What a week it has been!

What a week it has been! Since our company meeting last week, things have really kicked into overdrive here in Cville. All of our departments are working non-stop to bring our season to life, from costume fittings and painting parties to voice-over recordings, rehearsals, and everything in between. We recently spoke to some of the cast members of Middletown and they are loving their rehearsals so far.  Building a community as weird and as wacky as the one in Middletown seems to be a blast, and our actors are taking on all walks of life in this poignant Will Eno comedy. Heck, there’s even an astronaut! Right now Director Colleen Kelly is taking time to work with each scene and character individually to make sure that all the pieces of the puzzle are well formed before they are finally all put together.

Rehearsals for Woody Guthrie’s American Song kicked off this week as well. We have an amazing group of actor-musicians who are really excited to bring Woody Guthrie’s unique brand of Americana to the Heritage stage. Under the direction of Bryan Garey, Woody Guthrie’s American Song will be a nostalgia trip for some and an introduction of one of America’s greatest ever folk artists to others. Whether you only know “This Land is Your Land”, or you are a super-fan and know all the sounds in “Car Song”, we can’t wait to talk to you more about the process of building this wonderful show.

While we are working very hard here at HTF, we also recognize that it’s summertime and every theatre festival requires a little play! (see what I did there? **) So, with that in mind, we let our very own Steve Warner loose on the grill and had our first Company Cookout of the season. If you can imagine it, we grilled it… well, so long as what you are imagining is limited to burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs! We rounded the protein out with tons of chips and a variety of Oreos the likes of which has never been seen outside of a Nabisco factory. Naturally, all Company members were invited so it was a fantastic opportunity for all of us to connect with each other, munch on some great food, and enjoy a brief respite from all the rain we’ve had in central Virginia.

Several of our Company members have also been out and about – enjoying all that this fantastic area has to offer. Recent (not so adventurous) adventures have included strolling along the beautiful downtown mall equipped with ice creams followed by a visit to the IX Art Park.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the other super exciting piece of news from this week: INDIVIDUAL TICKETS GO ON SALE ON FRIDAY! Woohoo! We at the blog squad got a chance to chat with some of our phenomenal box office staff, and they are excited to help everyone get to see our shows this summer. If you’re reading this after June 9th, then what are you waiting for? Go click that box office tab so you can come see the culmination of all our burger-fueled hard work!

– The Blog Squad

** What I did was a pun.