Despite Farmville’s small size, the small town is no stranger to the fine arts. From local shops such as Mainly Clay and Red Door 104, the community theater- Waterworks Players and theater, music and visual arts from both local colleges- like Hampden Sydney’s Esther Atkinson Museum and Longwood University’s Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA), the Heart of Virginia is plentiful in the expression of creativity, imagination and talent.
Although community theater and educational theater are available to the public, there is a void for professional theater in the area. Now, there’s always the option of traveling to Richmond for a professional production experience. However, the great distance is daunting when faced with the hour-and-a-half long drive.
Fortunately, Farmville’s need for professional theatre is finally being filled by Illyria Theatre Company (ITC) - a wink to the fictional town in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” Co-founders President Chris Klinger and Vice President Lacy Klinger have been looking to start a theatre company in Farmville since their arrival about three years ago in the fall of 2014.
The couple moved to the area to for positions in Longwood University’s Theatre Department with Chris Klinger as box office manager and Lacy Klinger as an assistant professor in acting and voice and movement.
“Chris and I have always wanted to start a (theatre) company…” said Lacy Klinger, “We always knew that if we formed a company, that that’s what we would call it. It just seemed like now was the time to do it. We’re finally making it happen; we just did it.”
“Yeah, as far as the right time, we’ve started a family,” said Chris Klinger as he held their 6-month-old son, Jack in his arms, “And we now have roots growing. We did some research when it started feeling like- maybe we should get this in motion now that we have a family growing, we can now grow another dream. It just seemed like the right time and the right place.”
Though ITC is incorporated in Virginia with headquarters in Farmville, they are not tied to a specific space and are not looking to search until about a five year from now. Until then, many venues are available to the company throughout Farmville and surrounding areas with their most recent host being the newly-opened Virginia Tasting Cellar. The ‘Hallo-Wine’ event was held in conjunction with the company in which a staged reading of Evan Mueller’s “Hot Season” was performed the weekend before Halloween.
Along with working in tandem with the Virginia Tasting Cellar, ITC looks to work alongside with the with local businesses and organizations to strengthen ties in the Farmville community. The company currently has plans with certain yet-to-be-revealed organizations to assist in select fundraisers and benefits in providing entertainment for specific events and in that way, contributing to tourism with art.
Illyria Theatre Company comments on the estate of revitalization in which Farmville finds itself in, with Chris Klinger referring to it as “a small-town Renaissance” and looks to play an integral part as it continues to unfold by bringing professional theatre to the area.
“To speak artistically about theatre,” said Chris Klinger, “I don’t believe theatre is there to tell people what to think, but our theatre is there to start a conversation about issues. We all know that Farmville has a very rich history, one that is just starting to be brought to the forefront, and I think our theatre can be a conduit for opening up those conversations and bringing people together.”
The Klingers have also noticed a growing need for professional theatre not only for the benefit of the town’s community, but also for both current students and recently graduated students looking to receive credit for working in professional theatre- whether it’s technical or performance- that pays and keeps up with professional standards.
“I knew when I got the job here that I knew there wasn’t a professional theatre here,” said Lacy Klinger, “I knew there is a great community theatre that I certainly wanted to be involved in, but we wanted to still be able to work with professional standards (and) bring in professionals... We knew coming here that there is a need for it. We’re providing work for ourselves here but also providing work for people who are just graduating to people who are in New York. It’s really about bringing something to Farmville that wasn’t here.”
The ultimate goal for Illyria Theatre company is to be recognized by the Actors’ Equity Association as a regional theatre with their own space within a five to 10 year plan. The company also looks to begin a children’s theatre program, a summer camp as well as offering a multitude of workshops and lessons for aspiring professionals and members of the community that seek to further their theatrical skills.
The company has received their first grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts to bring storyteller Lynn Ruehlmann to the Central Virginia Regional Library for a show of full stories, songs and plays for children entitled “Squawks, Squeals, Ribbits and Roars” on Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. Other upcoming events include a play entitled “Miss Electricity” to be directed by Chris Klinger and performed in Longwood’s own Jarman Auditorium beginning April 4 at 9:30 a.m.
ITC is looking toward making plans for other upcoming events that are yet to be set in stone; from a Christmas event to possibly be held in part with the Virginia Tasting Cellar again to either a standalone or a partnered dinner and a show Valentine’s Day event. Though the company is still in its beginning works, there remains to be much to look forward to in professional theatre arts with the Illyria Theatre Company.
“There seems to be this energy that’s already (in Farmville),” said Chris Klinger “We’re just adding to it. We’re not creating something new. It’s catching fire, and it caught fire to us. So, we just felt (that) this is the piece of the puzzle that we can add to.”
For more information visit http://www.illyriatheatrecompany.com/ and like/follow them on Facebook, Twitter (@Illyria_playon) and Instagram (@illyriatheatrecompany).
