The Reston Community Players are setting the stage to present their latest production, the Tony Award-winning play “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”
The show opens Friday, Jan. 20 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 4. Performances are scheduled to take place on the CenterStage at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road).
The play, written by Christopher Durang, centers around Vanya and Sonia, middle-aged siblings who live happily together in rural Pennsylvania. But when their other sister, a B-list Hollywood star named Masha, shows up unexpectedly with her latest boyfriend, Spike, she tries to draw them into a kooky plan that inevitably upends their previously quiet life.
The modern comedy is based upon a 19th-century Russian play, “Uncle Vanya” by Anton Chekhov. In his play, Durang takes the classic tale and weaves it into a work of American pop culture that aims to bring laughter from audiences of all ages.
The cast of the Reston production includes Andrew JM Regiec as Vanya, Lee Slivka as Sonia, Joanne Maylone as Masha and Will MacLeod as Spike. The production is directed by Tel Monks, and it is produced by Bea and Jerry Morse.
Evening performances of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” are set to take place Jan. 20, 21, 27 and 28, and Feb. 3 and 4, at 8 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. Read More
Metro Aware of Track Problems Before Silver Line Derailment, NTSB Says — Metro was aware of track issues that could cause cause a derailment before a Silver Line train went off the tracks outside of the East Falls Church Metro station in July, according to the he National Transportation Safety Board. [Washington Post]
Reston Chorale and Symphonic Brass to Hold Holiday Concert This Weekend — The Washington Symphonic Brass is set once again to join the Reston Chorale for their annual holiday concert. The performance is scheduled for Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at CenterStage at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road). Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors 62 and older. Military personnel and children 17 years old and younger are free. [Reston Community Center]
South Lakes to Face Westfield in Finals Saturday — South Lakes High School’s varsity football team is set take on defending state champion Westfield High School tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the Region 6A Finals. The winner of this game will go on to the state finals in Hampton. South Lakes is currently ranked No. 5, and Westfield is ranked No. 10. [Washington Post]
Holiday Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides Begin This Weekend — Reston Town Center will start having horse-drawn carriage rides this Saturday. They generally will run from 4 to 9 p.m. Pickup is in front of Clyde’s on Market Street. A donation of $5 per person, to benefit local charities, is asked of any riders age 5 and older. [Reston Town Center]
A 45-year-old woman with a life-threatening condition was rushed to a local hospital after someone found her on a Reston street last night, Fairfax County police said.
It’s unclear whether a car hit her or she had a medical condition before somebody discovered her near Colts Neck Road and Hunters Woods Plaza about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Detectives with the police department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit are investigating the incident.
If anyone has information related to this incident, please contact detectives via the CRU witness phone line: 703-280-0543 [Call: 703-280-0543] or contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, email at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call police at 703-691-2131 [Call: 703-691-2131]
Residents of the Hunters Square neighborhood near Hunters Woods Village Center are concerned about crime nearby.
That’s why they are hosting a community block party Thursday night. The neighborhood wants to band together to show unity against the rash of car break-ins in the neighborhood, as well as several more violent crimes that have recently occurred at the village center, says Hunters Square cluster president Jasmine Tounni.
Tounni says she is going to take her concerns further.
“I’m also planning to contact Supervisor Hudgins, in order to request that the County allocate funding to the Reston [District Station], in order to provide additional patrol officers for our area, and possibly use a vacant space at the Hunters Woods shopping center for a police satellite office,” she said in an email. “I think this would deter a lot of crime.”
Concerns at Hunters Woods are not new. The Fairfax County Police held community meetings with neighbors in the spring of 2013 and 2014, and another one is planned for May 28 (6:30 p.m., Reston Community Center Hunters Woods).
Reston District Station Crime Prevention Officer Katy Defoe says the upcoming meeting will be focused on the car break-ins. Many of them are in cars with unlocked doors, she said.
“Along Glade Drive, there has been a noticeable increase in thefts from vehicles in the past several months,” Defoe said.
Last May, the focus of two community meetings was encouraging residents to speak up — if you feel unsafe or accosted, and needless to say, if you are the victim of a crime.
Defoe says the Reston District Station has seen impact in the number of calls made to the station.
“We get calls about groups of people hanging out, especially by the tunnel in back of Hunters Woods,” she said. “We get calls when it is happening, instead of after the fact.”
The Hunters Woods patrol area (area 530) has somewhat higher crime than other neighborhoods in Reston, FCPD statistics show. But it does not rank the highest. The Reston Town Center/Reston Hospital patrol area (area 510) had more property crimes and crimes against society in 2014.
Hunters Woods had 442 property crimes (robbery, larceny, burglary, etc.) and 83 crimes against society (drugs, weapons, prostitution) in 2014. Area 530 had 572 property crimes and 142 crimes against society.
In 2013, Hunters Woods had 432 property crimes and 87 crimes against society. It also had a homicide, when the owner of the Hunters Woods Dunkin’ Donuts was killed by an employee in a fight.
Cumulative stats for 2015 are not yet available, Defoe said.
However, two recent robberies at the village center have some people on edge. On April 15, a woman was the victim of attempted robbery at knifepoint in daylight. On May 2, there was a robbery and assault at 8:30 p.m.
In December, the SunTrust bank inside the Hunters Woods Safeway was robbed — part of a string of county robberies in which the suspect has since been arrested. Read More
Hunters Woods Village Center management rearranged the parking lot and gave the shopping plaza a cosmetic facelift about a year ago. But a deeper problem remains: the perception that the center is not a safe place.
There have been recent complaints of panhandling and other nuisance, but not necessarily criminal, activity at Hunters Woods, Fairfax County Police said. This spring, residents of the Hunters Woods Condo Association, which borders the plaza’s Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, say they have noticed a new neighbor — one who lives in a tent in back of the church.
The tent was a subject of a recent condo association meeting. It is sure to come up again on May 7 and 10, when police and representatives from Reston Community Center, Cornerstones and FCPD will meet with the community to talk about what’s being done to improve safety at Hunters Woods.
Katy DeFoe, crime prevention specialist for FCPD’s Reston District Station, say community leaders have been meeting for about a year to discuss — and make changes at — Hunters Woods.
“I hear from the community ‘I don’t want to go to Hunters Woods. There are people hanging out there,’ ” says DeFoe. “But the stories I hear are not backed up by [crime in the] police reports.”
The police did not have updated crime stats for Hunters Woods available.
DeFoe says several plans have been implemented to work on improving safety (or the perception of safety) at Hunters Woods.
Among them:
- Making sure the community knows who to call when they see criminal activity or they are being bothered by someone.
- Adding visible police presence.
- Improving lighting on the Reston Association paths near the village center. RA will pay for this.
- Improving visibility on the plaza between RCC, the church and the retail shops. This area formerly had tall bushes where people could congregate or hide. Vegetation is now lower and sparser.
A Chinese-Mexican fast casual restaurant will soon join the food options at Hunters Woods Village Center.
Chinito’s Burritos has filed permits to open at 2304 Hunters Woods Plaza.
Chinito’s Burritos will be a suburban offshoot of a locally owned shop on Florida Avenue NE in Washington, DC. No opening date has been set.
Chinito’s receives high marks on Yelp for its homemade egg rolls, signature hot sauce and fresh guacamole.
Another new food spot, Cold Spoon Frozen Yogurt, opened at Hunters Woods two weeks ago.
