I am thrilled to be able to say to you all – our long 2 year intermission is over!

Welcome Back to The American Theatre

2022-2023 represents our 35th Anniversary Season presenting the entire Coastal Virginia region with performing arts excellence from around the world, and around the corner!

The last 35 years have presented audiences with diverse and crowdpleasing repertoires. We have been privileged to have artists like Bea Arthur, Mavis Staples, Manhattan Transfer, Sandra Bernhard, David Sanborn, The Shanghai Ballet, John McCutcheon, The Mystical Arts of Tibet, Nell Carter, Arlo Guthrie, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and hundreds more! Our Lighthouse Series highlights our region’s talented arts organizations that make Hampton Roads home – and our Family Fun Series is chock full of family friendly programming with our Saturday Morning Club!

As Artistic Director, it is my goal to combine bold artistic statements with innovative creative approaches, to engender strong support from the entire community.

It is with this in mind, I am ecstatic to introduce our audiences to the 2022-2023 35th Anniversary Season!

From innovative modern music to cutting-edge American jazz, from Broadway blockbusters to a variety of Christmas and Holiday celebrations— next season’s performers are all storytellers! With or without words, these 35th Anniversary performances are telling these stories just for you!

As part of our ongoing growth, I am proud to announce some exciting changes for Season 35 – starting with the grand opening of our new Studio Theatre. This newly renovated, intimate space will provide an opportunity for audiences to have a more personal performance experience with a variety of artists. I hope you share our excitement in the addition of this space to our regular annual programming!

We also continue our price-accessibility with tickets starting at $35 – with a number of preferred seating for those who want to guarantee the most sought-after seats early in the season. As always, patrons save the most money with our Subscription Passport.

I am tremendously grateful for everyone’s patience and commitment during our long intermission. We are glad to have the opportunity to once again share the magic of the performing arts with you. Creativity and imagination are the threads that weave our cultural tapestry and advance our mission to enhance the quality of life for the artists and audiences we serve.

Now, lean forward in your seats and get ready for a memorable year of joyful stories as we celebrate our 35th Anniversary!

I will see you at the Theatre!

Richard M. Parison, Jr.
Artistic Director

Feature Images Photo Credit: Warren Johnson

Galapagos George shares the true story of "Lonesome George," a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands. Who is George? He is a tortoise, a GIANT GALAPAGOS TORTOISE! The audience will see George hatch from an egg and grow up surrounded by sea turtles, lizards, hungry goats, sea lions, crabs, and dancing birds with blue feet. But there are no other tortoises on his island. As the story unfolds, you experience his story as the last tortoise on Pinta Island.

George’s story is brought to life on stage with puppetry, original music, and narrative verse. Described by The Smithsonian as "an uplifting eco-fable," this engaging theatrical piece shares a timely message about humanity’s impact upon the environment balanced with hope for the future.

Barefoot Puppet Theatre turns 25 in December!

• There are EIGHTEEN different puppets in the show.
• THREE of the characters in the show have “stunt double” puppets or multiple puppets to show how they look when they are older.
• All of the puppets were made by the puppeteer, Heidi.
• The moving mouth mechanism in the puppets is one that Heidi invented after dreaming about it!
• Heidi started building puppets when she was TEN years old after checking out a book from the library about making puppets.
• There are NINE puppets with springs and SIX puppets with SLINKIES inside them that help the puppet move.
• It takes about six months to build a puppet show, but you cannot begin building until after you have a script.

HEIDI RUGG
Script, Puppet Design, Puppet Construction & Set Design

SAM RUGG
Set Construction, Troubleshooting & Technical Support

ERIC WEINBERG
Music Composition, Instrumentation, Mixing & Recording

WARREN JOHNSON
Photography

Heidi Rugg is a puppetry artist and founder of Barefoot Puppet Theatre, a company that has been performing throughout the country (and beyond!) since 1997. Heidi is passionate about puppet mechs, papier mâché, pockets, and sustainably sourced materials and practices in puppetmaking. Much of her current work centers on the natural world and environmental themes. Heidi is currently on the teaching artists roster for the Virginia Commission for the Arts and is a teaching artist with Greater Richmond Wolf Trap. Heidi’s work has received support from The Henson Foundation, Puppeteers of America, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Arts. Her original work, “Galapagos George” received an UNIMA-Citation of Excellence, the highest award in American puppetry.