HOMETOWN ENTERTAINMENT: “Arsenic and Old Lace” coming soon to the Bear Theatre in Downtown Roanoke

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Community High School in downtown Roanoke is home to the Star City’s newest community theatre, known as the Bear Theatre.

But that’s not its original name. Its name is actually “Exit, Pursued by a Bear.”

“That is a Shakespearean reference to one of his unusual margins in “A Winter’s Tale, ” one of his famous plays. And so we just kind of really loved it,” says Angela McNeil, the board president of the Bear Theatre.

McNeil says the Bear Theatre’s opening was meant to help re-build the local theatre community, which took a hit during the pandemic.

“Downtown was our hope, that’s where where we wanted to be. So, when Community High School invited us in to share their space, we were Oh my gosh, just ecstatic,” says McNeil.

Cast members are now busy rehearsing for next month’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

“The show premiered in 1940, took Broadway by storm when it first came out. It’s black comedy, so there’s a lot of dark humor,” says director Brian Lee.

“The premise, in general, of these two sweet little old ladies, who have a secret in their cellar. 12 of them, to be exact,” he adds.

Lee says the show features a 14 member local cast, and he was encouraged by the large turnout at auditions.

“I think we came out with the best cast that we could have. A lot of very very talented and hard-working people put their time in for this show to bring little laughter to everybody,” says Lee.

If you’d like to buy tickets to “Arsenic and Old Lace”, click here.

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