Chase Kniffen Named Artistic Associate

Posted by Bruce Miller
Beginning today (Monday, July 27), Chase Kniffen rejoins the staff at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV. His new position will be that of Artistic Associate. As such, he will provide leadership to various projects. Among other things, he will supervise our participation in the Grand Opening performance at CenterStage, and direct our Spring 2010 production of The Sound of Music.

Chase first worked at Theatre IV when he was 9 years old, appearing as a Munchkin in our second production of The Wizard of Oz. Since then, he has performed in numerous shows here, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tuck Everlasting, The Secret Garden, Sing Down the Moon, and The Big Adventures of Stuart Little (all at Theatre IV), plus Olympus on My Mind, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, James Joyce's The Dead, and Mame (all at Barksdale).

Chase starred as John Darling in the Broadway production of Peter Pan, with Cathy Rigby. He later attended the professional musical theatre conservatory program at Broadway’s Circle in the Square. After leaving New York, Chase worked on our staff for several years, first as an intern and then as Special Projects Manager.

During that time, Chase began his professional directing career here with a workshop production of Godspell in the Little Theatre. He next directed our revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, followed by our two Greater Richmond High School All Star Musicals--summer productions of Grease and Disney's High School Musical, both coproduced by and performed at Steward School. He tried his hand at several tours, plus the Empire run of The True Story of Pocahontas. In 2007, he directed his last mainstage show with us, A Christmas Story, Theatre IV's holiday offering at the historic Empire Theatre.

Chase left Barksdale and Theatre IV in April 2008 to found Stage 1, the highly acclaimed theatre company that recently completed a successful season producing new American musicals. At Stage 1, he produced and directed tick, tick, ...BOOM, Children's Letters to God, Normal, and The Summer of '42. Throughout his year at Stage 1, Chase’s ties to Barksdale and Theatre IV have remained strong.

We are pleased to welcome Chase back to the team. As Richmond’s leading professional theatre, we believe it is our responsibility to provide professional opportunities to Greater Richmond’s best and brightest theatrical talents. We are glad that Chase’s artistic vision, energy and leadership abilities will help to shape the future of our nonprofit company.

--Bruce Miller

Lustig

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin So I just got back from the Byrd Theatre (wait, wait, wait...don't hurt me for blogging about film on the live theatre blog just yet) where they were screening a short film called Lustig, which was filmed in Richmond.

I was told Lustig is a "Holocaust film." I don't know that that label really gives you an idea of what you're in for. The majority of the film takes place a year after the war has ended and all of the camps have been liberated. The rest of the story we see and hear in flashbacks. It is an absolutely stunning film.

I hear that it has been/will be submitted to the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, so you may have a chance to check it out and see it elsewhere. But just in case, you can contact them through their website.

Oh, my point...and I do have one (Ellen...anybody?)...is that Eric Evans is in the film. Eric Evans who is currently featured in Theatre IV's production of A Christmas Story (running through next Sunday, selling out, buy your tickets today by calling the box office at 344-8040 or visit the Theatre IV website)! Eric also appeared in Barksdale Theatre's production of Carson McCuller's The Member of the Wedding and in Theatre IV's production of The Wizard of Oz. (Busy guy.) AND, he was also in 365Days/365Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks produced by Barksdale Theatre, in association with K Dance.

Eric plays the boy whose father died in the last days of the war. His reaction to the news of his father's death is heartbreaking. An incredibly talented actor, this guy. If you get a chance, you should check out his work in Lustig, A Christmas Story, or any time he's on the boards. He's definitely one to look out for.

Also, the Byrd Theatre Foundation is going to be showing a locally produced film at least once a month starting in January. It's so exciting to see the arts scene in Richmond continue to grow!

Three Hits (No Strike!) and We're In

Posted by Bruce Miller
Last Thurs, Nov 29, the strike ended and all of Broadway returned to work. The following evening, Fri, Nov 30, Theatre IV opened A Christmas Story at the historic Empire Theatre, the third mainstage opening in 15 days for the Barksdale/Theatre IV team. Today, Sun, Dec 2, the first Christmas Story review came out in the T-D, and, just as with the first two openings of our holiday trifecta, it looks like another winner coming out of the gates!

To paraphrase a song from Swingtime Canteen, “Praise the Lord and pass the approbation!”

Under the headline: “Caution: This Play Could Lead You to Fits of Laughter,” Susan Haubenstock writes, “Theatre IV’s holiday show A Christmas Story may be too funny for children. Well, too funny for them to fully appreciate. The adults who bring them to the Empire Theatre will be laughing out loud.”

Technical glitches aside (see my Opening Night coverage), Susie basically loved the whole thing: “Off Center and Always Hilarious!” “Clever Theatrical Devices!” “Incredibly Funny!” She loved our director and designers: “Director Chase Kniffen hits every laugh.” “The house set designed by Mercedes Schaum looks like it’s laughing.” “Matthew Landwehr’s lighting contributes mightily to the scene transitions.”

She especially loved our cast: “Eric Pastore has the charisma to keep our focus throughout the play’s 2 ½ hours.” “Michael Thibodeau and Eric Evans play his buddies with thorough 1938 credibility. Chandler Hurd is delightful as a coonskin-cap-wearing bully; and Lillie Izo and Lyla Rossi are wonderful as the neighborhood girls.”

“Above all, tiny R. Cooper Timberline is hilarious as Randy, whether whining, hiding, waiting for Santa, or needing to wee-wee.”

“Tony Foley plays the narrator (the adult Ralph) with heart, and Gordon Bass is perfect as the cursing, growling Old Man. Julie Fulcher’s long suffering Mother is great, and costume designer Sarah Grady even provides her with the requisite pink chenille bathrobe. And Jacqueline Jones puts in another of her high-octane performances as Ralphie’s teacher.”

If you and your kids would like a good laugh this Christmas, and who wouldn’t, please call for your Christmas Story tickets ASAP. If you’d like to revisit comic hijinks associated with the screen-writing of Gone with the Wind, please call for tickets to Moonlight and Magnolias at Barksdale Willow Lawn. And if you’d like to tap your feet and sing along to the boogie woogie hits of the 40s in a colorful recreation of a USO Christmas show, head on out to Hanover Tavern for Swingtime Canteen.

Better yet, go see all three! And remember, theatre tickets and gift certificates make GREAT Christmas and Hanukkah presents!!

See you at the theatre.

--Bruce Miller

Photo credits: All photos by Jay Paul. At flagpole (left to right) - Lyla Rossi, Lillie Izo, Eric Pastore, Michael Thibodeau, Eric Evans. In chairs - Eric Pastore, Eric Evans. Bundled up - Michael Thibodeau, Eric Pastore, R. Cooper Timberline, Eric Evans.

Deck the Halls with Bows so Jolly

Posted by Bruce Miller

The talented cast and crew of Theatre IV's new production of A Christmas Story took their first curtain call tonight, and then gathered in the historic Empire lobby for that merry ritual known as Meet and Greet. The Opening Night cast party was put on hold for a half hour or so until all playbills were signed and every jolly juvenile was sent on his or her way home with a smile and an autograph. Meet and Greet is so rewarding for cast and audience members alike at each Theatre IV production, I often wonder why we never try it for adult audience shows at Barksdale.

A Christmas Story was our third mainstage opening in as many weeks. If I were to put on my MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS hat, I'd tell you that the evening was an unqualified success. And in many ways it was. The audience LOVED the show, awarding it a million laughs and an enthusiastic ovation. The cast did an outstanding job.

But if I were to put on my LET'S PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES FOR THE TRUTH hat, I'd have to say that we encountered a few glitches this evening, more in my opinion than we encountered at this morning's final dress rehearsal. But such is the joy of live theatre. When you mount three major mainstage productions and four national tours in 15 days, glitches are gonna happen. Having been down this road more than a few times before, we know that now is the time to iron out some of the technical kinks that tripped us up in a few places tonight. I'm confident that every aspect of this big show will soon be in sync with every other aspect, creating the holiday heartwarmer that this production is destined to be.

Gracing the cast party were our Ralphie and Ralph (the same character as a boy and a man), played with wonderful humor and charm by Eric Pastore and Tony Foley (pictured to the left). Tony is well remembered as the young lawyer husband in Barefoot in the Park, and the innkeeper husband in Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap.

When not rubbing shoulders with his adult self, Eric Pastore decided to hang with his compadres Michael Thibodeau and Eric Evans, who play Ralphie's best pals Flick and Schwartz. These three multi-talented young men (pictured to the right) are all Barksdale veterans, having appeared in leading roles in Mame, The Member of the Wedding, and Mame, respectively (yes, the role of Young Patrick in Mame was triple-cast).

And let us not forget the fourth hooligan who contributes so much to this production. Chandler Hurd, a sixth grader at Byrd Middle School, plays the hooliganiest of all--Scut Farkas, bully to the stars. Chandler was taken ill during our opening weekend, but as one would expect from such a young trooper, he's been there for every rehearsal and performance, twisting arms and laughing villainously. In fact, the only thing he's missed was the Opening Night Party! We missed him, too.


Gordon Bass and Julie Fulcher (pictured to the left) do a terrific job playing Ralphie's dad and mom, known affectionately by grown-up Ralph as "Mother" and "The Old Man." It's Gordon who wins the leg lamp as a "major prize," and Julie who keeps trying to disconnect it so that the neighbors won't see. And in case you're starting to wonder if the cast party for A Christmas Story was a slumber party, remember that Meet and Greet is conducted in costume.

The three other stage wunderkind's who are knocking everyone's socks off are R. Cooper Timberline as baby brother Randy, Lillie Izo as brainiac Helen, and Lyla Rossi as Ester Jane, the young girl whose heart Ralphie has won. They are pictured to the right in front of the sign recognizing our wonderful sponsors for this production: Dominion, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, The Supply Room, STYLE Weekly and Radio Disney.

This is Lyla's second show with Theatre IV, having appeared in The Wizard of Oz as a Munchkin last spring. But this is the first time she's been part of a mother/daughter act. Lila's mom, Theatre IV All Star AnnaMarie Rossi, shares the role of Miss Shields, the teacher, with another Theatre IV All Star, Jackie Jones.

Chase Kniffen, our talented young director, goes cheek to cheek with STYLE critic Mary Burress at the post performance cast party. And our hard working stage manager, Ariel Osborne, and house manager, Catherine Dudley, survey the joyous goings on from the historic marble and forged iron staircase that leads to the balcony. Terrie Powers (Swingtime's exemplary set designer) and Virginia actors extraordinaire--Jill Bari Steinberg, Robert Throckmorton and Robyn O'Neill--discuss the latest theatre news in the background.

As the party wore on, one little bro had to call it a night in the comforting arms of his dad, Dave Timberline, henceforward known as "Cooper's old man."

So, before you get too tired, make your plans to join us for A Christmas Story at the historic Empire Theatre. It's 2 1/4 hours of holiday delight for young and old.

--Bruce Miller

"A Christmas Story" Opens Tomorrow

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Tomorrow night at Barksdale Theatre's "sister theatre," Theatre IV, A Christmas Story opens. Not the movie, of course, but a stage adaptation of the movie. And it took a heckuva lot of people to get it to the stage. The author billing credit is required by the publisher to read:

A Christmas Story
Adapted by Philip Grecian. Based on the motion picture A Christmas Story,
© 1983 Turner Entertainment Co., Distributed by Warner Bros.,
Written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark;
Also based on the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd.

Now that's a mouthful. But all those writing credits make me think of all the people who are involved in getting the show onstage after the script is written. There's a talented team of people on this one.

A Christmas Story is directed by Chase Kniffen, with scenic design by Mercedes Schaum, lighting design by Matthew Landwehr, costume design by Sarah Grady, stage management by Ariel C. Osborne, and a whole slew of electricians, sound technicians, scene painters, costumers, and more.

And it's A Christmas Story onstage! I can hardly wait to see it! Especially because of the great cast: Tony Foley, Julie Fulcher, Gordon Bass, Eric Pastore, Jacqueline Jones/AnnaMarie Rossi, R. Cooper Timberline, Eric Evans, Michael Thibodeau, Lillie Izo, Lyla Rossi, and Chandler Hurd.

It's the holiday classic, live and on-stage! To order tickets, call the box office at 344-8040 or visit the Theatre IV website at http://www.theatreivrichmond.org/. I hope to see you at the show!

(Photos by Jay Paul. From top to bottom: Eric Pastore; Julie Fulcher and Gordon Bass; Michael Thibodeau, Eric Pastore, R. Cooper Timberline, and Eric Evans; Tony Foley)

--Billy Christopher Maupin

Jacqueline Jones Teaches Us Many Things in Her Responses to "The Questionnaire"

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Theatre IV’s production of A Christmas Story opens this Friday at the beautiful, historic Empire Theatre. One of Richmond’s favorite ladies is featured as Miss Shields (well, at some performances, but I’ll let her explain that later). Jacqueline Jones, known to most as Jackie, you may remember from Deathtrap, Over the River and Through the Woods, or Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern, or from Into the Woods at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn, or perhaps even more likely, as Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle at Theatre IV (the first show I saw at the Empire Theatre). Jackie has taken on the Pivot/Lipton questionnaire and shared some fantastic stories!

1. What is your favorite word?

Onomatopoeia

I like saying it different ways and in different voices and with different meanings. Have a whole conversation using only onomatopoeia. It's a good word. Honk.

I also like to say kiwi – and banana. Those are fun to say in different voices, too.

Mmeep, Mmeep.

2. What is your least favorite word?

Any word that is whined.

3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?

Cool crisp fresh air – autumn is my favorite season, spring is a close second. Unless it is spring. Then autumn is a close second.

Singing in tight harmonies when they are right – it takes me a long time to learn them, so when I finally get them, I feel pretty and enjoy a sense of accomplishment – pulling weeds does that for me too, but it's not as fun.

My mother and my best friend Walker always suggested that I'd better hone my acting skills 'cause I'd never make it as a singer. When I was in college (Boston University, SFA '78), I took Voice for Theatre Students from a BU School of Music opera teacher. She carried her dog, Chloe, to every class (hmmm, I cannot remember the teacher's name, but I'll never forget the dog's). The dog, a tiny little thing the teacher carried under her arm, was there to show us how to breathe. I am really good at panting. My jury song (that's just too fancy a word for what we did, but what else shall I call it?) was "Will You Remember (Sweetheart)?" Maybe you've heard a Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy recording of it. After I finished singing, our teacher turned to my fellow students and proudly proclaimed, "Now class, didn't we turn this sow's ear into a silk purse!" Hmmm.

I usually refer to myself as a character singer.

(Jackie and Walker pictured together to the right)

4. What turns you off?

Dishonesty. Betray my trust and your name is mud.

I almost included "Rudeness," too. But I console myself that if not for the varied people and behaviors in the world, character actors would be out of a job.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Quiet.

Shhhh of the overhead fan as it cools me to sleep while I am under a heavy quilt.

Train whistle – we live just close enough to the tracks, but not too close.

My children's *happy* voices: their laughter and humming and storytelling. My kids are "all grown up" now. Their happy voices still make me reel. (Jackie's son Madison pictured at left)

The garage door late at night: everyone's home and I can sleep soundly.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

The bass vibrating my car from someone else's vehicle … even after they've driven a block away.

Our dog whining.

7. What is your favorite curse word? (have it at it. I obviously won't post it for real, but in some approved somewhat censored fashion) (Note: Jackie did her own censoring)

My favorites are not ones I actually use; in fact people tend to apologize when they curse around me. Maybe I make them feel guilty.

I did not grow up in a cursing home.

(Jackie's mother, Bea, pictured to the right; Bea is on the left in the picture with her mother, Jackie's Oma, on the right)

Our kitchen was divided into two parts by a bar which housed the stovetop. One day when I was about 13, I was on one side of the divider at our table. My mother was on the opposite side where she was hidden by the open refrigerator door. She did not know I was present.

Suddenly there was a crash followed by "S#!+!"

"Mom?"

Brief silence before her nonchalant, "Yes?"

I'd never heard my mother curse before and rarely since.

My college pal Bruce MacVittie (his birthday was October 14 – I always remember it because he told me no one ever remembered his birthday – part friendship, part challenge) is from Rhode Island. Oh boy, did he cuss! Those words just rolled off freely like I'd never heard (really never heard) before. Bruce wanted to teach me how to sling 'em too. We practiced. I learned to say "A$$H@!*" with a terrific New England accent just like his and one time I even tried it on for real. He glowed.

The German equivalent of "A$$H@!*" was my Oma's favorite and she taught it and all the other German curse words to her coworkers in the shoe department at Thalhimers where she and my Opa were tops. Oh the stories! I don't really like the word in German or English, but just the way Bruce MacVittie said it. Aside from that one time, I don't use it at all, but the "Sugar Honey Ice Tea" cuss has slipped from my lips on rare occasions.

One more cursing story. This one took place in 1982 on a Theatre IV tour of the musical The Golden Goose by Ford Flannagan; see him in Theatre IV's upcoming Peter Pan!

The cast included my current tag team Teacher in A Christmas Story. AnnaMarie Rossi and I share the role of Miss Shields in Theatre IV's upcoming holiday offering at the historic Empire Theatre (I do the weekday student matinees; she does weekend matinees and we split the evenings). In The Golden Goose, AnnaMarie played The Princess Who Could Not Smile. I portrayed Goldie, the Golden Goose, and at the time I was even still Jackie Goldberg. Hmmm, I wonder if Ford did that on purpose. Ford? We traveled with The Queen, The Guard, The Jester and Simpleton. All six actors but Goldie and Simpleton played multiple roles.

Ford, who wrote the book and lyrics and directed our show, was once quoted as saying, "the play is based on the Grimm stories about Simpleton and the Golden Goose. It has nothing to do with the goose that laid the golden egg.''

The publicity material said "The story takes place in a gloom-filled kingdom, the result of a spell cast by an evil Jester. The Queen holds a contest to find someone to break the spell, which can be done by making the melancholy Princess laugh. Simpleton, the hero of the tale, is aided by the title character."

The Queen was also our company manager on that tour. She was the liaison between Theatre IV and our venue contact person (usually a school "prince – i – pal" – ha-ha); she made big decisions on tour, a Queen Mother if you will. Coincidently, she is the person instrumental in my diligence in always wearing a seatbelt, even before it was a state law.

One of our Princes had major potty mouth. MAJOR. Our Queen on the other hand may as well have been called the Virgin Queen, my own dumb joke, because that title has little to do with the fact that she did not did not did not like cussing ... or overuse of the word hate. The Queen's disapproval of cursing fueled Mr. Potty Prince even more.

One day, his word du jour was … well … it was ... "f*%#wad." I'd never even heard that word. Have you? After hearing it all morning, our Queen went into a royal tizzy (she never raised her voice, even on this occasion) and decreed that the cursing must stop. It did. For a while. Until ... Later that day.

In our production of The Golden Goose, in an effort to make The Princess Who Could Not Smile happy again, the Queen throws a ball during which three Princes made cameo appearances to dance with The Princess Who Could Not Smile. Afterwards, she sings a lovely solo about when the good ol' days were so ... good, and how sad she is now. (Ford writes lyrics better than I do. He wrote Theatre IV's Little Red Hen, too. I was the title character in its premier in 1981. My sister Laura still asks me to twang the title song to her on the phone.) (Promo shot of The Little Red Hen at right, with Jackie at bottom left, AnnaMarie Rossi at left and Ford center, also pictured are Debbie Gale Taylor, seen as Joan's mother in Barksdale Theatre's production of The Lark last season, and Richard Travis)

Anyway, this particular show, the third dance partner, our very own Potty Prince, entered and twirled The Princess Who Could Not Smile as usual till the point at which he faced upstage (away from the audience). As The Princess Who Could Not Smile faced downstage, her face in full view of the audience, Potty Prince opened his mouth to reveal to her a tiny note neatly placed on his tongue, a tiny note with the word " f*%#wad " on it.

The Girl Who Could Not Smile must not smile now or the curse would be broken and the play would be over! So. She cried. And she cried and she cried. And she cried through her song and ran off stage "in tears." And her Queen mother did not know why the Princess was crying so hard since the Queen's throne was positioned where she could not see what had transpired. As you can imagine, this fairytale had no happy ending except that it is a good one to tell when someone asks about curse words.

I still hum that song sometimes.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I like to type. I edit a few newsletters, publicity and scripts on a volunteer basis. Sumpeen like dat, maybe? But just edit. Not write from scratch. That thing about writers sweating blood – not for me.

"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." - Gene Fowler -

I am so thankful my Dad insisted I take typing. Nowadays with computers, keyboarding is a given for youngsters. But when I was growing up, typing was a high school elective. I didn't know then that nerve damage would eventually make writing difficult for me. But typing – piece o'cake.

While I attended BU, I picked up some secretarial classes at Fisher Jr. College, Evening Division. I took Stenoscript, a new (at that time) kind of shorthand that I never used again. I don't think anyone has ever used it. I still have the book. Oh! It holds two long-forgotten letters of recommendations from my teachers. In my typing class was a guy who wrote pornography for a living. His editor told him that if he didn't type better, he would lose his job. He didn't "look like" a pornographer.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Proofreading. Makes me nervous. I MIGHT MISS SOMETHIINNG. Math makes me nervous, too.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

You finally made it; the children will be fine.

(Jackie's daughter, Jasmine, pictured to the left.)

Be sure to check out Jackie and the rest of the cast of A Christmas Story at Theatre IV at the historic Empire Theatre November 30 - December 23. For tickets, call the box office at 344-8040.

You can also check out Jackie online at www.jacquelinejones.net

Three Theatres - Three Times the Fun

Posted by John Steils

I'm just getting used to my new Barksdale and Theatre IV home. Or I guess I should say "homes." I arrived in September after a year-long internship with a single-theatre company in the mid-West, and I was glad to discover that I now had three theatres to explore.

My first exposure was to the historic Empire and it was love at first sight. What a magnificent performance facility. One step inside the door and you feel like you're in a Broadway house that's been transported to Broad Street. As Virginia's oldest theatre, the Empire is one of Richmond's greatest treasures. I loved Stuart Little (I've never seen an actor and puppet become "one" more than David Janeski and young Stuart), and I can't wait for A Christmas Story, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter, Peter Pan and Guys and Dolls!

I'm reading all the hoopla in the Times-Dispatch about restoring the Carpenter Center. I won't pretend to understand it all, but apparently it's been a crazy ride. That makes me all the more impressed that throughout the last 20 years Theatre IV has owned, restored and maintained the landmark Empire without, I'm told, so much as a paragraph of controversy.

As much as the Empire is a treasure, Barksdale's Willow Lawn home is a jewel. Tom McGranahan--a treasure himself--told me that he used to work in that exact area when he was a Procter & Gamble sales rep and the vast second-floor space that is now an attractive theatre was then a storeroom for the five-and-dime.

The Barksdalians (Barksdalers?) who were responsible for the design and execution of this transformation did an amazing job. I went to see The Member of the Wedding and couldn't have loved it more. It's a perfect, intimate theatre. From the outside, you think it's going to be this tiny shoebox of a space. But then you go up the stairs and enter this huge lobby and fully equipped 204-seat theatre. It's an ideal home for those of us who like to see every expression and hear every word.

I was picking up some fliers from the development office two days ago, and walked into the theatre expecting to revisit the beautiful set for The Member of the Wedding. Instead, it was like entering a jungle. Bruce Rennie, Matt Landwehr, Derek Dumais and Joe Bock were in the middle of the new light hang for Moonlight and Magnolias, and they had disconnected all the lights so that they could re-position and re-connect them to match Lynne Hartman's light design for M & M. Light cables--I think they called them "pigtails"--were dangling down from hundreds of unconnected instruments, making it seem like a small battalion of carnivorous vines (or snakes, being the day before Halloween) was getting ready to attack from the ceiling above the stage.

My first visit to Hanover Tavern was for Deathtrap, so I think I'll always be a little frightened if I have to go out there by myself. When the lighting flashed at the end of Act II, revealing that freaky cigar store Indian that stood at the foot of the stairs, I thought I was seeing a ghost. Jeannie Kilgore told me that Muriel used to swear there was a ghost in the Tavern. Now that Halloween has come and gone, I'll be brave enough to find out more.

If you haven't purchased your tickets yet for A Christmas Story at the Empire (you remember that movie with the leg lamp?), Moonlight and Magnolias at Willow Lawn (a hilarious backstage story about the making of Gone with the Wind), or Swingtime Canteen at the Tavern (a recreation of an actual USO show from the early 40s), please call today.

Whichever show and whichever theatre you choose, you're sure to have a great time! And you'll be doing your part to keep professional theatre in Richmond alive and well.

--John Steils

Theatre Calendar - Sept 23 - 30, 2007

Posted by Bruce Miller

Here are the highlights of what’s happening at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV this week.

Sunday, Sept 23:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (Empire - 5 pm)

Monday, Sept 24:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
class -
St. Andrew’s School
meetings -
Barksdale Theatre Board of Trustees
Training for Hugs actors with Prevent Child Abuse Virginia
Beulah Elementary after-school program
event -
Meet the Stars of The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 6:30 pm)

Tuesday, Sept 25:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Richmond Magazine Hugs and Kisses interview
event -
Volunteer Recognition Event (Willow Lawn - 6:30 pm)

Wednesday, Sept 26:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Chesterfield schools)
auditions -
Adults in A Christmas Story (Empire - 7 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)

Thursday, Sept 27:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Henrico schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Hampton schools)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)

Friday, Sept 28:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Loudoun schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Henrico schools)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
event -
Bifocals - Sept program and lunch (Willow Lawn - 11 am)

Saturday, Sept 29:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm and 8 pm)
The True Story of Pocahontas (American Theatre, Phoebus)

Sunday, Sept 30:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Theatre Calendar - Sept 16 - 23, 2007

Posted by Bruce Miller

Here are the highlights of what’s happening at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV this week.

Sunday, Sept 16:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
auditions -
Moonlight and Magnolias
in rehearsal -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)

Monday, Sept 17:
in rehearsal -
A Christmas Carol - red (tour)
A Christmas Carol - green (tour)
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
class -
St. Andrew’s School
meeting -
Theatre IV Board

Tuesday, Sept 18:
in rehearsal -
A Christmas Carol - green (tour)
Hugs and Kisses (tour),
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Bright Lights High School Internship Program

Wednesday, Sept 19:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Ettrick and Beulah Elementary After-School Program

Thursday, Sept 20:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Virginia Arts & Letters Live
event -
Touring Actor Kick-Off Party

Friday, Sept 21:
Opening Night -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)

Saturday, Sept 22:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 8 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (2 - 6 pm)

Sunday, Sept 23:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern – 2 pm),
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 2 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (evening)

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller