The LTA election is just a few months away. This year, six Board of Governor slates are open for nominations.

LTA’s Board of Governors (BOG) is an active, working Board whose members can be found doing every type of job at LTA from producing shows, directing, teaching, box office volunteer, usher, house manager and the many other jobs required to help make LTA the wonderful place it is. The BOG also has fiduciary responsibility for LTA and the physical plant – as well as selecting shows for each season, directors and producers.

The following BOG positions are open. Terms begin in July 2021.

President (one-year term)

Governor of Box Office (two-year term)

Governor for Front of House (two-year term)

Governor for Membership (two-year term)

Governor for Seasonal Planning (two-year term)

Governor for Technical Support (two-year term)

Nominations are due by Friday, April 16, 2021. Click here for descriptions for BOG positions.

If you are interested in running for office, email your intent to run and a statement outlining your qualifications to LTA Nominating Committee Co-Chairs Jamie Blake, jgblake76@yahoo.com and Luana Bossolo, luana_bossolo@comcast.net and Tina McCrea, Business Office Manager at tina@thelittletheatre.com, subject line: LTA Nominating Committee.

Nominations are permitted from the annual meeting floor as well; however, all are subject to candidate suitability. Below are the minimum qualifications for LTA President and Governor positions:

President Qualifications:

• Five years membership in LTA. The last two of which must be consecutive and immediately prior to nominations.
• Demonstrated ability in or knowledge of the overall theatre operation.
• Previous service on the Board of Governors.
• Chairman of one or more Standing Committees.

Governor Qualifications:

• Active member of LTA at least two years prior to nomination.
• Served as a producer, director, department chairman, Governor, or a member of a standing committee.
• Proven expertise and motivation related to the work requirements of the Department to be managed.
• Demonstrated interest in LTA and a proven sense of responsibility.

Terms of Office

The President serves a one-year term and may be re-nominated for as many as three successive terms and serve as President for four years consecutively.

Governors serve a two-year term and may be re‑nominated for two additional terms as the Governor of the same department.  Then, a year must elapse before an individual is again eligible for the same office.  There is no restriction on running for a different office if not eligible for the same office.

Three-ply washable and reusable facemasks with LTA’s logo now available! Show your support for LTA while keeping yourself and others safe! Masks come in two sizes, adult and child, include chin rest, adjustable ear loops, and filter. Suggested donation of $20 per mask. Limited quantity available. If demand exceeds our supply, we will place an additional order.

PRINT FRIENDLY ORDER FORM HERE

ONLINE ORDER FORM HERE

If interested, please fill out the order form and mail to LTA at:

The Little Theatre of Alexandria (attention LTA Facemasks)
600 Wolfe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Dear LTA Friends—

We are fortunate that the number of COVID cases in Northern Virginia continues to be relatively lower than most areas around the US.  There is now general agreement, however, that the dreaded “second wave” of infections (a wave that has been anticipated as far back as April) has begun to materialize as predicted. With this in mind, I have updated the theater’s reopening plan; you can find it here: LTA ReOpening Plan – October 26 update. This plan remains the best statement of LTA’s procedures and policies for dealing with the virus.  With a second wave looming, now is the time for all of us to double down on our preparedness.  Please re-read the plan and, once you have, follow the rules within it.  The health and well-being of your fellow theater lovers are at stake.

Here are a few reminders:

• Come to LTA only if you have necessary and urgent business to conduct.
• Never come to LTA if you are running a fever, exhibiting other signs of COVID, or have been recently exposed to someone with COVID.
• Board members, current teachers, and volunteers/actors working on the production on stage now don’t need to get permission to visit LTA.
• All others coming to LTA must arrange their arrival with Tina McCrea through the appropriate governor or the LTA safety officers.
• Everyone approved to be at LTA must enter only through the front door, register in the book, and use the hand sanitizer and the sanitizing supplies provided.

Again, I ask you to take a few minutes to read or re-read the plan.  If you have questions, please ask.

Regards,

Russell M. Wyland, LTA President.

The Little Theatre of Alexandria is asking for volunteers to make washable face masks, which we are then donating to charities around the city that are supporting the COVID-19 relief efforts.  LTA will provide mask making kits including fabric, elastic, and instructions.  If you would like to participate, please contact Susan Boyd, Governor for Artistic Support at susan.fashionpolice@gmail.com, so we can arrange contact-free pickup and drop off of your kits and finished masks.

Dear Members, Subscribers, Patrons, and Friends—

On behalf of the Board of Governors, I hope this update finds you, your family and friends, happy and healthy. It has been some time since I provided an LTA update, and I have news to share.

“Mamma Mia, here I go again.” I am sorry to report that LTA has cancelled our January production of Mamma Mia! It has always been our hope to be one of the first community theaters to stage this landmark musical. However, after discussing it with the Alexandria Health Department and failing to find ways to safely stage the production, the next step became clear. Many thanks to those who have invested so much time and energy into this production, especially co-producers Bobbie Herbst and Rachel Alberts, director Joanna Henry, choreographer Stefan Sittig, and music director Christopher A. Tomasino. In the coming months, the Board will try to reschedule Mamma Mia! If you’re a subscriber and you paid for your subscription by credit card, we will be giving you the three remaining shows—The Revolutionists, Mary Stuart, and Prelude to a Kiss—and not charging you for Mamma Mia! If you paid for your subscription by cash or check, you will be given our summer 2021 musical—the Tony Award-winning Something Rotten!—instead of Mamma Mia! (plus the other three shows in the season).

Given the challenges inherent in performing in the January time slot, the Board has decided to give LTA a much-needed post-holiday break for some building maintenance.

Even with the changes in our schedule, our box office continues to be busy. Many have been asking us, “When can subscribers expect to receive their tickets? And when will tickets be available for members and the public?” In addition to the other challenges LTA is facing with COVID19, we have also been informed that our long-time ticketing system, Vendini, will be terminated later this year by its new owner, AudienceView. Whether we opt for another AudienceView or switch to a different ticket provider, our Box Office will need time this fall to transition to the new ticketing system and be ready to print tickets. With our first regular season show now not scheduled until the end of February 2021, we plan to mail out subscriber ticket packages around mid-January. For members and the public (and for everyone hoping to see our unique presentation of A Christmas Carol), tickets for each of the remaining shows this season will be made available approximately 4 weeks before the show’s opening. This delayed ticketing schedule will also allow LTA to better assess prevailing public health conditions and determine our safe audience capacity for each show.

As noted above, the LTA Safety Officers and I met with a representative of the Alexandria Health Department. There were two major “take aways” from our meeting:

1.)   LTA has been officially sanctioned as a member of ALX Promise, a voluntary service within Alexandria that certifies that a business complies with health and safety standards during the pandemic. This is exciting news. It means LTA is meeting or exceeding all national, state, and city standards. For your safety, please consider patronizing ALX Promise-sanctioned businesses by visiting their website.

2.)   Social distancing requirements will be in place until perhaps two months after the introduction of a vaccine. Therefore, the Board has decided to flip-flop two shows in our season. Opening in mid-February will be The Revolutionists. This exciting, small-cast show lends itself to a socially distanced performance. Prelude to a Kiss, which had occupied the mid-February time slot, will now be performed in the June time slot vacated by The Revolutionists.

”Small Theatre for Unusual Times” is generating a lot of excitement in the community. Our first show, Love Letters, directed by Joanna Henry and starring Nicky and Steve McDonnell, is just about out of tickets. We are able to offer a maximum of 46 seats for each performance (safely distanced across our 215-seat auditorium). Reservations for Mixed Doubles and Belle of Amherst will open soon.

LTA’s Scrooge extraordinaire Michael J. Baker, Jr. will be bringing a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol to the LTA stage in December. The high-tech, but traditional, rendering of this classic will no doubt have all of Alexandria talking. Intrigued? More to come, I promise.

While LTA’s HVAC system is relatively new and relatively same, we will be doing filter upgrades later this month. The new super-filters will ensure that the air in our building is clean and safe to breathe. Does this mean you can take off your face mask? No. Sorry. Face masks still required.

Eager to know more about LTA’s reopening plans? Please visit the Reopening plan listed below.

Stay healthy,

Russell Wyland, LTA President

A full copy of LTA’s Reopening Plan can be found HERE: LTA ReOpening Plan

At this difficult time, The Little Theatre of Alexandria stands fully and proudly with the African American community and the Black Lives Matter movement, and we stand strongly against injustice and racism. Actively dismantling racism in all its forms is a challenge and opportunity that must be embraced by all, and LTA is committed to redoubling its efforts to use the power of the stage and our community to make Alexandria a better—more just, more diverse, more welcoming–place to live, work, and play.

At LTA, we are listening; but we are acting too. The LTA Board has formed a DEI (Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion) committee to increase the presence of people of color not just in front of the curtain, but in all aspects of our theater. If you have ideas for how LTA can improve itself going forward, please contact LTA President Russell Wyland (russellwyland@gmail.com). Join us as we move forward and create a better tomorrow.

We’re excited to announce the launch of Script Addicts, an informal play-reading group hosted at LTA! We’ll be gathering every other Sunday from 7pm to 9pm, beginning March 1st on the second floor of the Academy, and reading all kinds of plays (mostly comedies, as the world is dramatic enough). We’ll assign roles at random and switch parts throughout the evening, without regard to age or gender. Not an actor? Not a problem! All that’s required is a desire to read some plays, make some friends, and have some fun.

UPDATE: LTA’s playreading group, Script Addicts, is moving online!

Join the Facebook group linked below or send an email to ltascriptaddicts@gmail.com to be added.

Link to join meeting from desktop or laptop:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/5432132388

Admission is free!

Upcoming shows at 8PM: TBD

They’ll use your suggestions to create a fun night of improv!  Snacks and drinks will be served.  All current LTA Improv students get in free.  Everyone else pay what you choose ($5 recommended donation).  Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter to learn more about their upcoming shows!

Future Audition Dates

Audition notices will be posted as they become available.

Audition dates are subject to change. Check back for updates.