Special Events, Mona's... closing 4/5, & WELL opening 4/17

Virginia Arts & Letters Live this Saturday, March 28 ONLY! 8 PM at the Empire Theatre
In the tradition of NYC's celebrated "Selected Shorts," an A-team of Virginia’s finest actors, authors, and musicians mixes it up in a lively and literate celebration of theatrical derring-do, all taped live for broadcast on WCVE-FM.
Buy Tickets

Mona's Arrangements closes Sunday, April 5 at Hanover Tavern
so get your tickets and head over to the Tavern before you miss this world premiere musical comedy that's received 5 rave reviews! Jan Guarino, Scott Wichmann and Audra Honaker star in a musical comedy that’s as charming as it is funny. A successful business woman (Guarino) and a “wild and crazy guy” who is 20 years her junior (Wichmann) connect in this hilarious and tuneful love story set in a flower shop. When the free-spirited niece (Honaker) begins playing Cupid, opposites not only attract, they ignite!

WELL opens April 17 at Willow Lawn.

Lisa just wants to put on a nice, orderly play about growing up and how she was cured of her allergies. But her mother, watching from her La-Z-Boy, keeps offering snacks to the audience and interrupting with her version of events. Soon Lisa loses control of her autobiography when the actors she hired to help tell the tale begin siding with her mom, and a bully from elementary school crashes the narrative. “Wonderful and delirious. Well has warmth and accessibility that make you want to recommend it to everyone.” - The New York Times.
Buy Tickets


Lots more coming up in April:
Theatre IV's Fairy Tale Ball at the Empire, Sat. April 4
Coffee & Conversations at Willow Lawn, Tue. April 14
Stretchin' Musicians at Willow Lawn, Sun. April 19
Bifocals Theatre Project for Seniors at Willow Lawn, Fri. April 24
(and Bifocals also meets this Friday, March 27 as well!)


Stay Up to Date!
Sign up for our eNewsletter and get the latest news about events, auditions and special discounts.

Stretchin' at Barksdale - Great Way to Relax

Posted by Bruce Miller
One of Barksdale’s terrific but lesser known programs is Stretchin’ at Barksdale, a homegrown, organic, Sunday night concert series produced and hosted by B J Kocen, one of Greater Richmond’s most enthusiastic music impresarios. The kickoff concert of the 08-09 Stretchin’ Season—our third—took place Sunday evening before a crowd of about 40 music lovers, all assembled at tables spread out in front of the lobby stage in our comfortable Willow Lawn “living room”—that’s “lobby” for those of you who resist the urge to be homey.
There are about five great things to be enjoyed at a Stretchin’ concert. The first, of course, is the music. Each month, B J (or Beej to those who know and abbreviate him) assembles a stellar roster of talented singers and instrumentalists from both near and far. Past Stretchin’ All-Stars have included Paul Curreri, Slash Coleman, Harry Gore, Susan Greenbaum, David Janeski, Browning Porter, Devon Sproule, Brad Tuggle, Sheryl Warner and the Southside Homewreckers, and, of course, Beej himself. This Sunday’s lineup, pictured above, included (left to right) George Garrett on cajon, Jackie Frost on rhythm guitar, Beej on rhythm guitar, Brad Tucker on bass, and Jim Wark on lead guitar. Jackie, Beej and Brad were the principal vocalists.

A second crowd-pleasin’ aspect of the Stretchin’ experience is the price. Most Sunday evening concerts (almost always 6 pm to 8 pm) carry a cover of only $5 with no drink minimum. You won’t find a better bargain than that.

A third attribute of the series is the venue. Turns out Barksdale’s living room is about the perfect place to hear authentic music up close and personal. The acoustics and sound system are great and you never sit more that 15 or 20 feet away from the performers. Seating is cabaret style, at tables, so you can purchase a Blue Moon (or the beverage of your choice) and perhaps a snack from the Barksdale bar and then have a place to set it down. And, of course, the living room is smoke-free.

Then there’s the spontaneity. All the performers are there for the love of the music; they split the meager box office and whatever tips the appreciative crowd cares to toss into the on-stage bucket. So there’s not a lot of rehearsing. It’s mainly great musicians jamming together, often for the first time, giving the whole evening an improvisational, jazzy feel, except the tunes trend a lot more to Van Morrison and Eric Clapton than Miles Davis or Thelonious Monk. Requests are often shouted up from the audience to the stage, and when they know ‘em, they play ‘em.

Last but certainly not least, there’s B J Kocen, about as charming an emcee as you’ll ever want to meet. He establishes a laid back, comfortable tone while liberally sharing his true passion for this music that he loves. You can’t help but go wherever the music is taking you when Beej is driving the cab.

You won’t see any ads in the paper for our Stretchin’ evenings—with these prices, who can afford ads? But you can sign up for the Stretchin’ email list by writing B. J. at bjkocen@gmail.com. Or you can sign up for the Barksdale email newsletter and receive reminders from us as well. No reservations are required. Just show up at the door with your fiver and a pal or two in hand, and then sit back for a relaxing evening of good music with good friends.

You’ll be glad you did. Hope to see you at the theatre!

(Note: Many thanks to Scott Elmquist, Photo Editor at STYLE, for the great pic of Sunday's concert; Brad Tuggle who serves as staff liaison for the Stretchin' series; and the Glave Kocen Gallery for letting B J share his artistic energy with the performing arts as well as the visual [B J co-owns and co-runs the place with his beautiful wife Jennifer Glave].)

--Bruce Miller

Barksdale Earns Raves from Richmond's Music Boosters

Posted by Bruce Miller

Tim Timberlake, former newscaster and current mover and shaper of Richmond’s authentic music scene, posted a rave review this week of Barksdale’s recent Stretchin’ concert with Justin Townes Earle. Tim is passionate about music the way I’m passionate about theatre—may God bless us both. Tim’s photo of Justin, taken in Barksdale’s lobby, and his thoughts on the Stretchin’ concert appear here with his permission. To read his entire post, check out his rousing and informative blog, My Music Journal, at http://www.timtimberlake.blogspot.com/. Tim’s the right guy to go to when you want to know the skinny on what’s what with music in Richmond and beyond. That's him, to the right and below.

“Sunday night we were among a sadly undersized crowd to witness a young man on the front edge of what should be a stellar career,” Tim writes. “His pedigree is enough to suffocate a lesser talent given that he’s Steve Earle’s son and the late Texas legend Townes Van Zandt was his godfather. So this wiry, way over six-foot-tall, twenty-something cowboy has something to prove and his 90-minute set at Barksdale’s Stretchin’ series offered all the proof any skeptic could want that Justin Townes Earle is the real deal!”

Tim continues to offer praise with evocative phrases like:
“Justin ran through a rich and varied set list of mostly original tunes that made me feel like I could’ve been in a time machine watching Hank Williams when he first started out of the gate,”
and
“Accompanying himself on guitar, occasional harmonica and a good helping of boot heel percussion, Earle the younger displayed a confidence and charisma that can’t be faked and made believers of this appreciative audience, most of us hearing him for the first time.”

A discerning commenter named Catherine added, “If you guys aren’t comin’ out to Stretchin’ every month you’re missing out,” prompting fellow annotator Ellen to add that Jason performed “one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while. All the shows in this series of Stretchin' are sure to be great ones.”

I don’t know about you, but praise like this from Richmond’s music insiders sure made me wish I’d been there. Terrie and I intended to go that night, but we’d just opened three mainstage shows in 15 days and so we decided to stay at home and crash. We’ve marked our calendars with the upcoming Stretchin’ dates, and we’re planning and hoping to join in the fun.

Barksdale is blessed to have great pal BJ Kocen, pictured to the right, creating and championing our Stretchin’ series. We provide the space and a little bit of extra stuff, BJ provides the heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears. And sadly, when the crowds are low, BJ and co-producer Glave Kocen Galleries take the financial hit.

In many ways, it’s likely that Richmond’s theatre and music scenes will thrive or fade together. I vote for “thrive.” That’s why we’re in the Stretchin’ business. I hope you’ll join me in checking out the upcoming events. You can learn more at http://www.barksdalerichmond.org/stretchin.html.

Quite simply, thanks to BJ Kocen and the terrific talent he assembles, Barksdale is now one of the best and most exciting music venues in town. Thanks to Tim Timberlake and fans like Catherine and Ellen, hopefully more Richmonders will soon start to know.

--Bruce Miller

Barksdale's Sunday Music Series is Back!

Posted by John Steils

Barksdale Theatre serves the community in a LOT of ways, including co-producing a live music series on selected Sunday nights. The series is called Stretchin’ at Barksdale, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

Our partner and co-producer, BJ Kocen, does most of the work. Brad Tuggle, Assistant to the Managing Director at Barksdale and Theatre IV, is staff liaison and general coordinator on Barksdale’s behalf.

But it’s BJ Kocen (that's him, grinnin' to the right) who selects, books and promotes the acts, and hosts every Stretchin’ performance. BJ is a man of many talents, and a charmer to boot. He is a singer and guitarist, songwriter, actor (he played the young lover in Italian American Reconciliation in Barksdale’s 01-02 Season), art gallery manager (he and his wife Jennifer Glave Kocen own the newly opened Glave Kocen Gallery), impresario, and all round great guy. No wonder STYLE Weekly selected him in 2006 as one of the Top 40 Under 40.

Stretchin’ is back for its second year of great music performed live on the intimate lobby stage in Barksdale’s “living room.” Stretchin’ guests (that means you) sit at cabaret tables, enjoy light fare and libations from the cash bar, and groove to some of the best singing and playing you’ll find in any of Greater Richmond’s clubs and pubs.

Six top notch shows are scheduled for the 07-08 season, and each will hold true to the feel that B. J. has established for the series – loose, fun, intimate.

The first show on Sunday, December 9, 6 to 8 p.m., is a whopper. And admission is only $10 at the door—an unbelievable bargain.

Justin Townes Earle, (singing to the left) is the son of international recording artist Steve Earle. He will fill the Barksdale “living room” with songwriting, singing and storytelling that will knock you out. Just back from his gig with the Old Crow Medicine Show and a tour that took him all over the globe, Justin has been compared by the critics with Bruce Springsteen circa Nebraska. His mini-lp, Yuma, is a quiet masterpiece. The amazing Susan Greenbaum will open the show, and BJ will kick it off with Justin for a season opener not to be missed.

Remaining shows in the season are as follows:

Jan 13 – Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule

Feb 17 – Jackie Frost, BJ Kocen and Brad Tucker (The Gobstoppers)

Mar 9 – Sheryl Warner & the Southside Homewreckers (CD Release Party) (photo to right)

Apr 13 – Slash Coleman and Browning Porter

May 11 – All Star Jam

Many thanks to the other co-producers of the Stretchin’ at Barksdale series: Creative Mortgage (http://www.creativemortgage.cc/), The Community Idea Stations (http://www.wcve.org/), and the Glave Kocen Gallery (http://www.glavekocengallery.com/).

For more information about the series, call BJ Kocen at 358-1990. Also, you can check out Justin Townes Earl at http://www.myspace.com/justinearle and Susan Greenbaum at http://www.susangreenbaum.com/.

Come December, we’ll once again be Stretchin’ at Barksdale. We hope you’ll join us for the fun!

--John Steils

(Added by Jessica in Marketing: Also there's a full list of dates with ticket information on Barksdale's Stretchin' page.)

Summertime Thoughts on the Fourth of July

Posted by Bruce Miller
It's a DAY OFF!! As I enjoy it, I'm reminded of why the summertime has become so crazy at B'dale and TIV.

A unique and important characteristic of our two nonprofit companies—one that is seldom noticed, at least publicly—is that we employ our core team of 40 professional theatre artists year round. In this way we’re different from our peer organizations, the Richmond Symphony and the Richmond Ballet, and our predecessor theatre, TheatreVirginia. Our core artists do not take the summer off. They earn vacations, to be sure (two to three weeks, depending on the number of years they’ve been employed). But they also earn paychecks – 52 weeks a year.

We do this for one simple reason. We believe theatre professionals deserve the security of year-round employment just like everyone else. We don’t send our core team on hiatus in the summer because we want to enable them to continue to work at Barksdale and Theatre IV year after year. All management studies suggest that seasonal employment encourages turnover, whereas year-round employment encourages stability.

Our employment records at Barksdale and Theatre IV seem to prove these findings. For years our companies have benefitted from the longest employee longevity and the lowest turnover of any major arts organization in the Commonwealth.

In order to make this year-round employment possible, we engage in year-round programming. In fact, the sun-drenched days of summer are now among our busiest.

Throughout July, we will be continuing the run of our hit musical Into the Woods at Barksdale Willow Lawn (featuring Audra Honaker and Russell Rowland as Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, pictured to the left). And we'll be keeping the laughs coming with our hit comedy The Odd Couple at Barksdale Hanover Tavern (featuring Jen Meharg and Jennifer Frank as the Pigeon Sisters, pictured below and to the right).

In partnership with Steward School, we will be opening the Greater Richmond High School All-Star Musical, which this year happens to be Disney’s High School Musical, involving nearly 50 students from 20 area schools in a fully produced three-week run at the magnificent Cramer Center in Richmond’s West End.

We have enrolled 100 elementary school students in our hugely popular Stage Explorers day camp, this year operating out of both our Willow Lawn and Hanover Tavern facilities. We have extended our Coffee & Conversations program, sponsored by Rostov’s Coffee & Tea, into July, and continued our essential Bifocals Theatre Project for senior artists and audiences into the month of June.

This Friday, a terrific vocal ensemble from the cast of Disney's High School Musical will even be singing the national anthem at the Diamond.

And this Sunday, an All Star Jam will conclude the 06-07 season of our terrific live music series, Stretchin' at Barksdale, produced by Richmond's most charming impresario, B. J. Kocen. Brad Tucker, Craig Evans, Harry Gore, Chris Fuller, Jackie Frost, Stephen Leckey and the Beej himself will be making organic music all evening long for a meager $10 cover charge--the best live music deal in town.

So, “Why is the summer so busy!?” Because we're working our hardest, every day, to increase the professionalism of our company, with one goal in mind—living up to the responsibilities of being Virginia’s leading professional theatre.

--Bruce Miller

Stretchin' Season Finale

Posted by Russell Rowland

If you're looking for a chill way to enjoy your weekend, head on over to the lobby of Barksdale Willow Lawn. Sunday the 8th will conclude a season of spectacular artists with their roots firmly planted in Virginia. Some may be national touring acts, but with the tremendous charm and magnetism of BJ Kocen and his helpers we get a night of pure organic entertainment.

I have been lucky enough to attend four of the performances and it feels so good to be in that room soaking in the music. It is almost as if you are listening to a jam in someone's living room. The intimacy of the space lends itself so well to the music being created ... and hey, you can't beat the price.

If you haven't been before, think of the Unplugged series on VH1. Make sure you catch this final performance of the season ... but don't worry about it's fate, word is we'll have a brand new lineup beginning in the fall.

So if you're looking for a laid back evening of musical spontaneity at Barksdale Willow Lawn from some of the area's finest performers, come on down. The show will run from 6 to 8pm. No advance ticket sales.

A few performers from the first season include BJ Kocen, Jackie Frost, Drew Gibson, Billy Ray Hatley, Jim Wark, Scott Elmquist, and Sheryl Warner & The Southside Homewreckers.

July 8th, 2007
THE ALL STAR JAM
Brad Tucker, Craig Evans, Harry Gore, Chris Fuller, Jackie Frost, Stephen Leckey & BJ Kocen
**10 dollars
Cash bar

-Russell Rowland