past productions

2011

Good Good Trouble on Bad Bad Island
Written by Josh Mikel  

Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
June 1 - 5
Babcock Fine Arts Center Sweet Briar College
Written for young audiences by Endstation's resident playwright, Josh Mikel, this original play debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2010. A bad, bad Idol challenges good, good Rosa with a series of impossible tasks -- but what happens when she starts doing the impossible?! This wildly inventive adventure finds that sometimes family and good goodness can be found in the most unlikely of places. Read more on TimeOutNY.  

Cry of the Mountain
Created by Adelind Horan 

June 9 - 12
Babcock Gallery Sweet Briar College
This one-woman show, which was conceived and is performed by the talented Adelind Horan, tackles the complex issue of mountaintop coal removal in the Appalachian Mountains. Accompanied by live music, Adelind portrays 13 individuals impacted by mountaintop coal removal that she personally interviewed in Appalachian coal country. After each performance, Mike McCoy, Virginia Campaign Coordinator with Appalachian Voices, lead a discussion about mountaintop coal removal.

Assassins
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman 

Directed by Chad Larabee
June 23 - July 3
Babcock Theatre, Sweet Briar College
This most American of musicals lays bare the lives of nine infamous historical figures, who forged their way into our history books for their assassinations (or attempted assassinations) of some of our American presidents. Assassins explores the American experience in profound and startling ways, with a musical score by one of the most accomplished musical theatre composers, Stephen Sondheim.  

Twelfth Night
Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
July 9 - 24 Sweet Briar College Grounds 
Commonly regarded as Shakespeare's best comedy, this hysterical play is filled with mistaken identities, romance, and a little cross-dressing. Endstation will stage this hilarious comedy at Sweet Briar's old train station, utilizing a stunning mountain vista as its backdrop. Each night, audiences will enjoy a beautiful sunset while watching the tale unfold. This year, enjoy the show while tasting local wines!  Check out our Food & Wine page for more information and a schedule of wine nights, as well as our boxed dinners.  

2010

The Complete Works of Wiiliam Shakespeare (Abridged)
June 4 - 13

Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer & Jess Winfield
Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
Renaissance Theatre, Downtown Lynchburg

This hilarious show, originally created by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, features 3 actors who attempt to perform all the works of Shakespeare in two hours. What ensues is a raucous, slapstick comedy that educates and entertains simultaneously. Endstation’s production toured area high schools (E.C Glass High School, Amherst County
High School, and Nelson County High School), and served as an excellent comedic introduction of Shakespeare to high school students.

The show's seasonal run took place in Downtown Lynchburg at the Renaissance Theatre, and was met with sold out crowds, roaring laughter, and standing ovations. Our cast was comprised of three extremely talented actors and Endstation regulars: Derek Arey, Michael Stablein Jr., and Walter Kmiec. This comedy provided our actors with the opportunity to parody Shakespeare productions from Endstation’s past and present.

Alice in Wonderland
July 1-11

Written by Madge Miller
Directed by Susan Myburgh
Murchison LaneAuditorium,Sweet Briar College

Alice in Wonderland was our first production for young audiences. This beloved children's classic was an exciting offering for both children and adults. Our production showcased Endstation’s designers, who created a whimsical aesthetic filled with magic and wonder. One of the most exciting features of this show was the opportunity for children to meet the characters in the lobby after curtain. Characters signed programs and posters, and children were delighted to see their favorite characters up close. This truly embodied the beauty of live theatre, where artists and audience share a special relationship that is immediate and in the moment.

Hamlet
July 4 - 25

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
Sweet Briar College Grounds

Our outdoor production this summer was Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet. This was one of our most exciting productions to date. Staged outside an old dairy barn on the Sweet Briar campus, this show featured the live music of the Lynchburg band Virgineola. The production utilized
the grounds surrounding the barn, as well as the barn itself. In keeping with the aesthetic of the barn, our Hamlet found himself in Civil War Virginia, and we explored the themes and ideas of this beautiful play through this historical lens. As always, audience members brought picnics and enjoyed this play as a special theatrical experience.

2009

The Bluest Water: A Hurricane Camille Story
June 12-28, 2009
by Jason Chimonides

Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
Scenic Designer – Krista Franco
Lighting Designer – Dan Gallagher
Costume Designer – Sally Southall
Sound Designer – Bryce Page

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Hurricane Camille and its effects on Nelson County, Virginia, the Endstation Theatre Company remounted their successful production of The Bluest Water: A Hurricane Camille Story. The production was originally staged as part of the 2008 Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival and was met with great success. The sold out run of the 2008 production meant many in the community were unable to see the original run of the production. The remounted production offered another opportunity for the community to share in this special
work of theatre.

The Bluest Water is a memory play that takes the audience from 1969 Nelson County to Nelson County in present day. The play’s fictional characters try to heal as individuals and as a community in theface of great loss. Following each 2009 performance cast members met with audience members after the show, who wanted to share memories and reflections on the storm and its effects on the community. This gathering after each performance often became as important as the show itself.

A Midsummer Night's Dream
July 7-26, 2009
by William Shakespeare

Directed by Ryan Clark
Scenic Designer – Krista Franco
Lighting Designer – Dan Gallagher
Costume Designer – Sally Southall
Makeup Designer – Emily GarBee

A Midsummer Night’s Dream marked Endstation’s second outdoor envisioning of a bard classic by the Endstation Theatre Company. This hilarious comedy, which revolves around the mishaps of love during a Midsummer evening, was staged in “the dell” on the grounds of Sweet Briar College.

Audiences brought picnics and watched Shakespeare like they had never seen it before as it unfolded over a vast playing space. There was no “off stage” area in the production and characters remained active through the entire show as they could be seen hundreds of feet off in the distance creating a living backdrop to any given scene that was being played in the playing space nearest the audience. This created an extremely active and athletic production as actors entered and exited from great distances and from all around the audience. This was all highly coordinated and expertly executed by guest director Ryan Clark and a talented group of professional actors and local talent.

My Brother's Knife: A Madison Heights Odyssey
July 12-24
by Josh Mikel

Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
Scenic designer – Krista Franco
Lighting designer – Dan Gallagher
Costume designer – Sally Southall
Sound designer – Bryce Page

This world premier began development in the
summer of 2007 when playwright Josh Mikel was
performing in the first Endstation production, The Tell- Tale Heart and The Mind of Poe. Over a span of two years, Mikel and Artistic Director Geoffrey Kershner developed the piece in both Viriginia and at Florida State University. Part of this development process was moving the setting of the piece from rural Georgia to Central Viriginia, specifically Madison Heights, VA.

During the course of the play, we meet Wayne Howling Wind, a Monacan Indian man who is preparing to jump off the Williams Viaduct into the James River in 1983. He is stopped by a disfunction Amherst County Sherrifs Deputy, which sets off a chain reaction of events that leads to the unravleing of Wayne's dark past. This southern gothic story that took place in our very own Central Virginia town dealt with heritage, identity, and an uncertain future.

2008

The Bluest Water: A Hurricane Camille Story
June 12 - Jun 28
by Jason Chimonides

Directed by Geoffrey Kershner
Scenic designer – Krista Franco
Lighting designer – Dan Gallagher
Costume designer – Sally Southall
Sound designer – Bryce Page

The Bluest Water was developed over a two year span by company member and playwright Jason Chimonides and Endstation Artistic Director Geoffey Kershner. The play tells the story of a series of fictional individuals involved in events surrounding Hurricane Camille, which devastated Nelson County Virginia in 1969. The Bluest Water is a memory play that takes the audience from 1969 Nelson County to Nelson County in present day. The play’s fictional characters try to heal as individuals and as a community in the face of great loss. The Bluest Water asks, “How do we heal and move forward from inexplicable tragedy?”

The audience response for the production was overwhelming and was met with a sold out run during the 2008 Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival. The community’s desire to remember this storm and to see a play about their own community was strong. The production was a rewarding and special experience for the company and its artists.

Please visit our news page to view portions of the media coverage we received during the run.

Romeo and Juliet
July 7 - July 28
by William Shakespeare

Directed by Bill Kershner
Scenic designer – Krista Franco
Costume designer – Sally Southall

Endstation patrons brought their families and picnics as they took part in some wonderful outdoor theatre. During some gorgeous Virginiasummer evening in 2008, Shakespeare’s classic played out with great success on the grounds of the Sweet Briar College campus.
Shakespeare's classic love story was staged on, in and around one of Sweet Briar College's most historic and beautiful buildings, Benedict. The building which was constructed at the turn of the century became the backdrop for Endstation’s re-envisioning of The Bard’s famous tale. The Montogues became southern aristocracy and the Capulet’s became northern carpetbaggers of the early 1900s. Along with the costumes and the architecture the audience was transported to a very different time in Virginia history.

Endstation Theatre Company set out to create a theatrical experience that heightened the theatrical convention itself. Audience members sat on the grass in front of the building as characters moved around them in this unbelievable environment. As the play began the sun shone brightly on the lovers and their new found love, as the sun set at intermission, Tybalt and Mercutio lay slain, and by nightfall our story had met its tragic conclusion.

2007

The Tell-Tale Heart and The Mind of Poe
Written by: Endstation Theatre Company

Directed by: Geoffrey Kershner
Scenic designer – Krista Franco
Lighting designer – Dan Gallagher
Sound designer – Bryce Page

This exciting original production was created in workshop at Sweet Briar College and was performed in 2007 in Lynchburg, Amherst, and Charlottesville, Virginia. It was also featured as part of the 2007 Washington DC Capital Fringe Festival. The production took some of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous stories and poems and placed them in a Victorian psych ward of Endstation's creation. This exciting piece of environmental theatre included vivid story telling, live percussion, and thrilled audiences across Virginia and in our nation's capital. This production is available for touring. Contact the Endstation Theatre Company for further information.

 

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