Directed by James Bryan

March 12 – March 28, 2021

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach through

a grant from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission

Directed by James Bryan

PERFORMERS

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producer James Bryan

Musical Director Dr. Nancy Whitfield

Set James Bryan and Donna Lawheed

Lighting Design Sherry Forbes

Sound/Videography Jeff Seneca

Cover Art Work James Bryan

Produced by special arrangement with ASCAP

Many thanks to the local groups who attend LTVB

performances regularly:

Atlantic Shores, Westminster Canterbury

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

Williams Farm Recreation Center, Bow Creek Recreation Center, Jewish Community Center Seniors Club

Ariel Lee Bracey Charity Robinson Laura Oliver

Ann Heywood Kathy Strouse Cristina Loyola

Missy Sullivan Alyssa Sortino Heide Walker

Tara R. Moscopulos Emma Staicer Jessica Martinez

Biographies

Ariel Lee Bracey is a full time Registered Nurse (RN). She is currently enrolled as a student in Bradley University's DNP

program. Prior to COVID, she enjoyed traveling, karaoke and participating in community theatre. Helping people, whether it's in

health care or entertainment, is her passion, and she’s very excited to be a part of this production. Ariel would like to thank her

family, friends, and her amazing fiancé for their unwavering support.

Charity Robinson has been performing for several years in the area. She has been involved in over 20 shows both on and off

stage. Some of her most notable performances are Effie White in Dreamgirls at Hampton University, Matron Mamma Morton in

Chicago at Williamsburg Players, Eve/Mama Noah in Children of Eden at Smithfield Little Theatre, Motor Mouth Maybelle in

Hairspray at Little Theatre of Virginia Beach, and Pippy in The Great American Trailer Park Musical at Peninsula Community

Theatre. Charity successfully completed her first non-musical just last year as Duncan in Macbeth at Zeiders American Dream

Theatre. She is a sitting board member at Peninsula Community Theatre. She directed her first musical in 2017, Once on this

Island, at the same theatre. It was the theatre’s first all African-American cast musical. She has also directed two cabarets at the

same theatre. Charity recently decided she would like to direct more. She enjoys being able to create an artistic atmosphere on

stage and, hopefully, eventually screen. Charity thanks her husband and her two precious boys for all of their continued love and

support, and for giving her the inspiration to push and do more and more everyday. “If you are always trying to be normal, you

will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou

Laura Oliver is thrilled to be back on stage at LTVB and celebrating such amazing women. Previous favorite roles include Sara

in Company, Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Miss Hannigan in Annie. She also music directed Young

Frankenstein and The Wedding Singer. She is a member of the Doorway Singers and leads worship at church. When she isn’t

on stage, you can find her at afrugalchick.com.

Ann Heywood has been active in all aspects of the Performing Arts for 50 years, acting, directing, teaching, competition judging,

stage managing, and design. She has participated in over 100 productions with theatres and educational institutions that include

the Little Theatre of Norfolk, the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach, the Generic Theater, the Kempsville Playhouse, the Olde

Theatre Company, Shakespeare By the Sea, Manoa Performing Arts Company, The Governor's Magnet School for the Arts,

Tidewater Community College, and Catholic High School. One of her fondest directorial experiences was One Slight Hitch at the

Little Theatre of Norfolk. Some of her favorite acting roles include Abbey Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, Madame de Merteuil

in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Kathleen Hogan in Park Your Car in Harvard Yard at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach for

which she received the Hampton Roads1990 Portfolio Award for Best Actress. Having retired from the City of Virginia Beach with

35 years of service, Ann is finally able to devote more time to pursuing her true calling in theater and film. She has appeared in

roles on television series that include A Haunting and Trilogy of Terror as well as roles on film entries in the Hampton Roads 48

Hour Film Festivals. She has also appeared in commercials and recently in a City of Virginia Beach PSA about abuse

prevention. Ann recently appeared on the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach stage performing six different monologues of women

in various stages and environments of life in the play Threads written by local playwright, Abbe Korman. Ann says: "I am excited

and honored to share my journey with the women and all the artists who are sharing their journeys in this endeavor. We are

Fierce and Glorious.”

Kathy Strouse is an award winning local actor, who has appeared in over 98 shows. Most recently she has been seen in LTN’s

One Slight Hitch, Generic Theater’s Roe and Stupid F***ing Bird, and LTVB’s Calendar Girls. In recent years, she has turned

more to directing, taking the helm for such shows as LTVB’s An American Daughter, Don’t Dress for Dinner, Steel Magnolias,

Good People (in which she also played the lead character, Margie), The Foreigner, and Harvey. Other directing credits include

Generic Theater’s Jack Goes Boating, LTN’s Noises Off, The Women and the sellout comedies It Runs in the Family and A Flea

in Her Ear. Kathy retired after a 30-year career in animal welfare and is the author of Badd Newz-The Untold Story of the

Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case. She is the grandmother of twins, and shares her home with one human, four chihuahuas, one

cat and a bird. She is thrilled to be taking part again in a theatrical production after a pandemic induce hiatus!

Cristina Loyola is a native of Seattle, WA and extremely excited to join Little Theatre of Virginia Beach for the first time!

She has appeared with Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Opera, Symphonicity, Virginia Arts Festival, and TodiMusicFest,

as well as with multiple United States Navy Bands and USO shows. A classically trained operatic soprano, she most recently

was reviewed by Artsong Update for her “superb performance” on the stage as Carolina in Old Dominion University’s production

of Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto. Ms. Loyola is a recent ODU graduate with multiple accolades and honors, including

winning first place for Musical Theatre and second place for Classical in the statewide VANATS 2020 competition, receiving

several sought-after scholarships, and winning the Young Artist Competition all in her last year alone. She is currently in her first

year teaching elementary music in Virginia Beach and working towards a Masters Degree in Music Education and Choral

Conducting at ODU.

Emma Staicer is a senior at Kempsville High School. This is her LTVB debut. Most recently she directed Serial Killer Barbie

and starred as Mrs. McAfee in Bye Segre to Birdie. Aside from performing, Emma enjoys hanging out with friends, playing with

her dogs, and reading.

Jessica Martinez is excited to be back on LTVB’s stage (from a distance) for this wonderful show. She was previously seen as

a member of the ensemble in many shows such as Hairspray, Spamalot, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the

Forum, as well as Annie Shepard in It Shoulda Been You. She was also Assistant Stage Manager for It’s Only A Play and

Present Laughter. Jessica is extremely grateful to be a part of such a powerful production with these incredibly talented women,

and she cannot wait to share a piece of her story in such a moving way. She would like to thank James for giving her this

amazing opportunity.

Missy Sullivan is thrilled to be back on the LTVB stage where you may have seen her many years ago in Aida. During the

pandemic, Missy directed #Whileblack at Little Theatre of Norfolk (LTN). Her last role, before the pandemic, was on the

Peninsula Community Theatre stage, as Linoleum in The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Her favorite roles have been

Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, (Smithfield Little Theatre), Grandma Addams in The Addams Family (LTN) and Eleanor

Roosevelt in Ladies First (LTN). Her most memorable role has been Violet in 9 TO 5 at LTN. When not acting, Missy teaches at

a Virginia Beach High School, is an adjunct professor at a local community college, is an executive board member and

education chair at LTN and serves as Vice President for the Virginia Association for the Gifted. Missy would like to dedicate this

performance to her mom, Jayne and her stepmom, Dian - two women who showed Missy how powerful women can lead the

way for others.

Alyssa Sortino is grateful to be working among such talented and passionate artists to make this production a success. This is

her performance debut at Little Theatre of Virginia Beach, but you may have seen her singing in the most recent production

of Holidivas at Zeiders American Dream Theater! Other credits include First Date and Godspell at Little Theatre of Norfolk,

Assassins at Generic Theater, and Reefer Madness with Double Dog Theatre. She would like to thank her husband, Justin, and

her son, Theo, for providing support and inspiration while she continues to find new ways to create art.

Heide Walker has been on stage in many roles including Maria in The Sound of Music (Huntington, WV), Sally Bowles in

Cabaret (Rochester, NY), Luisa in The Fantastiks (Corpus Christi TX), Yente in Fiddler on the Roof (Norfolk, VA) as well as

performing with the Huntington Symphony and as soprano section leader at Royster Presbyterian Church in Norfolk for several

years. She has also music and vocal directed musicals including Music Man, Oliver, Godspell, Nunsense II, Rocky Horror, and

Once on this Island in community theaters around the country thanks to her husband Jeff’s Navy career. Recently, Heide has

been volunteering her time vocal directing with Ocean Lakes High’s theater department. However, the productions of which she

is most proud are her twin sons, Tristan and Wyeth. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, knitting and quilting. Heide is excited

to be part of this cabaret and working with LTVB for the first time!

Tara R. Moscopulos returns to the local stage after a year hiatus (pandemic). She is truly honored to be graced with the

opportunity to perform amongst some of the most talented women in Hampton Roads. Tara has appeared at Generic Theatre

and most recently performed on only one of a three night cabaret at Zeiders due to urgent hospitalization for her mental health.

She would like to thank all women, born or otherwise, who give me the strength to live authentically. This one’s for you, Mom.

NEW Season Pass Packages for the

2020-21 LTVB Season and beyond!

Choose a 5-pack or 3-pack pass for this season, or an 8-pack

Multi-Season pass good for now through the 2021-22 season.

Their Own Words: A Women’s CabaretMarch 12 - March 28, 2021

Sheila Arnold - StorytellerApril 3 – 4, 2021

Songs for a New DayApr 10—May 2, 2021

A Simple RomanceA New Musical by Michael Hunsaker

May 14—June 6, 2021

Michael Hunsaker Concert May 23 & 30, 2021

Lynn Rhuelmann - Storyteller

Liz Terrell – Jazz VocalistJune 12-13, 2021

NunsenseJuly 16 –Aug 8, 2021

Shows are subject to availability.

The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is funded, in part, by the citizens of

Virginia Beach through a grant from the

City of Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission.

Additional funding is provided through the Hampton Roads Community

Foundation from the Carol Chittum Endowment for the Theatrical

Performing Arts and

Eugenia Smith Kennedy Fund.

We sincerely thank our donors who have given at the

following levels:

Angels ($1000 and above)Sandy Lawrence and Michael Smiley

Juanita Felton (Tom)Jim & Jean Russell

Producers ($500 - $999)Lisa Stafford & Sherry Forbes

Kay Burcher

Directors ($250 - $499)

Nancy Bloom Linda H. Kaufman

Starr Janicki MaryLou Mahlman

Gary Thompson

Actors ($100 - $249)

Anonymous Robert Korman

Spiros Apostolakis Donna & Dennis Lawheed

Rose Busetti Stacey Luck

Robin & Brenda Chapman Anthony Maniglia

Anthony Crudup Dan & Robin Martineau

Pat Ewell Erin Matteson

Lynn Francois Frank McCaffery

Jodie Frieden Elizabeth Miklos

Lorie Friedman Sandy & Pete Nickenig

Joyce Gaus Jeff & Sue Rau

Rosalind Gillett Ross & Jo Anne Rooks

Anne Grant Regina Valentine

Cameos ($50 - $99)

Marilyn Abernathy Susan Hyde

Anonymous Steven Jacobs

Anonymous Jay and Nancy Lazier

Marisa Barone K. Spencer McDonald

Bonnie Bixby In memory of Gloria Malbon

Carolyn & Cliff Collings Gloria Maley

Raymond DuBois Patricia Paul

Kathryn Sinclair Fenter Len Scofield

Glenda Gray Stephanie M. Stearns

Jennifer Hamilton Gwynn Sullivan

Harley Handy Esther B. Vaughan

Dorothy (Dottie) Holtz Reggie Williams

We put up a new parking lot, thanks to your generous donations and a loan!

Future donations will help pay off the loan.