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Key Gun Control Bills Advance in Virginia as Firearm Sales Surge

Early indicators suggest Virginians responded to a slate of proposed gun control legislation with a noticeable increase in firearm background checks. The bills mark one the most significant shifts in the state’s firearm laws in recent years, and build on previously...

Richmond Gets a Night with David Sedaris. Don’t Miss It.

Beloved humorist and New York Times bestselling author, David Sedaris, will land feet first on April 17th during a stop at the Altria Theater as part of his “An Evening with David Sedaris” 43-show US tour, featuring all-new readings and recollections. Maybe you have...

Writer’s Block | Student Poets from PodiumRVA Speak Their Truth

A Sunday series from RVA Magazine featuring writers from Richmond and Virginia Writer’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. Each week, we feature original poems, short stories, or...

The Byrd Theatre Is Still Richmond’s Palace of Dreams

Christmas Eve, 1928. Richmond is cold and the city is dressed for the holiday. On West Cary Street, a crowd gathers outside a building that wasn't there six months ago; a French Empire facade rising up in the middle of a neighborhood that had no idea it was about to...

Homegrown Stories Isn’t Content, It’s a Shared Experience

This Friday, March 27, a different sort of experimental prompt video event will showcase a collection of work made for Homegrown Stories. In the early days of RVA Magazine, that space existed through Project Resolution, a monthly prompt-based series that gave new...

Remembering WRIR Founders and Leaders in a Year of Loss

Over the past six months, three people foundational to WRIR 97.3 FM, Richmond’s volunteer-run station built outside the expectations of corporate radio, rooted in a love of music, giving locals a voice, and creating space where there wasn’t any, have died. All from...

Full Capacity: An Interview With Joe Machi

This week, Joe Machi comes to Richmond's Sandman Comedy Club. In preparation, Gabe Santamaria talked to him about open mics, the New York comedy scene, and growing a patchy beard, among other things. I got to chat with the hilariously lovable Joe Machi this week. I’ve been following his stand-up for a few years now and he’s always stuck out....

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Exploring Greek Comedy With Yannis Pappas

The "Tzatziki King," Yannis Pappas, comes to Sandman Comedy Club this weekend. In advance of his three-night stand, Gabe Santamaria sat down with him to talk about history, Jeff Bezos, and how comedians are really just theatre kids. This week I got to talk with the unapologetically Greek comedian, Yannis Pappas. Known for his characters and...

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Richmond Comedy Gets A Pick-Me-Up

At the height of the pandemic, when pretty much everyone needed a good laugh, Jack N' Minor's Pickup Comedy Show began bringing live standup to the RVA masses in a socially distanced outdoor environment. Gabe Santamaria spoke to the men behind the wheel of the only Richmond comedy show that takes place in the bed of a pickup truck. In the midst...

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Funny That Way: An Interview With Julia Scotti

Julia Scotti is a transgender comedian with roots in the 80s comedy boom. Now, only weeks after her documentary, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, hit streaming services, she returns to Richmond with a hilarious weekend at Sandman Comedy Club. This week I got to talk to the one and only Julia Scotti. She was a comedian back in the 80s, and performed...

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Finding His Way: An Interview With Shane Gillis

This week I got to talk with the very funny Shane Gillis. I’ve always been a fan of blue comedy, or as some call it, dark comedy. I don’t know why everything has to be about color. Anyways, you can catch him this weekend doing five shows at Sandman Comedy Club. I’ve seen/heard Gillis on many podcasts and his improv skills are as sharp as his...

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Shane Gillis

Setting Some People Straight: An Interview With Gina Brillon

Gina Brillon is the latest comedy up-and-comer to hit Richmond. Gabe Santamaria caught up with her before her appearance this weekend at Sandman Comedy Club to talk parenthood, Latino cultures, and her new special, The Floor Is Lava. This week I got to talk to one of my favorite comics, Gina Brillon. I saw her latest special, The Floor Is Lava,...

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