Sycamore Rouge, Petersburg’s professional theatre for the community, will be holding auditions for Read∙y for Right, a new play depicting the story of the first civil rights protest in Petersburg, VA. Auditions will be held at Sycamore Rouge, at 21 W. Old Street, on September 5 from 6:00-9:00pm, and September 6, from 10:00am-5:00pm. Director kb saine seeks 14 African American and Caucasian actors and actresses, ages 18-50, to play various roles.

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The Tennessee Williams favorite A Streetcar Named Desire opens Friday, July 18 at 8pm at Sycamore Rouge, complete with a champagne reception with the cast and crew after the show.

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Sycamore Rouge will host a “STELLA!” Calling Contest/FUNdraiser at the upcoming Friday for the Arts, July 11 at 8pm. The winner will receive two tickets to the opening night of A Streetcar Named Desire (which will be July 18)! The entry fee to participate in the contest is $10.

Not familiar with the Marlon Brando version? Check this:

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Sycamore Rouge presents Like Mother, a musical journey through six showers, three receptions, and one cheese sculpture of the Empire State Building. Through multiple musical characters, including her own mother, one woman recollects the highs and lows of a zany wedding planning process.  After theme-reception battles, perfect-gown victories, and a few tearful confessions, the bride discovers it’s not that bad being just a little LIKE MOTHER. The performance will be Friday June 27, 8pm. Tickets are $10. Note: this is a workshop performance, with an audience talkback session after the show!

1) Lyric Ave — Richmond, Va’s Own Poetry Based Variety Show — presents “Poetic Justice” at Sycamore Rouge Friday June 20, at 8:00pm.
2) QuintEssential Jazz — a six-piece Jazz Band — comes to the Rouge Saturday June 21 at 8:00pm.

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The above-titled act, a fundraiser for Sycamore Rouge, will be performed at SR this Saturday, June 14, at 8pm. The act features John Porter, Santa De Haven, Erica Breig, Patrick Vickers, Logan Conner, Rich Sauter, and more! Tickets are only $15!

John Porter has been a professional comedian for over 15 years, performing in clubs and colleges all over the free world. He has written for Jay Leno, Joan Rivers, and Marc Weiner and his hit Nickelodeon television show Weinerville. He has appeared with magician David Copperfield, Grammy award-winner Tom Chapin, legendary comedian Bill Hicks, and leader of the Comedians of Comedy Patton Oswalt. He was the host and producer of the award-winning program Gallery heard on National Public Radio and is currently the co-host of Time For the Blues, heard on WCVE-FM.

Sycamore Rouge will be holding open auditions for all roles in its upcoming production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, with performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from July 18 - August 9.  Auditions will take place at Sycamore Rouge from 4pm to 7pm on Friday, May 30 and 10am to 6pm on Saturday, May 31.

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Nickel and Dimed, Joan Holden’s play based on the book “Nickel and Dimed: On (NOT) Getting By In America,” will open this Friday, May 16, at Sycamore Rouge. The play follows the story of Barbara, a middle-aged, middle-class journalist, as she tries to make a living working minimum-wage jobs. She asks: can she survive on $7 an hour?

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This weekend at Sycamore Rouge:
1) “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, Theatre with Children for Children, Sat. May 3, 11:00am, $5.
2) The Petersburg Music Festival presents “Gospel Night”, Sat. May 3, 7:30pm, $15.
3) Interested in Acting? Two workshops….

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Members of the Uppity Blues Women will give an educational presentation followed by a concert at Sycamore Rouge on Saturday, April 26, at 8pm.

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Gypsy Roots performs at Sycamore Rouge April 18 at 8pm. Gypsy Jazz is an idiom pioneered in the 1930s by guitar legend Django Reinhardt. Django was foremost among a group of guitarists working in and around Paris in the late 1920s and 1930s. This group included the Ferre brothers, who also made important contributions to the development of what has come to be known as Gypsy jazz.

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The 5-piece band headed by vocalist Flo King will appear at Sycamore Rouge on Friday, April 4, at 8pm. Flo’s Mellow Mood Band and Show encompasses many types of music including reggae, bossa, swing, blues, and spirituals. Her sound is often likened to Gloria Lynne, Phoebe Snow, Carmen McCrae, and Phyllis Hyman, and she has even been called the “Female Frank Sinatra” with her rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon”. Her repertoire includes such favorites as At Last, The A-Train, Good Morning Heartache, Route 66 and Besame Mucho. With a background in foreign languages, Flo has the unique ability to perform songs in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

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The Stephanie Nakasian Trio will play at Sycamore Rouge March 29, at 8pm.

Reviews:
“Vocal virtuosity…broad range of material that showed her assurance on easygoing ballads, soft, Brazilian scat singing, and punchy pep songs.”
- John S. Wilson, The New York Times

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Sycamore Rouge will be holding open auditions for all roles in its upcoming production of Nickel and Dimed by Joan Holden with performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 16-June 7. Auditions will take place at VCU at Shafer Street Theatre (room to be announced) at 6pm on Thursday, March 20th and at Sycamore Rouge from 10am-6pm on Saturday, March 22nd.

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Take four musicians steeped in their native Appalachian music, add in the beautiful repertoire of Celtic music and the result is - Celtibillies.

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Flo and her 5-piece band, Mellow Mood, will be bringing their mellow jazz sounds back to Sycamore Rouge this weekend.

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Sycamore Rouge is holding auditions on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 11am-5pm for its upcoming production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson and directed by Ronal Stepney.

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The Sycamore Rouge hosts The Velveteen Rabbit, adapted by kb Saine from Margery Williams’ classic childrens’ story, Dec. 7-Dec. 22 — and according to the P-I, some nights are nearly sold out, even with the theater’s newly expanded seating!

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Holy Cow. This year, the place to be on New Year’s Eve is Old Towne Petersburg. Sycamore Rouge will be bringing back the popular Red Light Burlesque, featuring the Mad Tea Party, Christabel and the Jons, and the Modern Burlesque Brigade’s show “Ballad of a Beautiful Sex Monster.” And if that’s not enough, Old Towne Catering will be hosting Ball of the Centuries, a costume party featuring the Upper East Side Big Band.

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Roddy Barnes, music director of the upcoming production of The Velveteen Rabbit, has composed 13 original songs for the production and will preview a few of them on Saturday, Nov. 17, 8pm. Roddy’s songs are already being lauded by the region’s top musicians, and are even being covered by other artists! As a long-time supporter of Sycamore Rouge, Roddy has offered to forgo his artist fee to help Sycamore Rouge prepare for a busy 2008 — come thank Roddy for his support!

This five-piece band brings its smooth and contemporary swing back to Sycamore Rouge on Friday, Nov 16, 8pm. To hear clips of their music, click here.

Alison Chase Radcliffe sings spirituals from the African American tradition and accompanies herself on piano, playing all of her own arrangements. She sings from a deeply spiritual place with power, beauty and subtlety. Her repertoire of traditional spirituals includes I Want Jesus to Walk With Me, Pilgrim Traveler, Amazing Grace, and Bright Morning Stars. Alison’s art seems to draw from the same deeply spiritual place as her music. She paints and draws portraits of women from her imagination, using primarily oils on wood. She also uses pencil, watercolor, gouache, and ink.

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The City of Petersburg will be the center of a “Salute to Veterans” series in commemoration of Veterans Day 2007.

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A letter from Christopher Shorr:

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