The story below is from our September/October 2019 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Photo above: ©Alex Del Valle
Editor’s Note: Want to know more about our local arts and culture? Get our list of art galleries and music venues as seen in our Sept/Oct Arts and Culture sidebar here.
Long known as the cultural hub of Southwest Virginia, Roanoke continues to live up to its reputation as a prominent destination for the arts within the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Whether it’s live theater, opera, dance, visual arts or something else entirely, the Star City offers a wide array of distinguished options for tourists and residents alike. Here’s a brief look at the most popular selections.
Taubman Museum of Art
Apart from being the most recognizable piece of architecture in Roanoke, the Taubman Museum of Art is one of the premier museums in Southwest Virginia.
Boasting a 77-foot glass peak in the atrium, the Taubman was named Virginia’s best-designed museum by Architectural Digest in 2018 — the same year the building celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The museum’s permanent collection consists of approximately 2,400 works, adding significant cultural clout to its aesthetic impressiveness.
“The art itself is great,” says Cindy Peterson, Taubman’s executive director. “But we also have a balcony that overlooks the city, a cafe, a shop and much more to offer. There’s something for everyone, and people can come out and make a day of it.”
The Taubman holds 15-20 special exhibitions per year, including two current showings — “Huntopia” and “POP Power from Warhol to Koons” — that will run through March. The former exhibition features the work of eccentric New York artist Hunt Slonem, while the latter celebrates historical and contemporary figures within the pop art movement.
The Taubman is also committed to community engagement, as evidenced by what Peterson called “institutional innovation,” an initiative that focuses on, among other things, disseminating art throughout the region. One example of the museum’s outreach is its ceiling tile project at the Carilion Clinic, which began in July. Tiles were decorated with paintings, then placed throughout the pediatrics unit. Says Peterson: “It’s all based on the concept of art as healing.”
Additionally, a renovation of the Porterfield Education Center on the museum’s third floor was expected to be completed by September. That space is a hub for adult art classes, as well as leadership training sessions and other workshops, which further the museum’s overarching theme of institutional innovation.
“We’re pushing toward open boundaries for classes, as well as meeting the community where they are,” Peterson says. “We’re interested in using art as a vehicle for teamwork, communication and innovative thinking.”
The Taubman is the only museum in Southwest Virginia that offers free admission, Peterson said. However, there is a small cost for special ticketed exhibitions.
Mill Mountain Theatre
Mill Mountain Theatre, founded in 1964, is one of the most established theaters in the region, boasting an average of 12 stage productions per year while also offering educational initiatives via its conservatory.
“It’s one of those things where people may not appreciate what’s in their own backyard, but those from far away love it,” says Ginger Poole, the theater’s producing artistic director. “We have a long history and a solid national reputation that appeals to everyone, from the serious theater-goer to the newbie.”
In addition to the 345-seat Trinkle Main Stage, the theater recently debuted The Fringe on the Waldron Stage, an intimate 99-seat house which hosts contemporary titles with a riskier bent. Two Fringe shows are scheduled for this year, including “Every Brilliant Thing” from Nov. 7-10.
A decade ago, Mill Mountain Theatre reached a crossroads. It had encountered financial issues during the recession and was hosting just one production per year: a children’s holiday show.
The theater has rebounded, however, thanks to the hard work of Poole and many other individuals. It has operated in the black for the past five years.
“This is the new Mill Mountain,” Poole says. “This is where we’ll sit for a while.”
Opera Roanoke
Opera Roanoke is under new leadership in 2019, as Brooke Tolley was named its general director in January.
Tolley, an accomplished singer who’s worked as an artistic assistant with Opera Roanoke since 2015, inherited a successful nonprofit that’s been bringing opera to the valley since 1976.
Under Tolley’s leadership, Opera Roanoke will produce a number of large shows in the coming months, including “Desire of the Soul” at Center in the Square this November, and “A Streetcar Named Desire” in May 2020. The company also offers intimate performances in its Opera Offstage series, which premiered in August.
Opera Roanoke is coming off a memorable 2018-19 campaign in which it produced, among other shows, three sold-out productions of “The Barber of Seville” at Center in the Square.
Tolley believes everyone should witness an opera performance at least once in their lives.
“The combination of powerful music and gripping storytelling is unlike anything else in Roanoke,” she says. “Each time I watch an opera, it’s a new experience — even if it’s one I’ve already seen.”
Roanoke Ballet Theatre
The Roanoke Ballet Theatre has graced Southwest Virginia with high-quality dance productions for more than 40 years.
The nonprofit annually puts on two main stage shows (including “The Nutcracker,” a holiday favorite), as well as four Blackbox series shows which take place on a smaller stage on the ballet’s main studio in Grandin Village. Additionally, the company consistently tours throughout Southwest Virginia, often performing multiple times per month.
This year, the Roanoke Ballet Theatre debuted Gala of the Arts, which was held at Mill Mountain Theatre and featured collaborations with a number of organizations throughout the region, including Opera Roanoke, Roanoke Children’s Theater, Shenandoah Ballet and many more. The second annual Gala will be held in April 2020.
“We hope to continue it for many years to come,” says Sandra Meythaler, executive/artistic director for the Roanoke Ballet Theatre since 2007.
Meythaler, once the principal ballerina for the National Ballet of Ecuador, has successfully recruited 15 professional dancers from throughout the country during her tenure. That bold undertaking has helped the Roanoke Ballet Theatre become a formidable institution.
Empowered by a Roanoke community that, in Meythaler’s words, “has always supported the arts,” she’s optimistic about the company’s future.
“We look forward to another 40 years of ballet in the valley,” she adds.
Other arts and culture offerings
Roanoke’s arts and culture offerings are vast and varied. Here are several others to consider:
- Center in the Square
- Grandin Theatre
- Harrison Museum of African American Culture
- O. Winston Link Museum/History Museum of Western Virginia
- Roanoke Pinball Museum
- Roanoke STARCADE
- Roanoke Symphony
- Science Museum of Western Virginia
- Southwest Virginia Ballet
- Virginia Museum of Transportation
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