As the curtain draws on 2025, many are looking forward to the new year with plans for the future. One group that’s already set up for 2026 is the Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble.
The nonprofit, volunteer acting troupe will hold six shows at its home in The Allstate Theater located on the fourth floor of 810 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg.
Next year’s season includes Sara Ruhl’s “How To Transcend A Happy Marriage” from Jan. 23-Feb. 1, “Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Nile” from March 20-29, Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” on May 22-31, Clare Baron’s “Dance Nation” from July 24-Aug. 2, Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” from Sept. 17-27 and “Veronica’s Room” by Ira Levin from Oct. 23-Nov.1.
According to Artistic Director Allyson McCormick, the choice of stage shows comes down to several factors. These include access to resources, the players available, the technical abilities and the types of stories.
Samantha Rey, Molly Lucas, Jared Elton, Ava Spencer, and Becky Brassfield in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. (Photo by Keri Church/Be Still Photography)
McCormick said that in 2026 the stories will focus on themes of discovery, whether it be self-discovery or unveiling the truth when it is withheld. She said that the troupe also hopes to offer moments of fun and revelry with their selections.
“The goal is not to necessarily speak on anything directly in current events,” she said. “But we want to reflect what’s going on in our community. I think our audiences will appreciate that.”
McCormick said that the ensemble is always looking to expand their community and welcome more actors of varying backgrounds. Also, to tell stories that are truthful and relevant with the goal of highlighting the stories of people who don’t often get to tell their stories. This includes marginalized groups like the LGBTQ community and people of color, in order to create an inclusive environment.
Becky Brassfield, Samantha Rey, Ava Spencer, Tim Leece, Courtney Fox, Christian Gordon, Doy Demsick and Molly Lucas in “Rocky Horror.” (Photo by Keri Church/Be Still Photography)
Established in 2010 by Stephen Brown, the Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble began with the mission to perform stories that wouldn’t often be seen in the local theatre community. According to FTE board member Anne Kight-Lloyd, the desire is to do mature theatre for mature audiences.
According to McCormick, these aspects can include profanity and onstage violence but are often important to the story and the message of the performance. The company does provide warnings for when those aspects will be present in the productions.
Even with such goals, Kight-Lloyd said there were practicalities for the troupe that were addressed in its early days. These days, the group is able to put on more licensed plays which was not the case in the beginning. The ensemble currently puts on between five to six plays a year.
“We were a broke little theatre,” Kight-Lloyd said. “So, we found shows that had no licensing fees and we put them on at the library where we were able to get a couple of weekends in a row.”
Abdel Hamid Shehata and Doy Demsick in “Boeing Boeing”. (Photo by Keri Church/Be Still Photography)
After staging their early performances at the library, the ensemble continued to move locations before settling in the Allstate Theatre in 2018. This included performances at the old Liberty Lanes bowling alley and at the Picker’s Supply music store. Currently, the troupe shares the location with Stage Door Productions.
Many of those who have become part of the ensemble come from diverse backgrounds. Some came in with prior theatre experience from college and university while others came in and learned as they went.
Silas Alvarez, a player who also doubles as the troupe’s technical director, had only performed in one musical in high school. Once she saw a performance of “In The Heights” she was hooked, Alvarez learned about the FTE through a family friend and fell in love with the group through its variety of stories and its camaraderie.
Damian Leone and Marcus Lawrence in “Frankenstein”. (Photo by Keri Church/Be Still Photography)
“Seeing the amount of stories that could be told that I wasn’t aware of is a really interesting thing to be a part of,” she said. “I feel very appreciated and accepted as an individual being able to be here and just learn things in any way that I can.”
Volunteers aren’t just working on stage, Melissa Hennessey helps out as the ensemble’s treasurer and bar manager. She’s worn many hats since joining in 2019 which included a stint as a production manager. Hennessey went to Virginia Commonwealth University for theatre education for three semesters, when she found out about FTE she was hooked and volunteered her services.
Kylie Clark, FTE production designer, came in with a wealth of knowledge which includes a bachelor’s degree in theatre from George Mason University and a master’s in music theatre from Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After spending some time as a player she now spends her time creating props and sets for the production.
She commented on the growth of the ensemble which currently claims nine members on its board and works with between 30 and 40 regular volunteers and continues to build on that year by year.
“It used to be when we first started we would sometimes call our friends who were actors, professionally and non-professionally,” she said. “Now we don’t have that problem anymore. Now we’re having a wonderful and different problem of having so many people come in that our auditions need to be more streamlined.”
Her husband Devon, also came onboard as a player and currently serves as the group’s board chairman. While not as experienced as his wife, Devon was looking for a creative outlet to balance his technical career and joined the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts before joining FTE. He added how that growth and access to players has helped the ensemble.
“We’re very big on community,” said Devon Clark. “With the creative and technical forces we have, we’ve been able to capture the same level of professional quality in our shows. We hope to continue to grow and continue to be accessible to the community.”
