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There’s still time to get tickets to Boxerwood’s premiere outdoor theatrical event Spectacle 2023: A Wild Notion.
Months in the making, this homegrown wonder is part dream, part balm, part giant puppet marvel, said Emily Kohl, executive director.
“Through music, dance, and art, this performance summons all of us to live more boldly for one another and for the Earth,” she said. “Every aspect of this family-friendly show is homegrown, inspired by Rockbridge’s natural beauty.”
The Oct. 14 and 15 performances are the result of a community-wide collaboration headed by artistic director Stephanie Hodde and Boxerwood educators Jess Sullivan and Catherine Epstein.
The 90-minute show will feature original songs composed by Boxerwood campers (ages 7-13) with Martha Buford, the director of music at Grace Episcopal Church. Charlottesville-based singersongwriter Devon Sproule also contributed an original piece, and The Rockbridge Youth Chorale will deliver the entire musical performance alongside Boxerwood puppeteers and Halestone dancers.
Boxerwood’s volunteer coordinator, Karen Stanley, is seeking additional help to make sure the show runs smoothly. Volunteers can attend the show for free the night they are not helping out.
“I have tasks for folks of all ages and abilities,” Stanley said, “so even teens under 18 are welcome to sign up, as long as an adult comes to volunteer with them.”
Send an email to [email protected] or visit boxerwood. org/spectacle to sign up for a shift. Tickets are on sale now at boxerwood.org/spectacle. Adults are $15, children are $10, and kids under 5 get in for free.
The show takes place in the field at Boxerwood on Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Oct. 15, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., with pre-show music by Betty and the Hot Flashes beginning at 2 p.m.
Limited edition Spectacle t-shirts will be available for purchase, as well as the last unclaimed artworks of the late Devan Malore, who died in February.
There’s no parking at Boxerwood, unless handicapped. Instead, attendees will gather at the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet parking lot at the Stonewall Square Shopping Center and ride a free bus to Boxerwood. There will be a table set up in the Ollie’s parking lot where you can pick up your tickets. The bus will transport attendees back to Ollie’s at the end of the evening.
All proceeds from this show benefit Boxerwood’s school-based environmental education programs. The Spectacle is sponsored in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Washington and Lee University, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
“Bringing the Spectacle to life has involved folks from all over our community,” said Kohl. “Boxerwood is especially grateful to public school partners in Buena Vista, Lexington and Rockbridge County who helped integrate this creative endeavor into various after-school programs and camps over the last six months. Many thanks also go to Halestone Dance Studio for providing space, dancers, and choreography for the show. And finally, the show is dedicated to the late local artist Devan Malore, who shared Boxerwood’s proclivity to pursue a Wild Notion or two. Not all those who wander this wild world are lost.”
