Today, Wells Theatre is home to the Virginia Stage Company, a not-for-profit, professional resident theater company who will perform A Christmas Carol, The Piano Lesson, The Poetry of Pizza, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, and more in December 2007-April 2008.
Seating over 600 on Church Street in Norfolk, Attucks Theatre was originally conceived in 1919 to provide a theater facility in the midst of Norfolk’s minority community. In that time, Attucks Theatre hosted famous names such as Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Ruth Brown, and Marian Anderson, among others. Attucks was closed in the ‘50s and suffered from neglect. Recently restored, Attucks Theatre now hosts singers such as CeCe Winans, Grammy Award Winner Mark Cohn, Blind Boys of Alabama, Lori McKenna, Eric Bibb; performances by the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center Inc.; and other events such as the Miss Norfolk Pageant in its December 2007-April 2008 season.
Susannah Fuller is a freelance writer in Virginia whose work has appeared in a variety of magazines and publications
Virginia Tourists Guide - Hampton Roads
Virginia Beach has just built the Sandler Center for Performing Arts, located in Virginia Beach’s newly developed “downtown” area. The Sandler Center was opened in November 2007 to address Virginia Beach’s limited theater facilities. The Sandler Center is a modern building with a beautiful and elegant interior. The acoustics inside are modern technology’s best, and will impress any audience member. In its first year, the Sandler Center will host a wide variety of events, including the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Symphonicity’s Messiah Sing Along, the Virginia Musical Theatre, an Argentinean tango company, the Virginia Beach Forum, Complexions, and many more groups and events. The Sandler Center also hosts acting and other classes as an educational pursuit, special matinees for students, and lots of background information for teachers.
Although it’s small, the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is a place to catch local groups presenting excellent dramas, comedies, musicals, mysteries and more, all extremely affordably. The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is practically a tradition; it has been open since 1948 and located on 24th street, a few blocks from the oceanfront.
Norfolk, VA is home to a number of venues, including Chrysler Hall, Norfolk Scope Arena, Harrison Opera House, Attucks Theatre, and Wells Theatre. The Norfolk Scope Arena opened in 1971 and is a large dome-shaped arena, featuring bigger shows, such as the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus, the Virginia arena racing, and other large conventions and concerts. Scope is also home to the Norfolk Admiral’s ice hockey team, who play from September through April.
Chrysler Hall is a sophisticated, classically styled theater for musical and performing arts events. Chrysler Hall can seat over 2,500 people in its main theater, and 225 in the “Little Hall,” a black box theater below the main theater. Although Chrysler Hall is the official home of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Broadway at Chrysler Hall Series, and the Norfolk Forum, Chrysler Hall hosts a number of other plays, musical events, and lectures.
The Harrison Opera House is a grand building both inside and out for operas and other elegant events. Located in downtown Norfolk, very close to the Chrysler Hall, the Harrison Opera House can seat a bit over 1,600 people. The 105 foot stage at the Harrison Opera House is the official home of the Virginia Opera; in 2008, they will perform operas such as Eugene Onegin and Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition, the Harrison Opera House hosts events such as the Virginia Youth Symphony and individual singers, such as Kathleen Battle.
Wells Theatre and Attucks Theatre are both smaller, more intimate theaters. In the Norfolk Financial District, along Granby Street, Wells Theatre is an impressively restored theater, evoking an older era for its 600 audience members through its ornate gold work on the stage front and theater walls. Wells Theatre originally opened in 1913, as the New Wells Theatre, named for Jake Wells, the builder and owner, who before his exploration into the theater management was the manager for the Richmond Colts baseball team. Mr. Wells opened his first theater in Richmond, Virginia, and Norfolk was his second theater on the map. Over time, Mr. Wells and his brother opened a total of forty-two theaters—seven of them in Norfolk—and became known as the “Fathers of Vaudeville in the Southeast.” At the time, New Wells Theatre was technologically advanced, very lavish, could seat over 1,600 people, and became the Wells’ flagship theater for these reasons. Today, Wells Theatre is home to the Virginia Stage Company, a not-for-profit, professional resident theater company who will perform A Christmas Carol, The Piano Lesson, The Poetry of Pizza, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, and more in December 2007-April 2008.
Seating over 600 on Church Street in Norfolk, Attucks Theatre was originally conceived in 1919 to provide a theater facility in the midst of Norfolk’s minority community. In that time, Attucks Theatre hosted famous names such as Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Ruth Brown, and Marian Anderson, among others. Attucks was closed in the ‘50s and suffered from neglect. Recently restored, Attucks Theatre now hosts singers such as CeCe Winans, Grammy Award Winner Mark Cohn, Blind Boys of Alabama, Lori McKenna, Eric Bibb; performances by the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center Inc.; and other events such as the Miss Norfolk Pageant in its December 2007-April 2008 season.
Susannah Fuller is a freelance writer in Virginia whose work has appeared in a variety of magazines and publications
Virginia Tourists Guide - Hampton Roads
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