Hours before the final weekend of the Summer Youth Conservatory production of “Hello, Dolly!,” photographer John Michael Simpson and I slipped backstage at PlayMakers Repertory Company – past the scene shop, where sets and props take shape from lumber and paint, and into a costume closet that felt less like storage and more like an archive of artistry.
Looking up I first noticed the top hats and bins of ladies’ hats stacked toward the ceiling. Shoes were sorted by color on high shelves. Racks beyond them held decades of carefully crafted pants and gowns organized by decade, by size, by hue. Every jacket tag noted chest and sleeve measurements – a small detail that says everything about the exacting detail that went into creating both the garments and the theater’s organizational system. Each garment passes through pattern-making, fittings and adjustments before it ever reaches rehearsal.
That closet is a physical record of what PlayMakers has built over 50 years: a place where live theater connects and challenges us and where every costume, set piece and performance carries the fingerprints of people who take their craft seriously. Find the full story of that history – and what’s ahead for the company – on page 32.
Elsewhere in the fall arts issue, you’ll meet artists who use other mediums – murals, needlepoint, paintings – to express themselves and inspire our community. We hope their stories leave you with the same feeling that the costume closet at PlayMakers gave me: that behind every performance, every painting, every finished room, someone measured twice, adjusted once more and got it right. – Jessica Stringer, editor
FALL ARTS
32 Hitting the Mark
PlayMakers Repertory Company celebrates 50 years with a season that honors its past while looking boldly to the future
40 A Piped Dream
By Adrienne Art has blossomed into a creative outlet that gives back
42 Stitching Her Way to Success
Sarah Petty turned a lifelong love for needlepoint into a thriving creative community
44 Artful Appetites
The cafes, bars and restaurants turning every meal into a gallery visit
46 Fall Arts Guide
Can’t-miss concerts, events and more
FEATURES
54 Remarkable Renovations
Homeowners and business owners breathe new life into their spaces with help from local designers and builders
68 Rah-Rah, Car’Lina-’Lina!
The voices from the sidelines to the stands leading the biggest cheers for UNC – plus everything to catch this fall
ONLY IN ORANGE
Community & culture, from Chapel Hill to Hillsborough
12 Here & Now
Events you won’t want to miss
16 Get Out of Town
Top Triangle events this season
18 Talk of the Town
Community perspectives from Brian Litchfield, Chapel Hill Transit director
18 Hear It Here
Recent releases from area musicians
19 The Write Stuff
New books by local authors
20 Let’s Dish
at Géos Tavern & Oyster Bar
25 News Bites
Updates on our local food scene
26 Glow Getters
Spotlighting neighbors who shine bright
30 Local Lens
A scene that captures the spirit of our towns
LOCAL LIFE
Color, character & connections in Orange County
80 Moments That Made Us
A look back at the people, places and events that shaped Chapel Hill
82 Home Is Where the Art Is
One local artist let nature guide his home’s design
SCENE AROUND TOWN
Snapshots of local events
92 Project Graduation
93 Dex Fest
94 North Carolina Botanical Garden 60th Anniversary Gala
95 Solgorithm and Marathon Monk Ultra
CELEBRATIONS
Engagements & weddings
