VSC Adds THE WHIPPING MAN to 2012-13 Season

VSC Artistic Director Chris Hanna announced today that the Company will present the Virginia Premiere of The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez February 26 through March 17th, 2013 at the historic Wells Theatre.  It will be a bicoastal co-production with Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, CA.

“We’re very excited to bring this Virginia-based story home,” said Hanna. “Marin Theatre’s Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis grew up in Richmond. So along with his desire to tell the story to Marin’s audiences, he felt the story should come home to Virginia.”

War-ruined Richmond, 1865, is the setting for this new drama about faith, family and the costs of freedom. Soldier Caleb, raised a devout Jew, returns home disillusioned and faithless. While he and his family’s former slaves work to rebuild their lives and restore their shared faith, secrets threaten their new-found freedom.

Minadakis, who has family in Hampton Roads, will also direct VSC’s production. In an increasingly popular producing model, the two regional theaters will share some costs of the creation of the production and audiences in both locations will benefit.  As usual, VSC will cast the show in both New York and California from Broadway, movie and television veterans.  Marin’s production will take place April 2-28, 2013.

The Whipping Man joins Fences by August Wilson, The Comfort Team by Deborah Brevoort, Frog Kiss, Book & Lyrics by Charles Leipart and Music by Eric Schorr, and The Odd Couple by Neil Simon in VSC’s Season 34 lineup.  Season tickets, from $90 for the 5-play season, are on sale now through the VSC Box Office at 757-627-1234.   

Now in its 33rd season, Virginia Stage Company is the region’s only fully professional resident theater company, serving an annual audience close to 80,000. Since its founding, Virginia Stage Company has made significant contributions to the quality of life in Hampton Roads: presenting more than 190 plays through more than 4,200 performances; revitalizing and renovating the historic Wells Theatre; providing educational programs for students of all ages; and preserving the legacy of live theatre for future generations. Seasonal support for VSC’s 33rd Season is provided by Norfolk Southern Corporation.

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