A Note from the Artistic Director

l vividly remember the first time I read the script for FROG KISS, the exceptional new musical having its world premiere at the Wells. I was enjoying a beer and steamed shrimp over a July 4 weekend at the Coinjock Marina (great seafood an hour south on the road to Nags Head). Broadway producer Tamara Tunie had sent me the play, raving about it herself, but she was a biased producer and the play was a love story about a frog! I opened the binder ready to roll my eyes, wondering whether I’d need a second beer just to make it through to the Second Act. Instead I was enchanted by page three. I listened to the show’s smashing music on the drive back to Norfolk and called Tunie about producing the premiere as soon as I hit town.

It’s funny to think back now to that August afternoon noon – and recall neatly printed lines filling fresh white pages – as I watch the show it has all become. Of the many productions I’ve watched mounted on the Wells stage, FROG KISS may be the most alive. It’s certainly the biggest. Perhaps it’s also the most pure fun.

What’s surprises me the most is how closely the show on the stage resembles what I’d imagined reading the play on the page. Bringing imagination to life in this art form is tough and risky work. It means countless design concepts and technical drawings, casting calls and agent negotiations, dance rehearsals and costume fittings – the list goes on and on. Sadly, it can go wrong at any point.

But not this time. Suddenly, it’s opening night and there it all is. Exactly as pictured. To my great
surprise and joy, FROG KISS has turned into a stage fairytale through a fairy tale creation.

A basket of steamed shrimp and a love story about a frog. We never know where a true airytale is about to lead.

Chris Hanna
Artistic Director

VSC’s Resident Theatre Arts & Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol

To create a great holiday production, you need a lot of stuff:  a great story, great designers, great direction, a great stage crew, great actors, but also something just as important if not as tangible… a great, big heart.  And I want to tell you, as both modern actor Ryan Clemens and as Victorian-era family man Bob Cratchit, A Christmas Carol has it.

There’s a feeling of love and acceptance that lives among our company, that has been with us from the beginnings of rehearsal and has grown and developed throughout this play-creation process.  I feel it onstage when I’m carving turkey with my Cratchit family.  I feel it backstage as I’m swapping knock-knock jokes with my buddy Colin, AKA Tiny Tim.  And I feel it out in the lobby as I’m sharing carols with the gleeful patrons, children and families exiting the theatre at show’s end.  It’s that great big heart, and it’s a wonderful thing.

Fostered by Director Patrick Mullins and encouraged through the positivity of every member of the Virginia Stage Company family, that feeling has made trusted friends out of professional colleagues, bolstered team spirits through wearying work schedules, and empowered new ideas and artful discoveries through a working attitude of “Let’s try it and see!”

And, as storytellers on the stage, that feeling is part of the fundamental drive that compels us to perform this oft-told, holiday tale.  For that feeling of love and acceptance is what we also long to inspire among our audience.   And, don’tcha know, we do!

(LtR) Jack Whitelaw, Casey Croson, Morgan Wilson, Ryan Clemens, Grace Beach, Colin Wilson, Camille Robinson, Ailish Riggs, Gregor Paslawsky

That full-hearted feeling that has me and my fellow actors whistling Christmas tunes as we hurry to the Wells, excited to again put on Dickensian costume and meet one another upon the stage… it transforms into the holiday cheer that has friends and families smiling and hugging and sharing happy stories as they amble out along Tazewell street.

You can ask me is the Christmas Carol set beautiful.  Oh, yeah, absolutely.   Is the story-telling masterful?  You bet.  And are the special effects special?  Baby, they are thrilling and bone-chilling.  But, best of all, this show has something warm and true and wonderful that you don’t find with every show.  I’m very proud of it, very proud to be a part of this cast and this VSC team, and very proud of this “heart” we’ve all put forth to share.

See you at the show!

Ryan Clemens, Resident Theatre Artist
Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol

Ashley Pirsig, Assistant Director of Development

In the spring of 1844, The Gentleman’s Magazine attributed a sudden burst of charitable giving in Britain to Charles Dickens’s novella, A Christmas Carol. In 1867 America, a Mr. Fairbanks attended a reading on Christmas Eve in Boston and was so moved he closed his factory on Christmas Day and sent every employee a turkey.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing my first VSC production of A Christmas Carol with my parents. When we left the theater (admittedly, a little teary-eyed), we collectively decided to forgo gifts to each other this year and focus on serving those less fortunate. On the surface, A Christmas Carol is a simple morality tale, a holiday story with ghosts and goodwill, but it has a powerful way of reminding us what Christmas is all about.

This year, VSC received another powerful reminder about the real meaning of Christmas. A generous donor has agreed to match dollar for dollar every new or increased donation received by December 31^st, up to a total of $25,000. We sort of feel like the Charity Man at the end of the show after Scrooge whispers in his ear – excited, humbled and incredibly grateful. We also feel a great deal of responsibility to meet the challenge and, dare I say, exceed it.

In this season of giving, will you help us honor our donor and the inner (reformed) Scrooge in all of us by making a donation to VSC? Your gift be doubled, allowing you to play a vital role in our productions, underwrite the arts education opportunities we provide to over 30,000 Hampton Roads students each year and leave a legacy of great theatrical performances for the entire community.

Thank you for being a part of our theater family and believing in the work that we do. Wishing you a merry and magical holiday season!

Ashley Pirsig
Assistant Director of Development

To make your donation today and DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT, please visit our website www.vastage.com or contact me directly at 757-627-6988 x342 or apirsig@vastage.com.

Patrick Mullins, Director, A Christmas Carol
Associate Artistic Director, VSC

“What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer;… If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!” – Ebenezer Scrooge 

With a “recession” on, student loans to pay back, and a fiscal cliff looming, I think I’m closer than ever to connecting to our old pal Ebenezer.   I mean, I know Amazon Prime does free shipping, but… really? Do I need to spend the next two weeks buying presents for friends who already have everything that modern life could possibly require?  Is that gift of a new iPhone cover/hand-warmer/bottle-opener-that-mounts-to-your-bicycle-handlebars necessary?  Really?

I hope we don’t lose what our friend, Dickens, was trying to say all of those years ago. That the holidays are a “time when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not just meat puppets trudging around getting in your way in the grocery aisle.” Ok, so maybe I paraphrased that a bit, but you get the point.

Every year I find it a bit harder to transition from the commercial-tastic holiday season to directing this show.  But then I crawl up inside of the production and I’m surrounded by a world where Christmas is about giving to others, about smiling at your fellow man, and about the harmonies sung in a world where love is practiced, and then…

Then I know it’s going to be ok.  And you know what?  It is going to be ok.

Maybe you can’t be in the cast of our little production and get to breathe it a little on stage every day like we get to do, but you can do some of the things we do in our cast.  You can recognize the little traditions that you do with others, whether it’s a card or a prayer or a cheers before dinner.

And you could do this mini-meditation for me…   As you walk through the parking lot to the grocery make a little mental Holiday wish for folks.  Even the folks you wouldn’t look at twice normally.  Wish for them some love, or some hope, or some cheer.  Each one of them.  Look at each one specifically (not while they’re looking at you, that might be creepy), and wish that for them.

Couldn’t we all use a little of that?  See if that practice doesn’t bring you more solidly into the world of humanity and more pleasantly dispositioned than the jerk trying to edge ahead of you in the self-checkout line while facebooking on his smartphone.  I promise you’ll be happier for it.

Oh, and join us for Christmas Carol.  See if it doesn’t bring you some cheer, too.  I gave it all the cheer I had.

As Tiny Tim observed – God bless us, every one.

Happy New Year, folks.
Patrick Mullins, Associate Artistic Director
Director of A Christmas Carol

This past weekend was a very busy weekend for us here at VSC.

• Friday we opened A Christmas Carol
• Saturday, December 8 we hosted 150 scouts and parents for crafts and games for Girl Scout Day, plus two performances of A Christmas Carol
• Sunday, December 9 we hosted 150 more scouts and parents for Girl Scout Day 2, plus our 2 pm  performance of A Christmas Carol.

In addition, we held two actor talk backs for the Girl Scouts.  There were many questions about the cast and characters and yes, onstage the actors are the what the audience sees first.

But what about the folks behind the scenes?  Who dreams up and constructs the costumes, the props, the lighting and the sounds?  A Christmas Carol  presents us a great opportunity to meet some of the design and production team on this very intricately designed show.

I asked our props master, costume shop manager, sound engineer and master electrician to give us a few thoughts about their jobs and how they have prepared for A Christmas Carol. Meet these hard-working people:

Howdy, all! Sam Flint here, from the Prop Shop at the ol’ VSC. A Christmas Carol is once again upon us, and we’re busy preparing some changes from last year’s show. Amongst the changes are an overhaul for our old friend The Ghost of Christmas Future, as he’s worn the same tattered ropes these past, what, four years? Hopefully, he’ll be a little more realistic and frightening (well, not TOO frightening). I mean, he is actually quite a jolly chap, given to bouts of silliness and dancing. And when you look into the deep, empty void of his velvety hood, just know that he’s probably smiling at you. I hope you enjoy the show!

- Samuel Flint, Props Manager

Gregor Paslawsky plays Ebenezer Scrooge
His tombstone is a prop as is the moving ivy that dresses it.

There are many other props throughout the show. The table settings and the food at the Cratchits dinner, Scrooge’s bed, all the tables, chairs, desks and more. Without these props the reality of the show would be sadly lacking!

(LtR) Andy Hernandez, Grace Beach, Casey Croson, Camille Robinson, Mary Elizabeth Curnan, Tom Prescott

The costume designer for our production is Jeni Schaeffer. She’s designed costumes for many of our shows as well as for our last play, The Comfort Team. Jeni works directly with Pam Prior, our costume shop manager, in bringing the designs into reality.

A Christmas Carol is a very exciting show for the costume shop… Many new costume pieces have been added this year including beautiful gem-toned skirts for Fred’s party, a new dress for Fan & a delightful male Mrs. Fezziwig costume (played by Ryan Clemens)…. Beautiful wigs by Jim McGough (wig master at the Virginia Opera) for Scrooge, Past, Present & some of the actresses. The new costumes make this show a visual delight from head to toe.  In the costume shop, we have been busy with many fittings, constructing new costumes & altering costumes from years past.  Many of our brave actors play 3 to 5 different characters over the course of the show keeping our wardrobe supervisor, Hannah Goldman, equally as busy with pre-sets and tracking items back stage throughout the production!   Goldman also assists Jacob Marley (Michael Schaeffer) dress in 30 pounds of real chain.  A Christmas Carol will transport audiences members back to the streets of Victorian London when men wore top hats and frock coats and women still donned a petticoat.  Merry Christmas!

- Pam Prior, Costume Shop Manager

Sound plays a huge part in developing the atmosphere of a show. For example, every time the Ghost of Christmas Past moved his hands a loud shudder sounded across the stage. It gave the move impact, a scary effect and meaning. Without that sound, the movement would have just been a gesture. Each of the ghosts have specific sounds that accompany their movements. If you haven’t yet seen the show, look for the sound differences within each ghostly visit. The sound designer for our production is Danny Erdberg. He has done a handful of shows for us and they have all been spectacular. He works directly with Ryan Hickey, our sound engineer, to make the sounds fill the theatre.

The best part about A Christmas Carol is the set up. A Christmas Carol is usually our biggest show of the year in terms of outputs and speakers. This year we have 20 different speakers placed throughout the theater and stage. It’s great to be able to have sound come from above or below the stage and to be able to pan across the surround speakers.

-Ryan Hickey, Sound Engineer

Michael Schaeffer as Jacob Marley
If you look at the picture you can see that the fog and the lights give this photo a more sinister look than if they weren’t there at all.

Our lighting designer for this production is Bradley King. He has a history with us as well and we always enjoy watching him work his magic!  Carolyn Thatcher is our master electrician and takes Bradley’s designs and turns them into beauty shows of light and color that highlight the sets and the characters.

My job as Master Electrician is to take what the lighting designer plans and make it happen.  The LD will send me a drawing that notates exactly what kind of lighting unit he wants where. The LD also sends paperwork that lays out color, lamp wattage, and information about putting said units into our lighting console. I make sure that the LD has stayed within equipment inventory, under budget, and what they request is physically possible.

What makes A Christmas Carol different than other shows is our use of special effects which falls into my department.  Some of the effects include various fog and haze effects. These fall into my dept. because the machines that make the fog and haze ties into our lighting console so that we can have control over amount and timing. With the added effects, I am then in charge of making sure these machines have the fluids and materials they need to operate smoothly.

- Carolyn Thatcher, Master Electrician

We hope that you’ll come see the show this year. While the set is has returned from last year with some fine-tuning, the cast is almost entirely new. We have more music, the narration from previous years has returned and the special effects are amazing. This is definitely a beautiful show both in the performance and in the design.

To learn more about our production designers  CLICK HERE. This section of our website has the bios for our design team as well as our cast.

For tickets, call our Box Office at (757)627-1234 or visit http://www.vastage.com and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and news.

Thanks & have a wonderful holiday season!

Morgan Vaughan, Marketing Assistant
Written with the help of Samuel Flint, Pam Prior, Ryan Hickey and Carolyn Thatcher

Deborah Brevoort, the author of our just-premiered play The Comfort Team, talked about the process of play development and what it’s like writing a play for VSC.

Deborah Brevoort, Playwright

When NASA was given the job to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth, one of the Apollo engineers remarked that they were entering a nine-year period that would be characterized by nonstop failures and mistakes.  Success would only be achieved after every possible mistake had been made and eliminated.  In fact, the engineers coined an expression about this that became their motto:  Failure is a tool for making progress.

This principle applies not only to engineering but to artistic endeavors. It is a description of the creative process:  it’s what happens during rehearsals for a play and what happens when you write a play, too.

When I was working on The Comfort Team, I kept getting it wrong:  not only the objective, historical facts like the proper military acronyms, and the ranks, and the titles, but the bigger things, too, like the characters and the situations and the dialogue.  If something could be wrong, it was.

About a year and a half into the project, I picked up the phone and called Chris Hanna to discuss my latest draft.

“I hate this,” I said.

“I do too,” he answered.

I was on draft #3 and the script was off by a mile.  But Chris was unconcerned.

‘Don’t worry, you’ll get it, “ he told me.  “Just keep writing.”

And I did.  Gradually, the mistakes fell away.   We did a workshop where I got rid of many of them and made some new ones. During rehearsals for the production this fall, I continued to make mistakes and eliminate others.  I was cutting and adding lines right up to the opening night—and after opening, too.   In fact, I’m still making changes to the play, even though it has ended the run.

What is surprising to me is how few people really understand this process—including people who work in the theatre.  In my twenty-five years of being a playwright, I’ve had to spend a lot of time assuaging the fears and anxieties of producers who don’t understand the artistic process, leap to judgment and try to rush their projects to “success” without giving them the requisite steps of failure. Maybe it’s because the stakes are so high, and because our work is so public.  Egos, careers and money are on the line, after all.  But this lack of understanding makes a difficult process even more difficult, and often holds a play back from becoming all it could be.

During the race to the moon, the Apollo engineers were often under siege by Congress, the press and the public for their string of failures. Jim Webb, the director of NASA, ran constant interference with the powers-that-be in order to give his engineers what they needed to succeed, which was, the need to fail.  If it were not for Jim Webb, we never would have gotten to the moon.

Chris Hanna is the Jim Webb of Virginia Stage. He knows what a playwright needs to get a play right. Which is, to get it wrong. This is one of the reasons why the work at Virginia Stage is so good. His refusal to bring judgment, fear or anxiety into the process liberates his artists to do what they need to do. Artists do their best work in this kind of atmosphere.  It’s why I love working here.

It’s also why I signed up for another American Soil commission. I am writing a play called Homespun about Martha Washington.  I’ve been writing it for a year.  It’s a mess.  Which means it’s on the right track.

Deborah Brevoort

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

A day when we gather together to celebrate what we are thankful for. The first Thanksgiving (even though that was not its official name until years later) was held in the early 1620s between the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag to celebrate the first successful corn harvest for the colonists since arriving in Massachusetts. — Pardon the history lesson — Today, however, we gather together with family and friends to celebrate each other and what we are thankful for.

I asked the VSC team to tell me what they are thankful for this year:

“I’m thankful for Kind hearts, Creative minds, Joyous souls”
- Ryan Clemens, Resident Theatre Artist

“I’m thankful for being surrounded by creative, compassionate people – personally and professionally – who inspire me to do my best, support me if I fail, encourage me to keep trying, and appreciate my efforts.”
- Maggie Angulo, Accountant

“I am thankful for coffee, friends, family, and every donation VSC receives!”
- Moriah Mills, Development Associate

“I am thankful for good health, friends, and family who love and support each other.”
- Barb Lipskis, Development Director

“I am thankful [for] roadtrips and best friends, oh and green bean casserole.”
- Janelle Burchfield, Sales Director

“I am thankful for the people who have given me and gotten me through what has been one of the craziest years of my life.”
-Jessie Ciccolella, Properties Artisan

What are you thankful for?
Me? I am thankful for my friends & family, my job and (on a more superficial note) my Kindle.

Check out this awesome infographic I found about Thanksgiving, because a holiday wouldn’t be a holiday if there weren’t numbers involved.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Morgan Vaughan
Marketing Assistant
Virginia Stage Company

Our production of Deborah Brevoort’s The Comfort Team has gotten a lot of attention in the press! So it is bittersweet to go into this weekend for the final performances on our stage. Our patrons have given many reasons to not miss this show via email, Facebook and word-of-mouth. Here are just a few:

I enjoyed the performance of the Comfort Team very much. I’m not a member of the Navy family but have lived in the area for 30 years and have friends who fit these roles perfectly. This work is a great picture of the pride, pain and lives of the families that serve. Thanks so much.
- Jean J. (Facebook)

My husband (a 26 yr navy veteran) & I saw “The Comfort Team” today. It brought back quite a few memories and a discussion about how communications have changed. We had mail, MARS radio, telegrams, and the occasional port visit phone call. The Play seemed to focus a lot on the roles of the CO’s wife (Chandra) , the Officer’s wife (Marcia), the Omsbudsman (Vicky), the very young enlisted wife (Jo), & I can relate to those characters in the play.
- Jay N. (Facebook)

What a valuable addition to what should be a national conversation about the military and their families in today’s life. I was proud that VSC could present this and really found it engrossing.
- Ed L. (Facebook)

 As parents of a Navy wife whose husband was deployed during 9/11 and then again during ensuing war we could definitely identify with the conflicts of the characters.
- Marianne S. (Facebook) 

So along with the positive praise, what are some other reasons to see this show?  It truly speaks to Hampton Roads. This play was commissioned locally, is based on more than 40 interviews between locally based spouses and the playwright, and it’s set here in Norfolk. The set — designed by Terry Summers Flint — pays homage to this, with its backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, featuring fiber optic lights that sparkle beautifully during the darkness of scene changes.

Set Design by Terry Summers Flint

While Hampton Roads is home to an extensive military presence, it is rare that the civilian community gets to see into the intricacies of military life. What we see are supportive spouses, happy and strong. This play not only represents that public persona, but also shows the challenges and deep range of emotions behind the brave faces of military spouses.

Yes, Norfolk, VA was the perfect place to start the conversation about what it means to serve as a military spouse.  Reviews in The Washington Post and in The Virginian-Pilot both call for The Comfort Team to have a life beyond Hampton Roads.  Critics and audiences alike agree that the story is one that should be told across the country.

To read reviews of The Comfort Team please CLICK HERE

Don’t miss this show! Get tickets by visiting http://www.vastage.com or by calling our Box Office at 757-627-1234. There are only 5 shows left, through Sunday, November 18 at 2 pm.

With Opening Night of The Comfort Team a little over 24 hours away, we asked Lucy Bonino, the Old Dominion University junior who plays Joella “Jo” Smith in the play, to give us a little inside scoop of the rehearsal process, how it feels to work with professional actors on a professional stage and how it differs from the college actor rehearsal process.

Lucy Bonino

“Hi, I’m Lucy Bonino, and I play Jo in VSC’s new show, The Comfort Team. Jo is the seventeen-year old teen mom with the mohawk and dog collar who’s also homeless.

It’s been crazy at times, trying to balance rehearsal with class and some semblance of a social life, but it’s all been worth it so far. Rehearsals last about seven hours every day, excluding Mondays, and it’s a lot of hard work. This isn’t something I could just blow off or phone in at the last second; it requires firm and unyielding commitment.  Going from college theatre to professional theatre has taught me an astounding amount even in the short time I’ve been working on this internship. First of all, the level of professionalism with which my co-workers operate on is almost intimidating. Everyone is “all in” the first day and keeps laser sharp focus throughout. At first it’s overwhelming, but it makes it easy to mimic. I find myself trying daily to match their level of intensity and focus at rehearsals. College theatre is more about learning and experimenting with new things, and having everything spelled out for you — professional theatre is nothing like that. I’ve had to have a lot of things explained to me, and you’re just expected to be up to date on it all. Everything in the process has a purpose, whereas with college theatre it’s a lot of putting things off and waiting for other people.

Lucy Bonino as Joella “Jo” Smith in
The Comfort Team
Photo by Samuel Flint

It’s easy to see how much experience all of the actors have with every choice they make. They actively seek to solve any problem whether technical or innate, however menial it may seem, on stage. The attention to detail is what is the starkest difference from college theatre, in my opinion.

I’ve learned a lot from the rehearsal process, and from the few previews we’ve had. Everyone has been really welcoming and warm, and I’ve grown to really appreciate all of those involved in the production and their patience with me. I’ve never played a role like Jo, and I’m grateful and humbled to have even received it. I’m learning new things with each passing day in the theatre, and can’t wait to see what the future performances have in store for this show.”

The Comfort Team is the next play in Virginia Stage Company’s American Soil series, a series which celebrates the stories of Hampton Roads, past & present. This moving new story follows a group of military spouses brought together by duty and bound by honor and friendship. Fates intertwined, the group transcends their differences as they stand by one another through dramatic events that change their lives forever. Meet Vicky, Chandra, Mrs. Yates, Jo, Barbie, and Lt. Gonzalez and share their joys and challenges on the homefront. Run time is approximately 2:15 (including the 15 minute intermission)

Want see to Lucy along with her fellow cast members in The Comfort Team? Opening Night is Friday night, Novmeber 2 at 8pm and the show runs through November 18. Visit our website at www.vastage.com for information about the play, the dates & times, as well as our Homefront Courage events, which honor military spouses for their dedication to their families and their countries everyday.
To learn more about Homefront Courage and what we are doing to thank our military spouses CLICK HERE.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Let your voice be heard. Let us know what you think about the show by CLICKING HERE and leaving us a comment on our Facebook. The only thing we ask is that you don’t give away the ending.

It works!

Deborah Brevoort and I have been working together on the script for The Comfort Team for over three years. Longer, in fact, if you include the time it took for me to sell her on the project.

DEB: But I’m a New Yorker. I don’t know anything about the military!

CHRIS: You’re a fabulous playwright. Shakespeare didn’t need a Roman passport to write Julius Caesar. 

DEB: Did they really have passports back then?

I connected Deb with numerous military spouses across the area; she conducted interviews with them all.  She wrote evolving drafts of the play; I suggested countless revisions. I rehearsed a cast for a workshop production on the Old Dominion campus; she fielded comments from that audience and began new drafts. Etc, etc, etc.  Creating The Comfort Team script has been a project of love and mission for us both, and after receiving surprise funding from the National Endowment for Arts, of necessity as well.

It finally came together and got set into a three-ring binder – but what did that mean?

Casting politics are an early indicator for a new script. If top actors politely pass on the project (‘I might have a family emergency that month’ or  ‘the Virginia climate brings out my saltwater allergies’), that’s a sign to begin rewrites. When the casting director begins begging, that’s a sign to replace the show with The Glass Menagerie. But when actors fight for precious audition slots, that’s a sign that the script ‘has legs.’

In the case of The Comfort Team, the results were indisputable. Actors came to audition who hadn’t found cause to leave New York or Los Angeles in 20 years. Deb’s script, it seemed, was that cause.

The designers came together quickly for the production as well – another good sign – and the cast was all able to fly in despite the rain. So all was set for the first read thru this morning at 10 am.  (No, I did not sleep last night. Ate Ben and Jerry’s instead…)  

And they came. And they read. And it was good.

Deborah Brevoort has managed to craft a beautiful play out of the stories she heard in this area – it’s wise, inspirational, and funny – and I’m sighing a big relief tonight. (Which is good, because the Ben and Jerry’s is finished). Now I begin my process of pulling this compelling script, that dream cast, and some spot-on designs into a cohesive production for Hampton Roads – a community that knows this story inside/out.

Deb has made art out of people’s daily lives in this area. It’s now my turn to make a compelling evening for people with the world on their minds.

Chris Hanna
VSC Artistic Director