“This is the way we were: in our growing up and in our marrying and in our living and in our dying.”
-Stage Manager, Our Town
Virginia Stage has been collecting stories in memory of the vibrant people who helped shape Hampton Roads - the people have helped to make our own town, here!
In the Wells Theatre lobbies, you can see some of these great forerunners, and have opportunities to hear their stories.
BERTRAM NUSBAUM 1924-2016
BESSIE 1892-1990
Cilla Nusbaum 1897-1985
CLAUDE F Vanderberry, Jr. 1913-2006
Evelyn Sears 1923-2017
Harry Pincus, Jr. 1924-2018
Jim Tinkham 1936-2002
John Tazewell 1920-2016
Joseph Dey 1915-2001
Louis Seretis 1921-2002
Louis Klavan 1926-2015
Margaret Spence 1916-2002
Marshall Martin
Mary Fuerguson
Otis J Smith
Peter Babalas
Vincent Thomas
William Price
Help us grow this archive!
f you know someone who had a special impact on making Hampton Roads what it is today - share you story and we will add it to our online archive. Help us know more about our heritage in Hampton Roads.
Tell us about someone who inspired you, made a difference to you, or delighted you. Is there a story about your grandmother, a local business owner, a teacher, a mom, an artist, or a neighbor that we should all know? It is by understanding the people who shaped our community that we begin to process who we can be and how we can get there. Let’s find out more about #OurTown757!
FAQ’S:
What are some examples of what we are looking for?
In the early days of Virginia Stage Company, a small group of volunteers put a big project on their back and created the company we are today: do you know anyone who has founded a pivotal organization in Hampton Roads? Big or small, we want to hear about it all!
Does it have to have a happy story?
Sometimes the most important stories aren’t all warm and fuzzy. We are interested in hearing about all of Hampton Roads, and that includes our difficult times as well as our joyous ones.
How will the story be captured?
We are have completed our first round of story collection, but if you’d like to record yourself using your phone or another digital recording device, we will be glad to add your audio file to our online collection here. Make sure to also include a photo of the person in your story. If you’re having trouble knowing how to make a recording or copy a photo - just let us know and we can set a time to capture your memory and your photo in our offices in downtown Norfolk.