LOCAL THEATER SPOTLIGHTS MUSICAL IN NEW SEASON

The theater also hosts a variety of special events throughout the year, including guest artists, musicians, comedy acts and classic cinema.

FTC will close out its 27th season in May, with performances at the Steve W. Shepherd Theater, 1668 U.S. 87 South.

God’s Megaphone: A Visit with C.S. Lewis, The Sweet Delilah Swim Club and James and the Giant Peach Jr. are the last three productions of Season 27.

SEASON 28

“We are excited and thrilled to announce the newest season,” said an FTC spokesperson.

The theme for Season 28 is “In the Spotlight,” and will include a big summer musical in June, a kid’s theater camp in in July and a cabaret style musical show in August, according to Artistic Director Courtney Lefan.

The spotlight shows include: The Wizard of Oz; Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr.; Friends of FTC Cabaret; The Odd Couple: Female Version; The Gift of the Magi; Peter and the Starcatcher and Proof.

DONATIONS

Most of FTC’s funding is from private donations, but the theater also receives grants and corporate donations.

Donation levels begin at $250 with the Performer level and include Stage Manager ($500), Composer ($1,750), Playwright ($2,500), Producer ($5,000), Executive Producer ($7,500) and Award Winner ($10,000).

Each level of support comes with tickets, recognition, and other special features. Donors can also pledge support in the form of monthly donations, starting at $25 a month.

TICKETS

Tickets go on sale for each production a full two weeks prior to opening night at the FTC Box Office at the Shepherd Theater.

Donors can order tickets three weeks prior to opening. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the FTC office at 888-669-7114 or online at the fredericksburgtheater.org.

Office hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased online at the fredericksburgtheater.org.

All main stage productions are on weekends, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday performances at 2 p.m. The schedule of Main Stage productions and Special Events can be found on the FTC website.

Mar. 8, 9 at 7:30 p.m., Mar. 10 at 2 p.m. God’s Megaphone: A Visit with C.S. Lewis The one-person show brings this legendary Christian apologist to life with all of his intellect, warmth, wisdom and humor intact. Using material from Lewis’ own writings, his extensive correspondence and excerpts from dramatic texts, the play traces his life from best-selling author, to harbinger of WWII’s resistance of evil, to loving husband and inspirational leader. (Rated G)

April 12-21 The Sweet Delilah Swim Club

The play is about five unforgettable women and friendships that last forever. Their friendships began while they were on their college swim team then blossomed into an annual gathering at the Sweet Delilah beach cottage on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The play focuses on four of those weekends and spans a period of thirty-three years. The touching comedy shows how these women increasingly rely on one another, through advice and raucous repartee, to get through the challenges (men, sex, marriage, parenting, divorce, aging) that life flings at them. (Rated PG for Adult Situations)

April 15-May 5 James and The Giant Peach Jr.

Based on one of Roald Dahl’s most poignantly quirky stories, James and the Giant Peach Jr. is a brand-new take on this “masterpeach” of a tale. When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that grows a tremendous peach, rolls into the ocean, and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean, facing hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements along the way. (Rated G)

SEASON 28 – IN THE SPOTLIGHT June 14- June 30 Summer Musical: The Wizard of Oz

The beloved tale, in which a Kansas farm girl travels “Over the Rainbow” to discover the magical power of home, has entertained audiences for generations. Dorothy “Follow[s] the Yellow Brick Road” as she encounters a host of whimsical characters: good witches, bad witches, animals that talk, scarecrows that walk and other wonderful things to behold. To make it back safely, Dorothy must learn an important lesson: there’s no place like home.

July 25-28 FTA Summer Musical: Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr.

In Disney’s Finding Nemo JR. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves.

August 15-18 Third Summer Show: Friends of FTC Cabaret Spend an evening at the theater filled with music and joy. Join members of the talented Fredericksburg Theater Company perform songs about community, love and friendship.

October 18-27 Fall Comedy: The Odd Couple: Female Version Florence Unger and Olive Madison, that is, in Neil Simon’s hilarious contemporary comic classic: the female version of The Odd Couple make sparks fly. Olive invites the recently single Florence to move in as her roommate. However, Olive and Florence have very different personalities. Olive’s easy-going outlook on life soon clashes with Florence’s highly strung neurotic tendencies, testing their friendship to the limit. When Olive organizes a double-date, their differences come to a head.

December 5-15 Holiday Show: The Gift of the Magi O. Henry’s classic Christmas story comes to life in this romantic musical adaptation, originally presented as a network television special. In turn-of-the-century New York, newlyweds Jim and Ella struggle to make ends meet. Despite their bleak circumstances, they each make sacrifices to try and make Christmas special, leading to an ironic but heartwarming conclusion.

February 14-March 2, 2025 Winter Musical: Peter and the Starcatcher This Tony Award winning play with music is based on the best-selling novels, and upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan boy becomes the legendary Peter Pan. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, and with characters such as Black Stache and Smee, this highly theatrical production playfully explores the depths of greed and despair... and the bonds of friendship, duty and love.

May 2-11, 2025

Spring Drama: Proof

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions, the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire, and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father’s who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father’s madness—or genius—will she inherit?