March 2 - 31
​(previews Feb. 29, March 1)
Talkbacks March 10 and 17
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Theatre Gym, Virginia Rep Center
​114 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA  23220
​(804) 282-2620
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In My Chair
A World Premiere by Eva DeVirgilis

Cadence Theatre Company, in partnership with Virginia Repertory Theatre

Based on her global quest to connect with women all over the world, award-winning actress and makeup artist Eva DeVirgilis presents an original work, In My Chair.  What started as an internationally renowned TEDx Talk flourished into a research trip to gather eye-opening perspectives on self esteem, body image, and after unrealistic 21st Century beauty standards. Join DeVirgilis on her journey to find out why beauty is so closely tied to self acceptance.

Faith Connection: Women and Beauty
Scripture: Song of Solomon 4:7 – “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.”
Feb. 8 - 23
Talkbacks follow both Sunday performances
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CAT Theatre
319 North Wilkinson Road
​Richmond, VA  23227
Tickets at www.cattheatre.com or (804) 262-9760
Becky's New Car
by Steven Dietz

CAT Theatre

Have you ever been tempted to flee your own life? Becky Foster is caught in middle age, middle management, and in a middling marriage with no prospects for change. Then one night, a socially-inept and grief-stricken millionaire stumbles into the car dealership where Becky works. She is offered nothing short of a new life, and the audience is offered a chance to ride shotgun with her. This is a story about choices and consequences, about taking that different road you always wondered about.
Feb. 1 - 23
Talkbacks Feb. 10 & 17
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Firehouse Theatre
1609 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA  23220
​(804) 355-2001
[email protected]
OEDIPUS
a gospel myth

Firehouse Theatre

Sophocles' masterwork from 429 B.C. is considered by many to be one of the greatest plays ever written. Ambition, pride, fate, and free will are the ingredients of this tragedy of epic proportions.
Firehouse's production is set in a southern church in the 1920's during a Sunday service as the preacher, choir, and members of the congregation perform this ancient myth to try to reconcile the contradictions between a world blessed by God's grace and our experience of incomprehensible human suffering.
"Keep your eyes on that last day, on your dying.
Happiness and peace they were not yours
Unless at death you can look back on your life and say
I lived, I did not suffer."
March 1 - 15
Talkback March 3
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HATTheatre
1124 Westbriar Dr.
Richmond, VA 23238
​(804) 343-6364
Every Brilliant Thing
by Duncan MacMillan, with Jonny Donahoe
Featuring Chris Hester
Directed by Frank Foster

HATTheatre

This Off-Broadway hit, later made into an HBO presentation, stars Chris Hester in a one-man show that brings the audience up close and personal, with a list that takes on a life of its own. Every Brilliant Thing tells the story of a son who creates a list of things worth living for, a list of everything brilliant about the world, everything worth fighting for, a list of things that make him happy, in an attempt to raise the spirits of his chronically depressed mom. As the story unfolds, and the list grows, we follow him from a 7 year old boy into manhood, as he himself struggles with life's unpredictable path. Sincere, funny and warm, "Every Brilliant Thing" doesn't sugar-coat the subject of depression, but it does shine a gentle light on the sweet and the sorrow and the lengths we will go for those we love. At its core, it is a play that celebrates life. While acknowledging there are no easy answers, "Every Brilliant Thing" shows us that tiny miracles and glimpses of grace that make up a life, are all around us just waiting to be found.

FAITH CONNECTION:
This show deals with issues that touch so many lives; depression, suicide, love and loss, while still trying to find every brilliant thing in the middle of it all. It is our faithful surety that a fundamental goodness lies behind life, that life is eternally sacred, that makes this play perfect for the Acts of Faith Festival. Every Brilliant Thing is, at its core, a celebration of life. While acknowledging there are no easy answers, this play shows us that tiny miracles and glimpses of grace that make up a life, are all around us just waiting to be found.
Feb. 21 - March 2
Talkback Feb. 15
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Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center
4901 Old Brook Road
Richmond, VA . 23227
​(804) 404-5259
Looking Over the President's Shoulder
by James Still

The Heritage Ensemble Theatre Company

This one-man show based on a true story, starring Tim Harris, is told from the unique perspective of the Chief Butler on the last day of his job in the White House.  Discover how this grandson of a free slave is forced by depression to give up his dreams and accept a job that spans 21 years.  Appropriate for most ages.
Jan. 17 - Feb. 9
Talkbacks Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3

Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse
Dominion Energy Center
600 E. Grace St.
Richmond, VA . 23219​
Contact Pam Webb, [email protected]
Red Velvet
by Lolita Chakrabarti

Quill Theatre

Edmund Kean, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his age, collapses on stage while performing the lead in Othello and is replaced by a young, black actor names Ira Aldridge.  As a bill in Parliament promoting the abolition of slavery sends shock waves through the streets, how will London react to the first performance of a black actor playing a black character?  This multi-award winning play transports audiences to the mid 1800’s and the turbulent backstage world of London’s Theatre Royal in Coven Garden.

This play deals with the true story of a young African American actor named Ira Aldridge (1807-1867).  Although, Ira received a classical education at the African Free School in New York, there was rampant discrimination (and violence) in the United States.  So he emigrated to Liverpool, England in 1824 at the age of 17 to pursue his passion for acting.  It was in Europe where Ira's talents were received with with a warmth that I would never find in his native country.  He toured throughout Europe (mostly England) and throughout Russia, achieving fame for his performances in multiple roles, mostly Shakespearean.  This play embodies everything that is magical about the artist's calling.  A young man leaves his native country to pursue an artistic passion in his heart, in a world that is dangerously discriminant against him because of the color of his skin.  Not only does this man succeed, he becomes one of the most celebrated actors of his time.  Remarkably, he ends his career playing such roles as King Lear in white face to audiences who had, until only recently, owned slaves.
Feb. 27 - March 23
​Talkbacks March 10 & 17
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Robert B. Moss Theatre
1300 Altamont Dr.
Richmond, VA 23230
​(804) 346-8113
An Act of God
by David Javerbaum

Richmond Triangle Players

The One. The Only. The Alpha and The Omega has finally come to answer the tough questions that have plagued mankind since Genesis. God, along with a multitude of heavenly hosts are here to tell it like it is, and end the debates once and for all!  A Broadway hit making its central Virginia premiere and RTP’s annual contribution to the city-wide Acts of Faith Festival.
Jan. 26 - March 2
Talkbacks Feb. 17 after 2:30 performance, Feb. 28 after 8pm performance
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Swift Creek Mill Theatre
17401 Jefferson Davis Highway
South Chesterfield, VA 23834
​(804) 748-5203
Cyrano de Bergerac
adpated by Emily Frankel

Swift Creek Mill Theatre

The classic story of the long-nosed poet/swordsman and the unrequited love that he holds for the unattainable Roxanne, who flees to the comfort of the church after her beloved Christian is killed in battle.  Cyrano's faith in undying love is the centerpiece of the story.
Feb. 14 - March 16
Talkback Feb. 24
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The Basement
300 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA . 23219
​(804) 506-3533
SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Direction by Deejay Gray
Music Direction by JS Fauquet

TheatreLAB

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, who returns to nineteenth century London seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which, he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up... and the carnage has only just begun! Featuring Alexander Sapp, Bianca Bryan, Matt Polson, Ali Thibodeau, William Anderson, Paul Major, Audra Honaker, and Matt Shofner. ​
Feb. 8 - March 3, previews Feb. 6 & 7
​Talkback Feb. 24
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November Theatre, Virginia Rep Center
114 W. Broad Street
​Richmond, VA . 23220
​(804) 282-2620
Once
Based on the Film by John Carney
Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová
Book by Enda Walsh
Direction by Nathaniel Shaw

Virginia Rep's Signature Season

Described as one of the most original musicals of our time, Once follows a classic tale of boy-meets-girl but through the eyes of two musicians and the community they bring together on the streets of Dublin. Based on the 2007 movie, winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song (“Falling Slowly”), Once features a cast that acts as its own orchestra to tell an enchanting and emotionally captivating story about love, humanity, and the redemptive power of music.

Faith Connection: Love Across Borders
Scripture: Romans 13:10 – “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
March 15 - April 20
Talkback March 31
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Historic Hanover Tavern
13181 Hanover Courthouse Road
Hanover, Virginia 23069
​(804) 282-2620
Broadway Bound
By Neil Simon

Virginia Rep's Hanover Season

The third installment of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy, Broadway Bound follows the blockbuster success of Virginia Rep’s 2015 production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. The play finds Eugene, and his older brother Stanley, trying to break into the world of show business as professional comedy writers. When their material is broadcast on the radio for the first time, the Jerome family is pushed to the brink as a thinly-veiled comedic portrait of themselves is broadcast across their community.

Faith Connection: Mothers and Families
Scripture: Proverbs 31:27 – “She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness.”
Jan. 25 - March 3
​Talkback Feb. 10
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The Children's Theatre at Willow Lawn
1601 Willow Lawn Drive
Richmond, VA . 23230
​(804) 282-2620
Huck and Tom and the Mighty Mississippi
Music by Ron Barnett
Book by Peter Howard
Developed by Virginia Rep
Virginia Rep's Children's Season

This Virginia Rep original adaptation brings Mark Twain’s two classic American novels into one fast-paced, footstompin’ musical adventure down the Mississippi. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer spring to life along with familiar characters Jim, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, and all the residents and rapscallions of Hannibal, MO as they explore the majestic river that defined their lives, tested their souls, and carried their spirits into the heart of America.

Faith Connection: Growing Up
Scripture: Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Approximately 1 hour, no intermission. Suggested for ages 6 - 12.