Signature Theater

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Earmark Could Save Planetarium — Rep. Jim Moran says he’s going to try to dig up $400,000 in federal funds to help renovate and save Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium. But even if he’s successful, Moran’s press secretary says the money would not be available until late next year — past the fundraising deadline the school board set for the non-profit Friends of the Planetarium group. More from the Sun Gazette.

Golf Farce Premieres at Signature Theater — Now playing at Shirlington’s Signature Theater: A Fox on the Fairway. The show, which is making its world premiere at Signature, is a “screwball comedy” and “a tribute… to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s.” Starring Jeff McCarthy, Holly Twyford and Andrew Long, A Fox on the Fairway is “about love, life, and man’s eternal love affair with… golf.” See a video promo here.

Sushi Rock Applying for Dance Hall Permit — Sushi Rock wants to become a late night party spot. But it also wants to “keep the volume to a reasonable level,” which means lots of sound-proofing material. The county board is expected to decide whether to grant Sushi Rock a live entertainment and dance hall permit at its upcoming round of meetings — either Saturday or Tuesday. More from TBD.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Back to School — The nearly 21,000 students enrolled in Arlington Public Schools are returning to class today. Watch out for school buses on the roads this morning.

Arlington Parents Like Their Kid’s School, Teachers — On Friday, we reported that a survey conducted on behalf of Arlington Public Schools found that parents were very much opposed to redrawing school boundaries. Now comes more evidence that parents of APS students are happy with their kid’s current school. Asked to grade their child’s school, teachers, and quality of education, parents gave each a 4.4 out of 5 on average. More from the Sun Gazette.

Arlington-Based Rosetta Stone Disappoints Investors — Language education software maker Rosetta Stone, which has its corporate headquarters in Arlington, has struggled through executive departures and weak sales this year. The company hopes to turn that around with a new product, to be launched next week. More from Business Week.

Enthusiastic Review for ‘Chess’ — Signature Theater’s production of Chess, which was inspired by a much-hyped 1972 chess match between American Bobby Fischer and the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky, might not sound too exciting at first. But add a rock soundtrack, energetic performances and (of course) a love story, and Chess “sizzles,” according to theater critic Terry Ponick at washingtontimes.com. The Shirlington-based production runs through October 3.

New Bike Lane in Courthouse — Cyclists now have a safer way to get to Courthouse from North Rhodes Street (and vice-versa). The Ode Street Tribune reports that a bike lane has been added to 15th Street.

Flickr pool photo by afagen

Want To Be the Next ‘Signature Idol’?

By ARLnow.com

Shirlington’s Signature Theater has launched a contest to find the next “Signature Idol.”

The Tony Award-winning theater is looking for ten talented solo singers to compete on July 17 as part of its Target Open House. The contest will be judged by Signature Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, Washington Post theater critic Peter Marks, and “a special Broadway guest.”

If you think you have the talent and nerve to belt out a Broadway song in front of nearly 300 strangers and a panel of expert judges, you’ll first have to submit a video to Signature by July 5. Here are the instructions:

The music must be a Broadway song. Applicants can either upload a video to YouTube and send Signature the link at [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> or send in a videotape to Signature Theatre, Attn: Signature Idol, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. Anyone who has previously sung on a Signature stage is ineligible to audition.

Confused? A handy video explanation of the competition is after the jump.

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