Over 20 years, Renaissance troupe took steps to reach Commerce Street niche

By Casey Gillis

Published: August 27, 2008

Renaissance Theatre president Tom Nowell sits on a blue couch in what is supposed to be the living room of New York’s fictional vice mayor.

It’s the set for Renaissance’s latest, Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” and Nowell says it’s one of their most elaborate ones to date.

Over the past eight years — since Renaissance moved into its downtown location at 1022 Commerce St. — the space has been everything from a cabaret in Berlin to an insane asylum to even “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”

“Rumors,” which marks the opening of Renaissance’s 20th season, kicks off with an opening reception at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 5, followed by the show at 8. The story takes place during a dinner party the vice mayor, Charlie, is throwing for his 10th wedding anniversary.

But nothing goes as planned in the comedy. As the first couple arrives, they hear a gunshot inside the house and find Charlie bleeding from the head, with his wife nowhere to be found.

“They jump to the conclusion that he tried to kill himself,” says Nowell, who is directing the show.

Trying to avoid a political scandal, the couple decide to cover it up. More guests start arriving and eventually find out what’s going on and get in on the cover-up.

“The story gets more elaborate and more complicated as the next two couples arrive,” Nowell says.

“The situation really comes to a very chaotic ending of the first act. The audience gets to see different sides of all of the different characters.”

Nowell says they didn’t make a conscious decision to use “Rumors” as the first show of their 20th anniversary season. But it turned out to be a good fit.

“We hadn’t done a farce in quite awhile, and it works out that it’s a very fun show,” he says.

After 20 years in the theater business, the minds behind Renaissance know what Lynchburg audiences like and try to give it to them.

“For the general population in Lynchburg, they like to come and see musicals and they like to come and see comedies,” says Nowell.

Renaissance’s first show was the comedy “Little Footsteps” in 1988. Renaissance’s early years found the troupe bouncing around from venue to venue, including The Ellington, Virginia School of the Arts, Sweet Briar College and the old Fine Arts Center.

They finally settled into a space on Bedford Avenue for about five years in the early 1990s before moving into their current spot — which used to be a hardware store and, later, a warehouse — on Commerce Street.

“It was the sort of thing that was happening in a lot of other cities, where theaters were moving into vacant downtown spaces,” Nowell says of the decision to move there.

Renovations began, and they held their first show, “Lend Me a Tenor,” in 2000.

“We’ve had a good run down here as we’ve built audience, and I hope we can say we’ve built a reputation that keeps the audience coming,” Nowell says.

“Even as Lynchburg grows, there’s still a limited number of people who find theater as a desirable entertainment.

“There have been a number of performing arts groups that have come and gone, some that still exist. I think each of us kind of fills our own little niche.”

if you’re going
WHAT: ‘Rumors’
WHEN: 8 p.m. Sept. 5, 6, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 and 3 p.m. Sept. 14
WHERE: Renaissance Theatre, 1022 Commerce St.
TICKETS: $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and groups of 10 or more and $10 for students
INFO: (434) 845-4427