Greetings!

First of all, on behalf of all of us associated with one of Charlottesville’s longest running and popular summer traditions, let me say how very happy we are to be back after taking a year off due to construction issues.  We’ve got good news and great news on that front.  The good news is the construction is nearly complete, and the great news is that it has resulted in a brand new parking garage within a stone’s throw of our theaters!

As you have likely noticed by now, the parking situation is not the only thing changing this year.  We are delighted to announce that we have a new name – Heritage Theatre Festival!  So what’s in a (new) name?  It is something I have been thinking about for the past several years, and now, as we make our return from a year-long hiatus, felt like just the right time to do it. 

In the most literal sense, the change reflects the fact that for several years now, we have not been operating as a traditional repertory company, even if we do from time to time have actors appearing in several productions over a given season.  But the change comes from something deeper than that.  As we thought about coming back this year, there was such a great sense of anticipation and excitement.  It reminded us of why we do this in the first place, that we are and always have been about celebrating the true magic of bringing words and notes on a page to life.  This name change, subtle though it is, captures that excitement for us, and we hope, for our audiences.  Summer is the ultimate season for celebration and we look forward to giving Charlottesville audiences something to celebrate for many years to come.  So welcome back to a brand new day…at Heritage Theatre Festival.

As I worked to put together the 2008 season, I went about it as I always have, focusing on the individual shows themselves as opposed to trying to fit them into an overarching theme.  Yet as often happens, I look back on the final choices and find a common thread.  This year, that thread feels particularly appropriate as we emerge from a “dark” summer and find ourselves ready to fire up our footlights once more.

The theme of darkness and light is everywhere you turn this year, sometimes right there on the surface and sometimes found when you delve into the details of the shows themselves.  For starters, these shows have all enjoyed a turn in the critical and popular spotlight, with the season as a whole tallying 17 Tony Awards in all!

Our opening show, City of Angels, is a big musical in the classic Heritage tradition.  And its dueling-worlds settings feature a monochromatic celebration of the shadowy world of film noir contrasted with a wary writer’s journey into the unforgiving glare of the big-time movie biz…and is highlighted by a fabulous jazzy musical score by the legendary Cy Coleman.

I Am My Own Wife, a powerful one-man-show, is an inspirational story of one unique person’s battle to remain true to herself against the backdrop of one of the darkest times in modern history.

Master Class, an imagined day-in-the-life of diva extraordinaire Maria Callas, is a brilliant illumination of a marvelously outsized talent and personality whose life demands a spotlight both on stage and off.

The Light in the Piazza becomes a literal beacon for a young girl imagining a life beyond her own seeming reach, while the wonderful story and gorgeous music help to teach us all about life and love’s possibilities.

Finally, after years of suggesting, cajoling and downright begging from our audience, I have finally seen the light and decided to bring back one of the most popular shows we’ve ever done.  Forever Plaid is all about the glow, from the sweet sounds of its heaven-sent quartet to the smiles of the audiences who have cheered it all around the world.

We look forward to welcoming all of our friends back, and to meeting brand new ones for what promises to be a great summer!  See you at the theater…

--Robert Chapel
Producing Artistic Director, HRT

Robert Chapel will be returning for his 21st season as a stage director for Heritage and his 13th as Producing Artistic Director. He has directed well over 100 plays and musicals in New York, Los Angeles, regional and university theatre as well as having directed shows in Australia and Russia. He has been a professor of Drama at the University of Virginia since 1990, serving as its chair from 1990–2005.