Little Town Players Continues to Shine a Spotlight on Bedford with Topnotch Productions

Beloved community theatre nonprofit Little Town Players has been making a big impact in Bedford—and beyond—for nearly 50 years, and it will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future. With its rich and decorated history, generous and talented volunteers, and commitment to presenting dynamic and high-quality productions, LTP is a triumphant testament to the power of close-knit communities.

“Bedford is thought of as a tight-knit community, and Little Town Players is very much a tight-knit community as well,” says LTP Board President Lisa Butler.

Little Town Players’ story began in 1975 with a group of enthusiastic thespians, many of whom were members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bedford.

“At that time, there had not been any local theatre in Bedford for at least two decades,” Butler notes. “Roy and Karen Thorpe led a production of Our Town at St. John’s. Karen directed the play, and the majority of the cast was comprised of the church congregation. The show was a great success, so LTP officially began in 1976 with its first season of shows.”

Shortly thereafter, Little Town Players gained 501(c)(3) status and brought on its first Board of Directors. The Board originally had seven members, and now it has nine. The organization also found its permanent home at a former movie house.

“Somebody at the church found out that there was an old movie house that was not being utilized on the campus of the Elks National Home,” Butler recalls. “LTP has had a home in that space, which is called the Fred Harper Theatre, ever since. We have a great working relationship with The Elks: A Noble Senior Living Community.”

In 1983, a historic honor solidified Little Town Players’ status as a top-tier theatre organization: then-President Ronald Reagan awarded LTP a Volunteer Action Award for the Arts and Humanities. The Volunteer Action Awards were designed to honor outstanding volunteer achievements. In 1982, more than 2,000 groups were nominated nationally for 20 awards in 10 categories.

“In addition to having fantastic volunteers, I think that LTP was chosen for the award because of our ability to make the most of our fairly limited resources,” Butler says. “For instance, if we needed a stove for a production, we would get a cardboard box that a stove came in from a local electric company and paint it to look like the real thing. We’ve certainly come a long way!”

The Fred Harper Theatre specifically has come a long way thanks to many improvements over the years.

“We took the booth area from the former movie house and turned it into a booth for our sound and light controls,” notes Butler. “We’re working on getting all of our lights switched over to LED lighting, we’ve recovered our seats, and we’ve added lights above the stage. We’ve also built dressing rooms, installed heating and air conditioning, added bathrooms downstairs for the cast, and enclosed the lobby. We are able to use the space rent-free, so we do whatever we can to help the Elks continue to remain vibrant. It’s an ideal partnership.”

Since it was founded, Little Town Players has presented a wide variety of productions including Driving Miss Daisy, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Christmas Story: The Musical, Steel Magnolias, A Streetcar Named Desire, My Fair Lady, The Secret Garden: A Musical, and many more. Butler’s personal favorites are The Wizard of Oz, in which she portrayed Dorothy, and Always… Patsy Cline, in which she portrayed the titular character. See the sidebar for LTP’s upcoming lineup of productions.

Although LTP presents shows with apparent ease, a great deal of behind-the-scenes work goes into each production.

“We have a play-reading committee that consists of six to 10 people,” Butler says. “Each person brings suggestions of productions within three different categories: musicals, comedies, and dramas. We typically start out with 60 to 70 possibilities. The committee starts discussing pros and cons of each of the shows: the feasibility of building certain sets, whether or not patrons are likely to enjoy the production, how difficult the production would be to cast, etc. Once the committee limits the choices and votes on a slate, they present it to the Board for approval. The whole process generally takes five to six months.”

The members of that committee, Board members, actors, and a myriad of others involved in each production are volunteers. Directors, music directors, and choreographers receive small stipends.

“Without volunteers, LTP simply would not exist,” Butler remarks. “We are very lucky to have so many wonderful volunteers. Anyone can get involved by checking out our website and filling out our volunteer form. We can always use stage managers, light and sound workers, costumers, set designers, builders, painters, ushers, box office assistants, play-reading committee members, and more.”

According to Butler, LTP has a dual primary mission.

“Our mission is to both entertain and educate our audiences through theatre,” she says. “You may not think you’ll be entertained by a production that is laden with facts or educated by a comedy, but we aim to make those things happen. My mission as Board President is to ensure that all that is done within our theatre is done to uphold and support LTP’s mission and to ensure that LTP is around for generations to come.”

Little Town Players offers an annual scholarship to encourage involvement among young people in its and other organizations’ theatre programs.

“For over 20 years, we’ve offered a $1,000 scholarship each year to a Bedford County graduating high school senior,” notes Butler. “Preference is given to graduating seniors who have been involved with Little Town Players, but it is not a requirement. The student needs to be very involved with theatre, but they do not need to be pursuing a theatre degree.”

There is no doubt that community is the cornerstone of Little Town Players. Butler, who met her husband through the organization and was involved in LTP’s production of Little Women: The Musical with her husband and two of her children, believes that anyone who gets involved with LTP will find a home away from home.

“Little Town Players is truly like a family,” she says.

“For us, community theatre is all about getting together and having fun while making beautiful art that is representative of our community.”

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UPCOMING LITTLE TOWN PLAYERS SEASON
Shows are presented on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

The Mousetrap
Sept. 9-18, 2022

Blithe Spirit
Nov. 4-13, 2022

12 Angry Men
Feb. 24-March 5, 2023

Little Shop of Horrors
May 12-21, 2023

Lynchburg Art Club & Gallery Continues to Preserve—and Make—Local Art History

As I toured the Lynchburg Art Club & Gallery’s headquarters on Rivermont Avenue, I was struck by the balance between tradition and innovation and by a sense of nostalgia alongside a sense of excitement about what the future of art could look like in Lynchburg. Founded in 1895 and still going strong today, the Lynchburg Art Club is both a steward of Lynchburg’s rich visual arts history and a leading player in building its future.

LAC’s permanent collection, which currently consists of over 90 paintings, features the work of LAC members past and present and serves as an account of Lynchburg’s visual arts history. “We have the responsibility of restoring, preserving, and protecting that incredible body of work,” says Jennifer Staton, Manager of the Lynchburg Art Club. “The way I see it, we are the ones who get to tell the stories of the brilliant and forward-thinking founders who, really just as the Civil War was ending, recognized that it is the arts that bring communities together. Lynchburg truly was so far ahead of its time and an arts and culture mecca of sorts then.”

The oldest pieces in the permanent collection are those created by the founders: Bernhart Gutmann, Louise Jordan Smith, and Georgia Morgan. Gutmann was the first supervisor of art in the Lynchburg Public Schools, Smith was once head of the art department at Randolph-Macon Women’s College (now Randolph College), and Morgan was once chair of the art department at Lynchburg College (now University of Lynchburg).

“The permanent collection is used as a teaching tool for our members and the community to study, appreciate, and learn from these accomplished pieces of original art from our talented members,” says Kelly Mattox, President of LAC. “To be featured in the collection, a work has to be an original piece of art, it has to have been done by a member of the club, and it has to be in good to excellent condition. We also need the artist bio, any accolades they accomplished in their medium and artistic career, and information about the donor if they have a connection to the artist.”

The permanent collection is one of many things that found a permanent home when LAC purchased the 1011 Rivermont Avenue building and became incorporated in 1961. “We finally had a permanent home for monthly exhibits, lectures, large classroom space, special events, dinners, receptions, and First Fridays openings for the community to enjoy,” Mattox notes. “It became a destination to experience the arts in Lynchburg.”

Monthly exhibits are organized by an exhibition committee. This committee creates an annual calendar that highlights a wide variety of styles and mediums and features the work of a diverse group of artists. Exhibits often have overarching themes; for instance, a STEAM-themed show happening this September will highlight Lynchburg’s long history as an engineering and design hub.

LAC’s classes and workshops are selected by the volunteer education committee, which is led by Carolyn Prince. This committee chooses the classes, instructors, and formats based on feedback and requests from LAC members and from the general public. Both member artists and guest artists are invited to teach. “One class that has a very loyal following is Ron Boehmer’s ‘Theory and Practice of Drawing and Painting,’” Staton notes. “The class sees new students join each eight weeks or so but there is definitely a core group. I love to be in my office on Tuesday mornings when they are meeting. Ron is incredibly gifted and has created a great atmosphere where everyone is so encouraging of each other, and the works that his students produce are just spectacular.”

Additionally, the club’s event calendar, which can be found on LAC’s website, is always full of exciting options. On May 14, LAC will hold an event called “Plein air painting of a landscape with roses in oil” at Old City Cemetery. The roses will be in full bloom, and artist Julia Lesnichy will demonstrate the technique of painting these delicate flowers. On June 6, Georgia Morgan Civic Art Show winner David Eakin will be conducting a special gouache workshop. A date for the 49th autumn Lynchburg Art Festival at E.C. Glass High School will be announced in June.

For more than 20 years, the Lynchburg Art Festival has funded four scholarships for rising high school seniors from Lynchburg who major in the arts for their four academic college years. LAC also works with Beacon of Hope to help students in need. “As part of our outreach mission to the community, we have partnered with Beacon of Hope for their ‘Art for Achievement’ fundraiser for a few years,” says Mattox. “Lynchburg Art Club members paint over 100 paintings to be auctioned at their gala event. It is such a rewarding experience to generate the funds that will assist students in need with their future education.”

Mattox, who moved to Lynchburg from Richmond, believes that Lynchburg is a can’t-miss art destination for several reasons. “I was so impressed with the large number of artists who are so incredibly talented in Central Virginia and who were so helpful to me when I arrived,” she says. “I think Lynchburg stands out in Central Virginia because it has colleges that have degrees in visual arts programs and their own collections: The Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College, the Daura Museum of Art at University of Lynchburg, and Sweet Briar College’s Art Gallery.”

LAC has also helped make the Rivermont area a hub of creativity. “Along with Point of Honor, Lynchburg Art Club serves as the arts and culture anchor to this area of town,” says Staton. “LAC has shown that lower Rivermont is a safe and beautiful area that is worthy of preservation. We are excited to be the visual arts center of this up-and-coming pedestrian and biker-friendly area of town.”

Lynchburg Art Club & Gallery is undoubtedly an integral part of Lynchburg’s art culture and history. Its staff’s dedication to growing and evolving while also honoring and preserving the past points to another century—at least—of esteemed service.

“We are one of the oldest nonprofit volunteered membership art clubs in America,” notes Mattox. “This history is so valuable. Of course, we always need to change with the times and add more diversity of classes, develop more outreach programs and partnerships, welcome new members, and embrace all social media outlets. We encourage everyone to visit and celebrate our past and experience our future.”

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By Emily Mook | Photos By Ashley Glen