Purcellville’s Franklin Park a Culture Vulture Paradise

Purcellville’s Franklin Park a Culture Vulture Paradise

By Joe Motheral

Among its many attributes, Franklin Park in Purcellville features an arts center that houses an art gallery and an indoor amphitheater for the performing arts, with every seat offering an unobstructed view of the stage and near perfect acoustics.

Franklin Park performing arts center.

Courtesy Photo

Managing Director Elizabeth Braces has been a lifelong supporter of the arts and has served in that capacity for nine years. The highlight this past year was “difficult to gauge coming out of the second pandemic. But a wonderful performance over the summer had to do with Georgia O’Keefe.”

The Center had a one person-theatrical production along with an exhibit of George O’Keefe’s paintings. She’s also proud of an ongoing music series since 2020 called “Music for Dessert.”

“It’s been successful for two reasons,” she said. “We had in person audiences and virtual audiences. It was a very successful program.”

In October, jazz musician Todd Wright, who has collaborated with Celine Dion among others, was joined by vocalist Ryan Wright, a singer/ songwriter/producer.

The pandemic obviously had a significant impact on the theater as well as the performers. “One of the problems for the performers is getting back into the routine,” Braces said. “What we found is that for some of the people coming here it’s their first live show. And I think it has been difficult for the community theater groups.”

The theater works closely with the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

“They do the curating of performers,” she said. “Our technical director is a musician so he fully understands. We do a lot of vetting between the two of us. It’s just experience, knowing what people are interested in….More of a challenge is finding performances that are meaningful to people.”

The Arts Center has several intriguing productions scheduled for the this spring.

“We have Beauty and the Beast coming in March, 2023,” she said. “The Goose Creek Players, with a more traditional production—Sense and Sensibility—will be coming in April. And another company called Jupiter Theater –all young people— will be performing The Scarlet Pimpernel.” Bracey has committed herself to a lifetime in the arts. A University of Virginia graduate, she’s spent the past 27 years “building community connections with the visual and performing arts.” She sees the arts as an “equalizer, a way to bring people together across all demographics.”

For more information on performances and art exhibitions, go to www.franklinparkartscenter.org.