Support the Firehouse
Several levels of support opportunities are available to suit any budget! 
* Fire Plug - $25-99
* Fire Hose - $100-249
* Fire Pole - $250-499
* Fire Truck - $500-999
* Fire Marshall - $1,000-2,499
* Deputy Fire Chief - $2,500-4,999
* Fire Chief - $5,000 - 7,499
* Battalion Chief - $7,500+
Please click on the “Donate” button below to make your secure donation online, or send your contribution, along with your contact information (snail mail, e-mail, and phone) to:
Firehouse Theatre Project
1609 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23220
NOTE: Creating a PayPal account is optional.
And remember, the FTP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, designated by the IRS. All financial contributions are tax-deductible.
Ukrops Golden Gift Program
The Firehouse Theatre Project is eligible for Ukrops Golden Gift program contributions. The Golden Gift program resumes in March 2008. Stay tuned for updates, and please remember the Firehouse when you get your Golden receipts in the mail!
Wish List
Check here periodically, where we’ll post items we really, really need.
Wanted: Photocopier (xerox machine). We’re in need of a new (or gently used) commercial-grade photocopier. Bells and whistles unnecessary; just something that can produce 20 copies in less time than it takes to hand-write them! If you or someone you know has one they would like to donate to the Firehouse, please contact .
Classes & Auditions
Adult Acting Classes
8-Week Acting Class Sessions - two classes to choose from!
Session 1: Tuesday nights, April 1 - May 20th
Session 2: Wednesday nights, April 30 - June 18
NOTE: Both sessions will be taught by actor and director Morrie Piersol, (director, The Late Henry Moss).
For more information and to enroll:
Click here to enroll in the April 1 (Tuesday) sesson!
Click here to enroll in the April 30 (Wednesday) session!
Get in on the act through theater training provided by Firehouse Founding Artistic Director Carol Piersol. The Firehouse’s theatre cornerstone is the teaching of the late, great Sanford Meisner, with whom Carol studied in New York. Many students have gone on to feature in Firehouse productions. Come join the fun!
Time: Classes are held upstairs at the Firehouse Theatre from 7-9 p.m.
Cost: New students, $160, returning students, $120 for the 8-week session.
More Information: Call 804-355-2001 for more information, or with questions.
New! Stand-Up Comedy Class Starts May 5!
What’s your style? Seinfeld? Chris Rock? Ellen DeGeneres? Have your friends told you “You should be a comedian?” Find your funny bone and prove your stand-up chops in this new six-week class taught by comedian Steve Moore in an intimate setting - only space for 10 students!
Steve’s a Danville, VA native, has performed his comedy all over the world, and has opened for Ellen, RoseAnne, Dolly Parton, and Rodney Dangerfield. He’s had his own HBO special ("Drop Dead Gorgeous"), and is a veteran of Comedy Central and Entertainment Tonight. In addition to performing in comedy clubs and colleges across the U.S., He’s performed in Ireland, England, Australia, and Scotland; and previously taught a VCU comedy class. If you love a fun challenge, this class is for you!
Dates: Mondays, 7 - 9 p.m. for six weeks, May 5 - June 10 (Graduation). Graduation at 8 p.m. with a showcase of student work!
Tuition: $200 (includes 10-minute DVD of your final showcase performance!)
Click here for more information and to enroll!
Showcase, 8 p.m. June 10 - event open to the public: $10. Click the link to purchase tickets to the Showcase only!
Firehouse Acting Class Student Update!
- Former student Ron Karnes will appear in the Henley Street Theater’s production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, running May 8 - 31, 2008!
- Former student Stephanie Nightlinger recently ended a stint on stage in Chicago in a nine-month run of Awesome 80’s Prom!
- Former students Glenn Ryder and Prasad Tupe were featured in Sam Shephard’s The Late Henry Moss at the Firehouse Theatre!
- Former student Neil Sonenklar featured in A Shayna Maidel at the Jewish Community Center!
Purchase Your Season Tickets Now!
Season Tickets are still available for the 2007/2008 season!
Save $15 ($25 if you’re a senior) over the cost of single ticket purchases for tickets to all four of our regular season productions!
Price: $85 Regular; $75 Seniors
For the modest price of a season ticket, you get:
- a ticket to each production
- early reserved seating in your favorite seat (subject to availability)
- invitations to opening night receptions
- play readings and special events
- discounts on classes and additional tickets
Season tickets can be purchased online here or by calling our 24-hour ticket line at 1-800-595-4TIX (595-4849).
Click here to download a season subscription flyer.
Individual Tickets
Call the 24-hour ticket line at 1-800-595-4TIX (595-4849) or
General Information and Group Sales
Season Subscribers
Volunteer Coordinator/Front of House Coordinator - Steven Harris
Phone - 804-355-2001
Website Issues - e-mail the
Click here to purchase tickets to individual shows
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact us using any of the means below:
Make Reservations Here
Artistic Director - Carol Piersol
Office Manager - Melissa Gropman
Snail Mail -
Firehouse Theatre Project
1609 West Broad Street
Richmond, Va. 23220
Our People
Staff
Artistic Director and Founding Member
Office Manager
Volunteer Coordinator/Front of House Manager
Box Office Manager
Anya Taylor
Bookkeeper
Lisa Dawson Kotula
House Manager
Lisa Kelly
Assistant House Manager
Cate Brewer
Technical Director
Tad Burrell
Facilities Manager
Eric Popp
Producer
Amy Wight
Ad Sales
Darice Cole
Graphic Designer
Jason Smith
Voice of the Firehouse
Dick Forrest
Public Relations/Marketing
Stacie Birchett
Photography
Jay Paul
Board of Directors
Officers
President
Ty Toepke
Vice President
Joe Walton
Treasurer
David Bibb, CPA
Immediate Past President
David B. Robinson, CPA
Directors
Don Baker
Megan Holley
David Johannas
Harry Kollatz, Jr.
Hester Lewis
Donna Pendarvis
Bryan Phillips
Shanea Taylor
Ward Tefft
Ty Toepke
Joe Walton
Judy Winston
Susan Wynne
Counsel
Kevin Jones
Playwriting Contest
Sixth Annual Festival of New American Plays - January 17-20, 2008
The winner of the 2008 Firehouse Theatre Festival of New American Plays has been announced! The winner of the $1,000 cash prize is Richard Willett, for his script Tiny Bubbles.
Two finalists, selected by a distinguished panel of judges, were chosen from more than 150 scripts received for our playwriting contest from across the country. They were:
Richard Willett, for his script Tiny Bubbles; and Jon Busch, for Pet Shop Days. Both plays were presented on alternating nights during the Firehouse Theatre’s Sixth Annual Festival of New American Plays, Thursday-Sunday, January 17-20. The winning play was chosen by members of the public who attended readings of both plays - a truly democratic event!
About the Winning Plays and Playwrights:
Tiny Bubbles, by Richard Willett: A forty-something gay man must confront his own alcohol consumption when his roommate and chief drinking buddy decides to join AA, with hilarious, touching, and surprising results.
Richard Willett is an accomplished writer whose plays have been presented at theaters across the country, including Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York; the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theater; and the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. Awards and honors include an Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellowship; a Tennessee Williams Scholarship; and play development grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts. In addition, he has been a finalist in several major screenwriting competitions, and is the author of nine published short stories. Mr. Willett is the co-artistic director of New Directions Theater in New York, and resides in West Hollywood, California.
Pet Shop Days, by Jon Busch: Pete is a genuine animal expert, despite his Mohawk haircut and metal-studded attire. That’s why Mr. Shaw, a loud-mouthed, grizzled New Jerseyan, keeps him around his struggling pet shop. Pete dreams of leaving his dead-end job and becoming a veterinarian, but when Mr. Shaw is threatened with eviction, Pete and his buddies band together to save one of the last independent businesses in town from being taken over by a corporate chain.
Jon Busch has written two full-length plays, and several short plays that have been produced in a variety of small theaters and play festivals around the Boston area. He teaches writing courses at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, and first began developing Pet Shop Days while a graduate student at Boston University. Mr. Busch lives and writes in Beverly, Massachusetts.
About the 2008 Judges : Local screenwriter and Firehouse Board member Megan Holley; esteemed actor and one of our favorites, Bill Patton; and Hollins College MFA in Playwriting faculty, Todd Ristau.
The Seven Semi-finalists:
In addition to Mr. Busch and Mr. Willett, five more works merited the judges’ acclaim:
Matches by Richard Manley
The Persistence of Belief by Bo Wilson
The Cafe Brulot by Jami Brandli
Kingdom of Dust by Stephanie Timm
Retrospective by Walter Thinnes
The seven semi-finalists hail from the states of Virginia, Massachusetts, California, New York, and Washington.
Applause, congratulations, and our thanks to the winners, the semi-finalists, the judges, and all the many, many volunteer readers who took time to ensure that only the very best new American plays come to the Firehouse stage!
In keeping with the Firehouse Theatre’s mission of promoting new work, the Festival of New American Plays began in 2002 as a way to encourage and incubate new plays by established and emerging playwrights in the USA. It has become a grass-roots event with substantial involvement from the community, as hundreds of scripts submitted from all over the country are read by volunteer readers from the area. Each script is read twice (more if it needs a tiebreaker), and scripts with “two thumbs up” are passed on to our expert panel of judges, who then pick two finalists for a four-night showdown at the festival. Members of the festival audience who have seen staged readings of both finalists’ works cast a vote for their favorite, and the winner of the festival is chosen by the public! Festival winners receive cash prizes.
2007 Festival – A Tie!
Our Fifth Annual Festival of New American Plays was a smashing success with a surprise ending. The audience vote, following the final performance on Sunday January 28th, was dead even – the first tie ever in the history of the play festival. Sharing the joint honor of first place are One Fine Day by David Rush from Chicago, Illinois; and Grace by Sharon Sharth of Pasadena, California. Thanks to all who helped out with this year’s festival: judges, readers, actors, directors, front and back of house helpers and of course a big thank you to all the fine playwrights who submitted their work.
2006 Winner Achieves Success in New York!
2006 Firehouse “Festival of New American Plays” Winner Frawley Becker’s play Tiger by the Tail made the great leap from the Firehouse Stage straight to Off Broadway this spring! Tiger by the Tail opened at the Wings Theatre in New York City on March 24th, 2006. Click here to read more about it.
We’re excited to be a part of Frawley’s success, and we wish him all the best!
Get Involved Next Year!
Get in on the act of creating the next new sensation for the stage, and sign up now to be a reader for next year. Readers needed starting Summer 2008.
The Firehouse Theatre Project has already begun taking submissions for its 2008 Playwriting Contest!
Festival Guidelines:
• Full length scripts only.
• Plays must not have been previously produced. Readings are acceptable if no admission was charged and actors read from the script.
• Submissions should be made in standard manuscript form. This means no discs, no e-mails. All author information must be on a title page
separate from the body of the manuscript and no reference to the author is permitted in the body of the script.
• Scripts must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a theater company or individual familiar with your work. Letters of recommendation do not need to be specific to the play submitted; they may be general recommendations of the playwrights work. All letters must be received with the script, not under separate cover. Scripts received without a letter will not be considered.
• Entries must be postmarked no later than June 30, 2008.
Due to volume of mail, manuscripts cannot be returned.
• Send submissions to:
Firehouse Theatre Project
6th Festival of New American Plays
1609 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
• Two winners receive staged readings and prizes of $1,000 and $500. In the case of a tie, each winner will receive $750.
• Winners will be announced January 1, 2009.
Volunteer
Join the Firehouse Bucket Brigade! We seek enthusiastic, theater-loving volunteers for the current season at the Firehouse Theatre Project.
The FTP is happy to work with students seeking to earn credits as interns or anyone who enjoys the idea of being a part of the hottest ticket in town! The FTP is very flexible - you do not need theatre experience - and we will work to make a spot for you that coincides with your talents and interests.
Adults: Many volunteer opportunities await you - from box office help, to ushering, bartending, handyman, house management, ad sales, and office work.
To pursue volunteer opportunities, please e-mail , or call the Firehouse at 355-2001 and leave a message in the general mailbox. Most positions can be full year, semester, or production-based in scope. All will be fun, rewarding and get you in to see great theatre all season FREE! Plus, you get bragging rights among all your friends. And our undying gratitude!
Location and Parking
The Firehouse Theatre Project is located at 1609 W. Broad Street near the corner of Lombardy & West Broad, in downtown Richmond. We’re just west of VCU and the Siegel Center, between Belvidere and Boulevard. Free parking for our patrons in the Lowe’s parking lot, just across the street.
For those who need verbal directions, here is the easiest way to find us:
From I-95 North or 64 East: Take the Boulevard exit south toward Broad Street. Turn left at the intersection with Broad. The FTP is located in the brick firehouse to your right, approximately 1.5-miles east of the Boulevard-Broad intersection.
From I-95 South: Take the Downtown Expressway (195) to the Boulevard exit, turn right on Boulevard and right on W. Broad St. The FTP is located in the brick firehouse to your right, approximately 1.5-miles east of the Boulevard-Broad intersection.
From 64 East: Take the Belvidere exit south to Broad Street. Turn right at the intersection with Broad. Park in the Lowe’s on your right. The FTP is located across the street in the brick firehouse, approximately one mile west of the Belvidere-Broad intersection.
Parking: The Lowe’s store across the street from the FTP allows our patrons to park for free, but theatre-goers must leave it prior to 11 p.m. or risk getting locked in.
For other directions, call the FTP at 804-355-2001.
Previous Shows
Chronology of Performances
1993-2004
1993
- “Off Broadway On Broad Street”, Founded Oct. 17, by Bill Gordon (Pres.1993-1998), Carol Piersol (Artistic Director 1993 -), Anna Senechal (1993-1997), Harry Kollatz Jr. (President, 1998-2006), Janet Wilson (Co-Artistic & Education Director (1993-1998)
1994
- April 21-23 - The Four-Alarm Firehouse Fundraiser (one acts)
- June 3-18 - Speed-The-Plow, by David Mamet
- July 15-16 - Mother Knows Best (one acts)
- Oct. 28-30 - Freaks (one-acts)
1995
- Feb. 8-19 - Women of Manhattan, by John Patrick Shanley
- April 27-29 - Pluggers: plays for the people, (short pieces, fundraiser)
- Oct. 20-29 - Nebraska, by Keith Reddin
1996
- Feb. 14-24 - Between The Sheets (one acts)
- May 9-18 - Papers, by Allan Stratton
- July 18-28 - Lasso The Moon, six plays by John Patrick Shanley in collaboration with Company of Fools
- November - Richmond Hot Shots: celebrity fund raiser
1997
- Feb. 2 - Sanford Meisner died, age 91
- Feb. 20-March 8 - North Shore Fish, by Israel Horovitz
- May 1-17 - The Persistence of Memory, by Harry Kollatz Jr.
- June 13-21 - Fathers (one acts)
- Oct. 16-Nov. 1 - Oh, Hell! two one acts, by David Mamet and Shel Silverstein
- Nov. 13 - Richmond Hot Shots 1997: A Celebrity Showcase To Benefit The Firehouse Theatre Project by Harry Kollatz Jr., Jonathan Orcutt and Jeff Clevenger
1998
- May 14-31 - The Big Slam, by Bill Corbett
- July 23-Aug. 9 - My Thing Of Love, by Alexandra Gersten
- Nov. 6-21 - Padded Cells: two one acts w/ the Experiential Theater Company
1999
- Firehouse in danger, saved in third act
- Apr. 29-May 22 - Four Dogs and a Bone, by John Patrick Shanley
- Nov. 16 - Waitstaff Woes & Restaurant Rumors: A Jambalaya of music, Scenes & Monologues with Food & Libation, music by Burnt Taters
2000
- Feb. 17-March 4 - Lebensraum, by Israel Horovitz
- May 4-20 - Buried Child, by Sam Shephard
- May 25 - The Titanic Society: Rehearsed by Harry Kollatz Jr.
- June 4 - Pyrolab: six new one-act plays constructed in 48 hours
- Sept. 14-30 - Edmond, by David Mamet
- Oct. 18 - An Evening With Edward Albee, 2000 fundraiser talk by and reception w/ Edward Albee
- Oct. 19-Nov. 5 - The Death of Bessie Smith, by Edward Albee--Prologue: Empress, by Tim Ireland, singer Desirée Roots; keyboards Sonny Baharloo
2001
- Feb. 15-March 4 - Because He Can, by Arthur Kopit
- May 3-20 - Fuddy Meers, by David Lindsay-Abaire
- Sept. 13-30 - Private Eyes, by Stephen Dietz
- Oct. 10 - Bad Hair Daze, annual fundraiser music by The Oregon Hill Funk All-Stars
- Oct. 25-Nov. 11 - Hedwig and The Angry Inch, by John Cameron Mitchell, music & lyrics by Stephen Trask
2002
- Feb. 28-Mar. 17 - Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet
- Apr. 25-May 12 - The Waverly Gallery, by Kenneth Lonergan
- Sept. 12-29 - Anton in Show Business, by Jane Martin
- Oct. 9 - HAIR, a Tribal Rock Musical-in concert, (annual fund raiser), books and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermott
- Nov. 7-24 - Triple Play, three short plays The American Dream--Albee, Acrobats, by Horovitz, Interview--van Italie
2003
- Jan. 16-19 - First Annual Festival of New American Plays
- Mar. 6-29 - Curse Of The Starving Class, by Sam Shepard
- Apr. 24-May 11 - As Bees In Honey Drown, by Dougas Carter Beane
- Sept. 4-28 - Bat Boy: The Musical, by Keyth Farley & Bryan Fleming, music and lyrics by Laurence O’ Keefe
- Oct. 9-14 - Mutation Project: Out of Area: international theater collaboration
- Oct. 17 - Red, Hot & 10: FTP’s 10th Anniversary
- Nov. 6-23 - Fast Hands, by Israel Horovitz
2004
- Jan. 22-25 - The Second Annual Festival of New American Plays
- March 4-28 - The Heidi Chronicles, by Wendy Wasserstein
- April 19-May 16 - Firehouse Cabaret, music and 10-minute plays
- Sept. 9-Oct.2-The Kingdom of Earth by Tennessee Williams
- Oct. 28-Nov. 20-Reckless, Craig Lucas
2005
- January 14-24, as part of Acts of Faith Festival, Blessed Assurance, by Allan Gurganus, and January 5-15, The Words of Albert Schweitzer and Music of J.S. Bach
- January 27-30, Third Festival of New American Plays, "On War Cows and the South Dakota Dutch" by Harry Ben Hanson and "Bourbon Street Spell" by Jude Barker
- February 24-March 19-Volume of Smoke, by Clay McLeod Chapman (World premier), sponsored by the Honorable and Mrs. David B. Robinson, CPA
- April 28-May 21- The Last Five Years, by Jason Robert Brown, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Singleton
- July 23-24- Lulupalooza: A Celebration of the Cinematic Life of Louise Brooks
- Sept. 8-Oct. - Where's My Money?, by John Patrick Shanley
- Oct. 27-Nov. 17, Edward Albee's The Goat--Or Who Is Sylvia
2006
- March 2-25 - Compromise, by Israel Horovitz
- April 27-May 20 - Dinner With Friends, by Donald Margulies
- September 14-Oct. 7 - I Am My Own Wife, by Doug Wright
… and the shows go on.
Artistic Mission
"Women of Manhattan" (1994) - from left, Liz Ernest, Mary McMillan Horton, Carol Piersol.
Affiliated Productions
The Firehouse Theatre Project is pleased to serve as venue for a variety of presentations produced by other organizations.
The monthly Just Poetry Slam of Yellow House and James River Writers with organizer and host dl Hopkins celebrates the spoken word and its creators. Monthly competitions, leading to the annual “Grand Slam,” are held at the Firehouse. Admission is free. For more information, check out the Just Poetry web site. Doors open at 7:30 – be there early because the events regularly attract a full house. First come, first seated.
Project Resolution, the monthly free independent video and film festival of Yellow House, is held at the Firehouse, 7 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Project Res website and check out this month’s film prompt at www.projectres.com.
Birth, by Karen Brody, a “testimonies” play examining childbirth through the experiences of seven principle characters was first presented at the Firehouse January 15 and 22, 2006. The women offer their perspectives, insights and reflections on the transition to motherhood. To learn more about the play, please visit www.birththeplay.com.
Lulupalooza ‘05 was a celebration of the life and cinematic works of 1920s silent film actress Louise Brooks held at the Firehouse on July 23-24, 2005. The once-only festival included a screening of “Pandora’s Box” at the Byrd Theatre with the live accompaniment of the band Los10Space. For perspectives on the event see the following:
JRTCLLC—Flickr—Style Weekly—Richmond.com
Richmond Mutated: See glimpses, explanations and reviews of the Firehouse’s role in an international theater collaboration, The Mutation Project. Richmond was the only U.S. city in October 2003 to participate in this German-led/Internet-driven experiment. It culminated in a miniature Mutation festival in Berlin in June 2004 in which Richmond performers participated.” Go here.