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CULTURE EXTRA
Stage Fight
Wednesday 7/6 music Berto and Matt. Brazilian and Latin guitar night. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com
Ti Ames returns to the theater that helped them through difficult times
ANNA KARIEL
A decade and a half after first encountering musical theater at Live Arts as an elementary schooler, Ti Ames returns to the organization as its new education director.
By Shea Gibbs
July 6 – 12, 2022 c-ville.com
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L
ifelong thespian Ti Ames was never comfortable with their casting.
First, as an African American, Ames was long frustrated never to be cast in Black roles. There just weren’t all that many to cast, Ames says, and “unless you are told otherwise, you are playing a white character.” Second, as a young person still learning who they were, Ames was uncomfortable in traditionally gendered casting. “I was always put in the position where I wasn’t an ingénue, because I wasn’t skinny and light,” they say. “There were a lot of roles I couldn’t play growing up. I was always put in the role of mother or servant—or man.” Still, while it was theater that brought Ames some discomfort, it was also theater that eventually helped them learn who they were. Now, a decade and a half after first encountering musical theater at Live Arts as an elementary schooler, Ames returns to the organization as its new education director. Ames takes over the role from Miller Susen and will oversee Live Arts’ education program for adults and youth. That includes programming classes, camps, and workshops, overseeing volunteer education,
arranging student internships, and coordinating the theater’s mentor/apprentice program. “I’m 26 and still trying to figure out what I want to be, and this job is part of that,” Ames says. Ames has been involved with Live Arts, first attending summer camps and classes, later working as a camp counselor during college, and most recently directing shows and teaching in Susen’s education department, for 16 years. Before moving back to Charlottesville and taking the new job, Ames had earned a degree at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio and then completed a guest artist position there. “[They are] talented, gifted, and totally ready for this position,” Oberlin theater department chair Caroline Jackson Smith said when Live Arts named Ames its education director. “They are a brilliant actor/singer and an accomplished director. They are so clear, prepared, and organized.” After moving back to Charlottesville post-college, Ames designed and taught an African American History course at Renaissance High School and began giving vocal lessons at The Front Porch. They have also taught theater workshops and coached vocal students at Monticello and Charlottesville high schools.
Ames served as Live Arts’ interim education director before moving into the position full-time, making them uniquely qualified. “Ti has a depth of experience that belies their years,” Live Arts Executive Director Anne Hunter says. “They are passionate about theater and kids and widely respected at Live Arts and in the community.” Ames says their family’s roots run deep in Charlottesville, with their mom’s paternal family being enslaved in the area. Ames’ great grandmother lived in Midway Manor when they were in elementary school, and their single mother would leave them at home on summer days. That’s when Ames, age 9, would walk down the hill to attend Live Arts camps, then head back up afterward to meet mom at the end of the day. Ames’ mother introduced them to singing and performing at an even earlier age. A pastor who founded a church and a singer herself, Ames’ mom also had a public access show. She asked her to sing in church and perform in various ways on air. Ames joined the local chamber chorus, Virginia Consort, when they were 12. They won a Shakespeare competition at 16, earning a summer study program at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It wasn’t until Ames attended Oberlin, double majoring in theater and African studies, that they figured out they were nonbinary. “I realized I was not very comfortable playing women anymore,” they say. “When I finally understood what it meant, it meant I wasn’t crazy, that I wasn’t necessarily born in the wrong body. It changed how I thought about myself in the world.” Ames says they gained confidence in their body. They knew many people wouldn’t understand them. They hoped some would. Still, Ames had more to learn about themself. Since returning to Charlottesville, they began doing productions with the Charlottesville Players Guild, and it wasn’t until then that Ames first played a Black character on stage. They went on to direct the Macbeth adaptation Black Mac at CPG, and later staged an original radio play, See About the Girls. Ames says their new position at Live Arts stands to serve as a place for further growth. “My main thing as education director here is to expand on the process, not the product,” Ames says. “I think that kids deserve the process. And adults that were never given a chance deserve the process— to be heard, validated, and tell stories that make sense to them.”
“My main thing as education director here is to expand on the process, not the product. I think that kids deserve the process. And adults that were never given a chance deserve the process—to be heard, validated, and tell stories that make sense to them.” TI AMES
Matthew O’Donnell. Irish Wednesday with traditional folk music. Free, 5:30pm. The Pub at Lake Monticello, 51 Bunker Blvd., Palmyra. lakemonticellogolf.org The Wavelength. A mid-week music boost. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com Vincent Zorn. Performing live on the patio. Free, 6:30pm. Red Pump Kitchen, 401 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. redpumpkitchen.com
outside Archaeology Plantation Walking Tour. Join archaeologists on a walking tour to hidden parts of the plantation and learn how archaeology informs our understanding of the lives of those who lived and worked at Monticello. Included with admission, 1:30pm. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. monticello.org Farmers in the Park. Local farmers with seasonal produce and meats, cut and potted flowers, baked goods, hot meals, value-added products, prepared food, and crafts. Free, 3pm. Farmers in the Park, 300 Meade Ave. charlottesville.gov Wind Down Wednesday. Acoustic music, food trucks, and a stunning Charlottesville sunset. $5, 6pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl.977-1833.
etc. Family Film Series. Featuring perennial favorites alongside modern classics. Free, 11am. Violet Crown Charlottesville, 200 W. Main St. violetcrown.com Trivia in the Orchard. Hosted by Katalin Magyar, the evening will test your knowledge of history, pop culture, holidays past, and, of course, cider. Free, 6:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarle ciderworks.com Wintergreen Music Festival. Enjoy orchestral masterworks, intimate chamber music, casual coffee talks, as well as jazz, bluegrass, and tango music, live from the mountaintop. $5-630, all day. Wintergreen Resort, Route 664. wintergreen-music.org
Thursday 7/7 music Berto and Vincent. Wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com Night Teacher & The Currys with Caroline Gunn. Americana, electro-pop, alt-rock, and folk. $15, 7pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com
stage Charlottesville Opera Presents: The Sound of Music. Enjoy the beloved true story of Maria and the von Trapp family as they discover their love and talent for singing amidst the turmoil of a country at war. $15-75, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. charlottesvilleopera.org
words Bruce Holsinger: The Displacements. Celebrate the release of Holsinger’s new novel, The Displacements. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com
outside Summer Celebration Series: First Thursdays. Featuring live music from Abbey Road,
