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From left to right: Steve King, Tom Width, Robyn O’Neill and Derek Jaques read through "Dames at Sea" backstage at the Swift Creek Mill Theatre. (Photo by Ash Daniel)
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Jennifer Procise and Tom Width on the Swift Creek Mill Theatre stage (Photo by Ash Daniel)
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From left to right: Adam Smith, Travis West, Evan Nunery and Marc Graham, performing as the Jordanaires, with Sandra Gibson Brown as Patsy Cline in the Fort Lee production of "A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline" (Photo courtesy Debra Beaudet)
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Fort Lee Theater Company's production of "Annie" (Photo courtesy Debra Beaudet)
Back at the turn of the 20th century, Richmond was enamored with live entertainment, with a string of performance venues along West Broad Street, known then as Theatre Row.
That stretch, near what is now Virginia Commonwealth University, is mostly home to small businesses and apartments that cater to students. Theatrical outlets are no longer confined to one district, and there are stages across the metro area. “Richmond, for its size, has a huge number of theaters, 17 the last time I checked,” says Susan Wynne of Firehouse Theatre in The Fan.
Two of the longest-running troupes can be found in Richmond’s South Side. Swift Creek Mill Theatre has been entertaining tour-busloads of patrons from across the region since its inception as a dinner theater in the 1960s, and the Theater Company at Fort Lee has been staging productions in its brick playhouse since 1948. Both troupes draw from the metro Richmond talent pool of players and back stagers.
The Theater Company at Fort Lee
Fort Lee’s Travis West says his playhouse is worth checking out, despite its distance from the city. “One of our biggest goals as a theater company is to expand our audience base,” he says. “Many Richmonders may feel that Fort Lee is a long distance to travel for an evening of theater, but we are working to show that our caliber of performances is well worth the trip. We aim for professional-level theater with a community heart.”
The Fort Lee theater was the first permanent brick facility on the post. It seats 596, and the troupe entertains 4,000 to 5,000 patrons each year. About 80 to 100 volunteers are active each season. Some are regulars, while others might work on just one show, says West. It’s an all-volunteer effort. “I’ve worked for both professional and volunteer companies, and these wonderful volunteers at Fort Lee are truly making art for art’s sake,” West adds. “No one is being paid; they're in it because they love it.”
West came to Fort Lee as a relative newcomer to theater. He had studied piano and never considered acting. In high school, he had a revelation: It seemed like the “theater kids” were having all the fun. He auditioned and was cast for a part in the musical “Grease.” “The acting bug bit me pretty hard,” West says. His first role at Fort Lee was in a 2012 production of “Sweet Charity.”
He since has played piano in the pit orchestra and performed in nine shows. During a recent production, “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline,” West says he felt at times he was singing to Patsy, and she to him. “Audience members were singing along, clapping, and laughing and crying throughout the show,”he remembers.
After two years as a member of the board of directors, in 2017 West was elected board vice president. He is also chair of the communications and publicity committee for the theater company.
“The arts are essential, particularly for a community theater like ours,” West says. “It’s so powerful to see a group of nonprofessional actors, technicians, singers and musicians band together and create something beautiful. … I believe that their motivation shines through in the finished product and that our audiences can feel that passion.”
Swift Creek Mill Theatre
Located in Colonial Heights, Swift Creek Mill Theatre has been going strong more than 52 years after three local families got it up and running in a 354-year-old grist mill. Each year, the theater hosts about 34,000 patrons, divided almost equally between its main stage and youth productions.
The theater has space for up to 220 patrons. Dinner is served, but theater goers do not have to purchase a meal to see a play. Audiences come from across the metro area and southern Virginia. The youth theater entertains children in 22 commonwealth school systems and from private schools and day care centers.
At this theater, all actors, designers and musicians are paid.
“We try very hard to pay a professional wage [by local standards] to our performers, showing them the respect that they deserve for their work,” says Tom Width, the troupe’s artistic director.
As in theatrical productions around the globe, the play’s the thing: a hive of activity taking place behind the curtain, which is the comfort zone for Width and Jennifer Procise, both longtime Swift Creek “jacks of all trades” and theatrical artists.
Procise came aboard in 2005 in an administrative capacity and has since worn “lots of hats” at Swift Creek, including development and marketing, management, and food and beverage duties. She was immediately hooked on theater in high school. “My passion was in technical theater and administration,” she says. “I enjoyed working on lights and sets in high school and box-office work in college.” Procise also cherishes the role of audience member, where she can relax and enjoy the play from a different vantage point.
Width has called Swift Creek Mill Theatre home for 42 years. He came to the Swift Creek family as an actor in 1976 and was a resident actor until 1981. A talented visual artist in set design with a background in children’s theater and magic, he was soon writing, directing and performing in what would become the Swift Creek Mill Youth Theatre.
Width has directed more than 300 productions and designed the sets for many of those. He was named artistic director in the mid-1990s and continues in that role. With so many shows to his credit, he finds it a struggle to name just one as a favorite. “Probably the role of Joe Hardy in ‘Damn Yankees,’ ” he says, “but it’s like picking one child as your favorite — difficult!”
Width wants to see the theater broaden its audience to entice some younger demographics for main-stage programming, a goal that will require being more adventurous in selecting productions. “I look forward to pushing the envelope a little further,” he says.
The Theater Company at Fort Lee
1100 Mahone Ave., Building 4300, Fort Lee (Note: The playhouse is on the Fort Lee military base, and visitors must comply with admission policies. See the playhouse website for more information.)
May 4-27: “All Shook Up” — The music of Elvis Presley meets Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”
17401 Jefferson Davis Highway, Colonial Heights
Through May 5: “Dames at Sea,” a musical comedy from George Haimsohm and Robin Miller that evokes a 1930s, Busby Berkeley-style Hollywood classic
May 17-June 30: “Always a Bridesmaid,” a Southern-fried comedy from Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten about four friends for life navigating love and marriage
July 12-Aug. 18: “Tomfoolery,” a celebration of Tom Lehrer’s acerbic take on midcentury politics and life in song
