The Night I Spent on Henley Street

Posted by Bruce Miller
I have good news and good news.

1 - The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, the inaugural production of the new Henley Street Theatre, is well worth seeing, and …

2 - Good seats are still available for every performance between now and the show’s closing on October 13.

If you haven’t purchased two full-price tickets for Thoreau yet, why not do so right now? You can find Henley Street online at http://www.henleystreettheatre.org/.

Henley Street Theatre needs the support of everyone in Richmond’s theatre community if they are to succeed. From the quality of the acting and directing now on display in the intimate theatre at Pine Camp, Henley Street deserves to succeed. Alex Previtera and company are working their hardest to earn your support.

If you care about growth in Richmond’s professional theatre scene, now is the moment to invest 2 ½ hours of your time and $40—the price of two full-price tickets. Talk is cheap; professional theatre isn’t. Let’s all put our money where our mouths are. You’ll see an interesting show, and make a sound investment in Richmond theatre’s future.

Tonight at Thoreau I saw at least ten fine performances from Richmond actors whom I’ve never seen or heard from before. I all too frequently delude myself into thinking that I know all the good actors in town. Tonight's visit to Walden Pond, pictured to the right and above, was proof positive that such delusion is spun from pure air.

Alan Criswell as Ralph Waldo Emerson (pictured to the right) knocked my socks off. Laurie Follmer was completely believable and persuasive as Emerson’s wife, Lydian. Rebekah Spence made a fine, grounded Mrs. Thoreau (Henry’s mother). Patrick Bromley demonstrated real charm and great acting chops as older brother John.

Julia Rigby, David Bromley, Kern Dowdy and Dean Knight all established well-rounded characters and made the most of their scenes. Stan Baranowski, Kaye Weinstein Gary, Josh Lushch and David Settle equipped themselves well in smaller roles.

Max Follmer has to be the most delightful second grader you’ll see on stage this year. My good friend Frank Creasy, the one actor with whom I have significant experience, prompted an evening’s worth of laughs and tears. What a sweet and genuine stage presence.

Michael Sater as Thoreau himself was terrific, honestly embodying Thoreau’s energy, idealism, prickliness and humanity in every second of a large, large role.

I’d be proud and lucky to work with these actors in the future, and I hope to see them at Barksdale and Theatre IV auditions throughout the coming months.

Thoreau, Emerson and their contemporaries are fascinating and intriguing company. I’ve seen this script produced twice before, at the University of Richmond and TheatreVirginia. Of the three productions, this was my favorite—principally because of the compelling chemistry between Thoreau and the Emersons.

Would the show be better with bigger production budgets? Of course. But those budgets don’t exist yet, and Alex Previtera and his designers make the most of their modest resources.

I don’t write reviews, I cheerlead and offer encouragement regarding shows I enjoy. I enjoyed The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, and I encourage you to go see it. Thanks.

--Bruce Miller

Finding the We of Me - Opening Night at "The Member of the Wedding"

Posted by Bruce Miller

I've just returned from the wonderful Opening Night of The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers at Barksdale Willow Lawn. Along with James Joyce's The Dead, The Member of the Wedding is that rare commodity on our Signature Season--a highly theatrical evening that is language- and character-driven rather than plot-driven. I love the variety and depth that it adds to our roster. I especially love this production.

Scott Wichmann has directed an evocative evening that emotionally transports us back to the sultry Southern summers of Carson McCullers' early adolescence. The Member of the Wedding is a part of our continuing Women's Theatre Project, and the story it tells is certainly born in a woman's heart.

At least one vibrant post-show discussion revolved around whether McCullers' classic tale is the story of Berenice Sadie Brown, the big-hearted domestic brilliantly played by Katherine Louis in a star-making performance, or the story of Frankie Addams (or F. Jasmine Addams as she prefers to be called), the lonely and precocious 13-year-old played with staggering sensitivity by real-life 13-year-old Lexi Langs.

Part of the magic woven by McCullers, Wichmann and our two outstanding actresses is that the evening somehow manages to focus alternately and simultaneously on both. It's almost as if the soul of the play combines both women into one: half adult and half child, half grounded and half lost, half privileged and half trodden down. Not unlike Carson McCullers herself (pictured above and to the left with the original Berenice, Ethel Waters).

Joining in the standing ovation awarded the production were steadfast supporters Mr and Mrs Reid Ashe, Tom and Carlene Bass, Page Bauder, Rosanna Bencoach, Dr. John and Mary Jane Board, Cammie Carlton, Carrie Galeski, Bev Kniffen, Charlotte and Andy McCutcheon, Suzanne Pollard, Essie Simms and Isabella Witt. That's the back of Charlotte's head in the photo above and to the right talking with director Scott Wichmann at the post-show party.

Other theatre artists in attendance included Jan Guarino and her children Nora and Zack (Jan is starring in our upcoming Swingtime Canteen at Hanover Tavern); Julia Greer, Hannah Miller and Ali Thibodeau from the cast of Disney's High School Musical (Julia and Hannah are pictured to the left); Annie Hulcher from Annie Get Your Gun; Alex Samawicz and his date (Alex played trumpet in Into the Woods); Melissa Johnston-Price and her daughter Meg (Melissa rushed in from rehearsal for Spinning Into Butter at the Firehouse); Terrie Powers (our designer extraordinaire at Hanover Tavern); Stacy Reardon (actor alum from The Full Monty and The Wizard of Oz); and Russell Rowland fresh from his Princely duties in Into the Woods.

Hard working staff members on hand included Emily Cole Bitz, Andy Boothby, Judi Crenshaw, Catherine Dudley, Jackie Gann and her newlywed husband Bobby, Jean Hartley, Lucas Hall, Chase Kniffen, Sara Marsden, Billy Christopher Maupin, Steve Perigard, Joy Ross, Janine Serresseque, Wendy Vandergrift, Jennings Whiteway (responsible for the wonderful party), Phil Whiteway (laughing with our leading lady at the post-show celebration), and Ginnie Willard.

Providing all the luster were the stars of the evening: director Wichmann; designers Brian Barker (sets), Derek Dumais (sound) and Lynne Hartman (lights); stage managers Bo Wilson and Jody Smith Strickler; console operator Lynwood Guyton; props master Lynn West; and cast members Katherine Louis, Lexi Langs, Eric Evans, Carl Calabrese, Christine Schneider, David Bridgewater, Jill Bari Steinberg, Alec Stephens III, Tony Cosby (WELCOME HOME TONY!), Erin Kate Bradner, Katy Burke and Zac Wilson. That's Eric, Zac and Lexi in the photo above and to the left, at the post-show party.

No one can say what the critics will think, but please know that Phil Whiteway and I are very proud of this production. We hope you'll join us soon for this compelling, soul-stirring and uniquely American classic.

--Bruce Miller

David Bridgewater meets James Lipton...OK,so not really; he just answers his questions...well, Bernard Pivot's questions...(oops...another long title)

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Extra! Extra! Just look at the headlines! (A Sondheim lyric from Gypsy...get it? The Mamma Rose's to the right? Anyone? No one? OK.)

We have our latest installment from the cast of our production of The Member of the Wedding. (Opening tonight! I'm so excited!)

David Bridgewater, most recently seen in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern, has joined in the fun and filled out the Bernard Pivot/James Lipton questionairre.

So here goes:

1. What is your favorite word?
Home. Make no mistake; there are all kinds of homes. You can be at home on stage, with a good book, on a basketball court, in the mountains or in the arms of a lover. It’s the feeling of complete contentment. That feeling of, “Thank God I’m here.”

(It really brings up an image of Diana Ross singing "Home" in The Wiz, doesn't it? No? OK...well...anyway...on with David's answers.)

2. What is your least favorite word?
Goodbye.

3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
There is nothing more powerful than passion. It doesn’t matter if you are acting, teaching children, exercising, writing a book, building a table or bagging groceries. If you are passionate and focused, that is quite the turn on.

4. What turns you off?
Condescending people. How many degrees you hold or how much money you have makes no difference. Treat everyone with respect. No matter if you are speaking with a senator or a janitor, be respectful of the person. Ignorance does not mean a lack of education. I’ve known a great many ignorant people with degrees on their walls.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
There is a sigh that’s made. You can hear dogs make it often. It’s a sigh that says, “I am so content, safe and happy right now.” When my daughters are tired at the end of a long day, they lay in my arms, they breathe in deep and sigh out slow. There is simply no better sound.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
(Sorry, you kids!) I hate plastic, synthesized, brainless music or would-be poets screaming a rhyme to a programmed beat and calling it “music”. I like instruments. I like singing. I don’t want robots making my music.

7. What is your favorite curse word? (Have at it. I obviously won't post it for real, but in some approved somewhat censored fashion)
Ah, so many cuss words, so little time.
I have two. Neither one is all that exciting or colorful, but…
G**D*****. It has a great pop. And it’s versatile:
“G**D***** that hurts!!” or
“Did you see that girl wearing the thing, with the thing and those things? G**D*****!!!”

I’m also fond of JACKA$$. “You stupid JACKA$$!” Ya can’t beat that one either.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Again, so many… A counselor or therapist would be closest to my heart. A writer. A bottleneck blues musician. A wildlife photographer.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything corporate. I hate wearing a tie and I hate the obsession of money.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Two things:
“Where the hell have you been!?”
“I know, Dave. It’s okay. You did your best. Come on in.”

--David Bridgewater

Foregoing Fame for Family

Posted by Bruce Miller
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers opens tonight as the latest production in Barksdale’s ongoing Women’s Theatre Project. In celebration, I’ve been researching the four remarkable women playwrights whose work made it onto our stage during Barksdale’s first decade (1953 – 1962). Two weeks ago, I profiled Nancy Mitford (see Barksdale’s First Woman Playwright – Nancy Mitford, Sept 6), and last week we explored the life of playwright and social activist Vera Caspary (see Femme Fatale / Femme Fantastique, Sept 10).

Today I introduce you to a third woman author whose relative anonymity today is emblematic of the challenges faced by women playwrights in the mid-1900s. This remarkable woman was a first-rate actress on the international stage, and the author of two smash hit plays and a novel that inspired a classic film. She was the lifelong wife of one of the world’s greatest actors, and the mother of a film star who became Hollywood’s reigning adolescent icon in the 1960s. Like Vera Caspary, this author wrote a story that was later "musical-ized" by one of the world’s foremost theatre composers—in her case, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Can’t guess who this forgotten woman author is? Allow me to introduce you to …

MARY HAYLEY BELL (1911 – 2005)

The daughter of a well-to-do British official in the Chinese customs service, Mary Hayley Bell was born in Shanghai in 1911. She spent her childhood in the Far East, moving at an early age to Tientsin, China (now Tianjin). When she was nine, she began writing plays, most of them focusing on a person challenged by physical or mental disabilities. “I don’t know why,” she later said, “but I suppose they were heroes to me.”

As a teenager, she met a young actor named John Mills. Mills was just beginning his career in a touring company known as the Quaints. When the Quaints toured to Tientsin, Colonel Francis Haley Bell, Mary Hayley’s father, hosted a tennis party for the touring British actors at his home. Mills met the Colonel’s daughter only briefly. He later remembered her as “the ball-boy with flaming red hair.” (She was a strawberry blond.) She later remembered him as “the young man I rescued from the courts when he became incapacitated by my father’s lethal punch.”

Mills went on his way, and Mary Hayley Bell eventually returned to England to be educated at Malvern Girls’ College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. When her father lost nearly all his money in misguided Far Eastern business ventures, she had to fend for herself, and set out to become an actress. She was cast in an American touring production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street in 1932. As fate would have it, her first touring performance was in Shanghai.

She was awarded her first London role in 1934 in the popular West End comedy Vintage Wine, a role she would later recreate on film. This was followed by other West End roles, a tour of Australia, and a Broadway debut in 1939.

Later that year, Mary Hayley Bell and John Mills were both working again on the London stage. As he was making an early exit alone one night from a party, he bumped into “a beautiful girl with red hair” stepping out of the elevator. He recognized Bell at once, and “offered to escort her down the corridor and back to the party.”

Mills was at the time working his way out of an unhappy early marriage. Mary Hayley Bell was on the rebound from an ill-conceived Australian engagement. Their relationship blossomed quickly. Just before WWII, Mills enlisted and the two sweethearts staged the mock “illicit weekend” that was required to gain Mills’ British divorce.

They were married in 1941 while Mills was on a 48-hour leave. Despite initial hardships during the war, their marriage lasted 64 years, turning out to be one of the longest, closest and happiest unions in show business. Mary Hayley Bell decided to give up acting for marriage and motherhood. The young couple had three children, Juliet, Hayley and Johnathan. Both of the Mills’ daughters became notable actresses, Juliet starring on American television in the hit 60s series, Nanny and the Professor, and Hayley becoming an international star by age 14, and Disney’s favorite heroine in films including Pollyanna (pictured to the right) and The Parent Trap.

When Mary Haley Bell gave up acting, she took up playwriting. “It was something I could do,” she said, “while staying home and looking after my children.” She penned four hit dramas, three of which became star vehicles for her husband: Men in Shadow (1942), Duet for Two Hands (1945), Angel (1945), and The Uninvited Guest (1953). Men in Shadow was so authentic in its depiction of French resistance fighters trapped behind enemy lines that the war censors at MI5 required Bell to make certain cuts so as to not give away classified secrets. The play was a smash hit in London, with simultaneous hit productions running in Moscow and New York.

Duet for Two Hands (the play that Barksdale produced in 1959, starring Pete Kilgore with his hair dyed blond) was an even bigger success. Delving into those dark realms of the imagination that had fascinated Ms Bell since adolescence, Duet told the story of a maimed young poet onto whom were transplanted the hands of a murderer. Duet was London’s biggest hit during the post-war years, and transferred to Broadway before making its way to Hanover Tavern.

In 1961, Mary Hayley Bell wrote her first novel, Whistle Down the Wind. It was immediately made into what has become one of England’s most cherished films (starring a young Hayley Mills alongside Alan Bates). Decades later, Whistle was adapted into a major musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber’s revival of his version of Whistle Down the Wind will be playing Chrysler Hall in Norfolk in the winter of 2008.

After a lifelong and legendary acting career (winning an Oscar for Ryan’s Daughter in 1970), John Mills became Sir John Mills (and Mary Haley Bell became Lady Mills) sometime in the 1970s. They lived happily and scandal-free well into their 90s. Mills died in 2004, and less than six months later, Mary Hayley Bell died in 2005.

She achieved international success as an author and actress, but Mary Hayley Bell regarded her greatest triumphs to involve her family. She expressed little regret and a great deal of pride when, later in life, she was recognized mostly as John Mills’ wife and Hayley Mills’ mother.

--Bruce Miller

On the Road Again - TIV Actors Launch Tour

Posted by Bruce Miller

Barksdale is sister theatres with Theatre IV, the Children’s Theatre of Virginia. Our two independent nonprofit companies share a common staff.

Theatre IV on Tour is employing 28 fulltime company actors this fall, and 25 of the 28 gathered this evening for our annual Tourmite Party in the Empire Theatre lobby. Next week, the first of September’s six touring troupes will begin performing in schools and other theatrical facilities throughout Virginia and 32 additional states. It’s challenging and exciting work, and our talented and intrepid actors seem more than up to the task.

Between now and Thanksgiving, Theatre IV will be touring Hugs and Kisses by Terry Bliss, Bruce Craig Miller and Richard Giersch, Jack and the Beanstalk by Douglas Jones and Ron Barnett, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Song of Mulan by Paul Deiss, Tales as Tall as the Sky by Cliff Todd, and The True Story of Pocahontas by Peter Howard and Ron Barnett. You can check our weekly calendar to keep up with performance locations.

Ford Flannagan, Company Manager, supervises the professional touring companies and hosted this evening’s festivities. After setting a pirate / Western / Hawaiian theme (don't ask), he distributed his annual door prizes consisting of everything from emergency ponchos to waving mechanical hands to tropical lip balm. In the photo to the right he and his assistant for the evening, Wendy Vandergrift – Assistant Technical Director in charge of our touring production needs, are about to deliver a Vibrating Soap Bar to actress Nicole Wakefield. All I can say is, every September, Spencer’s Gifts is very happy to see Ford Flannagan.

The annual touring actor party (along with our annual Fairy Tale Ball and other events) is planned by Jennings Whiteway, wearing the straw hat in the photo to the left, standing beside our Annual Fund Manager, Emily Cole Bitz. Jennings is Events, Access and Food Services Manager for Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV. She is a trained events planner and manages Barksdale Events. Whatever your needs are for upcoming meetings, parties, weddings or other activities, Jennings and her Barksdale co-workers would be happy to discuss them with you. Just give our Artistic Director, Bruce Miller, a call at 783-1688 ext 17.

The actors in this year’s professional company come from throughout the United States, and contribute greatly to Central Virginia's arts scene. Immediately after this evening's pizza party, a van full of our touring actors rushed down the street to catch a performance of Mr. Marmalade at the Firehouse. Please join us in welcoming their talents and energies to the Richmond theatre community.

--Bruce Miller

Deathtr ... errr ... Birdtrap

Posted by Jacqueline "Jackie" Jones

A new acquaintance once asked me what kinds of roles I play. My friend Holly came to the rescue: "Jackie tends to play quirky characters," she said. Yeah, I thought. That and moms. Helga "I am psychic" Ten Dorp, my delicious current role in the production of Deathtrap now playing at Barksdale Hanover Tavern, definitely falls into the quirky category.

At Barksdale’s Hanover home, the cast dressing room is affectionately known as "the Pat Carroll Room" because it was the bedroom Ms Carroll occupied during her earliest runs of Nunsense. It shares the Tavern’s third floor with the business office of Michelle's Restaurant, and in this upper sanctum, actors and culinary artisans co-exist side by side.

About a year ago, Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap was my first show back at the Tavern since its renovation. During the run, we actors had been instructed not to open the windows because of the new alarm system. Till last week, I had never been tempted to disobey.

But on the Thursday evening of Deathtrap's Invitational Dress Rehearsal, I climbed the crooked “servant” stairs at the Tavern’s southwestern corner and entered the long and winding hallway that leads to our northwestern dressing room. Was it my imagination? A pigeon flew overhead. “There’s a bird up here!” I shouted.

Back and forth my new feathered friend frantically flew, seeking escape. That's when I noticed a broom-wielding bartender rushing forward from the other end of the hall, holding his “weapon” aloft like Sweeney Todd. And an arm-flapping waitress (Mrs. Lovett?) began squawking at my back. The pigeon, knowing an animal lover when he saw one, assessed the situation and headed straight toward me.

Quick as a bunny, I turned to the eastern windows looking out toward the historic Hanover Courthouse, hastily removed the "security nail" and tapped with all my might until the top window dropped. The bird, knowing a good thing when he saw one, circled my head like a plane attempting to land at JFK and then whizzed past my ear and out the window into the freedom of beautiful Hanover County.

“Give me liberty,” I thought. Patrick Henry tended bar in the original Hanover Tavern, you know. And his immortal words seemed to be working just as well for pigeons in 2007 as they had for patriots in 1775.

The restaurant staff, relieved by the speedy departure of our uninvited guest, headed back to their stations as I sauntered into the dressing room. My fellow actors were oblivious to all the excitement.

Soon the show began, and I headed downstairs in all my theatrical regalia to prepare for my first entrance. Except for a brief introduction the previous evening (and our Hitchcock moment a half hour earlier in the upstairs hall), Michelle’s new bartender and I had never met. Even if he were able to recognize me in street clothes, he'd never seen me all done up for the play in Helga's Little Dutch Boy wig and blue beret. Perhaps that explains the very curious look he gave as I strode past the bar on my way to the stage door and whispered, "You really didn’t need the broom, you know. It's good luck to have bird-poop on your head."

Oh, those crazy theatre people, I’m sure he thought, probably not identifying me with the pigeon rescuer from the upstairs hall. I smiled. Pete and Nancy Kilgore (animal lovers extraordinaire) would have been so proud.


--Jacqueline “Jackie” Jones
http://www.jacquelinejones.net/

Life Upon the Wicked Stage

Posted by Lexi Langs
My name is Lexi Langs (pictured to the left in the white shirt, with fellow cast members Eric Evans, Erin Kate Bradner and Katy Burke, photo by Jill Bari Steinberg), and I’m currently working on The Member of the Wedding at Barksdale Theatre. I've been living in Virginia with my mom in company housing provided by Barksdale for the past three weeks, but my home is in Orlando, Florida.

This isn’t the first time I’ve spent time away from home…I spent the last fourteen months working at the American Girl Place in New York City. I saw auditions listed on the American Girl website early last year and decided to go for it. Over six hundred girls showed up in March of 2006, and they cast eleven new actresses – I was lucky to be one of them. I was cast as the American Girls Molly McIntire and Kaya. I started rehearsing that August at Chelsea Studios and over the next few months was able to ice skate at Rockefeller Center, see some amazing Broadway shows, drink lots of Starbuck’s, and master the subway system.

As my contract was ending, I saw the audition for Frankie Addams at Barksdale. I decided not to re-sign with American Girl, and went to the audition in Virginia on August 6. After meeting our director, Scott Wichmann, I knew I wanted to be a part of this show.

Rehearsals began a week after I started school in Florida, so I had to meet all of my new teachers and let them know that I would be gone for the next nine weeks – they were a bit surprised, but have been great about it. So far, rehearsals have been so much fun, and the cast is awesome! We’re currently in the middle of tech-week…so costumes, wigs, and props have just been added into the mix, and everything is really taking shape.

The Member of the Wedding is a three-act play by Carson McCullers about a tomboy named Frankie Addams who wants to grow up and is trying to find where she fits in the world. The housekeeper Berenice and her cousin John Henry are with her on the journey and the way they interact with each other will at times make you laugh, and at other times make you cry.

Katherine Louis (Berenice), Eric Evans (John Henry), and I are very excited about opening night this Friday and can’t wait to have a live audience to share our story. Hope to see you there!

--Lexi Langs

In Memoriam: Gary Douglas Wade

Posted by Bruce Miller

Gary Douglas Wade, 48, died of a heart attack this week. He was a respected theatre artist with CAT, Dogwood Dell, the Firehouse, Henley Street Theatre Company, Henrico County’s On-the-Air Radio Players, and the Jewish Family Theatre at the Weinstein JCC. I regret that I didn’t know Mr. Wade. Many of my friends thought highly of him. We will dim the lights of our theatres this week in his memory.

The following comments are pulled from this morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“Gary Douglas Wade's enthusiasm was at its British best as he coached and played soccer, designed theater sets and acted in area productions. The lean, 6-foot-plus athlete played soccer Sept. 9, but became winded as he hiked with a friend in the Blue Ridge Mountains the next day. He urged his friend to continue while he returned to their car to rest. Mr. Wade, 48, died of a heart attack before he could reach the vehicle, according to his longtime friend Anthony "Tony" Grebas.

A celebration of Mr. Wade's life will be held Sept. 23 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Art Works Inc., 320 Hull St.

Most recently, Mr. Wade had designed the set for the Henley Street Theatre Company's upcoming production of The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail. He also co-designed the set for the 2004 Chamberlayne Actors Theatre run of Blithe Spirit and did the set, as well as performing a role, in the 2005 production of Fools at the Weinstein JCC.

This week, he would have begun rehearsing for his role as a college dean in the Firehouse Theatre Project's upcoming production of Spinning into Butter. He also had performed and directed for Henrico County's On-the-Air Radio Players.

'Not only was Gary a talented actor but also a great carpenter and craftsman, designing many of the sound effects used for the radio shows,' said Marc Follmer, a Radio Players board member.
'People were immediately drawn to him,' said his friend Kathryn Dipasqua. 'He was so funny, engaging and extremely outgoing. He was tremendous at physical humor.'

Theatergoers might remember Mr. Wade as the stripper in the 2002 Dogwood Dell production of Legends -- especially the night he peeled down to a thong emblazoned with the Union Jack. That year he also appeared as a grieving husband in the Dell's The Bad Seed and as a con man in the Chamberlayne Actors Theatre thriller Wait Until Dark.

In his spare time, he loved to bring together the diverse friends he made as he acted, played midfielder with Central Virginia Soccer Association's Metro Sting team, coached the Chesterfield Flames in the Midlothian Soccer Association and served as a TV commentator for high school soccer.

Survivors include his mother, Muriel Wade, and a brother, Brian Wade, both of Worcester Park in Surrey, England.”

To all those who were Gary's friends, we offer our deepest sympathies.

--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

Where Are They Now - Tia James

Our great friend Tia James has landed in NYC—well, with Tia, “landed” never seems like the right word. Her spirits are always ten feet off the ground, which is one of the things I love about her. I asked her to write about her new life in the prestigious grad program at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She started a couple of weeks ago--a stranger in a strange land. Here’s her first report.

Posted by Tia James (You can click on the label "T James" at the end of this post to read earlier info on Tia's journey.)

Dear Richmond Friends,

I feel like Ms Celie from The Color Purple. "Dear God, I'm here! I'm here!" And that I Am.

I live in New York, and I sleep in New Jersey, just a 15 min ride to the City. Everyday when I walk from the subway to the street, I can just feel the energy. It made me smile the other day as I got off the train and started walking with at least 70 other people, noticing how we all were keeping time with each other, as if we were each a different instrument in a huge orchestra, keeping time, never really getting in each other's way, adding to the song.

What makes me smile even more are the tourists who decide to walk right down the middle of the sidewalk at a snail's pace, definitely changing your 4/4 to 2/4.

Things are truly great! The first week of orientation was loads of fun; I don't know when I’ve laughed so much at myself. In one of the orientations Dean Campbell asked us to stand, say our name and department, and one thing about New York that we found interesting. It was my turn, and I said, "Hey guys, my name is Tia and I'm in Grad Acting, and the interesting thing about New York, well, every time I think about New York I can’t help but think about Broadway. I really want to BE on Broadway. You guys PRAY for me!"

Everyone started laughing at the giddy, naive woman from Virginia. And then from the back of the room, one of the faculty shouted out, "You ARE On Broadway!" (The Tisch Building is located at 721 Broadway.) This of course made us all laugh and prompted me do my Praise Dance! :)

I laughed again when I went to the International Student Welcome. I sat in the front row waiting for it to begin, and as the seats were being filled I noticed that I was the only American. I thought … ahh, it's okay, I'll just hang out ... listen ... until they announced that everyone should stand up and introduce themselves stating where they were from.

Well, it was soon my turn, so I stood and said, "Hey guys, I'm Tia, Grad Acting, and I'm actually from Virginia, but New York seems like another country to me, so I just thought I'd sit in with you guys!" Which of course had everyone including myself laughing some more. I was happy I stayed cause I met a great group of people.

I'm living my best dream! I've met my classmates, who are awesome—the faculty and staff, all the other grads, everyone has been so welcoming. And all of us can't wait to get started.

One thing that really touched me was when Zelda Fichandler (pictured to the right) explained the basis for Tisch Grad Acting ... ensemble ... being a company. That just thrills me! I have had "ensemble" ingrained in me since high school, York County School of the Arts, with my teacher Mrs. Dixon always saying "Ensemble! We're family. Learning together, pushing each other, helping each other. It isn't a competition, we're all good. Now it's about training our instruments so we will be better able to give."

Give to who? Give what? As Zelda asked and answered, "Who's this for? It's for us. But the connections we make for ourselves are all for something greater – what we can give to them, our audience."

I am extremely happy! Praise God! You guys please don't forget me!

LoveLoveLove,
Tia