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.

Dear LTA Family—

I hope this message finds you happy and healthy.

In April 1943, The Little Theatre of Alexandria closed its doors for what would become a three-year hiatus. Although Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor sixteen months earlier, LTA’s closure didn’t happen immediately: it corresponded to the U.S. government issuing ration books for products like coffee, canned goods, meat, dairy products, cooking oil, and leather goods. While none of these items were vital to the operation of a theater (except, perhaps, coffee), rationing signaled a time when luxuries and public entertainment became inappropriate. LTA would not resume public performances until early 1946: its first show was Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.

Seventy-four years later, LTA again finds itself closed. This time, the closure happened with little warning. The new enemy is the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis, which is unlikely to end completely until a vaccine is found and/or widespread testing becomes available, is arguably more serious than the closure experienced during World War II. Even after the “all clear” sounds, there will not be the equivalent of a V-J or V-E Day: patrons will need time before they are comfortable returning to the theater.

Since the pandemic started over ten weeks ago, I have written to you several times with bad news: first it was the midstream cancellation of Moonlight and Magnolias. Two weeks later it was the cancellation of Blue Stockings and Rumors.  I am now writing with some additional bad news, but this time the bad is tempered with glimmers of an exciting way forward.

CANCELLATION OF SISTER ACT, August Wilson’s FENCES, and WAIT UNTIL DARK

Given the ongoing spread of coronavirus, the LTA Board of Governors has cancelled LTA’s summer musical Sister Act, September production of August Wilson’s Fences, and October/November production of Wait Until Dark.

The Board did not undertake these cancellations lightly. While the financial hit will be difficult, LTA has a more pressing responsibility to our community. Keeping our actors, volunteers, members, and subscribers safe is our priority, and that “rainy day” fund we created years ago will now be used to sustain us during a period of belt-tightening.

On behalf of the Board, I want to thank the directors, producers, and production team members of Sister Act, Fences, and Wait Until Dark. They have invested time and energy in these shows, and we are grateful for that work. You have my word that we will try to bring these excellent shows to LTA audiences in the near future.

If you are a subscriber, we will be sending you a new early-bird subscription form for our 4-show season. If you already purchased a subscription by either check or credit card, your payment will be returned to you. We hope that you will re-subscribe to our 4-show season starting in early January, thereby locking in your preferred seating and your discounted subscription rate.

If you hold LTA gift certificates with expiration dates during our anticipated 2020-2021 season, those certificates have been extended through the 2021-2022 season.

“SMALL THEATRE FOR UNUSUAL TIMES”

And now for our exiting news.  In mid-June, LTA will announce exciting Fall programming designed especially for our core patrons: members, subscribers, and volunteers. We are calling it “Small Theatre for Unusual Times,” and it includes streaming opportunities and, we hope, small, high-quality socially-distanced theater events.

And what about LTA’s traditional Christmas Carol with its impressive set, large cast, and Victorian musical cheer?  I am happy to announce that the traditional Christmas Carol will return in December 2021 (directed by Carol Clark).  In 2020. as a culmination of “Small Theatre for Unusual Times,” the Board anticipates launching a reconceptualized production of Christmas Carol that keeps alive the LTA tradition but looks and feels like nothing we’ve done before. Stay tuned!

In short, “Small Theatre for Unusual Times” will be feel-good theater designed to respond to our current circumstances using LTA’s many strengths. Watch for an announcement in mid-June.

EDUCATION UPDATE

LTA is now rolling out a new education plan.  June summer camps are now being shifted online.  LTA is beginning its work with the City of Alexandria’s ALX Promise project and watching the Governor’s Forward Virginia plan to determine when and if students can return to LTA in small numbers in July.  Our focus will be one of small classes (8-10), intensive cleaning and sanitizing, and outdoor learning.  Watch our education website for developments.

A special note of thanks to our teachers who have weathered this difficult time. Through their creative thinking, determination, and high standards, they have continued to bring LTA’s educational tradition to our community (and beyond!).

SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGHTER

Just a reminder that LTA’s informal play-read group–the Script Addicts—are gathering every other Sunday on Zoom to read plays of all kinds (mostly comedies, as the world is dramatic enough). They assign roles at random and switch parts throughout the evening, without regard to age or gender. Not interested in participating but only want to sit back and enjoy the fun? Not a problem! All that is required is a desire to enjoy plays, make friends, and have some fun. This Sunday, May 31, the Script Addicts return with Much Ado About Nothing. To join, send an email to ltascriptaddicts@gmail.com.

We look forward to exciting days ahead.  Your patronage is important to us, and my fellow Board members and I look forward to seeing you again very soon.  Until then, STAY HEALTHY!

Regards,

Russell M. Wyland
LTA President

🏆Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – Brian Lyons-Burke as “Roger DeBris” – The Producers
🏆Outstanding Makeup Design in a Musical – Larissa Norris – The Producers
🏆Outstanding Musical – The Producers
🏆Outstanding Properties in a Musical – Kristin Apker – The Producers
🏆Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical – Alan Wray – The Producers
🏆Outstanding Hair Design in a Play – Susan Boyd – You Can’t Take It With You

Click HERE to see a full list of WATCH Award winners

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: October 24. For ages 18 and up.

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!

The Revolutionists

By Lauren Gunderson

Directed by Jennifer Lyman

The Little Theatre of Alexandria

Liberté, Egalité, Sororité! The literal translation is “liberty, equality, sorority” with the later also meaning “sisterhood” – an apt catch phrase for this feminist revolutionary comedy!

Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Hattian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris.

“…a sassy, hold-on-to-your-seats theatrical adventure… [Gunderson] has created a play that is wonderfully wild and raucous. …It’s a wild ride, filled with verbal gymnastics that come racing at you so quickly it’s occasionally hard to keep up.” —Cincinnati Enquirer.

“The Revolutionists resembles a blindingly scintillating gem-like puzzle… By turns it is drolly funny and affectingly poignant, then doubles back to satirical farce, then ends by bringing into stark relief the social commentary that it has been nurturing all night.” —FloridaTheaterOnStage.com.

Please note that due to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, LTA will be producing The Revolutionists as a badass staged reading! Actors, cast, and audience will be masked and socially distanced for our mutual safety. While there will not be a full set or blocking, there will be full costumes, lights, sound, and a lot of modern, irreverent, feminist, political comedy.

Auditions: Saturday, December 12, 2 – 5 pm and Sunday, December 13, 6 – 9 pm, via Zoom.

Auditions will be conducted on Zoom. Auditions will consist of a memorized, contemporary, comic monologue no more than 2 minutes in length.  Sign up for an audition slot here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0549a9ab2ca5fd0-auditions.

An audition form and conflict schedule will be emailed to you. Please return the audition form, a headshot, acting resume, and a list of all conflicts during the rehearsal and performance period of December, January, February, and March to secure your audition slot.

Call backs: Tuesday, December 15, 7 pm, via Zoom.

Rehearsals: We will be rehearsing one or two nights a week via Zoom until February 15th when rehearsals will be in person at LTA. All in person rehearsals will require all participants to be masked and socially distanced. The rehearsal schedule will be designed around the cast’s conflicts.

Performances: Performances will be at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA, Saturday, February 27 – Saturday, March 20, 2021. Performances will be Tuesdays – Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. Cast, crew, and audience will be masked, will maintain social distance, and will follow LTA’s pandemic safety protocols (see note below).

Cast:

Olympe de Gouges – 35-45. Badass activist playwright and feminist. Theatre nerd, excitable, passionate, a showman. Widowed and never remarried to ensure her personal freedom.

Charlotte Corday – 25-30. Badass country girl and assassin. Very serious, hardened by righteousness, never been kissed. Has a pocket watch she keeps checking. Also plays “Fraternite”

Marie-Antoinette – 25-35. Less badass but fascinating former queen of France. Bubbly, graceful, opinionated, totally unaware, unintentionally rude, and oddly prescient. Never had a real friend. Also plays “Fraternite”

Marianne Angelle – 30-40. A badass black woman in Paris. She is from the Caribbean, a free woman, a spy working with her husband, Vincent. Tough, classy, vigilant, the sanest one of them all.

NOTE: Information regarding LTA’s safety protocols during the Coronavirus Pandemic can be found here: http://thelittletheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/LTA-ReOpening-Plan-Main-1.pdf

Via Zoom, September 25, 7:30pm

LTA’s A Christmas Carol for 2020 will be the most unique ever. It will feature live, virtual, and animated elements. We are looking for a family who can portray Mr. Cratchit, Mrs. Cratchit, and Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim will also portray Turkey Boy and Boy Scrooge. These three characters will participate in Zoom rehearsals in October and three rehearsals at LTA in early November, with a taping date of Saturday, November 15. All of LTA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols will be followed.

Tiny Tim should be around 8 years old. If there is another young child in the family, we will work them into the production so they won’t feel left out. The family audition date is Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. Please contact our director Mike Baker at Mike@nationalartstelevision.com and he will send you copy to rehearse and set up a time for your family to read. You will also be sent a link.

We promise you will have a great time. Imagine sitting in the audience and being able to see yourself on stage in a live performance. And you will also be given a tape of the production for your reels. This truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Future Audition Dates

Audition notices will be posted as they become available.

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