The HRACT Awards
The Hampton Roads Achievement in Community Theater Awards
Recent posts
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It’s No Mystery that LTVB Impresses Once Again with “A Murder is Announced”
The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach wasted no time in setting the stage for their newest production, “A Murder is Announced.” Inside the lobby, the cast board had conspiracy theory string connecting each cast member and the murder announcement was posted front and center. With the eerie mood properly set, our group took a stab…
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Savor Grandpa’s Famous “Chicken & Biscuits” at the Little Theatre of Norfolk
It seemed apropos to be walking into the Little Theatre of Norfolk on a Sunday, as the set for “Chicken & Biscuits” was fully dressed like a church, so much so that we looked around and wondered if this was just a ploy to get us into a Sunday Service (well done to scenic artist…
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Brighten Up a Dreary Late Winter Day by Going on a “First Date” at Peninsula Community Theatre
A light drizzle dampened our shoes but couldn’t dampen our spirits as we walked through Hilton Village in Newport News to go to the opening night of “First Date” at Peninsula Community Theatre. We were hoping for a light-hearted evening of fun, watching a first date unfold in front of our eyes – and we…
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“I’m Here” for “The Color Purple” at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center
On Saturday in the early afternoon, we made the trip over to the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News for their only eligible community theater performance this year, “The Color Purple”. As our readership probably knows at this point, our favorite way to go into shows is to be blind as to what the…
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Enjoy Other People’s Family Drama? You’ll Love “The Viewing Room” at Generic Theater
As we left a Chrysler Hall parking garage filled with Norfolk Admirals fans and walked into the Generic Theater for their performance of “The Viewing Room”, we were shocked at how well the Generic had nailed the vibes of a funeral home. There were funeral flowers. There was an old organ. There was the podium…
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Funny Throughout, Emotional at Times, Smithfield Little Theatre Finds the Light-Hearted Side of Death in “Exit Laughing”
As we walked into Smithfield Little Theatre on Saturday night, we were immediately struck by the perfectly captured living room on stage. It felt totally lived in, with various knick-knacks on shelves and pictures and art covering the walls. There were stairs to the right leading to an (offstage) upstairs, and a kitchen in the…
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Celebrate 125 Years of Noël Coward with Production of “Private Lives” at Williamsburg Players
2024 is starting off with a bang for us here at the HRACTys. After missing the opening weekend of “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” at Little Theatre of Norfolk over MLK Weekend, the following weekend we decided to embark on a triple play weekend extravaganza! We began this fun community theater weekend on Friday night…
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LTVB Raises the Bar (and Important Issues) with its Rendition of A Raisin in the Sun
On a frigid and windy Saturday night in January, we rushed into the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach with a sold out crowd full of heavy jackets, scarves, and hats topped with pom poms. Just as our beloved UVA Cavalier basketball team was finishing off a win at Georgia Tech, the lights came down and…
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But Why Not See “But Why Bump Off Barnaby?” at the Little Theatre of Norfolk
We capped off our triple-play weekend at the Little Theatre of Norfolk to see their murder mystery But Why Bump Off Barnaby? We entered the theatre by way of LTN’s Green Room, which LTN always does a fantastic job of theming to match the show. This time, they went above and beyond, partnering with local…
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Although Dead to Begin With, Smithfield Little Theatre Brings Jacob Marley to Life in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol
*Note: As per the performance eligibility requirements as laid out at https://hractawards.com/performance-eligibility/, this play is not up for HRACT Award consideration, as it only played for two weekends. Who doesn’t love a good interpretation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? We usually see at least one version a year – last year, we really enjoyed Williamsburg…
HRACT Awards 