Many of us are aware of the Southwest Virginia Ballet (SVB) through their yearly production of the…read moreNutcracker, presented in the Berglund Center for the Performing Arts. But few are aware that it is a premier non-profit, pre-professional youth dance company, based in Roanoke, Virginia, and currently celebrating 35 years in the Roanoke Valley. Established in 1990 by Tess (Terri) Post, SVB is a significant part of the Roanoke Valley's artistic landscape and has achieved recognition locally and beyond. Its mission focuses on making pre-professional dance training accessible, enriching the community through dance, and providing performing arts experiences for all ages. They provide free training to young dancers in the region and offer outreach programs for underserved individuals across Southwest Virginia.  For the Southwest Virginia Ballet's 2025 Nutcracker, they are featuring a live orchestra, the Viena Light Orchestra, composed of professional and pre-professional musicians, from different countries, and conducted by Dr.Wayne Gallops. The Ballet also has a new Artistic Director, Laurence Blake, making it a performance one can't miss. What better way of understanding what the Southwest Virginia Ballet is all about, than going in person to watch this performance of the Nutcracker. And that is precisely what I did. Having obtained a front row center seat, I was able to watch an amazing performance, from the main roles to the most insignificant ones. And as I watched the performance, I thought to myself how learning ballet and performing significantly boosts youth self-esteem by fostering confidence through skill mastery, providing an outlet for self-expression, building resilience against challenges, promoting a positive body image, and creating a supportive community, leading to increased self-worth and a stronger sense of self-assurance both on and off the stage.

Southwest Virginia Ballet is an award-winning organization whose mission is to provide the highest…read morequality dance experience to as diverse a group of young people as possible -- all for free! Every year dancers at Southwest Virginia Ballet perform "The Nutcracker," filling the Performing Arts Theatre at the Berglund Center for four performances over three days in December. These same dancers step on stage for free demonstrations at Elmwood Park and the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, as well as ticketed performances in Roanoke and across Southwest Virginia. SVB is the only organization in our area to create performances of such high caliber with student dancers alone. It's a group that draws ballet dancers from Blacksburg, Henry County, Botetourt County, Galax and beyond. They come together to a newly renovated studio in the Roanoke Industrial Center every Saturday from August through May.

This was my second time experiencing the magic of Attic Production, and they did not disappoint…read more The presentation of the musical "Into The Woods," which I was previously familiar with, was simply extraordinary. The actors fully embraced their roles in this fast-paced musical, delivering a delightful performance. They effortlessly mastered the fast-paced energy of the musical, captivating the audience with stellar vocals and dynamic dance numbers. In particular, Cameron Winbish, delivered a superb performance as Jack, anchoring the show with his stellar acting and exceptional singing. In the Director's Note in the program, Kerry Williams wrote: "Fairy tales often begin with a wish...This show has been a wish come true for me to direct...My wish now is that you leave with a little wonder of your own." My wish is that Attic Productions continue producing these high-quality shows, and that the community continue supporting them. For live theater is a shared experience between the audience and the performers. The audience experience life's joys, sorrows, and foibles. And from the actor's perspective, there is no more rewarding gift than feeling the reaction of the audience. To them there is no greater high than taking that final bow at the end of the show for a role well played.

This place was terrible. I went to see a show in March and I had to leave because it was freezing…read moreand the show was god awful! (Bad Plays Gone Wrong.) Now that I have seen Footloose I can tell this place is sinking further than ever before. They might as well just shut down now before it starts getting really crappy. And to make it worse their heater broke AGAIN! Just to be clear the actors themselves aren't bad it's just the lack of energy and motivation.

There is nothing like live theatre for entertainment, and although professional theatre is…read moreconsidered the ultimate in theatre experience, throughout my life I have enjoyed community theatres just as much or even greater. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Showtimers Community Theatre of Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. This week, I happened to discover this non-profit, volunteer driven venue established in 1951, dedicated to fostering life-long appreciation of the performing arts through non-professional theatre productions. And today, I had the pleasure of visiting the theatre for the very first time and watch the production of "The Shark is Broken." Roanoke's oldest continuously running community theatre, originally performed at Roanoke College, and in 1961 they purchased a former church on McVitty Road, which now houses the intimate 138-seat venue, that produces five mainstage shows annually. I arrived early to be able to explore the theatre's lobby, and ask some questions at their ticket office. The beautiful building is located on top of a small hill with plenty of parking spaces. After parking my Lexus in a space near their entrance, I climbed up some stairs with eight steps and reached the building's nice size porch with a lovely light blue door entrance. I'm not sure if it has another easily accessible entrance but I think it might have because I saw some older guests inside that I'm sure couldn't have climbed all those stairs. I found the entrance front door unlocked and left a little bit opened, like if inviting guests to come in on this dark and cold showtime evening. Inside, the staff there were very friendly and welcoming. When I told them this was my first time there they allowed me to hang out in the lobby, looking at all the pictures and theatrical posters from previous shows. I also shared with them how when I lived in Boston I visited over 45 community theaters from cities and towns all around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. One was even in a farm and the seats were squared pieces of hay. How the first professional Musical I saw had been a Broadway Show in New York City at the age of 14 and was called Pippin, staring John Rubinstein as Pippin and Ben Vereen as the leading player and directed by Bob Fosse. And how during my college years, I had the opportunity of watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Wang Center in Boston with the main character played by Donny Osmond. And how during my time living in Miami I was an active Board Member of two community theaters. At seven o'clock sharp they opened the doors to the theatre and a volunteer guided me to my seat in Row J, Seat 8. Which happened to be in the center of the front row. It's amazing how in a very short time the theatre got completely full of people coming to watch this show. The three main actors did an excellent job performing and I was able to meet them in person at the end of the show at the porch of the building to congratulate and thank them for a wonderful show. I feel the Performing Arts enrich our lives and for this reason I highly recommend you visit this gem of a community theatre. Go watch a show there. Make a donation of time or money by volunteering and giving them your support. Believe me, you will be getting back a lot more than what you put in.

This is a quaint local theater that you probably never really knew existed. It's right off of…read moreElectric Road across Keagey Village. To me, it looks like an old church. Established in 1959, they have featured several local plays and musicals per year. Many local singers and actors have performed here. I have enjoyed many performances here. I estimate that the seating is just about 150 people. For refreshments, they have candy, chips, cookies and soda/pop/Coke (whatever you call a carbonated drink from where you live) and they're reasonably priced, as are the shows. Considering it is only a half skip and a jump from where I live, I frequently come for an entertaining afternoon. It's a great small local theater with excellent performances. Because of the small venue, there really ain't a bad seat in the house. Parking ain't too bad none either. Check them out, sometime. You won't be disappointed.

The shape of this building is intriguing and, lucky for us, there is a very nice exhibit inside…read moredetailing how this came about. As you might expect, this museum is filled with of local artists. And instead of the usual cryptic information, most pieces have a brief biography of the artist and sometimes a bit more about the piece. It made each of these pieces come alive for me. The art placement seems very thoughtfully laid out. It's not a huge museum but it seems the perfect size for the art inside. Don't forget to check out the 3rd floor.

One of the required elements of a great city is to have a quality Art Museum. Here in the Star City…read moreof Roanoke that quality Art Museum is the Taubman Museum of Art. Art is what makes our lives ritcher and Art appreciation brings great joy to an otherwise boring life. For this reason is the important role that this Art Museum plays in our community. A couple of days ago I decided to become a member of the Museum, go visit it once more, and write this review for people to read, view my photographs and decide for themselves whether it's worth it to put aside some time to go visit it and what they could get out of it. First of all I would like to mention that the award-winning architectural design of the building by the internationally renowned architect Randall Stout is in of itself a Masterpiece work of art. At first sight it might look like a modern rendition of Noah's Ark. But if you look closer you can see that the architect took special care to honor naturalistic elements of the Roanoke region, such as its beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the Mill Mountain Star. The building itself is something to admire and visually enjoy. Expensive gems come in small sizes. I consider this as one of the most beautiful and valuable assets of the City of Roanoke. As I entered its doors and introduced myself at the guest station in the entrance, simply as a new member who had just joined, I was warmly welcomed and given a ticket for the Special exhibition of Eternally New: The Art Nouveau World of Alphonse Mucha. The general admission to the public is free, but to see the Special exhibition there is a modest fee, unless you're a member. On the first floor they had everything set up for a wedding reception dinner. The area looked so elegant and inviting. I was amazed at how this Museum used some of its space for private or public gatherings and activities to involve members of the community. They also had a nice Museum Shop and a Cafe and patio on this floor. On the second floor they have eleven galleries to exhibit artworks from their respected permanent collection as well as a special space for rotating special annual exhibitions showcasing the best of the best. On the third floor they have the City of Roanoke Atrium and a wonderful Auditorium and other meeting and activities rooms. Besides all these spaces for exhibition and social events, the Museum has excellent programs for the community as well as hosts a yearly Sidewalk Art Show that is very popular to meet local artists, see their work, and be able to purchase some quality original art pieces. Art is wonderful, I remember the joy I had the time I purchased my most valuable painting by Mary K. Trotter, an American woman artist who studied in Philadelphia before moving to Paris. I highly recommend this wonder of an Art Museum in all aspects. Go visit it, appreciate its masterpieces, attend one of its tours, take one of its classes, get involved in one of its programs, learn to love and enjoy art. For art is a wonderful and splendid thing, that brings joy and flavor into our lives.

From the outside I never expected to see such an amazing variety of quality exhibits highlighting…read moreour nation's transportation history. Located in downtown Roanoke's historic freight station, The Virginia Museum of Transportation does a great job in preserving Virginia's transportation history with a major focus on rail, featuring iconic locomotives like the N&W Class J 611 and Class A 1218. It houses a vast collection of steam, diesel, and electronic locomotives, including famous Roanoke-built engines. The museum offers interactive family-friendly exhibits covering trains, automobiles, and aviation, featuring over 30 antique automobiles, aviation displays, an outside railyard with historical locomotives on the rail, and a U.S. Army Jupiter Rocket. In 2025 it also launched the Maritime Gallery, with the Naval History of Virginia, located on a second floor. There they also have an interesting exhibit of the Circus and America's Railroads. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its amazing exhibits. The museum also houses the Traveler's Treasures Gift Shop with lots of desired item for sale, such as pins, posters, apparel, wooden trains, hats, toys, books, and tumblers, among other items. These can be also purchased from their website vmt.org Free parking is available for guests immediately adjacent to the museum. Also, cross from the museum is located the award winning Valley Metro Third Street Station, providing convenient bus transportation. Admissions prices are reasonable at $14.77 for adults, and discounted to $12.66 for Youth (13-17), Seniors, and Students with ID (17-59). Children (3-12) pay $10.55, and 2 & under are Free. I highly recommend you visit this museum if you have not yet done so. It is definitely an enriching experience.

I was in Roanoke for work and work ended early for me and since it wasn't dinner time, I'd say to…read morestop at the Virginia museum of transportation. They have there planes, trains, and automobiles. Reminds me of a movie I once saw. The museum is very nice. They have a big area for trains lots of information about trains. They also have airplanes there. They have one hanging from the ceiling. They have a couple cars actually more than a couple cars. Some of them were very nice, but it's a good place to go for a couple hours and check it out.

Science museum with hands on exhibits and learning for kids!…read moreWe spent a good morning playing with family at the museum. We went to the human body exhibits and the magnatiles, blocks and dino dig upstairs. They also had fish in an aquarium on the ground floor.

2 hours was enough time. Admission is overpriced for what was offered. Theatre show should be…read moreoffered more then 2x a day

You have got to love the location across the street from the Courthouse and its records plus it's…read morein an old Masonic building. Good gift room but the real reason for this trip is the archives/library. And the staff member is first rate in helping you think through proof evidence. Just call ahead to confirm the time because they do host special events and may close early!

We love this place. It's such a great throwback to the good old days. My wife and I have gone to…read moremovies, concerts etc. The service is always great and a lot of fun. It beats the mega theaters. We attended the Rocky Horror Picture Show here also. It was a lot of fun. They had a theater group along with the movie. It's a cult classic. It's a can't miss if they have it this fall. The staff upbeat also. Very friendly.

This Historic and Non-profit theatre which opened its doors more than 90 years ago as a local icon…read morein Grandin Village, continues to be the center of attraction of this dynamic neighborhood in the City of Roanoke. Today I decided to go visit and experience first hand the magic behind this theatre that besides showing movies and holding special events, it has and will always be the heart of this community, and as I was able to see and experience for myself offers a unique movie going experience. When I first arrived, I was fascinated with the magnificent restoration of this Historic Art Deco Architectural building. Little did I know that I was about to experience one of the best movie going experiences of a lifetime. For I discovered that a local community movie theatre is more than just a place to go watch a movie and eat popcorn. It is a place to feel the pulse of fervent community in action. At the ticket booth I was greeted by a young lady and asked to go inside to purchase my ticket because her computer was not working as it should. So I proceeded to do so and walked over to the concession stand where a lady greeted me with a warm welcome and not only sold me the ticket but after I asked her about the theatre, she gave me a personal description of key points of its structure as well as other activities that took place here. Among other things she told me about the Art Gallery on the second floor, the different viewing rooms and the two owls located in the main one, and other events and activities that they have year round including the fundraisers. Also, tonight they were having the Rocky Horror Picture Show showcased by the Tolls of Madness Troupe from Virginia Tech. The cast will dress like the ionic characters and encourage audience participation through callback lilines aimed at the screen and throwing various props as called for by the film. Needless to say the two shows for tonight were sold out. What an exciting event here in this community movie theatre in the Star City of Roanoke! One could see the excitement and enthusiasm of all the theatre employees, from the ones behind the concession stand selling the popcorn to the ones finishing putting up some light up the stairs to the second floor as part of the Halloween decorations. Inside the main viewing room I was impressed with natural red brick walls and the two owls. The chairs even though they weren't as reclinable as some of the ones in new modern theatres, they made you feel at home, maybe because they reminded me of the many time I went to my hometown movie theatre before many of them have become extinct due to lack of creative management and competition from the big new modern ones. Last time I went to one of those the room temperature was so hot to the point of being uncomfortable. But here, in this cozy and warm not so little theatre, the air-condition worked just fine and contributed to the excellent movie watching experience. As I was leaving there was a crowd of people outside waiting to come in for the Rocky Horror Picture Show; and I thought to myself: Now I know and have experienced the magic behind the Grandin Theatre and wish everyone who reads my review can do the same.