Fauquier Community Theatre presents the World Premiere of Dr. Harry Kantrovich’s stage adaptation of the Holocaust documentary SHOAH Fridays and weekends from Jan 21 – Feb 6, 2022. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees are at 2 pm. The theater is located at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton Virginia. While the theater is in a developed community now, in 1942 the 696 acre area was built as the United States Army Signals Intelligence site.

Shoah is another word for the Holocaust. It comes from Hebrew, and literally means catastrophic upheaval. The Holocaust, or Shoah, refers to the Nazi party’s attempt in the late 1930s and early 1940s to exterminate the Jewish people of Europe. Shoah is a French documentary film about the Holocaust directed by Claude Lanzmann.The film was released in April 1985, eleven years in the making, it was over 9 hours long. The film presents Lanzmann’s interviews, with survivors, witnesses and perpetrators during his visits to Holocaust sites around Germany and Europe.

Lanzmann released the entire text of the film as an oral history of the Holocaust in conjunction with the release of the film in the United States.Dr. Kantrovich remarks, “World War II, in particular The Holocaust is a passion of mine. I lost family in the Holocaust and those that I knew who survived, I could always see the pain in their eyes, it never left. When I first saw the 9.5 hour documentary in 1985, I was mesmerized. As I got more enveloped in the theatre, I knew I wanted to adapt the transcript to stage.”

The month of January was chosen to debut the stage version at Fauquier Community Theatre since January 27 is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD). Since 2005, the UN and its member states have held commemoration ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism.

A special thank you to WILL Interactive Inc as the show sponsor for Fauquier Community Theatre’s production of SHOAH. Performances of SHOAH will take place on Fridays and weekends between January 21 – February 6, 2022 at Fauquier Community Theatre located at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton, VA. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees are at 2 pm. Tickets may be purchased online here: SHOAH Tickets or by calling 540-349-8760.

Fauquier Community Theatre’s Gift of the Magi – The Musical continues as a stream online! After 9 highly successful shows live on stage in Warrenton, Virginia the show is now online for those who missed it or want to see it again. The film version is beautiful with close ups of the cast! Click HERE to go directly to Broadway on Demand to view information and to see the show online from December 28, 2021 through January 3, 2022. View the musical by one of the choices on Broadway on Demand of making a donation to the theater in the range of $12 – $25. Once on the Broadway on Demand site, click on “Play” to get started!

COVID and MASKS – Fauquier Community Theatre (FCT) requires that all audience members wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread. (Additional safety protocols could be implemented. If so, ticket holders would be notified in advance and have a choice of using their ticket(s) or having a credit on file.)

COVID and SOCIAL DISTANCING – All ticket order purchases will have an empty seat on either side of each group of tickets ordered together. This is voluntary by Fauquier Community Theatre which reduces the theater capacity to about 70 percent. Concessions will take place outdoors only, weather permitting.

COVID Waiver: By purchasing tickets, myself and my entire group agrees that ourselves, our heirs, personal representative or assigns, do hereby release, waive, discharge, and covenant not to hold Fauquier Community Theatre liable or FCT’s directors, officers, employees and agents liable from any and all potential claims related to or resulting in personal injury or illnesses and property loss arising from any COVID-19 transmission that may from being present at performances and/or rehearsals.

As you shop for those special gifts, remember your theatre enthusiasts! Fauquier Community Theatre (FCT) gift cards make great presents and stocking stuffers! Gift Certificates are available for any amount and can be used to attend FCT performances, buy FCT apparel and merchandise, as registration for summer camp, and even for concessions. Choose any amount and customize your message. Gift cards may be sent via email right away! Balances can be accessed online at any time. Click FCT Gift Cards for more information and to order yours today!

The Pajama Game was awarded the 1955 Tony for Best Musical and, over half of a century later, claimed the award for Best Revival of a Musical, proving that the story is truly timeless. With an energetic score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross (Damn Yankees), The Pajama Game is brimming with songs and dances that have become musical theatre standards, including “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway.”

Conditions at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory are anything but peaceful as sparks fly between new superintendent, Sid Sorokin, and Babe Williams, leader of the union grievance committee. Their stormy relationship comes to a head when the workers strike for a 7 ½ cent pay increase, setting off not only a conflict between management and labor, but a battle of the sexes as well. Featuring plenty of fun and splashy production numbers, including a comic “dream ballet,” The Pajama Game is filled with standout featured roles and a large ensemble. This perennial favorite is a surefire crowd-pleaser and a glowing example of solid, classic musical comedy.

The director of The Pajama Game is Hayley Katarina-Meyer. She studied English and Theater Education at George Mason University. She is an actress and has directed many shows with her own and other theater companies.

The music director of The Pajama Game is Jack Dusek. Jack has been a public school teacher, and a full time professional military musician for the United States Army. He has been a music director, orchestra conductor, music arranger and more for numerous productions in the Northern Virginia area and beyond.

Audition dates are: Friday, February 4 from 7 pm to 9 pm and Saturday, February 5, from 10 am to noon. Auditions will be held at the Gloria Faye Dingus Music Alliance located at 92 Main Street, Suite 104, Warrenton, Virginia. For more information and to register for an audition, click on The Pajama Game Audition Form.

Performances of The Pajama Game will take place on Fridays and weekends April 29 – May 15, 2022. at the Vint Hill Theater on the Green. Tickets are on sale now for reserved seating at www.FCTstage.org.

FCT has an App for your phone, laptop, tablet, or computer now! It is a great way to keep FCT “center stage” for your convenience to see What’s Up? What’s New? at FCT!

Called “the funniest farce ever written,” Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. Doors slamming, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play. “The most dexterously realized comedy ever about putting on a comedy. A spectacularly funny, peerless backstage farce. This dizzy, well-known romp is festival of delirium.” – The New York Times.   Audition dates are: Thursday, December 16 from 7 pm to 9:30 pm and Saturday, December, 18 from 3 pm to 6 pm. (Callbacks if needed will be: Monday, December 20 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm.) Auditions will take place at the Fauquier Enterprise Center located at 4263 Aiken Drive, Warrenton, VA 20187. Registration for auditions may be accessed via the Noises Off Audition Form.   The director of Noises Off is Jeff Walker, a teacher of theatre arts in Virginia’s public schools for 20 years. Walker also serves as a contributing writer and critic for two online sources for theatre news, DC Theatre Scene and the Washington, DC region for Broadway World.   Performances for Noises Off will take place March 11 – 27, 2022 at the Vint Hill Theater on the Green. Tickets are on sale now for reserved seating at www.FCTstage.org.

What’s New, What’s Next? Read all about it here in the FCT Spotlight Newsletter! This is where you can learn about upcoming auditions, plays, musicals, classes and more!

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Join the movement and give – each Tuesday and every day – whether it’s some of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your local community.

It’s a simple idea:  whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give.

SHOAH CAST LIST  (updated January 2022)

Interviewer (Lanzmann):  Michael Clendenin

Raul Hilberg:  Ricardo Padilla

CHELMNO:

Simon Srebnik:  Peter Marsh

Mordechai Podchlebnik:  Dr. Robert Rosenberg

Franz Schalling:  Kevin Stokker

Mrs. Michelsohn:  Leslie Ann Ross

AUSCHWITZ/BIRKENAU

Mrs. Pietyra:  Sherry Bendt

Rudolph Vrba:  Jim Constable

Filip Müeller: Kirk Lambert

Ruth Elias:  Janet Smith

Walter Stier:  Joe Bersack

SOBIBOR/VILNA:

Hannah Zaidel:  Betsy Hansen

Motke Zaidel:  Gene Schmiel

Jan Piwonski:  Terry Krebs

TREBLINKA:

Abraham Bomba:  Michael Mehaffey

Czeslaw Borowi:  Don Richardson

Henrik Gawkowski:  Geoffrey Baskir

Richard Glazar:  Larry Finkel

Franz Suchomel:  Kurt Gustafson

BERLIN:

Inge Deutschkron:  Tricia O’Neill Delevante

WARSAW:

Dr. Franz Grassler:  Richard Fiske

Itzhak (Antek) Zuckermann:  Walt Meyer

Simcha (Kojik) Rottem:  Walter Stewart

Announcing the cast for this holiday classic directed by Diane King! The name of the role is listed first, followed by the name of the actor.
Della Young – Gabrielle Buonocore Jim Young – Jack Tessier Maddy – Betsy Hansen William – Martin Kelly Betsy – Carina Stinson Nestor – Mark Tessier Annabelle – Rose Tessier Hunnicutt – Jamey Pellegrini Porter/Beggar Father – Preston Mulford Officer O’Reilly – Stub Estey Officer Brown – Jiles Burnham Santa/Henry – Santa Alice/Beggar Mother – Isabella McDonald Emily – Evelyn Lehmann.

Synopsis: It’s Christmas in New York in 1905. Imagine the excitement of a busy street, bustling with shoppers and carolers singing joys of the season. Della, a stunning young woman, strolls along, looking in store windows, a bit saddened that she only has $1.87 to spend on a gift for her husband, Jim. Down the street, Jim does likewise; wistfully knowing that the items in the stores that he would love to buy for Della are beyond his means. The audience will enjoy a beautiful musical adaptation of O. Henry’s, “The Gift of the Magi.”

Performances of Gift of the Magi – The Musical will be presented on Fridays and weekends between November 26 and December 12, 2021 at the Vint Hill Theatre on the Green. The show is sponsored by NOVEC. Tickets here: www.FCTstage.org.

Auditions! Fauquier Community Theatre will present the World Premiere of Dr. Harry Kantrovich’s stage adaptation of the Holocaust documentary SHOAH in January and February 2022. Auditions are open to the public and will take place on Thursday October 21, 2021 between 7 pm to 10 pm. and on Saturday October 23, 2021 between 10 am and 2 pm. The casting call will take place at the Fauquier Enterprise Center located at 4263 Aiken Drive, Warrenton (Vint Hill). Callbacks will be by invitation only, and will take place on Wednesday October 27, 2021 between 7 and 9 pm.

The production is based on the award-winning 1985 film documentary by French director Claude Lanzmann. The original 9-hour film has been condensed for the stage and includes interviews with Holocaust survivors, former members of Nazi organizations, and residents of communities near the death camps.

For more information and to sign up for an audition, click on SHOAH Audition Form.

Performances of SHOAH will take place on Fridays and weekends between January 21 – February 6, 2022 at the Vint Hill Theatre on the Green.