Community Outreach is a major component of Bridge programming. Through workshops, projects and related events we seek to establish strong ties with communities through out Charlottesville.

Workshops and programs are conducted at The Bridge and partnering locations, making use of collective facilities and available resources.

They may be run by The Bridge and partnering staff, educators, mentors or artists depending upon the nature and duration.

Outreach programs often culminate in an exhibition of related work/s in our space at the conclusion of each session.

Our Special Projects take place predominantly outside of the gallery environment. They are projects which directly engage the community by their presence in the community.

Utilizing public space and venue’s city-wide, these events have a set duration and objective, often times addressing a relevant social issue or specific “hot topic” of civic interest such as Diversity, Transit, Health Care, or Affordable Housing.

Special Projects utilize creative partnerships between The Bridge and other local organizations, individuals, and various groups in the community.

Click here to find out more about past Special Projects!

If you are interested in organizing a performance at The Bridge, read our submissions page or email one of our program coordinators. If you are musician interested in scheduling a concert at The Bridge, please contact ourmusic coordinator. If you are interested in scheduling a comedy act or play, contact our comedy and theatre coordinator. Interested in scheduling a literary reading? Contact our literary events coordinator.

The Bridge hosts regular gallery exhibits through out the year. Open to work of every medium, mode, and process imaginable, our gallery serves as a home for both emerging and established artists to explore and exhibit their works in a non-commercial setting.

Ever-evolving, the space is often more akin to a laboratory than a traditional gallery environment. Over the course of their stay, exhibitions often share space with film screenings, rock shows, and even small-scale theatre productions. We encourage artists to visit The Bridge and see what it’s all about.

If you’re interested in proposing an art exhibition as The Bridge, please read our submissions page for details and email our gallery exhibitions coordinator.

This year-round seasonal film series provides our audience with the opportunity to experience otherwise-unseen films that address topics – both social and artistic. We show both feature-length works, shorter films and videos; our focus is primarily on films that are experimental, avant-garde, underground, and independent, ranging from local to international.

The Series was founded in the summer of 2006 by Sarah Lawson, Jordan Taylor and Max Fenton; James Ford joined the group soon afterward as a co-curator and volunteer projectionist, and served as the series’ creative director and coordinator through the Spring of 2009. We have also received much technical assistance and support from the Virginia Film Society.

Our Film Series is organized by a small group of volunteer curators; we also actively invite and recruit local filmmakers and enthusiasts to get involved, to contribute to our schedule, or even to host a night of films at our space. Visit the submissions page or email our film series coordinator to learn more about how you can get involved with the Film Series.

Bitch Dynamite is a musical comedy duo from Charlottesville featuring
professional comedians Erik Beringer (vocals and melodica and
harmonica) and Dolan Harrington (vocals and guitar). Bitch Dynamite
performs their original comedy songs and stylings all over the local
area.

For info contact:
Theatre@thebridgepai.com

Tuesday May 8, the Bridge PAI, 8pm // Suggested donation $7

Percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani is originally from Osaka, Japan. In 2006 he performed in 80 cities in 7 countries and collaborated with 163 artists worldwide. In the past 10 years he has released nearly 50 recordings on CD.

He has created his own instrumentation, effectively inventing many instruments and extended techniques. He utilizes drumset, bowed gongs, cymbals, singing bowls, metal objects, bells, and various sticks and bows to create an intense, organic music that defies category or genre. His music is based in improvised/experimental music, jazz, free jazz, rock, and noise, yet retains the sense of space and beauty found in traditional Japanese folk music.

In addition to live solo and ensemble performances he works as a sound designer for film and television. He also teaches Masterclasses and Workshops at the University level. He also heads H&H Production, an independent record label and recording studio based in Easton, Pennsylvania. He was selected as a performing artist for the Pennsylvania Performing Artist on Tour (PennPat) roster as well as a Bronx Arts Council Individual Artist grant.

Show details: www.steviejay3.com/bridge

Grown-ups only, please. Early arrival recommended: Show starts promptly at 8pm. Latecomers will be left outside like bad dogs. Webpage with show details: www.steviejay3.com/bridge

About Stevie Jay and “Life Love Sex Death…and other works in progress” (A multi-chakra extravaganza) Stevie Jay takes audiences on a trip into the human psyche, painting a picture of Real Life on Earth with personal, uncensored stories about relationships, sex, working out at the gym, working out sexual relationships at the gym–and the endless struggle to remain spiritually-oriented and irresistibly-gorgeous at all times.
Through a series of revelatory monologues, soulful skits, embarrassing observations, and intermittent go-go dancing, Stevie explores the thrills and horrors of intimacy, sexual labels, identity issues, and the need for an open heart and a sense of humor in our technologically-driven world.The play also features an inclusive romance segment in which the gender of the beloved is never mentioned; audience members are free to personalize the experience for themselves.

Stevie originally gave birth to “Life Love Sex Death…and other works in progress” at Live Arts more than a decade ago. The play was presented twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which resulted in a 4-week London debut with rave reviews. (http://steviejay3.com/p-llsd_rev.htm). Stevie went on to present his work at colleges and progressive venues throughout the country, drawing large and diverse audiences, and sparking lively discussions (and emotions).

In 2008, “Life Love Sex Death…and other works in progress” was chosen as the kick-off program for a week-long event at Yale University (“Sex Week at Yale”) and then debuted in San Francisco for a four-night, full-house run. The show was subsequently chosen as the opening play for the 2009-10 Season of Rhode Island’s prestigious “Perishable Theatre,” and that same year, Stevie launched a new work in progress, entitled: “Falling Through The Cracks:::a homeopathic remedy for the new millennium…in one dose,” which takes place entirely in Charlottesville on a single night.

In 2011, Stevie received a rare endorsement from The Kinsey Institute for Sex, Gender and Reproduction, describing his show as “never more relevant than it is now,” and “a great vehicle for helping mainstream audiences understand the wide spectrum of sexuality and relationships.”

Most recently, Stevie’s work received critical acclaim when he performed at Washington DC’s Capital Fringe Festival, and theater reviewers praised the play’s central theme of love and transcendence: “Stevie Jay hits an elusive target–breaking down the usual barriers and connecting. I thought he was really smart about teasing sexuality issues into view and then being playfully resistant about the way we get hung up on labels. We rehash this publicly all the time, yet he made it fresh.” (Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post, Editors’ Pick)

It’s been two years since Stevie has performed in town, and we’re all looking forward to an exciting event. At this point, the multi-chakra extravaganza is considered “a Charlottesville rite of passage.”
Featured Stevie Jay Clips:

“Pregnant and Scared”

“Are We STILL Talking About That Gay Thing?”

“Miss Idaho” – Stevie with John D’earth and the UVA Jazz Ensemble at Cabell Hall

Review Blurbs: “Stevie Jay presents an evening of dangerous hilarity, pushing the envelope, and leaving his audiences with a LOT to think about!” -Ray Faiola, CBS, New York “Stevie Jay takes us full circle and wipes the slate clean–daring us to be anything other than OPEN during our lifetime.” -Jane Ambachtsheer, Theatreworld Magazine, UK “Stevie Jay has invented his own genre of performing–advanced theatre never seen before!” -Farhad Emad, Tashbain Chronicle, Yorkshire, UK “No audience could possibly be advised in advance as to what to expect from Stevie Jay. This is performance art at its best!” -Deborah Minsky, Provincetown Banner “Not just a show, more like a relationship. No performer has ever had so personal an effect on me. Extraordinary!”
-Kate Copstick, The Scotsman, UK “A latter day Lenny Bruce! Grippingly funny–not for the weak of heart, though they might need him most!”
-Phyllis White, Programmer, WTJU Radio
“This show is like ecstasy without the holes in your brain!” –Eli Duke, elisfanclub.com “AS REAL AS IT GETS! Naughty, bawdy, soul-searching, and hilarious! Like the deepest breath you’ve ever taken.” -Yael Ksander, Producer, WFHB-Radio

“Stevie Jay picks up where Lily Tomlin left off. This show is nothing less than a timeless, transformational masterpiece!” -Amy Lemley, Board Member, Live Arts “Stevie Jay is a wisecracking prophet!” -Toby Emert, CVILLE Weekly “Hits so many levels of the human psyche so fast, there’s no time to come up for air!” -Glenn Harris, Miki Liszt Dance Company “The frankness of Stevie Jay’s humor and raw honesty makes the whole audience undress their souls!” -Josh Martin, Director, American Lands Alliance “I have never seen a man so in love with his own abdomen. I would rather pass a kidney stone than see him again.” -Bony Motel, cVillain.com “A study in naked narcissism like you’ve never seen. Save your money and go people-watching at Walmart.” -Dharmaguy, cVillain.com “This show is mind-blowing and life-changing and should be booked in every major city across the continent–and then some!” -Barb Germershausen, Simply Yoga “Not since Terminator II has my husband been so riveted by a performer!” -Gigi Payne, Family Preservation Services

Film, reading, and…anti-reading?  The Bridge’s 3rd evening of Flicker Poetry brings together an array of poetic talent from both here in Charlottesville and farther afield intercut with various poetic mediations in the form of short experimental 16mm film.  In keeping with Flicker series’ commitment to the wacky, the brave, the beautiful, and the rarely screened, films include: Stan Brakhage’s Wonder Ring , James Broughton’s Scattered Remains, and Joel Schlemowitz’s experimental documentary of the Loudmouth Collective/Ugly Duckling Presse anti-reading series.

Alongside these images are three exciting young poets:  Michael Rutherglen and Charlottesville representatives Jordan Bolden and Lisa Fink.

Michael Rutherglen is the recipient of a 2012–2013 Amy Clampitt Residency and a 2008 Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation. His work has been published in Poetry, The Southern Review, and Washington Square, and he is one of the founding editors of The Winter Anthology— www.winteranthology.com—a nascent online collection of 21st century literature. Currently, he teaches poetry at James Madison University.

Lisa Fink is a poet, translator, teacher, and scholar. She is a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Mongolia and a Henry Hoyns Fellowship for study at the University of Virginia, where she currently teaches a writing-centered course on culture and the environment. Her poems and criticism can be found in magazines like Ecotone,Jellyroll Magazine, Spinning Jenny, Rain Taxi, and Forklift, Ohio. She is the author of the chapbook Her Disco (Dancing Girl Press, forthcoming).

Jordan Bolden is a third year at the University of Virginia.  She studies Poetry Writing and German Literature and is originally from Burke, VA.

For any inquiries or questions, please contact Jordan Taylor or Lindsay Turner at bridgepaifilm@gmail.com