THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509090121
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 163 lines
LABOR DAY AFTERNOON WAS warm and pleasant, but it was downright hot and stuffy up in the costume loft at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach.
Yet volunteers Jorja Jean and Mark Hudgins had chosen to spend their holiday closed up in the attic-like space ``getting control of the costume loft,'' as they described their project.
Sorting through thousands of costumes and accessories has been a summer-long job. The pair is arranging the costumes in a semblance of order - a rack of vintage costumes, some going back to the 1860s; a rack of 1625-era costumes for Shakespeare and other classic plays; a rack of costumes dating to the 1920s and so on.
It was dusty, uncomfortable work, one of many unglamorous, behind-the-scenes chores that have to be done to keep the Little Theater of Virginia Beach up and running.
In fact, without folks like Jean and Hudgins and hundreds of other volunteers who are willing to give up their holidays, evenings and weekends, the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach would cease to exist.
With them, it has become the oldest arts organization in the city and one of the longest continuously running little theaters in South Hampton Roads, said theater board president Tom Felton.
Since May, 1948, when the newly organized group produced ``My Sister Eileen'' at the W.T. Cooke Elementary School auditorium, theater buffs in Virginia Beach have had a little theater. Until they built their own home on Barberton Drive in 1971, the plays were performed in everything from school auditoriums, to the Virginia Beach Community House on Arctic Avenue (which became the original Virginia Beach Arts Center) and the old Roland Theater on 17th Street.
Even under the worst of circumstances, the volunteers kept on plugging. Take for example the year when the current theater was under construction and they were without a place to perform. The group still managed to give a few performances for high school English students.
``We have never missed a year!'' Felton said.
Today, the theater at 24th Street and Barberton Drive is still an all-volunteer organization producing a phenomenal six plays a year, averaging 10 or more performances each. They are so popular in the community that the 154-seat theater sells out for many of the shows, Felton said.
Last year theater volunteers gave a grand total of 15,000 hours to keep the wheels turning. ``We're talking about volunteers here at a pretty high level,'' Felton said.
The volunteers are dedicated theater folk who come from all over the area to act in plays and help with scenery, props and costumes. The theater also gets a helping hand from local high school drama club members. Felton estimates that for any one production, there are as many people working backstage as there are acting on stage.
Then there's the 18-member Virginia Beach Little Theatre board. Felton, who has been president for the past three years, has a real job as the foreign language supervisor for the Chesapeake Public Schools. He also will be directing John Guare's drama, ``Six Degrees of Separation,'' opening in January.
Jim Mitchell, who serves on the board in the position of technical coordinator, can do anything from operating the computerized system of stage lights to generating a puff of smoke from the fog machine. Mitchell not only is producing Thornton Wilder's ``Our Town,'' but also is one of the stars in the drama, which opens the theater's 1995-96 season on Sept. 22.
The other 16 board members are also working board members. Hudgins, who was struggling to gain control of the costume loft, is the board member in charge of costumes. Bob Burchette, vice president for business, handles insurance and works on grants in addition to having acted in 18 little theater shows over the years.
Others serve in jobs from accountant to box office manager. Board members also step up to do everything from selling tickets to arranging cast parties and opening night socials.
``We could not afford to hire our board,'' Felton said.
The board meets once a month but when a play is in production, members are down at the theater working all the time. For example, Mitchell, who works for Taste Unlimited, said he spends up to 20 hours working at the theater in the one week, alone, before a show opens.
This commitment of enthusiastic and able volunteers is one of three reasons the theater has been so successful, Felton said. He mentioned Burchette in particular as an example of a volunteer who acts professionally but also gives time to the theater.
``We have a lot of talented people in this area in theater arts,'' Felton said.
``We also have a tremendous amount of community support,'' he went on. ``We had over 600 subscribers last year.''
The third reason for success is the support of the Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, he added. Last year, the commission gave the little theater a grant of $10,000.
``They are very supportive of volunteer arts groups as well as professional groups,'' Felton said. ``And with volunteer groups, they get more bang for their buck.''
The $10,000 grant was part of a yearly budget that was close to $80,000 last year. The rest of the money comes from single ticket sales at $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and students; from subscribers who pay $40 for an adult and $30 for a senior season ticket and from patrons who pay from $50 to $250 for season tickets.
The arts and humanities grant allows the theater to take on an occasional risk and present a play that may be less than popular with the general public, Felton said. The play Felton is directing, ``Six Degrees of Separation,'' is this year's risk. ``It's an idea play,'' he said.
``So far, we've been successful with our risks,'' he went on, ``but we try to present a balanced season. For example `Our Town' is a traditional play but an American classic.''
Other plays already scheduled for this year are ``Stepping Out,'' a comedy by Richard Harris, ``Night Watch,'' a suspense thriller by Lucille Fletcher, and ``How the Other Half Loves,'' a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn.
``We try to make every show unique by using a wide variety of people to direct and act, so one person or personality doesn't dominate the entire season,'' Felton said. ``For example, the set crew might be the same, but the set designer is different.''
When the theater first opened in 1948, the group didn't have the luxury of rotating directors or actors or anybody else for that matter. The nucleus of volunteers year in and year out was a couple of dozen, ``perhaps,'' said theater founder Elizabeth Sills, who still occasionally directs a play for the group.
``I'd go on the street and drag audience members in,'' Sills recalled. MEMO: ``Our Town'' opens at 8 p.m. Sept. 22 and continues at 8 p.m. Sept. 23,
29 and 30 and Oct. 7, 13, and 14. Matinee performances are at 3 p.m.
Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and 8. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior
citizens and students. To make a reservation or for information on
season tickets, call the theater's, 24-hour voice mail box at 428-9233.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
Costume designer Jean Suleck makes a variety of costumes for Little
Theatre plays ranging from Shakespeare to American and other
classics.
ABOVE: Preparing for another season, Mark Hudgins and Jorda Jean
sift through containers of buttons in the costume loft of the Little
Theater's Barberton Drive building.
LEFT: Jim Mitchell, technical coordinator, can do anything from
operating the computerized system of stage lights to generating a
puff of smoke from the fog machine.
ON THE COVER: Theater board president Tom Felton says volunteers
donated 15,000 hours last year.[color photo]
Jim Mitchell, technical coordinator, can do anything from operating
the computerized system of stage lights to generating a puff of
smoke from the fog machine.
Graphic
TO LEARN MORE
To learn more about the arts, attend Arts in Virginia Beach, a
panel discussion, to be taped for the City Dialogue TV program at
7:30 p.m. Sept. 20, at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts. The
public should be seated by 7:15 p.m.
Five panelists from the arts community will discuss the arts and
answer questions from the audience. The program, moderated by Mayor
Meyera E. Oberndorf, will be rebroadcast on Channel 48 at 7:30 p.m.
on Mondays, 9 a.m. on Wednesdays, 2 p.m. on Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. on
Fridays and 9:30 p.m. on Sundays in October.
For more information or to register for limited seating, call the
city's Department of Video Services at 427-8047.
by CNB