Valley Playhouse rebrands as Friendly City Players, highlights upcoming ‘Season of Hope’

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Harrisonburg’s community theater has announced a new name and upcoming season. Valley Playhouse has now transitioned to a new name, Friendly City Players.

Valley Playhouse has served the Harrisonburg community since 1966, featuring shows such as “The Diary of Anne Frank”, “Little Shop of Horrors”, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, and many more.

In the wake of COVID-19 and the temporary closure of Court Square Theater, Valley Playhouse was forced to suspend productions for over a year. During this time the VPH board transitioned but the organization maintained. The community theater group has put on performances post-pandemic and is ready to continue with its upcoming season.

“We pretty much completely shut down. We lost some board members and had some board members switch around, so we’ve been growing our board. We have eight really active members now so we’ve been able to look from the inside what we were seeing as an organization and be able to have a refresh with new branding and new name and mission,” FCP president Claire Wayman said.

Wayman says the rebranding of the organization not only signifies the group’s ongoing growth and development but also its dedication to serving the community with theatrical experiences, whether watching from the audience or being on or backstage.

“We’re a 100% volunteer-led organization, and we want to make sure people feel welcome to come to join us if they have little theater experience, no theater experience but want to explore, or if they’re seasoned and they want to come and do some shows with us,” Wayman said.

The upcoming season of Hope has three shows running from Summer 2023 through Spring 2024 that encompass the spirit of optimism.

The 2023-2024 Season of Hope includes:

• Summer 2023: Tiny Beautiful Things | August 10 - 20, 2023 at Court Square Theater
• Fall 2023: Urinetown: The Musical | October 12 - 22, 2023 at Court Square Theater
• Spring 2024: Peter and the Starcatcher | March 14 - 24, 2024 at Court Square Theater

For those interested in learning more about FCP, there will be a ‘meet-and-greet’ style meeting on Thursday, June 1 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Harrisonburg Home Teams/Kline May Realty at 83 South Main Street. More information can be found on the Friendly City Players’ website.

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