Holiday performance goes virtual - For 43 years Fauquier Community Theatre has produced a holiday show. Despite the 2020 pandemic, this year the tradition continues with “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" online. Thirty-nine local actors ages 8 to 78 will bring the holiday classic to life online Dec. 5 and 6.

The story will take the audience on an emotional sleigh ride in the small town of Bedford Falls, in upstate New York. It is a place symbolic of towns all across America -- including Old Town Warrenton.

Michael Pryor plays the role of George Bailey in Fauquier Community Theatre’s latest production. In real life, Pryor is the principal at Saint Timothy Catholic School in Chantilly.

Set in 1946 in a radio broadcast studio on Christmas Eve, the play is written by Joe Landry. The show replicates a 1940s radio broadcast. Holiday music like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World” and “Auld Lang Syne” boost the holiday spirit of the show.

The audience, right along with the main character George Bailey, will discover the immense value of the importance of family and friends. The theme throughout is that life has purpose. As Clarence the angel (played by Cliff Rieger) says, “Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

The roles of George’s wife, Mary Hatch Bailey (played by Amanda Jones) and the children, Janie (Stella), Pete (Jackson) Tommy (Adriel), and Zuzu (Addison) show just how much is at stake for George. Mary holds the family together through all situations.

The cast is dressed in costumes of the era – complete with pin curls, waves and victory rolls for the women and girls. High school student Bevin Hester's fits the 1940's era perfectly and is one of the singers in the show for the Christmas carols and the radio station jingle. She has been in numerous FCT productions including Steel Magnolias and My Fair Lady.

Pompadour or slicked-backed styles with Brylcreem give the men and boys that 1940s polished looked. There are familiar faces to be seen from the Town of Warrenton, including local business owners Dr. Thomas Nicolai (pictured) of Fauquier Chiropractic, who plays Uncle Billy, and James Tucker, an architect, who plays Charlie in the scene about the run on the bank. Both men are also in the closing scene when “Auld Lang Syne” plays. FCT is appreciative that they became business sponsors after being cast in the show.

Local residents will also recognize Jeffrey Walker, who portrays the role of the rich and tyrannical Henry F. Potter. Walker has been a theater teacher in the area for almost 20 years and has directed more than 40 plays and musicals. He is also a part-time theater journalist and critic; he has written articles for DC Theatre Scene and Broadway World.

Two cast members play the role of the Foley artists (Sonia E. Bronder and Doug Barylski), who work behind the scenes of the radio show to produce sound effects with everyday items – just like in the early days of radio. Bronder is also the assistant director of FCT’s play and in addition to those duties, she also handled music and sound direction, editing and mixing. She remarked that “The acting in the show is phenomenal and the message resonates with every community. The audience will love it.”

Director Betsy Hansen and Bronder bring the classic story to the audience in creative ways. Hansen said, “The show is especially relevant and meaningful now. It reminds us all to take a moment to look back at one’s life and the impact that we have had on others.” She added that she is grateful for the chemistry among all the actors on screen despite being remote. "It has been a joy to direct this show" she exclaims. Hansen remarks that the combination of the actors' talent, characterizations, as well as directing and casting choices at the well-attended auditions that were held online all came together. All rehearsals were held online as well. The cast became endeared to the show including Addison who plays Zuzu, pictured here. The bell ornament from her grandmother many years ago has new significance on the family's Christmas tree.

The two all-online performances for FCT's “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” will be Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. (Technically, ticket holders will have 24-hour access to view the online streamed show on those days since it is being streamed on the professional platform of Broadway on Demand's ShowShare.)

Tickets are $10 for an individual ticket, $15 for two people, and $20 for an entire family; they are available at www.fctstage.org. The running time of the show is one hour and 15 minutes. The Saturday evening performance will be followed by an online meet and greet with the cast at 9 p.m. Guests will be able to ask questions and chat with the actors.

All ticket purchasers will be emailed detailed instructions for access to the show and the meet and greet. That email will go out no later than the morning of the show. Any questions may be emailed to [email protected] or left on the FCT message line which will be monitored closely: 540-349-8760. An additional direct contact number will also be sent to ticket purchasers.

The show is sponsored by NOVEC (Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative) and with assistance from a project grant from the Patricia and Nicolaas Kortlandt Memorial Fund of the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation. The play is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.

Fauquier Community Theatre is a nonprofit supported in part by individual and business contributions, through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts and locally with assistance from the PATH Foundation and the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation.

This feature article appeared in the Fauquier Times on December 3. See the article here along with additional photos.

In this song writing workshop, these two professional songwriters Paul Reisler and Cheryl Toth, will work with individuals and/or familes for 2 one-hour sessions, to teach songwriting including writing a complete song with others in the sesssions. At the end of the workshop, the participants will receive a professional recording of the song. The songwriting workshops will take place on Monday, December 28 and Wednesday, December 30, both at 7 pm. On Valentine's Day weekend a 45 minute concert will be held virtually that will include the group song written in class. The theme of the song will be related to love and family.

Cheryl Toth remarked, "We are now offering our songwriting programs in a virtual format, giving both adults and children the opportunity to connect, share, and create during these times of social distancing." 

The cost is $45 per individual registration or family members can join as one group on one internet device. The price includes the online songwriting workshop and admission to the online concert on Valentine's Day weekend that will include the group song. For more information and to register, click Songwriting Class

Songwriter Bios:

Paul Reisler - Ever since he started making up songs at the age of five, Paul Reisler has led the musical life. He’s a composer, songwriter, recording artists, performer and teacher. He’s the founder and artistic director of Kid Pan Alley, co-founder of Trapezoid, as well as his current bands, Paul Reisler & A Thousand Questions featuring Howard Levy, and Three Good Reasons. Over the past 45 years, he’s performed in over 3,000 concerts, recorded close to three-dozen albums, co-written Aesop’s Fables for Orchestra and Narrator, as well as the script and songs for a new musical entitled Bouncin’.He’s has written more songs than the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Stephen Foster combined—somewhere north of 3,000 compositions thanks in no small part to his army of 65,000 short collaborators as well a handful of Grammy-winning co-writers. Artists including Sissy Spacek, Raul Malo, Darrell Scott, Cracker, Corey Harris, Jesse Winchester and many others have recorded his songs. Paul Reisler is one of the most popular songwriting teachers in the country.

Cheryl Toth - When she started school, her ability to sing harmony landed her invitations to join her first choir at the age of 9. This passion led to earning a bachelors and master degree in music education. Cheryl is an avid music educator. She believes in the creative process integrating voice, movement, improvisation and instrumentation as a means of inspiration and discovery. She started her professional career as an elementary school music teacher. This led to a position supervising the elementary music program for 136 schools for the Fairfax County Public School district. Then she served as an elementary school principal for 8 years before joining Kid Pan Alley. Her experience includes teaching preschool students with special needs through high school. She has served coordinator of the All County Choral Festival for 900 voices and assistant conductor for the George Mason Symphonic Chorus. She has performed with the Symphonic Chorus at the Philharmonic in Koln, Germany.

Classes taught by Katy Benko-Miner and her artistic team took place online from September - November for ages 8-16. The 8 weeks of classes consisted of acting, singing, and choreography. The popular program reached capacity in enrollment in the fall. The youth presented a virtual showcase for their families. In addition, the youth performed a special reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" which will be included in some of FCT's holiday events. PACE classes will run again in the new year. More information and registration will be available beginning December 15, 2020 at www.FCTstage.org or by calling 540-349-8760. These new arts education classes were launched in part by a project grant from the Patricia and Nicolaas Kortlandt Memorial Fund of the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation.

Business sponsors and partnerships help us all build a better and more resourceful community. Fauquier Community Theatre's sponsors are on a rotating basis and can be started at any time. Renewals are easy also. This month is the best time for sponsors to gain the most visibility with the holiday show reaching so many households in Fauquier County and beyond. Whether as a new sponsor, or a returning one, it is easy to add your sponsorship. For more information click on COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. Have your business front and center stage in the community with FCT. Questions? Email [email protected] or call FCT's executive director Debra Smyers at 540-349-8760.