
Theater and opera houses
In Virginia you can find the following interesting or important theaters and opera houses:
Harrison Opera House
In the well-known Ghent District in Norfolk is the Edythe C. and Standley L. Harrison Opera House – home of the Virginia Opera, which first met in 1974 and has performed many internationally recognized and critically acclaimed pieces to date. Once a World War II USO theater (USO stands for United Service Organization), the building, which until 1933 was mainly used to strengthen team spirit and support American troops and their families, was renovated and opened to the public. The large chandeliers in the hall in particular lend the historical theater a glamorous yet intimate charm that can be enjoyed particularly well with a glass of champagne in the box. Up to 1,630 visitors can find space on two floors and the mezzanine.
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
The “Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Art” s, also known only as the Wolf Trap in the Washington DC region, is a center of fine arts that is located not far from the small town of Vienna in Fairfax County and from the Wolf Trap National Park is managed. The rustic, natural center, which was founded in 1970 and is the first of its kind – a national park for art only – was established in the USA on an area of approximately 0.53 km². Between May and September, around 95 different performances are held in different locations in the small National Park, which was once used for hunting wolves. So z. B. in the Filence Center, which is characterized by its wooden stage and gives the site a festival-like character. Up to 7.
The Barter Theater
The renowned Barter Theater, located in the rather small town of Abingdon in Washington County, is one of the oldest professional theaters in the United States and holds the title of the State Theater of the State of Virginia. Its name ‘Barter’ goes back to the time the theater was founded in 1933, while the USA was also in the midst of the great global economic crisis and there was talk of a great depression. Robert Porterfield, founder of the theater, set himself the goal of doing something good for poor people in the region and offered to visit the theater, even though they had no money for the 40 cent tickets. In return, they should bring him food or other supplies, for example, which he in turn donated in part. Even after his death in 1971, the theater advertised affordable ticket prices, making it one of the state’s most popular venues. Stars such as B. Kevin Spacey and Wayne Knight started their careers in the barter.
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The Signature Theater
The Signature Theater is a popular, even Tony Award-winning, and manageable theater in the Washington DC area, founded in 1990 and located in the city of Arlington. The theater mainly focuses on the production of current and new performances as well as the modernization of older plays. It is repeatedly praised by world-renowned theater critics and has received numerous awards for its productions in the regional and national theater categories. Up to 2013, 38 world premieres were performed in the Signature Theater, which are repeatedly compared to productions on Broadway. Top-class dramas by award-winning producers and composers such as Cameron Macintosh, John Kander and Fred Ebb are not uncommon on the Signature.
Theater IV
The Theater IV is the second largest children’s and youth theater in the United States. It was founded in the city of Richmond in 1975 and has been an integral part of the American theater scene ever since. Theater IV is constantly training young artists and actors with whom it travels across the nation, trying to educate through art and draw attention to social grievances in the United States. Topics such as integration, health and growing up play a major role. The Theater IV has received approximately 15 awards since its first performance in 1977. Its founders were named two of the most influential Richmond citizens of the 20th century.
Museums and exhibitions
Richmond
Museum of Confederacy The Museum of Confederacy at 1201 East Clay Street in Richmond is designated as a Civil War Museum. It has existed since 1896 and exhibits military, political, and local artifacts, including, above all, manuscripts, photos, and pamphlets created during the Civil War. The museum also consists of the old federal White House, which was built in 1818 in a neoclassical style and for a long time was the military headquarters in Virginia. It is strongly reminiscent of the White House in Washington.
Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond
The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond is dedicated to the life and work of the writer who moved to Richmond, his new adopted home, in 1836. It has numerous things from Poe’s private estate as well as numerous photos and writings, e.g. B. Personal letters, poems and unpublished manuscripts. One of the four buildings that house the museum is the oldest house preserved in Richmond. It was built in 1754 and had to be renovated several times. The museum is located in the historic center of the capital on 914 East Main Street – not far from Poe’s apartment at the time.
Mariner’s Museum
The Mariners Museum in Newport News is one of the largest marine museums in the world and the largest in the United States. The museum opened in 1932 and exhibits around 30,000 artifacts related to shipping from around the world. Several exhibition rooms, academic libraries, teaching rooms, a lake and an 8 km long coastal path are spread over 5700 m² of exhibition space. Issued z. B. Model ships, paintings and entire boats. The Mariner’s Museum is located on 100 Museum Drive in Newport News.
Virginia Museum of Fine Art at Richmond
Virginia Museum of Fine Art is located on 200 N Boulevard in Virginia’s capital Richmond and is administered by the City of Virginia. The museum, which was built in 1936, is known, among other things, for its important collection of Impressionist works and the largest collection of exquisite Fabergé eggs outside of Russia. It also has numerous art deco artifacts and art from all continents. A visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art is basically free and will surely please any art and culture lover.
Monuments and monuments
Booker T. Washington National Monument
The Booker T. Washington National Monument is located near Hardy in Franklin County in the central southwest of the state. It is an old tobacco farm that was declared a national monument in 1956 and is dedicated to the educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, who was born there 100 years earlier. Today, the former tobacco farm is considered an educational institution on slavery and provides information about Washington’s life and achievements as a human rights defender.
Fort Monroe National Monument
In the Chesapeake lies the coastal fort Hampton that houses the Fort Monroe National Monument. It was listed as a historic monument by Barack Obama in 2011 and is primarily intended to commemorate its role during the American Civil War. The pentagonal and 1.3 km² fort was first built in 1608 to protect Jamestown and was expanded during the British / American war and civil revolt. During World War II, it served as the main location for American coastal artillery.