Virginia Stage Company Announces 'Paint the Town RED' Month

Buildings and trees are glowing red, restaurants are featuring red delicacies, collages of citizen-created red photo art are decorating storefront windows and Chrysler Hall's fountains are spraying red water. Virginia Stage Company announces Paint the Town RED, a month-long celebration of cultural arts and attractions across Norfolk.

Led by VSC Artistic Director Chris Hanna, the community is invited to "Savor every instance RED appears in your life - For the month of October, try adding fresh moments of passion to your day - Open up your eyes - Open up to a color - Open up to a change - Paint your life RED."

VSC is partnering with The Chrysler Museum of Art, The Virginia Zoo, Norfolk Botanical Garden, the City of Norfolk Public Art Program & AltDaily, Rising Tide Productions & the NorVa, Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, Festevents, Nauticus, Downtown Norfolk Council, The Hurrah Players, The Wells Fargo Building, Seven Venues/Scope and area restaurants, among others, to Paint the Town RED.

The celebration was inspired by VSC's upcoming production of the play RED about Mark Rothko, the famed abstract expressionist painter. RED won 6 Tony awards last year, including Best Play. VSC's production at the Wells Theatre will be the Virginia Premiere of this much-anticipated, dynamic show about art, living passionately and power of color in our everyday lives.

Events, activities and marketing & promotional efforts include:

VSC's production of the Virginia Premiere of John Logan's RED at the Wells Theatre, October 18 - November 6, 2011.

The Chrysler Museum of Art - Mark Rothko: Perceptions of Being, September 18 - January 15, 2012

The Chrysler's own No. 5 (Untitled), an important transitional work in Rothko's evolution as an artist, will serve as the centerpiece of an exhibit that includes five paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

VSC's Public Art Project - Large prints of ted-tinted photos of citizens and their expressions of what they are "RED about" are appearing in storefronts across downtown. Citizens are invited to have their photos taken at various events throughout the city, including Festevents' Town Point Wine Fest and Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, both October 15 & 16, to contribute to the project. Individual photos are also available online for download and sharing.

REDRail, October 15 - pop-up art event in which visual and performance artists will create and/or perform RED-themed works along the Tide rail corridor, concentrating on the areas around MacArthur and Monticello stations. Presented by The City of Norfolk's Public Art Program and AltDaily.

Norfolk Botanical Garden has created Rothko-inspired displays at the Garden's entrance for the month of October, along with extra dashes of RED surprises throughout the Garden.

The Virginia Zoo's special events throughout October will feature exhibits of their elephant-artists creating paintings in RED, along with events highlighting the Zoo's rare RED pandas, RED-footed tortoises, RED river hogs and tomato frogs.

R3D, October 24, Rising Tide Concerts and the NorVa will present a concert by this Grammy-nominated Christian rock band.

The Stockley Gardens Art Show, October 15 & 16, will carry a RED theme and feature the "I'm RED About Hope House" message.

AltDaily.com will celebrate the month by launching a new printed piece that will spotlight area events -- including RED activities.

ODU Theatre will present its production of the play Red Bug by Jonathan Fitts, October 20-22 & 27-29, 8pm, University Theatre.

The Wizard of Oz, Hurrah Players, October 14-16, TCC Roper Center, will feature Dorothy's ruby RED slippers d a special treat for RED-wearing guests.

Norfolk restaurants including a latte café, Baxter's, Big Easy, Bodega, Byrd & Baldwin, California Pizza Kitchen, Freemason Abbey, Kincaid's, Omar's Carriage House, Snappers, 456 FISH and The 219 will feature RED specialty dishes such as RED Velvet Cake and drinks, as well as offering promotional items featuring discounts to VSC's production of RED.

To add to the festive atmosphere, Seven Venues has turned the Scope plaza fountain red and festooned the front of Chrysler Hall with RED banners for the month of October. Nauticus will set the Battleship Wisconsin aglow with RED spotlighting. Downtown Norfolk Council has installed RED lights in the trees along Granby Street for the month of October, and The Wells Fargo Building will glow RED during the month of October.

Various eye-catching promotional efforts will add to the Paint the Town RED celebration, including RED-painted bicycles on the City's bike racks as well as flocks of RED flamingo lawn ornaments that will migrate to various locations around town, including City Hall and the Scope Plaza fountain.

For complete details, up-to-the-moment listings and links to participating partners' websites, visit www.paintthetownrednorfolk.org. 

Virginia Stage Company is Hampton Roads' only fully professional resident theater company, serving an annual audience close to 80,000. Since its founding, Virginia Stage Company has made significant contributions to the quality of life in Hampton Roads: presenting more than 190 plays through more than 3,900 performances; revitalizing and renovating the historic Wells Theatre; providing educational programs for students of all ages; and preserving the legacy of live theatre for future generations. Seasonal support for VSC's 33rd Season is provided by Norfolk Southern Corporation.