August 1-2, 7-9, 2026 PLANET FIRST, written by William R. Duell, directed by Jennifer Decker

Thank you to everyone who attended Planet First! We were all thrilled by the positive comments. One of the audience members, Martine Cantrel, wrote to another theatre suggesting that the artistic director perform it there, and cc’ed us. Here’s what she had to say about it.

“Planet First, authored by William Duell, and directed by Jennifer Decker is a dazzling, generous, and unexpectedly moving theatrical experience. An excellent play that transforms one of the most urgent questions of our time—climate change—into a fastpaced, funny, and deeply human conversation among three gripping characters: Brandon, a young man who falls in love with Bella, a young woman; and a catalyst character who impersonates Jesus in a series of modern life situations—as an Uber driver, massage therapist, pastor, reporter, and podcast host. The result is a work that feels contemporary, theatrical, and alive from the first exchange to the last.

“What makes the play so enjoyable is its brilliant use of contrast. Each scene has the sharpness of a comic sketch, yet the episodes accumulate into something richer than a collection of jokes. The park gives the story openness and possibility; the massage scene turns vulnerability into comedy; the church confession brings spiritual anxiety into theatrical focus; and the manifestation scene allows the play to flirt with fantasy while staying grounded in recognizable human longing. These shifting locations give Planet First a lively rhythm, keeping the audience constantly surprised while steadily deepening the central debate.

“The dialogue is one of the production’s greatest pleasures. It is witty, incredibly funny, and wonderfully quick on its feet, allowing serious ideas to arrive through laughter rather than lectures. The humor never diminishes the importance of the subject; instead, it opens a door into it. The characters argue, misunderstand, tease, provoke, and charm one another with a comic timing that makes their opposing beliefs feel vivid rather than abstract. The play understands that people rarely change their minds because they are defeated in an argument; they change because they are heard, challenged, and touched by another person’s humanity.”

Martine, a heartfelt thank-you from all of us at New Views Theatre! 

April 25-26, May 1-3, 2026 APPROPRIATE, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Stephanie Sandberg

Thank you for attending NVT’s first full production: Appropriate, written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Stephanie Sandberg.

You might have seen The News-Gazette’s write-up. That’s right - we’re Lexington’s first resident professional theatre, and we’re bringing off-off-Broadway theatre to the area. And yes, this play is both very funny and very dark. Not to mention brilliant.

From an audience member who tries to see as many local plays as she can since she moved here five years ago: “The acting was stellar! Best play I’ve seen in Lexington.”

From an acting instructor visiting from Charlottesville whose work allows him to see plays all over the state: “So very powerful! Best play I’ve seen in Virginia, full stop!”

From a theatre patron who since his marriage attends plays with his wife whenever he can: “It’s actually the best play I’ve ever seen.”

These are just some of the glowing comments we received for Appropriate. Audience members excitedly talked about it after each performance, and apparently talked it up to their friends. Every next performance had more people in attendance than the performance before. It was a thrill for the cast to receive standing ovations.

Thank you for supporting New Views Theatre!

Best to you,

William R. Duell

Executive and Artistic Director

New Views Theatre

October 10-12, 2025 CHALLENGING BROWN by Cris Eli Blak

New Views Theater invites you to a private dinner at Lexington’s unsurpassed Zunzun restaurant on Friday, October 10th, the eve of the first of two staged readings of Cris Eli Blak’s CHALLENGING BROWN. Blak is a guest of honor. He will be joined by Gerald vanHeerden, a successful NYC theatre producer and director. Our third honored guest is Ted Swindley, author of the renowned ALWAYS . . . PATSY CLINE and HONKY-TONK ANGELS and founder of Stages Theatre in Houston.

Doors at Zunzun open at 6:30 p.m. Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. A set menu includes a glass of wine, beer or a mocktail with each course. Mingle with our guests of honor and fellow patrons before or after dinner—or both!

On Saturday, Oct. 11th, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 12th, at 3:00 p.m., NVT will present staged readings of CHALLENGING BROWN, written by Cris Eli Blak and directed by Stephanie Sandberg at the Johnson Theatre in the Lenfest Center for the Arts, Washington and Lee University, 100 Glasgow St., Lexington, VA 24450. This drama-comedy is about the challenges Gordon Brown faces when he is hired in 1967 as the first black teacher at an all-white high school in Texas. Follow Gordon as he navigates a changing world and changing personal relationships.

August 8-9, 2025 IN BETWEEN by Reverie Puppets

Thank you to everyone who attended IN BETWEEN, Reverie Puppets' productions on Friday, Aug. 8th, and Saturday, Aug. 9th, at 7:00 p.m.  The attendance was great and Reverie has gotten many rave reviews for their innovative performances. Below is New Views Theatre's invitation that we posted in early July:

NVT invites you to a workshop of the devised puppet play, IN BETWEEN, created and performed by Lexington’s own Reverie Puppets, and made possible by a grant to Reverie from Washington and Lee University. You may have seen Reverie’s whimsical, funny, and poignant workshop performances of THE AFTERPARTY last August. 

What is a devised puppet play? 

Puppet theatre is one of the world’s oldest theatre traditions and is part of nearly every culture worldwide. Devised theatre is a relatively new mode of creation. It’s the process of collaboratively creating a new play without a pre-existing script where the creators are also the performers. Reverie combines the old and the new, and the Reverie collaborators, Owen Collins and Samuel Camp, give themselves a set number of days to craft something that will captivate their audiences. “Devised theatre adds an extra layer of complexity to the performance,” says Collins.“ And puppet theatre pushes boundaries,” Camp adds.

If you’re interested in an innovative, unusual theatrical experience, come join us! Seating is limited, so please reserve your seats by emailing william@newviewstheatre.org and letting us know which night you’ll attend. (Note that this play explores some dark themes and is not suitable for young children.)

     “We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, encouragement and generosity demonstrated by our home community,” Duell said. Mike McDowell, the theatre’s managing director, said “Together, we raised nearly $15,000 in cash and nearly $9,000 in in-kind donations from local businesses and arts supporters.” 

     “This vital, much-appreciated community support lays the groundwork for our first full season in 2026, which is also the 250th anniversary year of our nation’s founding,” he added. 

     The April 12 event was offered free of charge to all attendees. Event highlights included complimentary gourmet refreshments and the presentation of four original theatre monologues by professional actors from the region.

     The event also featured a silent auction of valuable goods and services donated by Lexington businesses and live-theatre enthusiasts from as far away as Richmond.

     The evening concluded with a spirited live-auction of original paintings and prints donated by area visual artists, enthusiastically conducted by professional auctioneer and local celebrity Cody Manspile, the 2022 Virginia State Champion Auctioneer, and the founder and owner of Lexington’s Circle C Auction Co.

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A few pieces from our live auction