OCTOBER 2019
Dr. Sally Shedd (left) appeared in Legally Blonde-The Musical, the first production in the Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. She'll direct The Christians in the new space October 31-November 3. Also pictured: Dr.Travis Malone and Abigail Horgan '19.
Center Stage With Sally Shedd
Dr. Sally Shedd, Batten Professor of Theatre and Chair of the Virginia Wesleyan University Theatre Department, is currently preparing the VWU production of Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. Co-presented by the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, the play will be the second theatrical performance in the Joan and Macon Brock Theatre of the new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The Christians features a cast of 25 student performers and musicians and is set in a megachurch where the pastor has just finished a major renovation and delivers a sermon on salvation that divides the congregation. Tensions over debt and doctrine play out in the performance.

“How we communicate, believe what we believe, and disagree are all themes of the play,” Shedd says. “It seemed like a timely topic. These are skills we need to cultivate in our culture, or at least confront, and without taking sides the play reflects communication opportunities, both taken and missed.”
October 2019
Watts Gallery: Lydia Johnson '19
Watts Gallery, Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center
A sampling of works by artist Lydia Johnson, a 2019 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan University.

October 3
Padmarani Rasiah Cantu
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, 11:00 a.m.
Padmarani Rasiah Cantu, joined by a number of her students, performs the ancient classical dance of India, Bharatha Natyam, and explains the symbolism of gestures in this ancient storytelling art form. Presented by the Center for Sacred Music. Free and open to the public.

October 5
Homecoming and Family Weekend Arts Showcase
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, 6:30 p.m.
An extravaganza of talent showcasing VWU students in the Arts. Free and open to the public.

October 8
Morning With the VSO Ladies
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, 11:00 a.m.
Featuring Amanda Gates and Kirsty Barnett Green, violins, Beverly Kane Baker, viola, and Rebecca Gilmore Phillips, cello, in a program of classical string quartets by female composers. $5-10 | vwu.tix.com | Free to VWU students, staff, faculty.

Kirsty Barnett Green has been a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra since 1996, and two years later she became a member of the performing arts faculty at VWU. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland and the United States, and has been featured on classical radio programs including the Vermont Public Radio and Radio Geneva. A native of Switzerland and graduate of the Conservatoire Populaire, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts and is a licentiate of the British Royal Schools of Music.

A light brunch will be offered before the performance; doors open at 10:15 a.m.

October 18
VWU Choral Invitational
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, 5:30 p.m.
The VWU Choral Invitational, led by Dr. Bryson Mortensen, Director of Choral Activities and Co-Chair of the VWU Music Department, features the choirs of Grassfield, War Hill, Granby, Jamestown and Maury High Schools, as well as the Virginia Beach Visual and Performing Arts Academy Choir. A day of instruction by VWU voice faculty Billye Brown Youmans and Dr. Randall Ball, with ensemble coaching and an opportunity to sing alongside the VWU Choirs. The culminating performance at 5:30 p.m. is free and open to the public.

October 22
Kitchen Talk: Steve A. Prince and the VWU Jazz Ensemble
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, 11:00 a.m.
A native of New Orleans heavily influenced by the rich culture of jambalaya and jazz, Steve A. Prince earned the MFA in Printmaking and Sculpture from Michigan State University and is Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary. Among his public works is the 8’ x 8’ mixed media work entitled Lemonade: A Picture of America at the College of William and Mary commemorating its first three African-American resident students in 1967. Prince has lectured and conducted workshops in both secular and sacred settings internationally in a variety of media. He spreads a message of hope and renewal to the global community through the cathartic New Orleans funerary tradition called the Dirge and Second Line.

In an early morning session at VWU, Prince will meet with Professor Phil Guilfoyle's printmaking class and share linoleum blocks, prints, and the mixed media expressive components in his creative process.
In "Kitchen Talk" at 11:00 a.m. and open to all, the VWU Jazz Ensemble will kick off Prince's talk on the fond memories of his mother's kitchen where his mind still smells the rich aromas of her cooking and hears the robust laughter from sisters and aunts in the telling of stories.

Prince will share images of his relief prints and drawings on the Goode Center's big screen. The images, laden with symbols and poly-narratives, candidly explore the history of America through the lens of faith, family, race, gender, power, and love. The art is uncompromising in its message to tell the truth and unearth the silence that many families harbor.

"Kitchen Talk" traverses the terrain of that space which Prince says is where "Mama fried chicken, made gumbo, pressed sister’s hair, cleaned the greens, and offered strategies to navigate the pitfalls of the community. She encouraged civic action, taught us to speak truth to power, chastised us if we underachieved, chided us to not to bring home any babies, and told us that God is in control. Kitchen Talk is truth."

Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by The Lighthouse and The Arts at VWU.


October 31-November3
The Christians
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center
Pastor Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundation of his church’s belief. The Virginia Wesleyan Theatre Department, in association with the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and the Music Department, present a play about faith in America today. What happens when a pastor’s sincere revelations and theological convictions put him at odds with his staff? His congregation? His wife? Lucas Hnath’s play takes religious faith seriously and, in an evenhanded manner, invites the audience to reflect on what happens when people of good intent disagree on matters of ultimate importance. Directed by Batten Professor of Theatre Dr. Sally Shedd. $5-10 | vwu.tix.com | Free to VWU students, staff, faculty.

October 31, 11:00 a.m.*
November 1-2, 7:30 p.m.
November 3, 2:00 p.m.*

*Talkback Sessions: Immediately following the October 31 and November 3 performances, Director Sally Shedd and Craig Wansink, the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr. Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, will lead talkback discussions focused on the major points of tension in the play. These events are part of the On Deck Series sponsored by The Lighthouse.

The Arts Ahead
November 7
Beth Bienvenu: Creative Forces
Goode Center, 11:00 a.m.
Dr. Beth Bienvenu, Director of Accessibility for the National Endowment for the Arts presents "Creative Forces," an exploration of Creative Arts Therapies used to serve the needs of military patients and veterans with traumatic brain injuries and psychological health conditions, as well as their families and caregivers. Free and open to the public. Part of the On Deck Series, co-sponsored by The Lighthouse.

The Arts + Social Impact Explorer
To help people begin the journey of discovery to deeper understanding of the arts’ long-term social impact, Americans for the Arts has produced the Arts + Social Impact Explorer, an online primer that draws together top-line research, example projects, core research papers, and service/partner organizations about 26 different sectors, all in an effort to make more visible the incredible, wide-reaching impact of the arts.