Don't be fooled by the name. The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach thinks big.
The venue, tucked into a residential neighborhood, seats only 176. Everybody from ushers to actors to the board of directors is a volunteer. But this community theater rooted in 77 years of history isn't shy when it comes to contemporary issues and challenging productions.
The current show which opened July 19th, "Kinky Boots," chronicles an unlikely partnership between a shoe factory owner named Charlie and a drag queen, Lola. "Misery," the psychological horror story adapted from a Stephen King novel, will follow for a four-week run. Last January, the bill included "A Raisin in the Sun," the landmark 1959 drama that deals with racism and assimilation.
"If you're not pushing the envelope, you're not really telling a story," said Lance Hawkins, a middle school English teacher and Norfolk State theater alum who stars as Lola.
Jeff Seneca is chair of the 13-member committee that selects the theater’s six plays a year — some edgy, others traditional, and always at least two musicals. "We try to make it as all over the place as possible," he said.
Virginia's Beach's oldest arts organization, the Little Theatre started in May 1948 when "My Sister Eileen" was performed at the W.T. Cooke Elementary School auditorium. In those early days, the theater also held performances in an old USO hall called the Community house and the Roland Movie Theater on 17th Street, where the actors could only reach the stage by walking through the men's room that took them outside, down an alley and up some stairs. Since 1972, Little Theatre of Virginia Beach has been on Barberton Drive, just six blocks from the Oceanfront.
"We're happy to own this building," says Kay Burcher, one of 18 members of the board of directors with lofty goals. As nearly every performance of every show fills to capacity, an ambitious capital campaign is underway to raise $100,000 for a larger venue.
"For the first time, we're hoping to get some businesses involved in sponsorship," Burcher said.
Burcher has been involved with the theater since 1982 when she was cast as an angel in "Anything Goes." She's seen volunteers of all ages pass through in addition to musicians, choreographers and teaching professionals excited to be part of something unique.
"It blows my mind that nobody here is paid," said Melissa Maniglia, who was smitten with theater since she saw “Annie” on the movie screen. "They love the people; they love the art form. They love everything about it."
Maniglia, a paralegal by day, starred in "Hairspray” in 2017. She is a dresser for "Kinky Boots," which is as it sounds. She helps the actors change costumes with speed. " It's helping make the magic happen," she said — not an easy task given the number of drag queens in this production.
"Sometimes we layer multiple costumes," Maniglia said. "The wrath of a dresser is a button or buckle."
"Kinky Boots" isn't the first time drag has been featured on the Little Theatre’s stage. Last summer, the theater produced "The Legend of Georgia McBride," and the Little Theatre has hosted occasional drag nights in addition to frequent Pride nights.
Little Theatre of Virginia Beach was especially creative during the pandemic, offering virtual performances with actors maintaining social distance. The company presented "It's a Wonderful Life" as a radio play using special effects. It turns out walking on Corn Flakes sounds an awful lot like traipsing in snow.
Little Theatre is always in need of volunteers willing to fulfill the commitment to put on a high quality production. Rehearsals run Monday through Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons, with longer hours the week prior to opening night.
Colleen Daughtry can only make time in the summer; she’s taught kindergarten for 31 years at Linkhorn Park Elementary. "Kinky Boots" is her first play, and she's jazzed to be dancing on stage. "I've wanted to audition but I chickened out so many times before," she said. "I'm a ham."
"Kinky Boots" runs through Aug. 11 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For tickets and information, visit Little Theatre of Virginia Beach.
