Misc. Theatre Stuff
Cheryl’s professional credits in theatre date back to 1982, when she did her first summer theatre job at Fredericksburg Theatre Company, on the campus of Mary Washington College, now the University of Mary Washington. Productions that summer included Wait Until Dark, The Miser, and South Pacific. Important lessons learned that summer include: why real locks should never be used for onstage doors, why it’s never good for a stage manager to scream in panic over the headset (refer to above note regarding locks), and how to drive in screws from almost every imaginable body position.
After many years of work onstage and backstage, and more shows than one human can possibly remember, Cheryl continues her work in theatre as a director, educator and playwright. Here are some varied samples:Since 2005, Cheryl has been directing and writing short plays for Unity Readers’ Theatre, Unity Christ Church of Bon Air, Richmond, VA. This program gives congregants an opportunity to explore their joy for performance, and provides thought-provoking and inspirational interludes for Sunday services. The big plan includes publishing a collection of these short scripts for use in new thought churches. Cheryl’s writing style reflects a great affection for the work of Samuel Becket, a condition developed while studying at Mary Washington College in the early 80’s. This state continues to manifest, as Cheryl requires her college students to read Waiting for Godot, much to the frustration of some, and joy of others. Go figure. Click here to read a short play.
As an actor, Cheryl has worked exclusively on-camera for several years now, in numerous TV commercials and industrial videos. She has perfected the “OMG-I-won-the-lottery” face, and has been seen on Virginia TV screens and convenience-store displays for several years running in this capacity. Cheryl has done a selection of background work in movies filmed in Virginia, and landed a role working onscreen with Oscar-Winner Sissy Spacek in the 2008 feature film Lake City.
Cheryl appeared in many plays in her early career, but has never developed an interest in collecting photos of herself. If some pics turn up, we’ll be sure to post them. In the mean time, here’s an old photo from the archives at MWC, with Cheryl appearing in a production of The Importance of Being Earnest (right-center, lavender dress).
Here’s a quick list of theatres and performing arts organizations where Cheryl has worked in a variety of capacities over the years:
Richmond Jazz Society, Richmond VA
Barksdale Theatre-Willow Lawn, Richmond VA
Barksdale Theatre-Hanover Tavern, Richmond VA
Theatre IV, Richmond VA
Company of Fools, Richmond VA
Ashland Stage Company, Ashland VA
Dogwood Dell, Richmond VA
SPARC (School for the Performing Arts), Richmond VA
Source Theatre Company, Washington DC
Maryland Shakespeare Festival, St. Mary’s College MD
Virginia Tech—MFA in Theatre ‘92
Carolina Union at Memorial Hall, UNC, Chapel Hill NC
Mill Mountain Theatre, Roanoke VA
Fredericksburg Theatre Company, Fredericksburg VA
Mary Washington College—BA in Theatre ‘85
