Long Overdue: American Shakespeare Center for the Evening

In 2011, K bought J a gift card to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA.  It was part of our tradition of giving experience gifts whenever we can--we like adventures more than having things, mostly.  Blame it on busy lives, but we didn't get around to using the gift card until 2016. 2016.  It was just 5 years later.

This fall, we were inspired to take in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, an historical rock musical (think in the vein of Hamilton).  The performance does contain adult content, but the staff warn you fairly.  Would we take our young kids?  No. Would we recommend it to all our friends without exception? No. Were we glad we had the experience? Yes. Did we think it was exceedingly well performed?  Yes.  So, fellow history nerds, ponderers, and people who generally like holding disparate ideas in tension and thinking about connections between the past and present, we promise you can handle it if you so choose.

The play was a great introduction to the intelligent design of American Shakespeare Center seasons--the company is currently featuring three plays, two Shakespearean, designed to get the audience thinking about power.  It's stunningly perfect for an election year.  The physical design of the theatre is quite intelligent as well.  It's the only replica theatre of Shakespeare's indoor theatre, and performances are given in conditions similar to those in Shakespeare's day.  Expect the lights to be on--and the troupe of actors to be interactive, especially if you sit on (yes, on) or close to the stage.  We selected second-level seats because we usually like balconies, and we found our choice, guided well by the box office staff when we called, to be pretty perfect.  It's a good thing as we've already booked close by seats for A Christmas Carol in December.

Really, even if you don't like Shakespeare, don't like theatre, or think one of those two things is true of you, it's pretty impressive that the American Shakespeare Center is in Staunton, VA, and that is excuse enough to try it out and see if your mind changes.  That's right, everyone: The only recreation of Shakespeare's indoor theatre is in Staunton, not Europe and not at the Folger Library.  You can also get ticket deals if you look--there AAA discounts, student rates, and fun specials in their Twitter feed (@shakespearectr).  This is theatre that feels like a shared experience and it. is. worth. it.  Plus, there's a gift shop!

If you go, we recommend arriving when doors open for the pre-show, a time of music and other vignettes from the actors.  Arriving early will also get you good--and sometimes free--nearby parking.  Enjoy walking downtown Staunton while you are there.  Our sense was that it was a very safe area for walking around, and we found a few restaurants open after the show and ate a lovely dinner at Joe's Steakhouse.  There were small shops aplenty, although many had closed for the day. These attractive little places included used bookstores (more than one) and specialty grocers (more than one)--very fun.  If staying the night, the classic Stonewall Jackson Hotel is nearby, and we spotted several B&Bs and boutique hotels, too.  They even have an app for your walk!

Gone Farming

We visited the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA, to find it much expanded since our last trip when we were dating in the early 2000s.  At that time, there were four farms--a great lesson in Shenandoah Valley cultural geography.  Now, there are even more farmsites, and the site has additional potential for learning American history for those with and without relevant academic background. 

One of the things that most impresses us about the site is the attention to strong interpretation.  It's in a different class than many other living history sites we've seen, as the interpreters are conversant in history itself as well as in the history of their institution, in authentic demonstration techniques as well as in audience engagement.  In a time of museum "shrinking," this site has made it and expanded, most recently to additional early American farmsites and to an African farmsite.   As home to many animals (roaming free or roaming within a fence), it's also a great living history site for children.   We loved the "wobbly lambs."

And did we mention they have cats?

If you go, dress for outdoor weather and walking.  Consider lunch at Rowe's afterwards.  The Factory Antique Mall, Green Valley Book Fair, and the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory are nearby treats.  One of our prior trips is blogged here.  Our friends have a gourmet grocery store in town, the Staunton Abbey.  Look them up on Facebook. 

Relevant Websites:
Frontier Culture Museum
Visit Staunton

Relevant Twitter Handles:
@FrontierCulture
@Staunton

Baby's First Book Fair

Oh, it's Green Valley Book Fair time! We went on opening day--busy but fun. Kim and Justin came away with lots of good regional titles from History Press and other treats, with Kim being especially pleased with some Road Food selections and some new board/picture books representing a whole host of cultures and concepts for Mr. Elijah's exploration. If you go this set of Book Fair dates, expect some new shelving sub-catgories--don't let them throw you off. For example, travel writing (downstairs, near architecture) is not with the travel guide books (upstairs, traditional location). We learned that Elijah has inherited his parents' cloak of invisibility when shopping in crowded locations, but hey, we always wanted to avoid being intrusive people who believe their stroller has the right of way in all circumstances, so it's all good.

We skipped our usual visit to the Dayton Farmer's Market and went searching for antique malls instead. We found Rocky's off I-81 (exit 235) and were not excited--lots of expensive items and glass/silver but little for our taste. The Factory Antique Mall in Verona (exit 227) was much, much more exciting, its happy-looking orange building being a bonus. We enjoyed extended time in a wonderful old book dealer, getting a "new" book on JP II and assorted other treasures from the kindly proprietor. Kim came away with a substantial number of new postcards, including foldouts for Jamestown and Bethlehem. There was a substantial amount of old paper to browse in this mall, and it was spacious with varied vendors--many of whom were on site and offering discounts. If you are travelling this way, we also recommend Alpha and Omega near Shenandoah Harley Davidson, but we didn't stop there today.

We ate at Rowe's (say Rawl's) in Staunton, one of Justin's favorites. If you're not familiar, it's a reasonably-priced, home cookin' kinda place that has been reviewed in publications like Savor and has its own cookbooks you can buy. Elijah recommends the exceptional mashed potatoes.