FCT March Spotlight on British Mystery, Musicals, Summer Camp, and Scholarships

Bringing you live theatre since 1978!

"Fauquier Community Theatre is a 'go to' destination for weekend

arts enthusiasts, both in and out of the county."

Anita Sherman, Community Editor of Fauquier Times

Fauquier Community Theatre presents

the British Drawing Room Mystery

Night Must Fall by Emlyn Williams

Fauquier Community Theatre's play Night Must Fall is a psychological thriller and one of the best British mysteries from master playwright Emlyn Williams. It is suspense at its best and a must-see. The plot revolves around a wickedly charming bellhop who wins the confidence of an elderly invalid living in a calm English countryside in the 1930's.

Inspector Belsize (Wilson Johnson) from Scotland Yard is persistent in trying to investigate mysterious situations at the home of Mrs. Bramson (Hilary Pierce, far left) set in Essex, England.

Thrills and chills, twists and turns are all abundant in this dark tale of suspense. Night Must Fall opens on Friday, March 13 and runs through Sunday, March 29, 2020 with nine performances as part of Fauquier Community Theatre’s 42nd Anniversary Season.

Some of the roles have been double-cast, including Mrs. Bramson (Hilary Pierce, Lori McInnis) and the young maid Dora (Bevin Hester, Carleigh Hopkins.)

Nurse Libby (Kimberly Stierle) attends to Mrs. Bramson (Lori McInnis)

while Olivia (Dawn Gaynor) her niece looks on.

Fauquier Community Theatre’s production is true to the script with a very British flair. Director Peter M. Marsh says the talented cast was chosen for their ability to capture the essence of the English mystery.

Dan (Ben Rawlins) is about to use his charm on the young maid Dora (Bevin Hester)

as Mrs. Terence (Carolyn A Cameron) surmises.

Spotlight on Rising Talent

The actors are multi-talented including the youth who are involved in the arts in various ways. Hester (pictured above) is a junior at Colgan High School Center for Fine and Preforming Arts, in which she concentrates in Theatre Performance. As an aspiring Broadway actress, she was selected for the Governors School at Radford University for Theatre.

Ben Rawlins, plays the role of the charming and unpredictable, Dan. Rawlins has acted most of his childhood, in plays, musicals and film. At age 21, he is currently writing his own musical and an album.

Carleigh Hopkins, shown in her role as Dora the maid. She is the four-time recipient of the Best Actress award from the Virginia Theatre Association and a Best Featured Actress award from DC Metro Theatre Arts.

Production Team

Night Must Fall is produced by Dianne Moss who has worked in community theatre for over 20 years. Costume mistress Amber L. Kiffney has placed the actors in period dress capturing the elegance of the era. Hair and makeup by Erin Briner enhance the character roles. Stage manager Mickalei Lindquist makes sure everything is in place and the period props add to the production.

The drawing room set design by Molly Marsh transforms the stage and brings the audience to England for the evening. While many people worked on building the set, Doug Barylski and Todd Skiles are noted for the transformation from a bare stage floor to the British drawing room. A new lighting system at Fauquier Community Theatre has been designed by Brandon Gibson and adds to the artistic value of the production.

Members of the crew have been nominated this year for competitive awards by the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors for their work on productions at Fauquier Community Theatre. Briner is listed in the category of Outstanding Makeup Design and Lindquist for Outstanding Costume Design. Skiles is nominated for Outstanding Set Painting and Gibson for Outstanding Light Design.

Notes from Director Peter M. Marsh

"We all have this creative urge or instinct inside us. For some people it may be painting, for some people it’s making costumes or decorating their house; and when someone wants to try their hand at acting, Fauquier Community Theatre is there to help cultivate that interest."

"It is so fun to watch how the two casts have evolved and how subtle variations in the performances between two actors emerge. The lines are written so richly. The show is set at the tail-end of England’s rigid class system and the characters all represent a facet of English society."

Marsh has been purposely careful not to disclose too much of the plot, however he does reveal that, Night Must Fall “is a roller-coaster ride and doesn’t fit in just one niche. It is not a pure murder mystery or a pure drama. I call it an English Drawing Room Murder Drama-Comedy. There is great character work in the show and the script is written to make the audience laugh in one moment and be horrified in the next."

Meet and Greet Reception for Opening Night

Opening night of Night Must Fall is Friday, March 13. There will be a meet and greet reception following the show for all FCT members to talk to the director, cast, and crew while enjoying complimentary refreshments. To see who the cast will be that evening, see Cast List.

Reserve your tickets for Night Must Fall which opens on March 13 and runs through March 29, 2020 for nine performances. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2 pm. Tickets prices are $16 for students and seniors and $18 for adults. All performances take place at the Vint Hill Theater on the Green located at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton, Virginia. Tickets for reserved seating may be purchased online at www.FCTstage.org , calling 540-349-8760, or by emailing tickets@FCTstage.org. Reserve early for your favorite seating preferences.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Sponsored by GoWell Urgent Care

Tickets on sale for

FCT's production of Disney's Frozen, JR.

Order early for reserved seating.

FCT's Disney’s Frozen, JR.

Fauquier Community Theatre presents the musical Disney's Frozen, JR. directed by Katy Benko Miner and produced by Jeanmarie Copeland through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. Nine performances will take place between June 12 and June 27, 2020 at the Vint Hill Theater on the Green located at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton. Tickets are $13 for students and seniors, and $15 for adults. Reserve your tickets online today for your favorite seating preferences at www.FCTstage.org, or by emailing tickets@FCTstage.org, or by calling 540-349-8760. The production is sponsored by GoWell Urgent Care.

March is Arts Education Month

Arts education plays a special role at Fauquier Communty Theatre, especially for our youth, as they learn about acting, singing, dancing and expanding their creativity. Below are exciting summer theatre camps for all levels of experience from beginning, to those who have been in featured and lead roles. Also note that Fauquier Community Theatre offers college scholarships. More information is below about all these youth opportunities.

FCT One-Week Take Center Stage!

Summer Showcase Camp for ages 8 to 13

July 6 - July 10, 2020

Take Center Stage! FCT Showcase Camp, directed by Katy Benko Miner is for ages 8 to13. The performing arts camp will take place from July 6 to July 10 from 9:30 am - 2 pm at the Vint Hill Theatre on the Green located at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton, Virginia. This one-week fun and educational camp is designed to showcase the talents of young performers. Camp will consist of singing, dancing, and acting. All registrations will be accepted and each camper will be "showcased" in songs, scenes and roles. Registration is first come, first served, space is limited so please submit promptly. For more information and the link to register for Take Center Stage! click TAKE CENTER STAGE SUMMER CAMP

FCT Summer Theatre Two-Week Musical Camp

The Addams Family Young@Part for ages 11 to 18

July 20 - 31, 2020

Summer Theatre Camp at Fauquier Community Theatre is two weeks long and this year will result in youth ages 11 to 18 producing the musical The Addams Family Young@Part. The favorite characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, best known from the 1964 television show The Addams Family are back, including Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Lurch in this fun wacky musical. The difference is now Wednesday is grown up and is at the center of this musical comedy as she begins dating a boy from a more traditional family than hers.

The musical is directed by Elizabeth Nefferdorf. For more information and to register, click ADDAMS FAMILY SUMMER CAMP . Space is limited and early registration is suggested. The Addams Family summer camp will take place July 20 through July 31: Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Performances will be presented on Friday July 31 and Saturday, August 1. Summer camp and shows will take place at the Vint Hill Theatre on the Green located at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton.

Fauquier Community Theatre Scholarship Applications Due April 1, 2020

Fauquier Community Theatre invites college-bound high school seniors with demonstrated abilities in the performing arts to apply for scholarships. The scholarship application is due no later than April 1, 2020, however submitting

prior to the deadline is recommended.

The scholarships range from $500 to $2500 and are for local high school seniors who desire to pursue further education in the theatre arts. With the help of these scholarships, young aspiring actors, actresses, musicians, and theatre technicians are aided in deferring the cost of higher education as they seek to acquire further training.

All applications are reviewed by a committee and will be scored using a rubric system. Not all applicants will be awarded a scholarship. Last year there were four Fauquier Community Theatre Performing Arts Scholarship recipients. For additional information including to access the online scholarship application, click on FCT SCHOLARSHIPS.

FAUQUIER COMMUNITY THEATRE

www.FCTstage.org

4225 Aiken Dr Warrenton, VA 20187 | 540-349-8760

FCT enriches and entertains a range of audiences through a variety of live theatre productions that enhance the cultural life of the community.

FCT offers a range of challenging creative opportunities that inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in theatre.

FCT cultivates an appreciation of the performing arts in our community, educates through experience, participates in community activities, and collaborates with other arts groups.

Many thanks to all the business sponsors, individual donors, members, and volunteers who work together to support community theater at Fauquier Community Theatre.

Fauquier Community Theater is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization

and is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts

and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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