Maggie Roop Buckles Up for Interview 'bout "Becky's" etc.

Maggie Roop has been earning admiration and loyal fans for a while now at Barksdale, Theatre IV, and other theatres around town. She contributed mightily to the musical merriment of Honk!, Seussical, Annie and Guys and Dolls, played a conflicted nun in Doubt (see photo below and to the left, with Irene Ziegler), and a recalcitrant organist in First Baptist of Ivy Gap. Now, in Becky's New Car, she's the young heiress who longs for a life more real. The Buzz caught up with Maggie to ask her a few questions about her flourishing career.

Q - Thanks, Maggie, for agreeing to take a test drive in our new interview series on the Barksdale blog. Billy Christopher Maupin, the director of Becky's New Car, made me promise not to ask anything that might give away plot points, so forgive me in advance if any of my questions sound cryptic.

A - No problem. I like cryptic.

Q - Before we all fell in love with you on our three stages, you must have come from somewhere. Where?

A - That wasn't cryptic at all.

Q - I haven't gotten to the cryptic part yet.

A - I grew up in Herndon, VA which is in the D.C. area near Dulles airport. My first show was a production of Oklahoma! with a children's theatre company in Northern Virginia in which I played one of a herd of gingham-clad square dancing children and I loved it. Then in High School I was cast as Essie in You Can't Take It With You and I was completely hooked. That was when I really knew that I needed to be in theatre. I originally went to the Boston Conservatory as a musical theatre major. It was an excellent program but it didn't focus enough on the theatre side of things for me. I liked the productions I saw at VCU prior to attending and my friends who went there had great things to say about the instructors. So I applied and ... that's how I wound up in Richmond.

Q - Were there any professors who influenced you significantly?

A - Joe Sampson was my acting professor for one semester my first year at VCU and he really taught be to be fearless. He pushed us to make strong choices and I learned from him how to compose a character in terms of the intensity of that character's needs within a play and a scene. My junior year I had Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates as an acting instructor for Shakespeare. Her instruction, in conjunction with the work I was doing that year with Janet Rogers in Voice and Speech, helped me make a huge step forward in my actor training.

Q - You married a fellow VCU theatre grad, the talented scenic artist, Adam Dorland (see picture to right). How did you and Adam meet?

A - Actually, Adam and I met in middle school. We both grew up in Herndon and became close friends in high school. At first we went separate ways for college but we both wound up transferring to VCU (ok, it wasn't exactly a coincidence). We've basically been together since I first moved to Richmond and then we got married last year!

Q - Like a lot of actors, you made the move to NYC following graduation. What was that experience like? What brought you back to Richmond?

A - I moved to New York for one year after I graduated from VCU. Adam graduated two years prior and had been in "the city" during all that time, so I wanted to be with him and give New York a whirl. I had some really wonderful experiences that year teaching theatre to kids. I loved that opportunity. But the city itself wasn't right for me. The culture was thrilling and it is a dynamic and wonderful place, but we all know how expensive it is. I missed a more intimate city with a more laid back pace, like RVA. Someplace that made sense financially. My experience living in NYC and RVA has created in me a great passion for the smaller theatre community. I am a strong believer in this town and the ability we have as a cohesive and tightly involved theatre community to keep growing and maturing and making theatre that is at the caliber of the larger cities and beyond. So, Adam and I decided to make the move back. And we're glad we did.

(to be continued)

In the Good Old Summertime

Posted by Bruce Miller
The books are now closed on the Summer of 09, and the good news is that our recent hit productions of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Driving Miss Daisy and Fully Committed broke last year’s records, adding up to Barksdale Theatre’s selling-est summer ever!

If you look only at the months of June, July and August, the Summer of 08 was the previous box office winner. In Summer 08 we sold or comped a total of 13,500 tickets, grossing $338,218. The box office breakdown looked like this: Guys and Dolls at the Empire (10,922 tickets, $270,260), Shirley Valentine at the Tavern (2,578 tickets, $67,958).

This past summer, Thoroughly Modern Millie never caught fire the way Guys and Dolls did the summer before. We know our audience LOVED Millie (as did the critics), so we’re guessing that sales were sluggish due to:
a. the economy
b. lower title recognition
c. our decision to compete with ourselves by remounting Driving Miss Daisy at Willow Lawn.

When all was said and done, the Millie box office released 7,698 tickets for a total revenue figure of $190,724, nearly $80 K short of the Guys total.
Fortunately, even as sales sagged a bit in the early summer at the Empire, Fully Committed proceeded to knock it out of the park in the late summer at Hanover Tavern. Somewhere in mid-July, you could almost feel consumer confidence begin to turn a corner. The Fully Committed box office released 4,181 tickets and brought in $107,553 in revenue—nearly $40,000 more than Shirley Valentine did at Hanover Tavern the summer before.

Just as we had hoped, it was dear Miss Daisy who put us over the top. Daisy pulled off an impressive performance at Willow Lawn, especially taking into account that it was a revival of a hit Tavern production that did very well in Hanover the previous fall. A total of 2,915 ticket holders saw Daisy, generating $63,955 in revenue. There was no comparable show or slot in the 2008 line-up, and so the addition of this third show made it possible to break last summer’s record.
All told, in Summer 09, we sold or comped a total of 14,794 tickets and grossed $362,232—an approximate $24,000 increase over Summer 08.

So, how do things look for Summer 2010? With the economy starting to improve, and three GREAT productions in the works (The Sound of Music in the Empire, On Golden Pond at Hanover Tavern, and a revival of Crowns starting at the Gottwald Playhouse and then transferring to Barksdale Willow Lawn), we have every reason to be optimistic.

Who knows? Maybe 2010 will be the summer we break $400 thousand.

Thank you for continuing to help us keep Barksdale growing and going strong. I hope you will buy your subscriptions, group sales and single tickets soon, if you haven’t already. We need you. I look forward to seeing you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

PS – Revenues that came in during the first couple weeks in June for the end of the run of I Ought to Be in Pictures are added into our Spring box office tallies, and therefore not included here.

Barksdale's Sky Shines Over Hollywood Bowl

Posted by Bruce Miller
Jody Ashworth, the leading man who dazzled Richmond audiences last summer as a particularly full-voiced Sky Masterson in Barksdale’s mega-hit revival of Guys and Dolls, is about to be one of the Guys again—this time at the legendary Hollywood Bowl.

This all new, high wattage, star-driven production of Guys opens July 31 in what is arguably the world’s most famous outdoor amphitheatre. The Hollywood Bowl seats an amazing 17,680 people, and was built in 1919 from a design by Lloyd Wright, son of renowned architect and namesake father Frank.

Jody was cast in this production of Guys by director Richard Jay-Alexander (Associate Director and Executive Producer of Broadway’s Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Five Guys Named Mo) and Tony-winning choreographer Donna McKechnie (Broadway’s original Cassie in A Chorus Line).

This time out, Jody plays Lt. Brannigan. Starring in the production are stage and screen luminaries including Scott Bakula (Tony-nominee for Romance/Romance, Golden Globe-winner for Quantum Leap, pictured to the left) as Nathan Detroit, Ellen Greene (Audrey in the original cast of Little Shop of Horrors) as Adelaide, Tony-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (star of Broadways’ Man of La Mancha, Kiss Me Kate, Ragtime, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Jelly’s Last Jam) as Sky, Jessica Biel (star of 7th Heaven, the longest-running family drama in television history) as Sarah Brown, Ken Page (star of the original Broadway productions of The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Cats) as Nicely-Nicely Johnston, Jason Graae (star of the original Broadway productions of Falsettos and A Grand Night for Singing) as Benny Southstreet, and three-time Emmy Award-winner Beau Bridges (part of Hollywood royalty, pictured to the right with his brother Jeff) as Arvide.

“It’s great returning to Guys and Dolls in a cast with so many wonderful actors,” writes Jody, “but I hope to have the opportunity to return soon to Richmond for another show at Barksdale. This new production of Guys is great. I’m proud and honored to be sharing the stage with such a landmark cast. But I don’t see how this Guys could top the great production we had last summer at the Empire.”

We wish Jody all success in his new endeavor—further evidence that the best of Broadway can be found right here at Barksdale. Like Jody, we too hope he’ll be joining us on one of Barksdale’s Richmond stages sometime soon.

--Bruce Miller

"Chicago," "nor.mal" and "Well." Oh My!

Posted by Bruce Miller
I'm just winding up another great theatre weekend right here in River City. I had the pleasure of flying solo to the Opening Night of Chicago at TheatreVCU on Friday. Hannah and I made it to the second weekend of nor.mal at Stage 1 on Saturday (I was at the Fairy Tale Ball for last week’s nor.mal opening). Tonight I caught the first dress of Well, which we open at Willow Lawn this Friday.

I love going to theatre in Richmond, and found lots to admire in these three productions.

At VCU, Maggie Marlin co-starred with Kim Exum, lending their triple-threat talents to the showgirl femme fatales, Velma and Roxie. This summer Maggie will be starring with us in the titular role of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Mike Rieman charmed his way into the hearts of America as the song-and-dance attorney, Billy Flynn. And Jake Ashey stole the show as Amos, Roxie’s long suffering husband.

Patti D’Beck’s creative and energetic choreography showed off the strengths of her talented cast. And Ron Keller’s terrific set provided all the visual jazz (and pizzazz) anyone could want. Patti and Ron directed / choreographed and designed last summer’s Guys and Dolls, and will reprise their roles in this summer’s Millie.

At Stage 1, despite nagging laryngitis, Julie Fulcher acted her heart out as a mother trapped in a downward emotional spiral. Knowing as I do that Ford Flanagan (who plays the dad) shies away from dance roles, I’m pleased to say he looked right at home in the “boxing” choreography given to him by Chase Kniffen. Ali Thibodeau and Dave Amadee turned in persuasive performances as the brother / sister teens. Dave is that commodity that is all too rare in professional theatre: a handsome, masculine young man who can act, sing and dance. He has a career ahead of him if he wants it.

Sandy Dacus did her usual masterful job as music director. And Debra Wagoner proved yet again that she has a voice made for musical theatre. The new music created for nor.mal, like a lot of new theatre music, combines dissonance with unusual harmonies and unexpected intervals to create a contemporary feeling. Those who sing this music best have perfect intonation, hitting pitches dead on rather than sliding into them or approximating them. Debra Wagoner gives a master class in nor.mal in how to do just that.

Chase loves this new and complex musical, and deserves special congratulations for daring to bring such a challenging work to Richmond audiences.

We at Barksdale deserve some of those same congratulations. Well by Lisa Kron is not your usual comedy. Ms Kron is an established memoirist—an acclaimed master of the one-woman show. In this first Virginia production of her new Broadway hit, she plays fast and loose with the form, inviting her mother to join her onstage, and hiring several guest actors to play the roles of people from her past.

Watching the show is like peeling back the layers of an onion. It’s fun and funny, with a quirky sensibility. Jenny Jones Hundley and Jody Strickler are gonna be great as Lisa and her mother. And before the evening ends, there will be more than a few sniffles as mother and daughter resolve their issues with warmth and humor.

Next weekend I hope to make it out to Pulp, Altar Boyz (Mill version), and, of course, the opening of Well. Hope you too will make the effort to support professional theatre in Richmond. Call a box office, buy a ticket or two, and then go spend some time where the acting is.

Hope to see you there.

--Bruce Miller

Appearance of Theatres Fails to Pass Muster

Posted by Bruce Miller
I received the following unsigned letter in my office this morning. It’s worth sharing.

“Oct 2, 2008

Dear Mr. Miller:

I write to you without including my name in the interest of simplicity, and hope that I do not offend.

I have found much to love and enjoy in the numerous Barksdale productions that I have seen over the past few years. My first was The Full Monty; the most recent was Guys and Dolls. Doubt was, for me, the most powerful.

When attending Barksdale productions, I feel you should know what a big impression the atmospherics of the Willow Lawn and Empire venues have made on me, and I do not mean in a positive sense.

The Willow Lawn lobby cries out for re-modeling. It puts one in mind of a neglected moose lodge. Its current appearance is jarring and does not do justice to, or reflect, the level of excellence on stage. This is not an expensive proposition and could be solved with some cans of paint and a few trips to Ikea. It needs light colors, modern lighting and sleek, updated furniture. You have talent on your technical staff who would no doubt do a fabulous job of re-modeling.

The Empire Theater is obviously a treasure and beloved by Richmond. I remain mystified, however, by the abject and, frankly, embarrassing appearance of the outside presentation of the theater. It looks abandoned and neglected. The marquee must be lit up! The front of the Empire Theater needs to be lit up to look alive and welcoming! Right now, it looks like it is closed and waiting for demolition. The presentation window boxes which face the street are not lit and do not feature the posters of the show that is currently playing. I cannot understand this. It’s as though what is going on inside the theater is beside the point based on what the outside of the theater is telling the public. One of the presentation windows has broken glass. This makes a very bad impression of neglect.

I realize that keeping a theater in running order is very expensive. The solutions to the above problems, however, do not require huge investments of money.

Best of everything and keep up the otherwise very good work.”

I agree with much of what is included in this letter, and appreciate receiving it. I’ll respond in a subsequent blog posting. Please feel free to offer your opinions.

Hope to see you at our rundown theatres!

--Bruce Miller

In Memoriam: Elizabeth Prevatt

Posted by Bruce Miller
I am sad to write today about the passing of our dear friend, Elizabeth Prevatt. With love and respect, we will dedicate our upcoming production of The Clean House to her memory. Her physical house (a neat-as-a-pin apartment on Malvern Ave.) and her spiritual home (her army of friends from Miller & Rhoades and Barksdale) were always comfortable, welcoming and especially well tended.

Elizabeth worked for years at M & R as Assistant Merchandise Controller, using her watchful eye to ensure that product sales and purchases stayed in proper balance. After her retirement, Elizabeth soon became one of Central Virginia’s most hard working and omnipresent volunteer theatre ushers, not only at Barksdale, but, on occasion, at venues all around town.

Many of you will remember her as the elegant, prim, white haired lady who tore your tickets as you entered the lobby at the top of the stairs. Elizabeth was here for almost every performance, year after year. She worked throughout the run of Guys and Dolls. She was a kind, loving, openhearted member of our theatre family, and we will miss her and treasure her memory for years to come.

Elizabeth was pre-deceased by her beloved son, and well cared for by her loving daughter-in-law, Gloria. A memorial service will be held in her honor on Friday at 1 pm at Battery Park Christian Church, 4201 Brook Road.

--Bruce Miller

"Guys and Dolls" Lights Up Downtown

Posted by Bruce Miller
The figures are in for total attendance at Guys and Dolls this summer at the historic Empire, and if I were a bell I’d go … well, you know.

11,421 people came streaming downtown to catch our sizzling summer hit. In comparison with other recent winners, 11,307 rushed out to get a peek at The Full Monty, and 10,418 believed that Mame charmed the husks right off of the corn. Both of those musical blockbusters were at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn.

Convincing all of Barksdale’s large and vibrant audience, many of whom live in the suburbs, to venture into downtown without a parking deck was not without its challenges. We offered valet parking (free to subscribers, $5 per car to everyone else), hired an off-duty policeman for each performance, and engaged in a LOT of positive and proactive communication.

It worked! Not only did a great many suburbanites make the trek back to the heart of our city, even better, they had a wonderful experience! To the best of our knowledge, there was not a single frown-inducing moment during the ten-week run.

Now I know, a lot of you come downtown all the time and are sitting back now saying, “What’s the big deal? Who doesn’t love downtown?” I’m with you. I’ve been down here on Marshall (my office) and Broad (our theatre) pretty much every day since 1986.

But the perception persists among many of those who have yet to become downtown denizens that once you cross Belvedere all hell breaks loose. Shoot, a lot of folks misperceive that all hell breaks loose once you cross the Boulevard.

Thankfully, this summer, a wonderful time was had by all. That bodes well for Barksdale Theatre and next summer’s Empire run of Thoroughly Modern Millie, for our many downtown neighbors, and for the CenterStage facilities set to open a little farther downtown only one year from now.

Our good neighbors at Tarrant’s Cafe and Bistro 27, two of the eight outstanding restaurants that have opened within two blocks of the Empire, wrote us letters to express their appreciation for our bringing the big summer musical down to the Arts District. “In one summer,” wrote Ted Santarella, owner and chef at Tarrant’s, “Barksdale Theatre has single handedly brought thousands of new faces to our neighborhood. Speaking with other merchants, particularly restaurant operators, we have not only seen an increase in foot traffic into our businesses, but felt the positive impact on our bottom lines. Barksdale has brought a new market of customers who ‘haven’t been down here in years,’ and may now return on their own to enjoy another evening out.”

Carlos Silva, owner and chef at 27 (pictured to the right), agrees: “I have been enjoying the benefits of your play (Guys and Dolls). Every weekend my restaurant is full between 5:30 and 7:30. Normally on a Saturday the crowd doesn’t start to grow until 8:00. Thanks to you, I have a full turn of tables before my usual crowd arrives. My revenue has increased across the board.”

When we joined the first urban pioneers and invested $2.3 million in the historic Empire way back in 1986—and gambled our future—this is exactly the type of neighborhood transformation and downtown revitalization we imagined. It’s been a long time coming, but the Richmond Arts District, which runs for five blocks along Broad and Marshall from Henry Street on the west to Art 6 on the east (just a few steps beyond Foushee), is now one of Greater Richmond’s hottest neighborhoods.

We’re proud to have been here from the beginning, and to be contributing still to the vitality of this community. We now know that nothing but great things are on the way for this upbeat corner of downtown Richmond!

--Bruce Miller

The Governor's Award for the Arts

Posted by Bruce Miller
Referring to the various theatrical activities that have held my attention since 1975, friends sometimes graciously suggest that I must be proud of all that’s been achieved. Due to brain chemistry or personality type, whatever you want to call it, I don’t think I know what that kind of pride feels like.

Looking back over 33 years, I’ve never quite made it to that mountaintop view. Intellectually—yes; emotionally—not so much.

I comprehend … I live, breath and dream Theatre IV and now Barksdale not as successes that can be wrapped up with a bow. To me, Theatre IV and Barksdale feel like tomorrow’s To Do lists—and three quarters of what’s on each list needs to have been knocked off last week.

I know what it feels like to be proud of my parents, my wife and children, and my friends.

I know what it feels like to be proud of a show—particularly a big show that represents the work of lots of artists. Watching the final performance of Guys and Dolls, I felt exactly like the parents and teammates in the stands looked when their children or pals turned in gold medal performances in the Olympics. I had tears in my eyes from “Fugue for Tinhorns” onward.

I know what it feels like to be relieved when people think that my work is OK. I’m mostly a happy, content, glass-half-full kind of guy. On the other hand, I’m also well acquainted with shame and guilt and defensiveness. I know how to worry. The weight of responsibility is a constant companion. And I’m all too familiar with righteous indignation.

Maybe it’s a combination of the hope of overall optimism, the pressures of guilt and responsibility, and the challenge of indignation that push accomplished people up the mountain. What it all feels like, honestly, is that I’ve been blessed to be in the car with so many talented people as we jointly experience an amazing adventure.

I know what love feels like. That’s what I know most of all. The best thing about my job is that I love the people I work with. I don’t imagine that bankers feel like this, but maybe I'm wrong. The second best thing about my job is the variety. The third best thing is the challenge. Challenge can be very motivating.

Twice since my father’s death in 1983 I’ve felt like maybe I’m doing OK. Maybe I’m coming close to being the man my father wanted me to be—someone who makes a difference. The first time was when STYLE Weekly included Phil and me in the "100 Most Influential Richmonders of the Century" in 1999. The second time was learning last month that Phil and I and Theatre IV were to receive the Governor’s Award for the Arts.

I know … I REALLY know … that awards and recognition are earned not by individuals but by ever expanding teams of thousands of people. I feel guilty to be the one from the team who’s invited to the reception and whose name appears in the press release.

But for someone who’s never been able to look down from the mountain, receiving the Governor’s Award feels like hearing from someone else who’s made it to the summit, who’s surveyed all there is to be seen, and who’s written back to say that things look pretty good. It’s almost like being there, experiencing the mountaintop view myself, standing next to Phil Whiteway and being able to see what the last 33 years look like from a distance.

It feels good.

To the thousands who have made this recognition possible and who deserve this moment just as much as I do … thank you. I'm so lucky and grateful that you've let me come along for the ride.

--Bruce Miller

Hail and Farewell to John DeBoer

Posted by Bruce Miller
Hail and farewell to our good (and new) friend, John DeBoer. (That's John pictured to the far right with Matt Hackman in Little Dog.) John left Richmond yesterday morning to make his merry way to Missoula. Montana’s gain – Virginia’s loss.

Six months ago, I hadn’t a clue who John Kenneth DeBoer was. Then, when the leading contender for the starring role of Mitchell in The Little Dog Laughed removed himself from consideration, several friends suggested I go see “the new guy” in Visiting Mr. Green. I went, I was impressed, and I called John to ask if he’d be interested in reading for the show.

And, oh yeah, if he got the part, there was this little matter of a gay nude scene. Not knowing John from Adam—and vice versa—it made for an interesting first conversation.

Since then, John and I have become fast friends. He not only starred in Little Dog, he played Damon Runyon in Guys and Dolls, and provided dialect direction for Peter Pan, Guys and Dolls and Shirley Valentine. That’s five contracts in five months. Talk about starting out with a bang.

And now, with lots of hugs and “I love you’s” following his final performance in Guys (and his last hurrah at Club Dacus), J. K. is excitedly off to face his future as a new professor at the University of Montana-Missoula. We couldn’t be happier for him. His new boss, as fate would have it, is noted Virginia theatre expatriate, Jere Lee Hodgin. Jere, a talented theatre artist and all round great guy, was artistic director of Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke for something like the last two decades of the 20th Century. Now he heads the theatre department at UM-M.

John promises to stay in touch with us, and we with him. We will miss his talent, his beaming smile, and his good humor.

Chris Stewart will be stepping into John's shoes for the final week of Guys and Dolls, but no one will take John’s place in our hearts. It was great getting to work with you, Johnny. Thanks for your fearlessness, good will, and all the laughs. We’re looking forward to hearing great things about you in the future.

--Bruce Miller

We Got a Horse Right Here

Posted by Bruce Miller
Overnight, everything changed.

Yesterday afternoon I wrote about our favorite budding sports jocks, Scotty Wichmann (or Wickman as they like to say on Sports Radio 910) and Mark Persinger (or Pershinger as they prefer to spell it on WRNL). You can read the previous post to catch up. When I wrote it, they were in the lead in the voting for Best Walk-On Announcer, and deservedly so.

Then this morning, my eyes still blurry with sleep, I noted with dismay that our Bleacher Creatures had dropped, dare I say plummeted, to a struggling second. Either luck was NOT being a lady or someone else’s fans were BUSY last night. The illustrious team of Joe Thomas and Kellen Owings—all right, I gave them a listen, they were OK, but up against Scotty and Mark? I mean COME ON!! No contest!!!—has now catapulted into first place, holding down (through nefarious means, no doubt) 27.01% of the vote. Yeah, that's them pictured to the left.

Our boys are now the brave underdogs, hanging on to 22.95% of the vote—more than 4 percentage points behind the new front runners. And to make matters worse, Michael Strange (a solo act with some appeal but still no match for de Guys) is charging forward with 19.64% of the voters, barely 3 percentage points behind Detroit/Jule and nipping at their heels. That's Michael to the right.

So spread the word to everyone you know. Vote now, vote often, and let’s support our Guys. Mark commented that the best address to reach the voting booth is http://www.sportsradio910.com/pages/walkonweek.html. So use it now and let’s return our home team champions to the top of the heap.

--Bruce Miller

Sports Jocks Prove Loesser is More

Posted by Bruce Miller
On Sunday, July 13, two of our Guys set aside their Dolls for the moment to host their own hour-long sports talk show on WRNL Sports Radio 910 as part of the station’s annual Walk on Week. Who says actors aren’t manly and multi-talented? The Guys, of course, were those sports aficionados extraordinaire, Scott Wichmann and Mark Persinger, who play Nathan Detroit and Big Jule respectively.

If you’ve ever spent more than a minute around these two nuts, you know they can talk sports with the best of ‘em. Now you can be their athletic supporters by going to http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNwb3J0c3JhZGlvOTEwLmNvbS9wYWdlcy93YWxrb253ZWVrLmh0bWw= to listen to all of the fine sports announcer wannabes and vote for the jocks you think come closest to hitting the jackpot. After you listen, I bet you’ll be as impressed by Scotty and Mark as I was.

What you can hear on line is the first 15 minutes or so of their banter. Scotty and Mark are so comfortable you'd swear they do this professionally. They're on a tear about Brett Favre, retiring (or not?) quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. I'm admittedly not a sports guy, but even I thought it was interesting.

The way the vote is running currently, Scotty and Mark are a full 5% points ahead of their closest competition. But let’s not leave anything to chance. Listen to all the entrants (we want to be fair after all), and then vote for your favorite.

If Scott and Mark win—and they certainly should come close—they will be given the opportunity to host again in August, which would be their second chance to live a dream-come-true.

Good goin’, Guys! You’re makin’ us all proud.

--Bruce Miller

Guys and Dolls and Children and Teens

Posted by Bruce Miller
I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday as I was watching Guys and Dolls. This was my fourth or fifth time seeing the show. I think it’s very well done, and I’m proud of it. I really enjoy watching it again and again.

The epiphany had to do with the sudden realization of all that my parents gave to me as a child.

As I looked around the relatively full house, I saw only one child or teenager. He appeared to be about 12 years old, and he was having the time of his life. He was there with his mom, or aunt, maybe his grandmother—and the two of them seemed really into the show.

I couldn’t help but remember the 50 or so times that my parents took me to shows as I was growing up. My mom is a native New Yorker. She was born and raised on Staten Island, and worked in Manhattan as a secretary before she met and married my dad when his Navy ship docked in NYC during WWII. Her mother, my grandmother, was a practice piano teacher at Carnegie Hall.

When my mom was growing up, her parents took her to Broadway, a habit she continued to nurture as a young woman throughout her twenties. When she was raising my brother and me, she apparently remembered and valued her own cultural education, because she insisted throughout my childhood and adolescence on taking us to the theatre.

Whenever she and my dad went, we went too. We went to the Virginia Museum Theatre, to Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern, and, being Chesterfield residents, we especially went to the Mill. When the Civic Light Opera company came to the Mosque (now the Landmark), we were there. We went to high school theatre productions, Dogwood Dell, the Shakespeare Players, and The Founders and The Common Glory in Williamsburg. During the summers, we’d visit family in New York and go to Broadway.

We were NOT a wealthy family—far from it. My dad was a feed salesman for General Mills and later a defense supply agent at Bellwood. My mom was a church secretary.

For whatever reason, my parents must have felt that a full cultural life was a vital part of my education. For the same reason, I suppose, Terrie and I have brought up our children in a similar manner. I doubt if a month goes by without our taking them to a play, a concert and/or a gallery opening or museum exhibition. It’s been that way since they were born, and I’m sure it’s not going to stop anytime soon.

What I can’t understand is why more families don’t feel so inclined. Guys and Dolls is a wonderful production of one of the greatest of all American musicals. I’m not engaging in hyperbole when I say I believe that Guys and Dolls means no less to American culture than Shakespeare means to British culture. It’s part of our national identity.

And yet, when I go to the show, I hardly ever see parents bringing their children and teenagers. Are tickets too expensive, or has everything fundamentally changed? Or is the theatregoing tradition in Richmond really that far behind that of major cities in the North or in Europe? Go to NYC or London, and you’ll find theatres packed with families.

I am SO thankful now to my mom and dad for taking me to all those plays. I suspect that it was mainly her idea, at least at first. By being so culturally aware, my mom passed on to me her love of theatre, the arts in general, reading, education and critical thinking. Without all that, I can’t imagine who I would be.

My mom is now 92-years-old, and she suffers from Alzheimer’s. When I visit her at Westminster-Canterbury, she sometimes knows who I am, but just as often thinks that I’m her husband or father. It’s as if all of her life is now happening simultaneously, and time has lost all relevance. I wish I could take her to Guys and Dolls—she’d LOVE it!!—but physically, emotionally and cognitively she can no longer leave her home.

If there’s anyone out there who wants to bring the children in their life to Guys and Dolls, or for that matter any other Barksdale and/or Theatre IV production, and isn’t doing so because they can’t afford it, please send me an email, let me know what you'd like to see and what would be your ideal “pay what you can” price. I’ll find a way to make tickets available to you at prices you can afford.

Every child age ten and up should see Guys to know what this classic American musical is all about. If our children stop coming to the theatre, then the future of theatre is bleak indeed.

--Bruce Miller

Casting and Comments

Posted by Bruce Miller
As I’ve mentioned before, I read and appreciate Dave Timberline’s informative blog, http://www.richmondvatheater.blogspot.com/. A lot of important theatrical issues and perceptions are raised and discussed on his electronic bulletin board.

Recently Dave hosted some interesting and well intentioned chat about casting in Richmond theatres. It all began when an anonymous commenter reported on remarks made by an unnamed director at the start of an unnamed audition. In his remarks, the director asserted that his unnamed theatre was open to newcomers. The anonymous commenter suggested that these remarks were somewhat disingenuous, noting that when the auditions were over, a well-known Richmond star was cast in one of the leading roles and a talented newcomer was overlooked.

This initial comment was followed by a lot of dialogue about whether or not the anonymous commenter should have stated these opinions anonymously since they could be perceived as being critical of the director, the theatre, and/or the actor cast.

It’s all good.

Now I’m going to pull a Warren Beatty. At least I’ve always heard it’s a Warren Beatty. When in 1973 Carly Simon wrote and sang, “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you,” Warren Beatty, one of Ms Simon’s former romantic interests, called to thank her for the song.

After reading all the chat about the unnamed director, I’m pretty sure it’s me and that the unnamed auditions being alluded to were the recent auditions for Shirley Valentine and Driving Miss Daisy. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry. If I’m right, then I guess I am that vain. Now, if I only looked like or had the talent of Warren Beatty.

Before the auditions for Shirley V and Driving Miss D, several actors called to ask if roles had been pre-cast. When I told them “no,” they expressed disbelief. Several had heard from the “best of sources” that Irene Ziegler was playing Shirley and Betty Ann Grove was playing Daisy. It’s no surprise to anyone that I love Irene Ziegler and Betty Ann Grove, and both women have ably owned these roles in the past. But I assured all comers that the roles had not been pre-cast for the 2008 productions.

That can’t be true, some actors intimated. No theatre would pick shows like these without having someone in mind for the demanding roles of Shirley and Daisy. There are some actors we’re interested in seeing, I intimated right back, but no roles have been pre-cast. Everyone has an equal shot. Please come.

That was the truth.

Before the auditions began, I was pleased to see a large turnout and several new faces in the crowd. I’m humbled by large turnouts and new faces.

I made a few welcoming remarks and thanked people for coming to the auditions, particularly the new people. I reiterated that all roles were open. I stated what I believe to be the truth, that Barksdale theatre and every other theatre in town welcome newcomers, and frequently cast newcomers. I acknowledged that we also cast Richmond’s best actors on a continuing basis, because of their talent.

When the auditions were over, four actors were cast. Two of the four (Jill Bari Steinberg and Jim Bynum) will be acting at Hanover Tavern for the first time. The third actor (Garet Chester) will be appearing at Hanover Tavern for the first time since 1976. The fourth (Joy Williams) will be reappearing at the Tavern after a starring gig there two and a half years ago.

All four were cast because I thought they were the ones best suited to the roles. I feel really blessed to have these four wonderful actors in the two shows.

The anonymous commenter on Dave’s blog notes that there was a very talented actor from out-of-town who auditioned for one of these four roles, and that there was considerable buzz about this actor’s talent. That is completely true. That actor’s talent did not go unnoticed. And let me extend that thought, if I may. There were several very talented actors there, all of whom were top contenders for the parts. None of their talents went unnoticed.

As several folks mentioned on Dave’s blog, there is a lot more involved in a casting decision than what may be perceived listening to three audition speeches.

Scripts call for specific physical types, which some actors meet and others don’t, no matter how well they may read.

Budgets allow for certain expenditures that enable the employment of some actors and discourage the employment of others, based on their financial requirements.

Ticket sale goals encourage the casting of actors who have earned positive name recognition in the Greater Richmond marketplace—and I stress the word “earned.”

Barksdale accepts its responsibility to professional actors who have earned (there's that word again) their place in Greater Richmond’s top tier, and who may not stay in Richmond if they can't find professional employment opportunities.

To me, all of this supports my contention that:
1 newcomers are welcome and frequently cast
2 Richmond’s best actors are cast over and over again because they are Richmond’s best actors

If newcomers fail to come to auditions because they think they have no chance, Richmond theatre will suffer. If our most talented veterans leave Richmond because they can’t find enough employment, Richmond theatre will suffer. In an attempt to address these conflicting realities, producers juggle to the best of their abilities.

As a final note, Guys and Dolls is currently employing 26 actors. Thirteen of them are acting with Barksdale for the first time.

--Bruce Miller

Coffee & Conversations - Guys & Dolls

Posted by Janine Serresseque
Rostov’s Coffee & Conversations, Barksdale Theatre’s free and fun series of behind-the-scenes panel discussions, will take place tomorrow morning (Tuesday, July 8, 9:30 a.m.) as originally scheduled. Please join us!

The topic will be “Behind the Scenes of Guys and Dolls,” and the guest panelists will be Rachel Abrams (Adelaide), Jodi Ashworth (Sky) and Scott Wichmann (Nathan), with artistic director Bruce Miller moderating. Doors will open at 9 a.m. with free coffee and Danish to accompany the delicious backstage banter, which will begin at 9:30 a.m.

But which doors will be opening? Isn’t Barksdale’s and Theatre IV’s Stage Explorers Summer Camp in full swing this week?

Indeed it is. Forty-five elementary students grades 1 – 6 will be racing up the stairs at 9:30 a.m. all too eager to tackle the days curricula and each other. So what is the more demure Coffee & Conversations crowd to do?

Not to worry. Thanks to the generosity of our Willow Lawn landlords, Coffee & Conversations has been moved, for this one day only, to the spacious, comfortable Willow Lawn Community Room. The Community Room is located inside the Mall. Just walk toward the mall past the Barksdale entrance, enter the Mall adjacent to Victoria’s Secret, turn right and pass the Food Court on your left, almost immediately go through the glass doors on your left into the South Tower (all right, it’s only two stories, but a Tower is what they call it), rise up to the second floor on either the elevator or stairs, then follow the arrows to Room 500.

A fun and informative time is guaranteed for all, so please join us for the final C & C of the season.

See you there!

--Janine Serresseque

Dave's Dithyramb

Posted by Bruce Miller

Richmond currently has two major theatre critics—Susan Haubenstock at the Times-Dispatch and Dave Timberline at STYLE Weekly. I don’t mean to diminish the importance of Mary Burruss (Dave’s colleague at STYLE), Joan Tupponce (writing for both Richmond.com and, sometimes, WCVE-FM), John Porter (sharing the WCVE-FM beat with Tupponce), Jerry Sober (Petersburg Progress-Index) and/or other scrappy scribes at smaller or more distant papers throughout Virginia. And I’m not intending to overlook the blogs.

But in today’s media environment, the T-D and STYLE still rule the roost. Because of publication schedules, Susie’s review in the T-D almost always hits the streets first, and Dave’s opinions appear in STYLE usually a week and a half later. Lucky are we that Dave somehow managed to beat the deadline this time. His review lit up the pages of STYLE yesterday, and it’s another RAVE. Looks like we’re off to the races!

Under the headline “Broad Comedy,” David Timberline begins his review as follows:

“The sexes may share equal billing in the title of the classic musical Guys and Dolls, but the show focuses more on the male side of the equation. Nothing makes that clearer than the scintillating, showstopping number, Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat, that comes near the end of Barksdale’s Broadway-caliber production, playing at the Empire Theatre.”

“The always-amiable Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Jason Marks in excellent voice) leads a ragtag bunch of shysters, hoodlums and lowlifes in a rollicking song of sin and potential redemption. It’s an exuberant, testosterone-fueled high point in a show filled with exceptional ensemble scenes expertly assembled by director and choreographer Patti D’Beck.”

And in what follows, the glow grows even brighter. There’s even a great, half-page color picture of the craps game taken by our Marketing Director Sara Marsden, because our photographer was out of town last week!

Here are quotes we’ll be excerpting from Dave’s review:

"Excellent!
Barksdale’s Broadway-caliber production
Scintillating! Rollicking! Exceptional!
Heartwarming and highly amusing
Barksdale seems determined to make
Summertime Sizzle!"

The phones are ringing off the hook every day at our box office, so please consider joining the throng and reserving your tickets now. I think this is, in several important ways, a “Broadway-caliber production.” I’m proud as a peacock to be associated with all the wonderful artists who are thrilling our audiences night after night.

So far, we've had standing O's at every performance. Call for your tickets TODAY! We look forward to seeing you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Haubenstock Hallelujah

Posted by Bruce Miller

I woke up this morning to good news in the Richmond Times-Dispatch! Guys and Dolls earned its first rave.

Under the headline "Rendition of Popular Musical Full of Dreamy Performances," Susan Haubenstock wrote:

"Finally it comes: the first notes of 'Fugue for Tinhorns,' sung in the new Barksdale-at-Empire production by the supremely gifted Jason Marks. Harmonized and counterpointed by the grittier voices of Landon Nagel and David Malachai Becker, the song is the signal for the treat about to come."

"It's the 1950 Frank Loesser / Abe Burrows / Jo Swerling hit based on Damon Runyon's tales of New York touts and tarts. And in Patti D'Beck's luscious staging, it's a summer dream, set in a Candyland-pallette Manhattan (even the sewer is lollipop-colored) with cheerful lighting by Lynne M. Hartman. Ron Keller's scenic elements cleverly spin, slide and unfold as D'Beck takes us through a fantasy New York where the Save-a-Soul Mission can actually convert a hard-boiled gambler."

I LOVE great reviews, particularly when the show is as deserving as this production of Guys and Dolls. We have approximately 15,000 seats available for sale this summer, and we have high hopes of filling them all.

Here are quotes we'll be excerpting from Suzie's review:

"Irresistible!
One blockbuster number after the next.

Fabulous Throughout ~ A Summer Dream
A Lovely Performance *** A Fantasy New York
Flashy! Snappy! Supremely Gifted!
Perfect!"

We hope you'll make your plans now to join us this summer for this "especially noteworthy" (one last Haubenstock hallelujah) classic American musical. I know you'll be glad you did!

--Bruce Miller

Delightful, Delectable, D'Beck

Posted by Bruce Miller
I’m going to be writing a lot about Guys and Dolls this summer, so where to begin? Last night’s Opening was fantastic. The critics will weigh in with their opinions on Monday and thereafter, and if we don’t win some significant raves, I’ll be really surprised. Suffice it say Phil and I are very pleased.

No one deserves credit for the wonderful production more than our brilliant leader Patti D’Beck. A veteran of numerous Broadway musicals, Patti knows what makes a show tick. Her staging and choreography are fun, inventive and rousing. She knows how to make her performers look good, choreographing to their strengths. She knows the traditions and styles that make an American classic like Guys blow the roof off the house. And she delivers the goods with her personal flair, leaving the audience begging for more.

So just how major of a Broadway bigwig is Patti? Consider this. Her credits as associate choreographer, supervisor, dance captain and actor include the original Broadway productions of Applause with Lauren Bacall, A Chorus Line, Seesaw, Pippin with Ben Vereen, Evita, The Will Rogers Follies, My One and Only with Twiggy and Tommy Tune, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, as well as acclaimed recent revivals of Annie Get Your Gun with Bernadette Peters, Bells Are Ringing with Faith Prince, and Grease. I missed the last two; otherwise I saw and loved them all.

Best of all—and I do mean “best of all” even though this admirable trait will never be seen by the audience, at least not directly—Patti is nice. Make that NICE!! Patti has a resume that would give most people a head the size of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon. And yet she has no ego—at least none that she puts on display.

She is friendly, always smiling and well spoken, consistently positive, and an incredible team player who seeks and welcomes input from her colleagues. She’s a tireless model of professionalism. She aims to please, but she’s not needy. She’s respectful—respectful of each of her performers (knowing and appreciating where they are in their careers), respectful of our staff (understanding and even welcoming the reality that a company like Barksdale has limitations), and respectful of her producers.

On a show like Guys and Dolls, Phil and I work our hindquarters off, but it’s almost all behind the scenes. Patti gets it. I can’t remember the last time a Broadway veteran made a point to tell me, as Patti graciously did last night, how much she respected what it takes to run a major professional theatre in Richmond.

Guys is a HUGE show for us. Shoot, Guys is a huge show for any theatre. I think you’ll agree when you see it. Patti is able to make all the puzzle pieces fit. Because of her exemplary skill set and her winning personality, we made it to Opening Night with everyone feeling like part of a loving, supportive family. That’s a talent you won’t read about in reviews, but take my word for it, it’s exceptional.

I can’t wait to work with Patti again, should I be so lucky.

And if YOU have any sense, call and make your reservations for Guys and Dolls today. We think it’s going to be a blockbuster. It’s like Broadway on Broad Street—a wonderful evening in the theatre! I hope to see you there.

--Bruce Miller

RAPT and Other Acronyms

Posted by Bruce Miller
A grand time was had by all tonight at the annual Open House hosted by RAPT, the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres. The guest speaker was Peggy Baggett, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts and one of the most able state arts leaders in the nation. Peggy informed the 100 or so attendees about Virginia’s upcoming Minds Wide Open celebration, slated for March through June 2010. The theme of this statewide initiative will be Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts. Peggy invited all artists and arts organizations in the Commonwealth to participate.

Phil Whiteway, our Managing Director, introduced Peggy and welcomed the diverse crowd of actors, directors and other miscellaneous theatre practitioners to Barksdale Willow Lawn. Barksdale was proud to co-host the festivities for the third year in a row. Christine Walters, the head cheese at Comedy Sportz Richmond and this year’s RAPT Pres, introduced the theatre producers who were there and generally emceed the evening’s announcements.

David Sennett (pictured to the right) announced the upcoming RAPT auditions and the free audition workshop, which he generously conducts. He explained that he doesn’t act in Richmond because he “can’t afford to,” and suggested to me publicly that if Barksdale should ever become “LOA” I should give him a call. As we all retired to the lobby, several actors came up and asked me what he was talking about.

Perhaps now is a good time to review a few of the AEA (Actors’ Equity Association) acronyms so that people can understand David's announcement. I hope no one will get the wrong impression, however. AEA works tirelessly on behalf of its members, and wants each member to be gainfully employed. They never prohibit a theatre, any theatre, from meeting David’s or anyone else’s salary requirements.

Having said that, lets go wading into the alphabet soup. LOA stands for Letter of Agreement, and it specifies a particular AEA contract. In fact, Barksdale has operated under an LOA contract for several shows, Crowns at the Empire being a recent example.

At Willow Lawn, Barksdale normally contracts with AEA actors using an SPT contract (Small Professional Theatre). Our minimum SPT contract pays marginally less than our minimum LOA contract, but we are always allowed to pay more to get the actors we want.

At Hanover Tavern, we work under a GA (Guest Artist) contract, and even though Hanover Tavern has fewer seats than Willow Lawn, we pay more under the GA contract because fewer contracts are awarded for any particular show. Some Hanover shows, like the upcoming Driving Miss Daisy, have no GA contracts at all.

Another AEA contract is the TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) contract. There were several years when Theatre IV employed actors using TYA agreements. Still another is the SA (Special Appearance) contract. Firehouse and Henley Street use SA contracts when employing AEA actors. SA contracts are similar to GA contracts except they are for smaller theatres and have no health insurance requirements.

The big daddy of the regional theatre contracts is the LORT contract (League of Resident Theatres). TheatreVirginia was the only Richmond theatre to employ actors under a LORT contract. TheatreVirginia went out of business in 2002. Perhaps it was a LORT contract that David meant to refer to instead of an LOA.

Of course, David is right in one regard. Like a lot of smaller cities, Richmond underpays its theatre artists, whether they are actors, directors, designers or administrators. Barksdale continues to work faithfully to raise all salaries, including actor salaries, to more acceptable levels. The reason we proceed cautiously and responsibly is because we are determined not to suffer the fate of TheatreVirginia (see the vacated theatre seats pictured above and to the left in STYLE's 2002 coverage of TVA's closing). No one in Richmond or at AEA wants to see another Richmond theatre go belly up.

Whatever combination of initials a theatre may use, no talented actor should be discouraged from auditioning because of the contract a theatre employs. If a theatre wants to work with an actor, and the actor wants to work with the theatre, then the actor can always try to negotiate a contract that meets his or her needs, despite its initials. No matter which contract a theatre uses, AEA doesn’t prohibit a theatre from paying more than the minimum if an actor’s unique contributions to the production justify the payment.

Also present at tonight’s RAPT Open House were two of Barksdale’s high school talents, Hannah Miller and Jack Schultz from Trinity Episcopal School. Their video coverage of the evening will be added to this post soon as the first edition of Barksdale Backstage, our new video blog commentary. Stay tuned. We’ll post the video as soon as it’s edited into shape.

--Bruce Miller

Perfect Showbiz Moment

By Scott Wichmann

NEW - Listen to Scott talk about Guys and Dolls on B103 FM.
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I was sitting backstage during this afternoon’s rehearsal for Guys and Dolls and I had a perfect ‘Showbiz’ moment, and I became impelled to reflect on my good fortune as a performer.

As I sat on a step unit in the wings just off stage right, I began to think about the historic Empire Theatre and how many performers it has been home to through the years. I thought, This old vaudeville house sure has seen its share of magic. What a tradition!!

To be a small part of that tradition is a joyous and humbling thing.

I glanced around and saw actors running lines by themselves, possessed of that slightly ‘crazy’ look, evidenced by the downward-directed muttering that we all do when we’re trying ever-so-diligently to whisper our lines letter-perfect.

Our Director, Patti D’Beck, stood in the front row of the audience, commiserating with our Stage Manager, Wendy Vandergrift, as they went over the blueprint for the set design. Wendy was probably saying what I’ve heard her say about a trillion times: We Can Do That. When she says it, she means it.

Our Musical Director, Sandy Dacus was wrapped up warmly in a cute little knit sweater as she played one of the duets for Sky and Sarah on a portable keyboard. Every now and then she’d pop a cookie into her mouth without missing a note.

As Rita Markova’s incredible singing of ‘I’ll Know’ was giving me goosebumps, I scanned the theatre some more.

I looked over to see the dance ensemble running through their choreography in the adjacent wing. Some were spinning, some were watching the action onstage. Even when they are at rest, they look graceful, I thought.

Our ‘Harry The Horse,’ John Winn, was sitting by the stage door, reading a newspaper, dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and a fedora. Two of our walking wounded, Jason Marks and Landon Nagel—one battling severe laryngitis and the other a recent arm injury—were chuckling about something mischievously while running lines together. Great, I thought, Nicely-Nicely can’t talk and Benny can’t move!! What a pair!!

Almost everywhere I looked, I saw smiles. I saw people getting to know one another. I saw friendships blossom and rare talent on display. And not an ‘ego’ in sight.

I looked out into the audience--where a few more cast members were amiably chatting and getting to know one another-- past the tech table, up into the balcony to the vast, welcoming expanse of what is truly one of Richmond’s treasures.

And I felt incredibly lucky.

Lucky to be around such great people. Lucky to be working for a class organization in a historic setting on one of the greatest of All-American musicals. And lucky to be making new friends while doing what I love most in all the world.

This group is a really fun bunch. They make me laugh. I always leave rehearsal smiling. And we’ve only really been around each other a few weeks. I’m really looking forward to this run and the time I’ll spend with my new ‘Summer Family.’

I cannot accurately describe the amount of talent, energy and enthusiasm being infused into this project. You’ll simply have to see it for yourself. Come spend some time with the cast of Guys and Dolls at The Empire Theatre this summer. I can guarantee that, you too, will have a perfect ‘Showbiz moment.’ More I cannot wish you.

-Scott Wichmann

Read more from Scott at his blog, www.scottwichmann.blogspot.com

In Memoriam: Millie Jones

Posted by Bruce Miller

Our great friend Millie Jones died last weekend at age 64 after a long illness. If any single person is responsible for the turnaround of our Empire Theatre neighborhood, Millie Jones may well be that person.

From 1983 until 2003, Millie owned 322 W. Broad Street, a couple blocks west of the Empire. During most of those 20 years, the small business she founded and managed, Festival Flags, was one of the few thriving enterprises in what was otherwise a seemingly derelict commercial corridor. We joined her as urban pioneers in 1986 when Theatre IV purchased the historic Empire Theatre. Phil and I acquired and renovated the Marshall Street office building that houses most of our staff in 1990.

Today, the Empire Theatre District (or Arts District or President’s Row, depending on which moniker you prefer) is one of Richmond’s hottest neighborhoods, home to First Fridays and ten dazzling restaurants and hundreds of apartments within a two-block radius of our marquee. I know Millie must have been thrilled.

Millie was an accomplished seamstress and graphic designer. In 1971, she bought a piece of Scandinavian cloth, made it into a flag and flew it at her Fan District home to direct guests to a party. When friends and neighbors requested custom-made flags of their own, she started a small cottage industry in her basement. In 1975, she created an “It’s a Boy” flag to mark the birth of her son, Jonathan. When she did, she earned near-celebrity status as the national press from The Wall Street Journal to "Good Morning America" descended on Richmond to interview the “flag lady.”

It seems hard to believe now, but before Millie, no one hung commemorative or decorative flags beside their doorways. Her original idea soon developed a national following, and for decades, Festival Flags flourished. In recognition of her creating this national trend, Millie’s passing was covered this week by the Seattle Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and ABC News.

But it was Millie’s excitement about and dedication to downtown revitalization that made her our steadfast friend. She LOVED IT when we bought and restored the Empire. For years we’d see her three or four times a week. She was constantly walking up and down Broad—creating, leading and building the Old and Historic Broad Street Association, organizing us neighbors to lobby for the city’s attention, and doing whatever it took to get people interested in our little corner of downtown.

When her “It’s a Boy” son Jonathan came of age, Millie signed him up with us for a summer internship. Whenever graffiti scumbags defaced our historic buildings, Millie came running. She made sure that we removed the graffiti immediately, that the police investigated the crime with vigor, and that prosecutors sought serious punishment for the vandals if and when they were caught.

When we produced Stand-Up Tragedy in the Little Theatre, we hired a VCU art student to simulate graffiti all over the theatre’s interior walls, helping to set the scene for this urban drama. When Millie stopped by to see how everything was going, she stepped into the Little Theatre and immediately went ballistic. She swore she recognized the style of several of the “tags” that were spray-painted on our walls, and demanded to know the name of the person we had hired so that she could turn him over to the police.

We panicked. There was no way we were going to give up the name of the art student if doing so would get him into trouble. Prior to Millie’s recognition of his work, it had never occurred to us that he might be one of the ones who actually was vandalizing the neighborhood—much less a ring leader. So we met with Millie and the police, and they gave us permission to talk with the scenic artist personally without their involvement.

When we did, we soon found out that Millie was right. After learning that his work had been recognized, the art student confessed. We outlined for him all the costs that we and our downtown neighbors absorbed each month to remove the graffiti that he and his friends were creating. After hearing everything, he vowed never to deface a building again. He promised to talk with the other graffiti vandals, many of whom were his friends. In return, we pledged never to release his name—not even in the playbill. Not even in this blog.

For the next couple years, graffiti in our neighborhood decreased significantly. And it was all because of Millie Jones.

For her friendliness, her creativity, her passion and her care, we loved Millie. With affection and respect, we will be dedicating our summer production of Guys and Dolls to her memory. We will never forget her many contributions to our theatre and downtown Richmond.

--Bruce Miller