A guide to the area’s upcoming theater opportunities.
Information Compiled by
Emily Mook Hedrick
Whether you prefer mesmerizing musicals or murder mysteries, there is a little something for everyone on the local theater scene this year. But with so many talented groups, from high schools to community organizations, it can be hard to keep up with what’s playing and when. Our 2019 Theater Guide is here to help—flip through to see the year’s upcoming shows!
Endstation Theatre Company
2500 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg
endstationtheatre.org
Tuesdays with Morrie
“The autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation, Mitch happens to catch Morrie’s appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.”
June 6-9 & June 12-16
The Bluest Water
“In August 1969, Hurricane Camille, the second-most intense hurricane on record to hit the United States, brought devastation to Nelson County. The Bluest Water follows survivors Jared and Liz, 50 years later, as they try to figure out what happened to a friend who lost his family to the storm, and as they remember the dead and try to heal from their own wounds.”
June 21-23 & June 26-30, special performance on August 11 at 6:30 p.m.
My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra
“My Way relives the legendary career of Frank Sinatra as four actors share more than 50 of his beloved hits that span the breadth of his career from the 1950s to the 1990s. Performing songs that include ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ ‘Chicago,’ ‘New York, New York,’ and ‘That’s Life’ are four professional performers straight from the stages of New York City.”
July 12-14, July 17-21, July 23-28
All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. All matinee performances begin at 2 p.m.
Wolfbane Productions
618 Country Club Road, Appomattox
wolfbane.org
Cabaret
“In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.”
April 11-14, 18-21, 25-28, & May 2-4
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is a murderous romp filled with unforgettable music, non-stop laughs and a scene-stealing role for one actor playing all eight of the doomed heirs who meet their ends in the most creative and side-splitting ways.”
June 6-9, 13-16, 20-23, 27-29
Wolfbane’s Tempest
“At long last, this beautiful adaptation of the Shakespearean masterpiece returns to the woods of the Wolf PAC. Tempest is a tale of magic, deception, revenge, and forgiveness. Learn what happens as Prospera, the deposed Duchess of Milan, plots revenge against her foes on the remote and enchanted island of Oilean.”
August 8-10, 15-17, 29-31
The Crucible
“Winner of Wolfbane’s 2019 Audience Choice poll, Wolfbane is excited to put its unique twist on this Arthur Miller classic. In The Crucible, fear runs rampant through Salem, Massachusetts, resulting in unreasonable accusations and ridiculous behavior pitting neighbor against neighbor. Journey into the woods with Wolfbane and experience this show like never before.”
October 3-5, 10-12, 24-26
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday Performances:
All shows start at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m.
Sunday Performances: All shows start at
6 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m.
Renaissance Theater
1022 Commerce Street, Lynchburg
renaissancetheatrelynchburg.org
Driving Miss Daisy
“When Daisy Werthan crashes her car, her son arranges for her to have a chauffeur named Hoke Colburn. Daisy and Hoke’s relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.”
April 19-20, 26-28 & May 2-4
Drinking Habits
“Two nuns at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing have been secretly making wine to keep the convent’s doors open. Two reporters go undercover as a nun and priest to break the story. Their presence, combined with the addition of a new nun, spurs paranoia that spies have been sent from Rome to shut the convent down. Wine and secrets are inevitably spilled as everyone tries to preserve the convent and reconnect with lost loves.”
July 12-13, 19-21, 25-27
Mamma Mia!
“Donna is preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day. Join us as we present the musical sensation Mamma Mia!, based on the music of ABBA.”
October 4-5, 11-13, 17-19
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!
“In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids—probably the most inventively awful kids in history. You won’t believe the mayhem—and the fun—when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on!”
December 6-7, 13-15, 19-21
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m. Sunday matinees begin at 3 p.m.
Academy Center of the Arts
600 Main Street, Lynchburg
academycenter.org
Barter Players Presents: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Historic Academy Theatre)
“Whether it’s fishing with Huckleberry Finn or convincing his friends to whitewash Aunt Polly’s fence, nobody loves life more than the irascible Tom Sawyer. Then one night in a spooky graveyard, Tom and Huck stumble upon a deadly secret. Will they be able to save Muff Potter from the treacherous Injun Joe before it’s too late? Join Tom and Huck on the most exciting adventure of their life, where they learn that man’s greatest treasure is the gift of friendship.”
March 17 at 3 p.m.
Academy Presents: Aquila Theatre’s Frankenstein (Historic Academy of Music Theatre)
“Written two centuries ago in 1818 by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus is the first true science fiction novel. Years ahead of its time, the story has since become the inspiration for countless film and stage adaptations. Frankenstein is a living, breathing, gruesome outcome of scientific discovery.”
March 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (A Youth Theatre Production at the Historic Academy Theatre)
“The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.”
April 20 at 2 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest Presents: Jefferson & Adams, On Stage and in Conversation (Historic Academy Theatre)
“Written by Howard Ginsberg and based on his original play, this is the story of the turbulent 52-year friendship of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Adams’ wife, Abigail. Based on the collection of letters between these prolific founding fathers—and one equally astute wife—the play fuses compelling political thoughts with passionate personal beliefs.”
April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Community Through Theatre Presents: Follies (Historic Academy Theatre)
“A true theatrical event, this legendary masterpiece is considered by many to be the greatest musical ever created. Surreal, sophisticated, compelling, heart-wrenching and epic in scope, Follies—by musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim and author James Goldman—uses the musical theatre as a metaphor for the collapse of American innocence and naiveté in the post-Kennedy years.”
May 10-11, May 17-18 at 7:30 p.m.,
May 12 at 2 p.m., & May 19 at 2 p.m.
City on a Hill Youth Theater
219 Breezewood Drive, Lynchburg
facebook.com/CityOnAHillYouthTheater
Ladies of the Jury
“In a small town, a jury is selected and a murder trial is held. The dramatic proceedings are amusingly interrupted from time to time by Mrs. Crane, an eccentric juror. When the jurors retire to deliberate, the first ballot is eleven for ‘Guilty’ and one ‘Not guilty.’ Mrs. Crane has her own theories and she will not give in; she knows that capitulation means sending an innocent woman to her death.”
April 4-13, times TBD
Cavalier Theatre
(Jefferson Forest High School)
1 Cavalier Circle, Forest
sites.google.com/bedford.k12.va.us/cavaliertheatrehome/home
Footloose: The Musical
“One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto stage! When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise control over the town’s youth.”
April 30-May 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Brookville Theatre (Brookville High School)
100 Laxton Road, Lynchburg
facebook.com/BrookvilleHighSchoolTheatre/
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats
“Cats is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as ‘the Jellicle choice’ and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.”
March 28-30 at 7 p.m. & March 31 at 2 p.m.
Glass Theatre (E.C. Glass High School)
2111 Memorial Avenue, Lynchburg
ecglasstheatre.org
Hairspray
“It’s 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire: to dance on the popular ‘Corny Collins Show.’ When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network… all without denting her ‘do!”
April 25-26 at 7 p.m. & May 2-4 at 7 p.m.
Pioneer Theatre (Heritage High School)
3101 Wards Ferry Road, Lynchburg
lcsedu.net/schools/hhs/about/activities/pioneer-theatre
Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
“Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe is a musical that follows the tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe and the internal struggles he faced which later on inspired his writings. The script contains many references to Poe’s poems and short stories.”
April 4-7, times TBD
Liberty Christian Academy Theatre
3701 Candlers Mountain Rd, Lynchburg
lcabulldogs.com
2019 shows are in the works. Stay tuned!
Liberty Tower Theater/Alluvion Stage Company
1971 University Blvd, Lynchburg
liberty.edu/academics/art/theatre & alluvionstage.com
The Diary of Anne Frank (Academic Performance at the Box Theater)
“In this transcendently powerful story, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination.”
March 22-23, 29-30 at 7:30 p.m., March 23, 30 at 2 p.m. & March 24, 31 at 3 p.m.
Special showings for school groups only on March 25 & 29 at 10 a.m.
Annie Get Your Gun (Academic Performance at the Tower Theater)
“Annie Oakley is the best shot around, and she manages to support her little brother and sisters by selling the game she hunts. When Col. Buffalo Bill discovers her, he persuades this novel sharpshooter to join his Wild West Show. It only takes one glance for her to fall head over heels for dashing shooting ace Frank Butler, who headlines the show. She soon eclipses Butler as the main attraction, which, while good for business, is bad for romance.”
April 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 at 7:30 p.m., April 13, 20, 27 at 2 p.m. &
April 14, 28 at 3 p.m.
Original Works
Student-written original plays: To Sail Away
(May 2 & 4 at 7:30 p.m. and May 5 at 3 p.m.)
and Treason with a Cup of Tea (May 3 & 5 at
7:30 p.m. and May 4 at 2 p.m.)
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University of Lynchburg Theatre
1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg
lynchburg.edu/academics/
majors-and-minors/theatre/
New Works Initiative
March 20-21 at 7:30 p.m.
Curtain Call
Mar. 29-30 at 7:30 p.m.
Student Honorary Theatre Production (title to be announced)
Apr. 18-20 at 7:30 p.m.
Dance Works Concert
May 2-4 at 7:30 p.m.
Curtain Up! Curtain Call Musical Theatre Ensemble Original Works
“Join us for our unique partnership with emerging musical theatre writers from New York City. Curtain Call sings songs written for individual students and the entire ensemble. Mature themes and language.”
May 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Randolph College Theatre
2500 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg
randolphcollege.edu/theatre
She Kills Monsters
“She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.”
April 18-21 at 7:30 p.m. & April 20 at 2 p.m.
Sweet Briar Theater
134 Chapel Road, Sweet Briar
sbc.edu/arts/theatre-productions/
The Importance of Being Earnest
“The Importance of Being Earnest is the most renowned of Oscar Wilde’s comedies. It’s the story of two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives.”
March 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. & March 24 at 2:30 p.m.
