Virginia Stage Company Celebrates Wells Theatre's 100th Anniversary

Today, Virginia Stage Company announced its glittering 35th Season show lineup and a season-long celebration of The Wells Theatre, VSC's performance home. Norfolk Southern will again be VSC's Season Presenting Sponsor.

"Season 35 at Virginia Stage will be set against a grand prologue in the Company's life. August will mark the 100th birthday of the Wells Theatre and VSC will be celebrating that wonderful occasion all year long," said VSC Artistic Director Chris Hanna. "The Great Gatsby will open our season by showing off the glamour of the Wells in true fashion - calling upon all the gilded decoration, stage invention, and theatrical magic of the Wells' grand stage, originally built as the 'showplace of the South.' But glamour is only one part of the Wells' rich history. We'll honor the Wells as song house with Honky Tonk Angels, as a home for thought-provoking drama with The Mountaintop, and as a romantic getaway for young lovers with Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune. We'll even honor the mythic ghost stories that have filled the theater's backstage lore from its beginning with The Woman in Black."

The Great Gatsby - Sept. 17-Oct. 6, 2013
By F. Scott Fitzgerald, Adapted for the stage by Simon Levy, Directed by Chris Hanna
The Jazz Age - Prohibition, bootleggers and tons of money. A wild romance swelling between mysterious Jay Gatsby and hauntingly beautiful Daisy. All engulfed in the most lavish parties our nation has known. F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece of love, ambition and tragedy comes vividly to life and is perfectly framed in the gilded setting of the Wells Theatre.

The Woman in Black - Oct. 22-Nov. 10, 2013
By Stephen Malatratt, Based on the novel by Susan Hill, Directed by Peter Moore
A Ghost Play - Something in the dark grips you. Is it the cold hand of fear - or worse? This seemingly simple tale of a lawyer settling the affairs of a solitary widow builds into a total-immersion sensory experience in which a woman's horror bleeds through from the next life. One of British theater's biggest - and scariest - hits, this show uses all the tricks of the live stage to frighten even its toughest audience members.

Honky Tonk Angels - Jan. 21-Feb. 9, 2014
By Ted Swindley, Directed by Patrick Mullins
Country Music Meets Pop - Thirty hit songs including Delta Dawn, 9 to 5, and These Boots are Made For Walkin'. Three gutsy gals laughing, crying and singing their way across the country to Memphis and their dreams. A live band plays back up and makes music of its own. From the author of Always Patsy Cline comes a wild ride of a show guaranteed to make you stand up and cheer, dance in your seats, and blow the roof off the Wells Theatre!

The Mountaintop - Feb. 25-Mar. 16, 2014
By Katori Hall, Directed by Derrick Sanders
"I may not get there with you - but we as a people will get to the Promised Land." A monumental speech delivered to fervent fans on April 3, 1968. Afterwards, a road-weary DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. orders room service at the Lorraine Hotel and meets the impudent young maid who will deliver him the final laughs, reminiscences and challenges of his monumental life. The brazen humor and surprising humanity of this stirring drama won Britain's prestigious Olivier Best Play Award and earned nightly standing ovations on Broadway.

Frankie and Johnny at the Claire de Lune - Apr. 1-Apr. 20, 2013
By Terrence McNally, Directed by Chris Hanna
A New Kind of Romance - A man and woman loudly complete their passionate love making in a dark bedroom. Next they turn on the lights, get dressed, and begin the slow process of getting to know one another. Terence McNally's two-time Broadway hit is as frank as it is funny, showing two people navigating the insecurities of modern romance over a single night. Their journey is both as timely as a tweet and as timeless as a full moon spilling through the window. Finally its glow will warm your heart. This production contains nudity.

Season Extra - A Christmas Carol - Dec. 6-Dec. 22, 2013
By Charles Dickens, Directed by Patrick Mullins
The Holiday Season - It wouldn't be the holidays without Dickens' A Christmas Carol at VSC. Ebenezer Scrooge and his travels with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future reawaken the spirit of Christmas in all of us. This timeless tale remains a heartwarming tradition for many Hampton Roads families as they celebrate the season in the festively decorated Wells Theatre.

In selecting shows for its season of productions, VSC chooses scripts - and in some cases, develops scripts specifically for our community - that contributes to or starts conversations in Hampton Roads. Local artisans and designers craft the sets, props and costumes onsite at VSC, filling the stage with homegrown craftsmanship. Actors are cast from Broadway and theaters across the country, as well as from Hampton Roads' wealth of professional actors.

VSC's five-show season memberships are available from $90 to $210. For more information on memberships, contact the Box Office at 757-627-1234 or visit www.vastage.com. Single tickets will go on sale in August.