Lights Up @ CenterStage

Lights Up: "CELEBRATING YOUTH AND THE ARTS AT CENTERSTAGE

Come celebrate a weekend of youth and the arts at the Genworth BrightLights Education Center at Richmond CenterStage. All programs and performances are free, but registration and tickets are required.

'Lights Up' presents over 30 workshops, master classes, lecture-demonstrations and live performances featuring the Resident Companies of Richmond CenterStage:

• Richmond Symphony Orchestra
• Richmond Ballet
• African-American Repertory Theater
• Richmond Shakespeare
• Theater IV/Barksdale Theatre
• Virginia Opera
• SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community)
• Elegba Folklore Society

The weekend also features the Latin Ballet of Virginia, Richmond Boys Choir and Friends of City Dance.

Genworth BrightLights Education Center
Richmond CenterStage
600 E. Grace Street,
Richmond, VA 23219.

• FREE Family Festival and Open House - Saturday, January 23, 2010
  
  12 to 5 p.m. – Education Workshops, Classes and Lecture–Demonstrations (Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. and continues throughout the day in the Carpenter Theatre Lobby. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.) Workshop Descriptions & Schedule
  
  7 p.m. – 'Lights Up' Performance in the Carpenter Theatre featuring young performers of Resident Companies.
  
• Sunday, January 24, 2010
  3 p.m. – 'Lights Up' Performance in The Carpenter Theatre featuring young performers of Resident Companies."

Sunday Selections

There are still some choice picks to choose from this Sunday.

• The Richmond Symphony is performing Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exposition Sunday at 3:00 PM at Richmond CenterStage. Tickets range from $17.00 to $72.00.
  
• The 17th Annual Freedom Classic takes place tomorrow at the Richmond Coliseum. Doors open at 4:00 pm. The Game between Virginia Union and Virginia State starts at 5:30. The Freedom Classic “Big Throw Down” Drum Line Competition will feature the best high school drum lines in the Richmond area!
  
• City Singers is performing their Winter Concert at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church. The show is also at 3:00 PM and is free. To learn more about City Singers and their mission, visit the City Singers website.
  
  Here's a sample of the City Singers performing the national anthem at a VCU basketball game.
  
  

Downtown Dinners

Deveron Timberlake takes a look at the dining options near CenterStage.

"In general, the drinking is better than the eating in the short radius from CenterStage, but most everything is affordable and therefore more palatable. Here’s where to go now for before — and after — theater sloshing and noshing:"

• Gibson’s Grill
  700 E. Broad St., 644-2637
  http://www.gibsonsgrill.com/
• Café Rustica
  414 E. Main St., 225-8811
• Capital Ale House
  623 E. Main St., 780-2537
  http://www.capitalalehouse.com/
• O’Neill’s Penny Lane Pub
  421 E. Franklin St., 780-1682
  http://www.pennylanepub.com/
• T-Miller’s Sports Bar & Grill
  500 E. Broad St. in the Marriott, 648-2255
  http://www.tmillerssportsbar.com/
• Coming Attraction
  Pie is the newest in a local restaurant group that includes the Fan’s Si Tapas and downtown’s Bank and Vault. This Italian restaurant in the former Berry-Burk building, at 525 E. Grace St., is under construction with an anticipated late-fall opening.

This is only a partial list. Others that I can think of are:

• Louisiana Flair (Open late from 10:00 AM to 3:00 AM Friday and Saturday)
  322 E. Grace St 612-9066
• Kenn-Tico Cuban Bar and Grill - Opening early October
  2nd & Grace next to Chic Chapeau
• LeMaire @ The Jefferson

Since you will most likely drive you could take in any of the great restaurants on Broad east of Belividere

• The Belvidere at Broad
• Tarrants Cafe
• Tarrantino's Pizza
• Twenty-Seven
• Popkin's Tavern

• Comfort

As the season picks up expect more restaurants to start opeing late. Downtown should soon be full of places to eat and stroll. Given enough traffic, may some of the many art galleries will extend their hours making downtown a true arts and entertainment district.

See the full coverage of CenterStage in this week's Style.