Virginia Stage Company’s 46th Season tackles hard subjects with “delight and humor”

WHRO | By Vicki L. Friedman

Published August 26, 2024 at 2:07 PM EDT

Starting Sept. 4, Virginia Stage Company’s new season is funny with a dark twist, artistic director Tom Quaintance said.

Check your expectations at the door of the Wells Theatre before attending any of the productions that comprise Virginia Stage Company's 46th season.

"You might think you know. …" said Tom Quaintance, producing artistic director at Virginia Stage Company. "We have too little surprise and delight in our lives. We're looking to provide both throughout the season at Virginia Stage Company."

Yes, there's horror, too. That genre, so often overlooked on the stage in favor of film, is part of the fun.

"I don't know if it's a reflection of the times we're living in, but the stories we're telling this season that are delightful and funny also have a dark twist," Quaintance said.

"I think that has to do with living in an uncertain and difficult time and being able to tackle uncertain and difficult subjects with delight and humor."

The madcap comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," running from Sept. 4-22, opens an ambitious bill. This will be followed in October by Kate Hamill's "Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really."

Melissa Mowry directs the Victorian drama of Bram Stoker's gothic novel. This marks the Virginia Beach native’s return to Hampton Roads after working off-Broadway.

Mowry, an Ocean Lakes High School graduate, has a master's in directing from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York.

"This is where my love and passion and desire for theater started," Mowry said. "It's also terrifying for me because my high school theater teacher will be coming to the show."

Growing up, Mowry watched the film "Dracula 2000." This stage version essentially turns Dracula on its head, she said.

"We're used to hearing the story of the men who interact with Dracula," Mowry said. "The point of view shifts in this play by looking at some of these incredibly defined male characters and seeing them turn into women. Therefore, the experience and the context they're working in is completely different."

The play runs from Oct. 16-Nov. 3.

For the first time anywhere, Mark Shanahan's two holiday plays – “A Merry Little Christmas Carol” and “A Sherlock Carol” – will run back to back.

Quaintance describes this pairing as truly Part II of the Ebeneezer Scrooge tale.

"We're the first theater to put these two shows together," said Quaintance.

He described "A Sherlock Carol" starring the Great Detective as "one of the best young plays I've read in a long time."

Those dates are Dec. 4-29.

The premiere regional production of "Fat Ham" ushers in 2025. The Pulitzer-Prize-winning adaption uses a skeletal version of "Hamlet" to tell the story of a Black family in the American South navigating queerness and trauma.

"It comes from joy and acceptance," Quaintance said. "It ends up being a party."

The final production of the season, "Little Shop of Horrors," runs March 6-30.

The cult classic will cast a woman in the role of Audrey II, the carnivorous plant that thrives on human blood.

Virginia Stage Company will be building its own puppets for the show that mixes rock, romance, mayhem and the late rockstar Meatloaf into a musical.

Quaintance hopes patrons will come to each of the productions with an open mind. There will be goosebumps, too.

"One of the things theater does best is gather people in a room together to share an experience," he said.

"It's powerful to share a laugh. It's also powerful to share a collective intake of breath. There's something about fear and being scared that can bring us together."

For tickets to performance and subscription packages, visit Virginia Stage Company.