NORFOLK, VA.: Virginia Stage Company has announced its 2018-19 season, the company’s 40th, featuring eight productions.
“This is the biggest tent we’ve ever built at Virginia Stage, and we are proud to welcome everyone from our great community in,” said producing artistic director Tom Quaintance in a statement.
The season will kick off with Always…Patsy Cline (Sept. 12-30), by Ted Swindley, about the life and career of one of country music’s most iconic voices.
Next up will be Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (Oct. 17-Nov. 4), about the beauty and heartbreak of life as experienced through a community of people in a small town.
Just in time for the holidays will be A Christmas Carol (Nov. 28-Dec. 24), adapted by Patrick Mullins from Charles Dickens, a classic tale about the true meaning of the holidays.
Next will be The Santaland Diaries (Dec. 6-16), by David Sedaris, about a man who worked as one of Santa’s elves at Macy’s Department Store during the holidays.
Following will be Fun Home (Jan. 23-Feb. 10, 2019), with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Lisa Kron. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, the musical follows Alison’s discovery of her sexuality and the secrets surrounding her relationship with her gay father.
Next up will be The Bluest Eye (March 6-24, 2019), adapted by Lydia R. Diamond from Toni Morrison’s novel, about a young black girl fighting against the destructive powers of racism and colorism in the 1940s. The play will be produced in collaboration with Norfolk State University Theatre Company.
The season will continue with Native Gardens (April 10-28, 2019) by Karen Zacarías, a comedy about a clash of cultures when a Latino family moves next door to the prize-winning garden belonging to a prominent family in Washington, D.C.
The season will conclude with Roald Dahl’s Matilda (May 22-June 2, 2019), with book by Dennis Kelly, and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. The musical, presented in collaboration with the Governor’s Schools for the Arts, follows a young girl who uses her special telekinetic powers to defend her friends and fight against her tyrannical parents.
Founded in 1968, Virginia Stage Company is southeastern Virginia’s only professional nonprofit resident theatre, with a commitment to producing new work and engaging with the community.
