Thursday, September 1, 2011

The 2012 season!!

I am thrilled and excited to announce our 2012 Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival season! This year's season will include TWO OUTDOOR productions and we will produce our SECOND MUSICAL, with a fresh take on an American musical classic.


Here it is folks! The wait is over!

Comedy of Errors (June 1st - July 20th) 


In 2012 Endstation will expand its outdoor offerings with this madcap Shakespearean comedy which will take place on the grounds of Sweet Briar House (the original Sweet Briar plantation home and now home to the SBC president). This particular production will run in repertory through the entire season, allowing visitors from outside the area to see two different productions in one weekend. Endstation will also tackle this high energy comedy by performing the show with only six actors portraying all of the roles, intensifying its madcap energy. This production will be sure to have you rolling in the grass with laughter as you enjoy a picnic and wine.

Big River (June 21 - July 1) 


Endstation is excited to produce this classic musical based on Mark Twain's novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. We meet Huck Finn, who has been recently adopted by the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, Huck finds trouble when his estranged and ill intentioned father returns to town. Huck is forced to fake his own death to escape and joins up with another on the run - Jim, a slave in the search of freedom. Huck and Jim's journey takes them down the Mississippi River. Their passage down the river is one filled with adventure, laughter, and valuable lessons. This folk and bluegrass inspired musical score and Endstation's exciting new and fresh approach will be sure to wow audiences.

Macbeth (July 6 - July 22nd) 


The conclusion of Endstation's 2012 summer season will be one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedies. The story of Macbeth is a morality tale about greed, ambition, and the lust for power. The tale of the Macbeths, their rise to power and ultimate self destruction remains a timeless story and a tale well suited for Endstation's brand of adaptation. Endstation will once again be collaborating with the bluegrass inspired rockband Virgineola (Hamlet 2010) to create a powerful, exciting, and thrilling night of live outdoor theatre. 

There's more?!

We also have some other season events on the docket. In May, we will be bringing back our "Broadway in the Blue Ridge" kick off concert. Our new Associate Artistic Director, Michael Stablein Jr., is in search of a "theatre for young audiences" production that we hope to send into area elementary schools in May. In July, we will hold a concert reading of a new bluegrass musical we have in development, which we are very excited to share with the public. Then, as usual, we will welcome some incredible playwrights to the Sweet Briar College campus to participate in our annual Playwright's Initiative in July. 

So stay tuned, get excited, and join us in May 2012!!!

Geoffrey Kershner
Artistic Director 


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