It all began with an old stump in the backyard. That’s where Elise Smith Barnard and Eric Smith’s father and late uncle used to hide their homemade hard cider from their wives. The phrase “let’s go blow up some stumps” became code for backyard swilling, because the cider was so strong. Decades later, Barnard and […]
Leah Stacy
Leah Stacy is CITY's editor-in-chief.
KIDS/THEATER | “¡Bocón!”
This weekend, School of the Arts will host the last theatrical production of its 2015-16 academic year, “¡Bocón!” Spanish for “big mouth,” “¡Bocón! is the story of Miguel, a talented young storyteller who escapes a military regime in Central America after he loses both parents and his voice. As he journeys to the City of […]
Art Rogers’ neighborhood
Meet the James Beard Award-nominee who started a local farm-to-table trend Art Rogers is running late. It’s a Wednesday at noon, and the young man who answered the door at Lento, Rogers’ Village Gate restaurant, doesn’t know where the owner is, but says “he’ll be back; won’t you have a seat?” The restaurant is eerily […]
COMEDY | “Fantastical Fairy Fails”
After a three-month hiatus, Geva Comedy Improv returns this weekend with the last show of its 2015-16 season, “Fantastical Fairy Tales.” Featuring D-list fairy tale characters who live in Unemployment Land and never had children’s stories written about them — along with plenty of audience interaction along the way — Geva’s nine person, in-house comedy […]
Theater review: “Heathers” at Blackfriars
“Heathers”
is a dark, divinely good time — truly an exclamation point on the end of
Hoskins’ first season with Blackfriars.
THEATER | “Dirty Dancing”
To close out its 2015-16 season, Rochester Broadway Theatre League will host “Dirty Dancing,” the stage adaptation of the 1980’s box office hit. The story of Baby, a 17-year-old who’s spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her parents, and Johnny, the resort’s dance instructor, comes to life with show-stopping dance moves and all […]
SPECIAL EVENT | The Makers Masquerade
To engage the 21-and-older community and give a sneak peek into life after hours at a museum, the Rochester Museum and Science Center hosts an After Dark events series, complete with museum access and a cash bar. This Friday, RMSC will host a “Makers Masquerade,” combining mask-making and ballroom dancing tutorials with interactive 3D printing […]
THEATER | “Arms and The Man”
Beginning Friday, Classics Theater of Rochester will present “Arms and The Man,” one of George Bernard Shaw’s first really successful plays. The comedy is built around the 1885 Serbian-Bulgarian War and follows Raina, a young Bulgarian woman who aids the Swiss Captain Bluntschli, and years later, meets him again. The witty play deals with the […]
THEATER | “Ain’t Misbehavin'”
The musical revue inspired by 1920’s and 30’s high-society Manhattan nightclubs that jumped and jived during the Harlem Renaissance comes to life at JCC CenterStage. Broadway’s Zoe Walker, who appeared in the original cast of the Broadway musical in the 1970’s, directs a cast of local stars. The Tony Award-winning musical features a soundtrack completely […]
FESTIVAL | Imagine RIT
Now in its ninth year, Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Fesival is an invitation for the public to “experience the breadth and depth of RIT through interactive presentations, hands-on demonstrations, exhibitions, and research projects” from RIT faculty, staff, and students. The event is family-friendly and often includes opportunities for children to interact with exhibitors. Imagine […]
Theater review: “The Book of Love” at DCT
Every romantic relationship has a life cycle consisting of several stages. Often, it looks something like attraction, romance, commitment, reality, recommitment (or severance). For anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship, it’s a familiar pattern. The relatable factor of relationships is exactly what Oliver Blatt capitalizes on in his original musical, “The Book of Love,” […]
JCC CenterStage announces 2016-17 season
The Jewish Community Center in 1977 held a nationwide search to hire someone to build a community theatre program at its then-new Brighton campus. Over the next nearly 30 years, Founding Artistic Director Herb Katz created CenterStage, a successful program that he would leave in the hands of current Artistic Director Ralph Meranto in 2005. […]






