One of my favorite editions of CityView Magazine is back: “The Arts & Culture Issue.” Being in Fayetteville makes putting this month’s magazine together a joy, thanks to its prominent arts scene.
The city breeds talent, nurturing a long list of up-and-coming, as well as renowned and award-winning performers like J. Cole, Brian Tyree Henry, Bill Curtis, Elizabeth McRae, Julianne Moore, J. Harrison Ghee, Affion Crockett, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Morray, Victoria “Porkchop” Parker, Diamond Essence White, Darius Jordan Lee, Deon’te Goodman, Molly Griggs and many others.
CityView’s October issue showcases Fayetteville as a perfect incubator for the arts, highlighting a Cape Fear Theatre alum who is having a breakout year, a new youth program in the Orange Street School’s Music Lab, and previews the rest of the 2025-2026 performing season.
Our cover story for this edition of the “Arts & Culture” magazine shines a light on Molly Griggs, an actress who performed at Cape Fear Regional Theatre from 2001 to 2012. Griggs is having an outstanding year, with starring roles in Netflix’s Emmy-nominated comedy miniseries The Residence and on Broadway in John Proctor is the Villain, which has received seven Tony Awards nominations. We spoke to Griggs about the importance of her training at Cape Fear Regional Theatre and what she hopes for the future of her career.
The historic Orange Street School received a major $1.45 million renovation earlier this year, and part of that renovation added a state-of-the-art recording studio and Music Lab. On Aug. 23, the school debuted its new Youth Music Workshop series, which started with a basic drumming class.
Cape Fear Valley Health shares the story in a sponsored feature of a Capitol Encore Academy 8th-grade teacher and cancer survivor, Nyoshi Bizzell, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She overcame her Stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis thanks to treatment at Cape Fear Valley Health’s facilities and her family’s support.
In case you need an updated list of the 2025-2026 performing arts season, we’ve got one for you nestled in these pages. And we bring you a photo gallery of this year’s Cumberland County Fair.
This month, our columnists explore what arts and culture mean to them: The first explores how Fayetteville can continue to become a grand arts mecca for North Carolina. Another shares a trick-or-treat tale about manners during Halloween. Our bilingual columnist explores the art of listening over a cafecito — or coffee — in Latino culture and previews a bilingual storytelling event at the Spring Lake Community Library. The last recommends five books about travel and the art of living, with a special emphasis on a new book by United States Army Captain Dylan Nigh, Fool’s Gear: A Completely Devastating Thing I’ll Probably Do Again.
Our October To-Do List is sure to keep you entertained this month with events at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, the Crown Complex, Methodist University, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, and so many other places.
Among those is our annual Food, Wine & ART event, presented by Cape Fear Valley Health, taking place from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Experience the magic of theater, dance, music and art at our highly anticipated event — make sure to snag a ticket before they sell out.
Were you at Fayetteville Next Advisory Commission’s 2nd Annual Adult Field Day on Aug. 23? We may have spotted you for this month’s Seen @ the Scene.
As an avid arts and culture enthusiast, I’m proud to find myself in a city that treasures the arts. I hope you are, too.
Thank you for reading!
To find your nearest CityView newsstand, click here. And did you know you could get CityView Magazine mailed directly to you for just $1 a month? Now you do. Sign up for a year’s subscription for only $12 here.
Read CityView Magazine’s “Arts & Culture” October 2025 e-edition here.
