Theatre Draws Families Throughout Region

Theatre and arts education can be a magical experience for both children and adults alike, as it provides escapism from the humdrum of life.

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg has offered that escapism to audiences in the region for 25 years.

“Families love our theatre because we are located within their community. You do not have to drive to Richmond, DC, or New York to see a Broadway-quality show,” says Allison Mayberry, Riverside’s director of marketing & group sales.

Riverside’s Children’s Theatre went on hiatus for a while after COVID but is set to be up and running again this fall, according to Allison.

“Riverside Children's shows were a staple in the community for field trips for schools, daycares, and families to introduce their children to theatre,” she says. “It was an incredible program, and we are excited to be able to offer it again. Art education is so important to everyone. It allows you to express how you feel and how you view the world. The theatre constantly tells a story that impacts many lives in different ways.”

Riverside Dinner Theater and Conference Facility opened on June 18, 1998, with the theater’s inaugural performance of Oklahoma! (In 2016, the facility was rebranded as Riverside Center for the Performing Arts.) Since 1998, Riverside Center’s stage has been the site for over 100 mainstage musical and dramatic productions, and more than 120 musical adaptations of popular children’s stories for the Children’s Theatre.

And its reach goes beyond the lovers of drama. Riverside Center’s conference facility has hosted many wedding receptions, celebratory social gatherings, business meetings, military balls, high school proms, and other special events.

Built in response to the late Rollin E. Wehman’s vision for bringing professional performing arts, and especially live musical theatre, to the Fredericksburg/Stafford area, Riverside Center, 95 Riverside Parkway, is a 36,000-square-foot dinner theatre and conference facility all rolled into one building.

“Riverside employs some of the most talented set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, and more. Our cast includes local talent and guest performers from out of town,” Allison says.

TV favorites such as Sally Struthers, Joyce DeWitt, and Toneisha Harris have starred in past productions. Toneisha Harris, The Voice season 18 runner-up, will be starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Riverside this summer. “Each production showcases sets and costumes built and created in-house in our large warehouse. Countless creative hours are spent designing, building, and bringing each show to life,” Allison adds.

The theatre provides five shows a week, with matinees on Wednesday and Sunday and evening performances Thursday through Friday. The entire family can enjoy a three-course waiter-served meal prior to the show.

Ticket sales are Riverside’s primary source of income. Its sister organization, the Riverside Foundation for the Performing Arts, has participated in a variety of fundraising and educational activities for area service ministries since its establishment in 2007. Under major grants from PNC Bank and The Community Foundation, as well as generous contributions from the public, the Foundation continues its history of offering annual summer performing arts camps free of charge to economically disadvantaged children and youth.

“Families benefit from our professional theatre in their community in many ways,” Allison says  “We offer employment for so many people. From our Box Office to building sets, wait staff, cooks, to actors, there is a place here in our theatre for the community. We engage with the kids by offering family-friendly shows and summer camps.

Allison fell in love with theatre many years ago while growing up on Long Island, New York. She was able to visit the city often with her family, and Broadway was part of her upbringing. When she saw her first Broadway show – Annie – she fell in love. “After having my own children, they found a love for theatre as well and as they grew up, I found myself marketing their shows and working for a non-profit theatre,” she recalls.

“Theatre transforms people. They think they are just coming to see a show, but they leave inspired. I love being out in our community telling people about Riverside and inviting them to a show. I love building relationships with other business owners in our community. We need to work together to keep our communities flourishing. It is a blessing to work with all the groups that come to our shows. I work with kids that have never been to a professional theatre before and see the fire in their eyes when they leave. I work with adult communities and enjoy seeing the groups spend a day out together enjoying a great meal and a spectacular show.”

Allison is excited about the upcoming shows coming to Riverside. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs through July 9. Ashlee Waldbauer is returning to the stage after playing Molly in Ghost the Musical last year. She was recently a swing in SIX the Musical with Norwegian Cruise Lines. 42nd Street runs from July 19 through September 10. Dorothy Brock will be played by Broadway’s original Annie, Andrea McArdle. And returning to the stage will be a Riverside favorite, Christopher Sanders. He has starred in Camelot, Annie and La Cage Aux Folles. Bridges of Madison County runs from September 20 through November 12 starring Adrianne Hick who played Mother in Ragtime, and Alice Murphy in Brightstar.

“We complete our 25th season with Miracle on 34th Street which we know will be a family favorite for the holiday season,” Allison says. This show runs from November 22 through December 31, with a party after the show to ring in the new year.

“Our ever-widening reputation and recognition for production excellence has attracted performers from the Broadway stage and national-tour casts and noted musical theatre critics have cited Riverside Center as ‘consistently demonstrating high-quality, professional-caliber productions” and “one of the best places to see musicals in the D.C. area’,” she adds.

More than 15,000 people came to see Grease during an eight-week span in 2020 and was “definitely a crowd favorite with the incredible live music, energetic choreography, and stellar voices,” Allison recalls. Les Misérables, Million Dollar Quartet, The Color Purple, and Mama Mia are a few others that stand out for Allison in the theatre’s 25-year history.

Most of Riverside’s shows are musicals, but the theatre does do plays from time to time.  

For more information on purchasing tickets to any Riverside shows, including season tickets, contact the Box Office at 540-370-4300 or purchase them online at www.riversidedt.com.