The Visit - 2008 - Arlington, VA (Regional) Articles Page 8

Farmers Alley Theatre is presenting Come from Away.  Come from Away is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and stranded travelers they housed and fed. Come From Away at Farmers Alley Theatre runs September 25th- October 26th, with an American Sign Language interpreted performance on Saturday, October 4th at 2:00pm.  We had the chance to interview the Director and Costume Designer for Come From Away, and see what Kathy Mulay had to say, as well as her thoughts on Come From Away.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month, commemorating the moment in 1965 when it opened its doors as the nation's first public arts conservatory.

Tuacahn Amphitheatre has announced its 2026–2027 season, a lineup that balances blockbuster musicals, a family favorite, and a comedy hit, with productions running in both the iconic outdoor amphitheatre and the Hafen Indoor Theatre.

BroadwayWorld talks to Brian Copeland about 'The Waiting Period,' his searingly honest and surprisingly humorous life-saving solo show which will have its 500th performance September 20th at The Marsh Berkeley, coincidingBrian Copeland could easily point to any number of impressive achievements from his multi-faceted career. As a standup comic, he’s opened for icons like Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson. His seminal theater piece Not a Genuine Black Man still reigns as the longest-running solo show in San Francisco theater history. For 5 years, he co-hosted KTVUs Mornings on 2, and for 27 years hosted his own radio program on KGO. Related to the latter, he will be inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame next month, something of which he is particularly proud. But – if you ask him “What is the most worthwhile thing you’ve ever done?” he answers without hesitation, “The Waiting Period,” because it has actually saved people’s lives. I spoke with him recently to learn more about this uniquely impactful solo theater piece, which will mark its 500th performance on September 20th at The Marsh Berkeley. As has become standard practice for The Waiting Period, tickets are free of charge. Based on his personal experience, the piece is an exploration of depression and suicidal ideation, its title referring to the state-mandated 10 ten days that must elapse between purchasing a gun and taking possession of it. For Copeland, those ten days were literally a lifesaver, and so he felt compelled to share his story. Although he’d long struggled with depression, back in 2008 he was faced with an unimaginable chain of events that was more than he could handle. Within a short time, the grandmother who’d raised him died of a stroke, his wife announced out of the blue that she wanted a divorce, and he got into a horrific accident that totaled his car and necessitated spinal cord surgery, putting on his couch in a neck brace for three months, popping Vicodin. Thoughts of suicide became inescapable so he purchased a TomCat, planning to use it to end his life. Against all odds, he managed to “white-knuckle it” through the waiting period while the most acute aspects of his depression lifted just enough to stop him from killing himself. But, as Copeland says, “The thing about depression is it’s never cured – it’s better, it’s worse, it’s manageable, there are times when it’s absent - but it’s always a hair trigger away from something, from some catastrophe or some chemical imbalance.” Once the fog had lifted at least temporarily, he seriously started rethinking his experience as someone who believes in finding reasons for things. During that period, a young man within Copeland’s circle committed suicide at the age of fifteen and Robin Williams killed himself as well, although the complicating factor of Lewy Body Dementia had not been made public at that time. Copeland took those incidents like a blow to the solar plexus and began to explore what he could personally do to help prevent such tragedies. He was encouraged to bring his own struggles to light by his publicist, who happened to have represented film icon Rock Hudson in 1985 when the actor announced to the world that he had AIDS, thereby removing some of the stigma from that disease. The publicist suggested to Copeland that by going public with his story maybe he could do the same thing for depression and suicidal ideation. Copeland had received his mission. Collaborating with the Bay Area’s guru of solo performance, David Ford, Copeland set out to “create a show about depression that wasn’t depressing,” making sure to include enough reality-based humor to draw audiences in and counterbalance the heaviness of the topic. As he puts it, “the comedy makes the drama much more impactful, and the drama makes the comedy funnier because it’s a release.” The Waiting Period opened at The Marsh in 2012 and became an instant sensation, winning awards and getting extended multiple times. After a year or so, Copeland realized he couldn’t keep performing the show on a regular basis because it required him relive some very dark and harrowing episodes. But he felt he could continue to do the show on an occasional basis, maybe twice a month or so, without seriously endangering his own mental health. He also talked to Stephanie Weisman, artistic director of The Marsh, about making the show free of charge to audiences so that cost wouldn’t be a barrier to attending. Weisman readily agreed to having a GoFundMe campaign was set up to cover basic production costs like theater staffing. Copeland and his publicist then placed calls to various industry contacts and were stunned by the outpouring of support from celebrities like Glenn Close, Ed Asner and Lucie Arnaz, whose lives had been personally touched by depression and suicide. Fast forward to 2025, and Copeland is now embarking on the 500th performance of The Waiting Period on September 20th, timed to coincide with Suicide Prevention Month. Copeland remains committed to continuing to do the show because he knows the profound impact it’s had on the lives of so many people, from the letters he’s received and follow-up conversations he’s had. Just one example: a woman planned to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge one Sunday morning and stopped off at her favorite café enroute to savor one last coffee and pastry before ending her life. She noticed the San Francisco Chronicle “pink” section lying on her table and thumbed through it while finishing her coffee. It happened to contain a brief article about The Waiting Period that noted a performance would be happening that very afternoon. She was intrigued enough to alter her plan - slightly. She decided to flip a coin and if it came up heads, she would proceed straight to the bridge; if it came up tails, she would go see Copeland’s show first. It came up tails, and so she went to see The Waiting Period, the core message of which is “If you’re thinking of doing some kind of harm to yourself, tell someone first.” When the play was over, she remained in her seat crying for another twenty minutes, then called her sister to tell her what she was thinking of doing, and her sister got her help. Or there’s the story of a woman who struggled with depression and her husband always wondered why she couldn’t just lighten up and smell the roses. She basically dragged him to The Waiting Period, and afterwards he said to her, “That’s what you’ve been going through? I had no idea.” And that’s the thing with depression: it is so misunderstood. It’s not something that can be cured by thinking happy thoughts. As Copeland says, “You know, we’re dealing with a disease, and yet people are ashamed of it. There’s such shame and stigma attached to it, and I want people to know they have nothing to be ashamed of, any more than if you had Lou Gehrig’s Disease or muscular dystrophy or cancer. You wouldn’t be ashamed of those afflictions. And the world, society, would be a lot more sympathetic.” As a comedian and talk show host, i.e. someone who earns his living projecting amiability and cheerfulness, Copeland makes a perfect communicator for that message. If someone as seemingly light-hearted as him can suffer from depression, then it can truly happen to anyone. When he started debuted The Waiting Period in 2012, some people were quite surprised to learn that he’d ever wanted to kill himself. And yet, what sticks with him most over the years is the number of people who’ve approached him after a performance and whispered in his ear that they, too, are “one of us,” as Copeland refers to those who experience acute depression. Some of them are people Copeland knows well and are in the public eye, people he says you would never guess struggled with the disease. Toward the conclusion of our conversation, Copeland tells me, “If there’s nothing else at all worthwhile I’ve done while I was here, at least there are a couple of people walking around who might not be here.” I tell him that’s a statement most of us can’t make, myself included, and he responds, “You don’t know that. That’s the thing. I’m fortunate enough that I’m in a position where people are able to reach out and tell me. But you don’t know who you told to have a nice day to, who were planning on doing something and ended up not because of your kindness, you know, in tipping the barista and saying they did a good job one day when they thought they were worthless and were going to do something right after they got off work. There are stories like that, and those stories are real.” (Header photo of Brian Copeland by Joan Marcus) --- The Waiting Period will play its 500th performance 5:00pm, Saturday, September 20 at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Additional dates are soon to be announced. Thanks to the support of generous donors, general admission tickets are FREE. Supporters may donate $50/$100 for reserved seats, funds which make it possible for others to see the show at no cost. To order free tickets or reserve seats, please visit themarsh.org. with National Suicide Prevention Month.

MGM+ has greenlit Words + Music, a new music docuseries based on Audible’s audio series of the same name. The series will premiere on November 30th and feature Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, and Alanis Morissette.

A robust talk back series will follow select performances of The Whole of Time by celebrated Argentinian playwright Romina Paula in a translation by Jean Graham-Jones.

Sarasota Opera has received a $60,000 Empowering Arts Grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation to support its 2025–2026 programming and operations. The grant, made possible through the Zoe Anderson Charitable Fund and the Venice Endowment Fund, will help sustain world-class performances and educational outreach programs.

Did you know that the Richard Rodgers Theatre, current home of Hamilton, has housed more Best Musical Tony Award winners than any other Broadway house? Since the Tony Awards began in 1947 and began issuing a Best Musical Award in 1949, nine Best Musicals have played the Richard Rodgers Theatre, which used to be named the 46th Street Theatre.

New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices program has announced its next participating composers – Lisa Bielawa for the 2025-2026 season and Mary Kouyoumdjian for the 2026-2027 season.

Rachel Potter (“The X Factor,” Evita) will sing selections from her new album at this live concert. The 8/11 concert will also feature guest singers from the album including Ali Stroker (Oklahoma!), Christine Dwyer (Wicked), and more.

Read our review of the classic musical Pippin at The Off-Beat Players. Pippin will run through August 2 at 7:30 at the Performing Arts Center of Greenwich Country Day School.

Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival will return to San Antonio on Saturday, October 18, 2025, transforming St. Paul Square into a dynamic open-air gallery from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.

The two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet has released Woodland Songs: Music of Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha' Tate, Pura Fé, and Dvořák. Learn more and see when the album is available!

The best part of this production is the way in which every actor appears fully engaged every moment they are on stage, and they all look like they’re having the time of their lives.

Nickelodeon, GEA Live, and Senbla announced Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert – The 20th Anniversary Tour (www.avatarinconcert.com) will land in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Popejoy Hall on Sunday, November 2, 6:30pm.

Next week, 54 BELOW, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Laura and Linda Benanti, and more! See the full lineup here!

As a lead up last week to Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, five of the world’s greatest competitive eaters volunteered at Food Bank For New York City, the city’s largest hunger relief organization, working to eradicate food insecurity across the five boroughs.

The largest Mexican film festival outside of Mexico, Hola México Film Festival presented by Toyota, returns for its 17th annual edition on September 12 - 20, 2025, during Hispanic Heritage Month.

This summer, LEGALLY BLONDE the musical struts onto the Malkin Bowl stage for a summer of sparkle and show-stopping songs. Back by popular demand, the hit show makes its highly anticipated return as part of Theatre Under The Stars’ 2025 season, playing in repertory with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from June 27 to August 16.

The Ashland New Plays Festival (ANPF) has announced the four winning playwrights for its 2025 Fall Festival, selected from more than 350 script submissions. The winning plays will receive staged readings during the festival, running October 15–19, 2025.

Taraji P. Henson and Cedric “The Entertainer” will star in a new production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone on Broadway. Learn more about the upcoming production here!

Reimagined by an international team of creative minds together with Hong Kong Ballet's Choreographer-in-Residence HU Song Wei Ricky and MAI Jingwen, The Butterfly Lovers is a legendary Chinese folktale about humble scholar Liang Shanbo and aristocratic heiress Zhu Yingtai.

Broadway Bound Theatre Festival has unveiled its 2025 Summer Festival line-up, spotlighting four new musicals and eight original plays, each of which are making their New York debut and that champion story, substance, and stagecraft.

Second Stage Theatre’s 43rd Street off-Broadway house, right near 8th Avenue, recently changed hands and is now the home of Studio Seaview . Seaview’s first production in the space is Angry Alan, starring John Krasinski. They have renovated and updated the space since Second Stage switched off-Broadway locations to now present shows at the Signature.

Mosaic Theater Company is extending the DC premiere of Andy Warhol in Iran to July 6, 2025. Written by Brent Askari and directed by Serge Seiden, this provocative, humorous portrait is a fictionalized account of the artist's infamous visit to Iran in 1976.