Month: May 2013

After nine years and an estimated $9 million renovation and expansion, the historic State Theatre of Culpeper has reopened its doors for a week-long 75^th Anniversary Celebration and a future filled with renowned musicians, film, dance, and live theater.

“Some of the theater’s most stunning features are the reproduction of the original carpet and the beautifully reproduced wall sconces that grace the auditorium walls. The original proscenium arch embraces the stage as it did 75 years ago,” said the theater’s Executive Director Ed Bednarczyk.

The extensive revamp didn’t come cheap.  Builders and planners were charged with the delicate task of returning the circa 1938 theater to its former Art Deco glory, installing $1 million in state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and projection equipment, and expanding the lobby and reception areas, all while adhering to strict Department of Interior guidelines for restoring historic treasures. The building retains the quaint original touches of a theater built during the golden age of Hollywood, like the brightly colored marquee proudly advertising the luxury of air conditioning, and the painted farewell over the exit, “Y’all come back!”

The developers relied heavily on $3.24 million in federal and state Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, according to Erica Stewart, public affairs manager with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as an ongoing community fundraising effort.

The theater’s founders, Culpeper residents Greg and Liz Yates, also happen to be the parents of Cameron Yates, editor of the four-time Academy Award nominated 2012 film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and director of the documentary The Making of Beasts of the Southern Wild.

The theater’s 560 seats, which were donated by the Kennedy Center, were nearly filled for a special screening of both films on May 5, hosted by the Yates family. Dr. Mike Mashon, the Library of Congress director of film preservation at the Packard Campus in Culpeper, led a question and answer session with Yates and Philipp Englehorn, the executive producer of Beasts of the Southern Wild, whose company, Cinereach, owns the film.

Davis Street, Culpeper’s main drag, has seen an almost complete transformation in the last fifteen years. The road, once lined with boarded up warehouses and vacant storefronts is now a vibrant tourist destination filled with wine shops, art galleries, boutique reclaimed furniture stores and gourmet restaurants. Bednarczyk is sure that the town will only benefit further, culturally and economically, from the presence of the stately new theater and the big name acts on the lineup.

The 75^th Anniversary Gala began with a sold-out performance by Williamsburg, Virginia native and Grammy Award-winner Bruce Hornsby on May 4, and The Courage to Lead, a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on May 6. The reopening celebration will wrap up tomorrow, Saturday, May 11, with an evening with actor, country music legend, and ladies’ man, Lyle Lovett, performing with His Acoustic Group. To purchase tickets for 2013 season events, visit the State Theatre’s website (which is also making its debut), at www.culpepertheatre.org.

Enjoy the verbal sparring and spirited courtship of Katharina and Petruchio as Four County Players closes its 40th anniversary season with Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Comedy ensues when a determined suitor (Martyn Kyle) pursues a strong-willed and resistant maiden (a fiery Mendy St. Ours) and the couple engages in a battle of wills, learning to tolerate each other and, eventually, to love.

Through 5/19  $12-16, 8pm (2:30pm on Sundays). All Fridays are half-price. Four County Players Main Stage, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. (540) 832-5355.

“‘Leapin’ lizards!’ You do not want to miss this show,” said MaryAnne Thorton, the director of The Black Box Players’ production of Annie, which will open tomorrow evening. Thorton has directed all of The Black Box Players’ shows since she founded the theater in 1986, and has also written scripts for several of its recent musicals.

The Black Box Players is Charlottesville’s only non-audition community theater for youth and adults, where the emphasis is on fun and “quality family entertainment at reasonable prices,” rather than competition.

The 70-person musical production of Annie is no exception. Eleven-year-old Kaitlin Burton and twelve-year-old Dani Miller will take turns starring in their “dream role” as the adventurous and lovable orphan Annie. With Tony-award winning music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan, the production’s popular musical numbers include “Tomorrow,” “Maybe,” “Fully Dressed,” “Together At Last,” and “Little Girls.” The talented cast of children also features eight-year-old Lauren Grady and six-year-old McKenzie Gatesman as the young orphan Molly.

Among the adult cast members are Charif Soubra as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, the man who opens his home and heart to Annie, and Carrie Soubra, as Miss Hannigan, the orphanage matron. Derek Duval plays Rooster, Miss Hannigan’s scheming younger brother, and Jackie Baylink plays his girlfriend, Lily. Grace Farrell, Daddy Warbucks’s secretary who has a soft spot for Annie, is portrayed by Whitney Gatesman, and Tom Wallace takes on the role of President Roosevelt in the search for Annie’s real parents.

Annie’s canine companion, Sandy, is played by Huckleberry Knox, a laidback, 75-pound labradoodle.

Tickets will be on sale in the lobby a half-hour before each performance, or can be reserved by emailing ticketsbpp@gmail.com.

5/10-5/19  $9, 7pm (3pm on Sundays). Burnley-Moran Elementary School, 1300 Long St. 970-7600.