The Fall Film Series gets off to a horrifying start with this screening of the 1925 silent film horror classic The Phantom of the Opera, featuring live accompaniment by Matt Marshall.

The Phantom of the Opera stars the legendary Lon Chaney, Sr., “Man of a Thousand Faces,” in a career-defining role. His groundbreaking, self-applied make-up shocked 1920’s audiences, reportedly causing them to scream or faint at the moment of the Phantom’s unmasking. This highly influential film paved the way for the great Universal Horror films of the 1930’s, and is a well-respected horror classic in it’s own right; it’s the perfect way to kick-off the Halloween season.

The film will have a live score performed by Matt Marshall, renowned for his regular performances at the Scottsville Victory Hall Theater; Marshall also teaches Film and Music courses for UVA’s Continuing Education School, and is the founder of the Reel Music Ensemble.

Please remember that our Fall screenings begin at 7pm rather than at 8:00; admission remains a $5 suggested donation.

In a screening co-sponsored by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Health Department, The Bridge PAI will screen a segment of the documentary Unnatural Causes this November, as part of a community awareness campaign regarding health disparities.

Unnatural Causes was produced by California Newsreel in order to draw attention to the root causes of health and illness and to help reframe the debate about health in America, particularly with regard to economic and racial issues. The seven-part documentary series criss-crosses the country, investigating findings that are shaking up our conventional understanding of health. In particular, Episode 2: When the Bough Breaks, specifically addresses how racial disparities affect birth outcomes, which is clearly relevant given recent data on racial health issues here in Charlottesville, especially concerning infant mortality.

The 30-minute video will be followed by an informative discussion, accompanied by handouts and relevant information. This event is free and open to the public.

Allyson Mellberg and Jeremy Taylor are working artists and JMU professors who have been living in and around the Charlottesville area for the last four years. Allyson and Jeremy’s work can be found at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, Lump Gallery in Raleigh, NC, and Cerasoli Gallery in Los Angeles. Their work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at museums and galleries including the Atlanta Contemporary Art Museum, The Rose Museum, SECCA, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Bayly Art Museum, The Bemis Center, and Third Drawer Down in Victoria, Australia.

The installation and studio sale at the Bridge PAI will feature works on paper, paintings, sculptures, and soft sculptures made within the last five years. As Allyson and Jeremy move into a new (and empty!) studio this fall they are looking to find good homes for their work. All of the pieces will be priced far below their market value; a portion of the proceeds from this show will go to benefit The Bridge PAI. All of Jeremy and Allyson’s work is made using ecologically responsible, recycled, and non-toxic art materials.

The Bridge is proud to host OffStage Theatre’s presentation of InsideOut, an evening of readings, monologues and plays written by the women of Fluvanna Correctional Facility for Women.

This event is a benefit for the Voice Project, an educational theatre program that helps inmates engage in creative exploration of the self through drama. Throughout the workshops in acting, improvisational storytelling, writing, directing, and movement, participants work to develop stronger social skills; a fuller sense of creative expression; greater self and community awareness; tolerance of differences; ability to resolve conflicts; and higher self-esteem.

There will a special musical guest appearance by the Acorn Sisters (Sarah White and Sian Richards). Tickets are available at the door, with a suggested donation of $15.

A Group Show curated by Colin L, featuring artists C.F., Sara Shapouri, Nick Kuszyk, Hillbilly Werewolf, dearraindrop, MOOSEJAW, Deya Ramsden, Shawn Thornton, John Fritz, Tom Hohmann, Sebastion Paulson, Heather Clark, John Erik Lawson, Meghan Eckman, and Thom Klepach.

Bursting from brilliant and battered art-addled brains, noise-damaged ears and hearts distended with love and hubris, this show will present a selection of contemporary art that promises to dazzle and disturb in a way that few art shows still do. The thread that connects these diverse artistic talents is Colin L, a musician/artist/ringleader of tormentors who some locals will remember as co-catalyst, with Usaisamonster bandmate and fellow artist Tom Hohmann, of Charlottesville’s legendary Pudhaus performance space. Colin’s energy and spirit once brought important wandering weirdos together for musical catharsis right here in Charlottesville, and this art show carries the seed of that spirit, gathering many artists whose lives intersected in that space back together for this important show.

The gallery will be crammed with art: video and ephemera that looks back at halcyon Pudhaus days in the small room, a survey of the present and future of brain melt from over 15 contemporary visual artists in the big room, as well as a merch table of prints, zines and music from the whole gang. The October 3rd opening party will also feature a lecture from Philly-based lord-of-flies Brandon Joyce and acoustic noise from Colin L. This will be so beautiful, it is scary.

Business seminars can be tedious, but not when they’re done by a backwoods “good old boy” who gives us all the real inside secrets to ripping people off, so you can live a better life. Side lessons in the “art of rap” and musical performances inluded in this benefit for mid-west flooding cleanup, starring Timothy Trotter. Pay what you can.

Bring the kids, or embrace your own inner child, for our screening of kid-friendly short films on August 28th! We’ll enjoy classic Fleischer Brothers cartoons from the golden age of 1930’s animation, films made specifically for children by two of our favorite experimental filmmakers Rudy Burckhardt and Robert Breer, as well as animation by local youth from the Lighthouse Studio… and a few other surprises.

In addition to the films, Shaun Cullen, a Charlottesville folk singer and songwriter, will be performing a selection of new and classic rock songs for kids.

PLEASE NOTE that this screening will begin at 6pm, rather than 8:00pm. We’re trying not to keep anyone out past their bedtime.

Join us for another heavy-ass rock show at The Bridge, with Worn in Red, WereBear, and The Black Shade.

Worn in Red are a screamy, driving cathari-rock act from Charlottesville and Richmond. They’ve been around since November of 2004, though the current line-up has only been together since October of 2007. They have been fortunate to play with a bunch of rad bands, including: Melt-Banana, Glass & Ashes, Modern Life Is War, Thunderlip!, The Life & Times, Bella Fea, Pash, Young Livers, Mass Movement of the Moth, The Points, Mouthbreather, The Catalyst, I Am The Avalanche, Jena Berlin, Sparrows Swarm & Sing, Pink Razors, Bullet Train To Vegas, Tubers, Young Hearts, Pyramids, Lost Hands Found Fingers, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, The Draft, Small Brown Bike, and Seaweed.

Werebear are a hyperactive, D&D-obsessed punk-metal act from Charlottesville; an elite adventuring party of four of the realm’s most powerful champions. Small enough to avoid detection but strong enough to destroy those who would harm their defenseless hamlets, they are committed to spreading the teachings of the WEREBEAR to the world.

Unfortunately, Fag Static have had to cancel their appearance at this show, due to a family emergency. We wish them well, and hope that they make it back to town one day. Their spot on the bill will be filled by The Black Shade, a band from northern VA who play mid-90’s-style mid-tempo anthemic punk rock, described as “kind of like a mix between early Hot Water Music and a spazzier take on Seaweed.”

Doors at 8pm, with music at 8:30. The show is all ages, it’s a $5 cover charge, and there is no alcohol allowed.

The Bridge Summer Film Series starts off with a special guest this year: puppet-master and Charlottesville ex-patriot BenJones. In 2005, Jones was living in New York City running a comic-book store called Jigsaw. He created two puppets as a promotional device for the store: Dr. Kranium, the stodgy, humorless mad scientist; and Milton, his long-suffering, wisecracking robot servant; The Jigsaw Video Show was born. Three years and two cities later, the comic store has closed down, but the puppet show lives on! Milton and Kranium have re-located to Charlottesville and are still producing short, internet-distrubuted episodes on a weekly basis.

Informed by an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure British sitcoms, a comprehensive understanding of time-tested vaudeville gags, years of stage experience, and a lifelong obession with the Muppets, Jones has infused The Jigsaw Show Thing with sharp wit, crack comic timing, memorable original music, and a confounding ability to portray multiple puppet-characters simultaneously. Over the course of the show’s 35+ episodes, extended plot-lines have slowly developed, memorable bit characters have become full cast members, and show has taken on a humorously self-referential and self-depricatingly autobiographical tone. To read more about the The Jigsaw Puppet Thing, check out this article in the C-Ville Weekly.

Weekly episodes of Jigsaw are available online, but the show best appreciated in large doses with a crowd of friends; that’s precisely what we’ll do on July 31st, as we gather at The Bridge for an evening of Jigsaw’s finest episodes, hosted by Jones and Milton themselves, who will provide snarky introductions, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and witty commentary. It starts at 8pm sharp, with a suggested donation of $5.

Our summer of musical mayhem at The Bridge continues! Join us for an exciting 3-band show on July 17th. We’ll start off with Myceum, the alias of c-ville musician Scott Ritchie, who was last seen at The Bridge in June, taking us on a pedal-heavy drone odyssey when he opened for DickHearse. Next up are out-of-towners Simple, a solid psych-pop / indie-rock act.

Articulate Chewbacca occupy a territory somewhere in-between those two styles; the all-star line-up (featuring half of c-ville prog-rockers Truman Sparks, the rhythm section from locals The Nice Jenkins, and Scott from Myceum) explores instrumental, rhythmic kraut-influenced rock explosions. Don’t miss it!

The show will start around 8:30pm, with a cover charge of $5.