Since the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1998, more than half a million people have seen live performances on its stage. The theater is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, halfway between Richmond and Washington, D.C.
“Groups love Riverside Center, as it’s a delightful retreat from real life,” says Nancy Huffine, group sales manager. “The magic of music and theater, the intimate venue and a plated dinner served by members of the production make for a fabulous evening.”
The Riverside’s resident company stages its own productions of Broadway classics, top musicals and regional plays. A typical autumn-to-spring season includes six main-stage shows and another six performances through its children’s theater series.
Once the motorcoach arrives, groups are greeted and ushered to a lounge area with a bar. Dinner follows, and it includes a salad, choice of entrée and dessert. Once the plates are cleared, the curtain comes up for the show that Huffine says features “Broadway-quality talent, costumes, direction and production values that help take viewers away to another place and time for a couple of hours.”
In addition to seeing a performance, Huffine says groups have plenty of options, including a behind-the-scenes tour that goes backstage and to the costume shop, the prop shop and the scenery shop. “Particulars depend on timing of arrival, availability and the production, and we’ve offered performance options for smaller ensembles and choral groups, or a chance to join the cast to sing during the final curtain call,” she says. “An actor talk-back session can often be arranged as well.”
To learn more, email Huffine or go to riversidedt.com.
Top photo: Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
