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Commerce Street Theatre
Backstage Pass
Each issue of Scenes From the Hat will feature a theater and exploring the theater's beginnings, evolution over the years, and goals for the future - plus some fun facts along the way.
For this issue, we are going to one of the most unique theatre spaces in Lynchburg. Right in the heart of downtown Lynchburg resides Commerce Street Theatre, the first black box performing space in this community. A black box theatre is typically a square room with seating around the performance floor. This creates a simple and intimate theatre experience for both the actors and audience members, allowing for versatile staging arrangements and a variety of shows.
Interior of Commerce Street Theatre's blackbox stage
The theater space at 1022 Commerce Street started as an idea in 1997 by local theater director and actor Tom Nowell. According to current Board of Directors member and longtime patron, Bill Kershner, “It was Tom Nowell who had the most audacious plan. When he approached Tom Gerdy, who owned the building and had construction experience, they imagined how a theater could be built at the street level floor of the 1022 Commerce Street downtown. By the late 90s, through hard work and total dedication, the idea had become a reality”. The space was originally the Bailey Spencer Hardware store. As if stepping back in time, the old wooden storage shelving and bins were in what is now the green room; the original staircase to the upstairs offices, once located facing into what is now the theater, was literally moved to what is now the staircase that goes upstairs to the dressing rooms and costume storage areas.
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"I've loved being up-close-and-personal to the action; in the intimate setting at Commerce Street, it's as if the drama is unfolding in your living room."
-Terry Bodine
When work began, the lobby area was completely full of packs of insulation. The space was virtually an empty shell. A column in the theater, just like the one still located on the stage left side, was removed from the center of the room (now the theater stage area). Tom Gerdy secured the floor and ceiling above - when you are in the theater, look up to see the steel bars, where lighting instruments are now hung, to see the top of that column that Gerdy built. In the process, City code requirements and inspections were an ongoing ordeal. Tom Nowell applied for and received funding through the local Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds targeted for business growth and development in the downtown area.
Lobby being built
Building the entrance into the theatre
Original layout of the theater
It took over two years to build a functioning theater, which opened its doors to sold out houses in April of
2000. This unique theater space became a cornerstone of the downtown story and successful revitalization projects. For over twenty years, the casts and crews of various shows, along with many volunteers, built and nurtured this beloved theater space, entertained audiences, provided opportunities for new works, and pushed the envelope with productions such as Rent. Mark Foreman himself acted and directed in many shows at this location, relishing the blackbox design and how it could perfectly stage shows such as The Fantasticks and various Shakespeare productions.
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Libby Gatzke and John Gunnoe in Other Desert Cities
2021
The performers of 2023's 'Tis the Season, Commerce Street Theatre's annual holiday show
In 2020, several factors, along with the uncertainty of COVID created change, including a change in leadership and production needs. After attempts to negotiate, the former theater moved to another location, keeping the original charter and resources. Many of the original founders and volunteers who had invested so much into the creative build and growth of the theater remained with the Commerce Street location. "We could not leave behind the unique space that grew from decades of memories, the investment of physical and emotional energies that were a part of us and forever etched within these walls and within our hearts," longtime volunteer Pam Nowell shares. With passion, grit and determination to continue a theater in this remarkable spot, Commerce Street Theater was born. Nowell continues, "The new name, Commerce Street Theater, required a significant symbol; thus, the Phoenix was a unanimous choice as this beloved space 'rose again' to start over." Despite the name change, the space that Commerce Street Theater now occupies continues to be well-known and familiar location for its loyal audiences and actors.
Since its inaugural production of Side by Side by Sondheim in 2021, Commerce Street Theatre has produced eleven productions - a total of eighty-eight performances, with an average of sixty-six weeks of rehearsals and eleven weeks of final tech rehearsals). The remainder of the 2024 season includes To Kill A Mockingbird in late August, followed by the musical Man of La Mancha in November. Many praise the quality of shows in a deceptively small staging area. "I love that space so freaking much," says patron Shawn Doremus. Journalist Gene Marrano writes, "Great space. Great shows. Worth the drive."
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Local actor John Gunnoe has performed on Commerce Street Theatre's stage many times. "Acting in a small black box theatre is both an exhilarating experience but also an intimidating one," he explains. "The audience is so close, it's not unusual to actually brush up against someone in the front row." Because of the difference in layout compared to a traditional proscenium stage, an actor's performance style must also adapt. Gunnoe continues, "The larger gestures that are sometimes needed to reach the back of a larger theatre are unnecessary. Although lines must still be heard, they can be given in a more natural voice and the smaller inflections in tone can communicate an intimacy difficult to achieve in other environments." In addition, the audience becomes almost a character in the show. Actors can tailor their performances more immediately based on audience response. This requires a lot of confidence and trust in the actors, because there's nowhere to hide. But when it works, Gunnoe says, "The actors and the audience are both involved in a joint effort that can produce a wonderful theatre experience for both groups."
Bill and Terry Bodine perform in 2021's Side by Side by Sondheim
For many, Commerce Street Theatre has become so much more than just a theatre. Pam Nowell shares, "Life events take place in this space – surprise engagements, bridal showers and wedding receptions as couples begin their next journey together, baby showers to share the joys of expectant parenthood, memorial services and gatherings to honor and remember those who left their indelible mark, and of course, birthday parties and celebrations." Indeed, many of us at the Foundation have used Commerce Street Theatre's space for events such as these: two of Mark's daughters had baby showers here, and the theatre also hosted Mark Foreman's funeral reception. As Terry Bodine also shares, she credits Commerce Street Theatre for her marriage to her husband (and Foundation board member) Bill Bodine. "It's thanks to Commerce Street Theater that we met!" Bodine shares. "Bill proposed in the theater lobby, and we celebrated the moment with the cast in rehearsal that evening!"
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"For those of us at Commerce Street Theater, this incredible space holds more than just performance moments; it holds the lingering whispers of life events from beginning to end with so many special memories in between."
-Pam Nowell
Being located in the heart of downtown Lynchburg, Commerce Street Theatre is heavily involved in community events and programs. From donating tickets to area fund raising events, including the Lynchburg Humane Society’s annual Best Friends Ball, to participating in Youth Theater programs with other theater entities in the area, Commerce Street Theatre values giving back to the community that has given them so much over the years. Recent partnership with Amazement Square successfully presented the first in a series for original Winnie the Pooh shows (see the May-June newsletter article on the Winnie the Pooh shows here). Plans are to continue the series each Spring over the next four years while building educational and firsthand learning opportunities for children’s theater. In addition, Hill City Improv is a welcome addition that offers a summer youth theater camp for middle and high school students. The variety of programs that Commerce Street Theatre offers is wide-ranging and continues to grow each season.
Bill Kershner has been a longtime member of the Commerce Street Theatre family. "Since 1998, over the past 25 years, this theater space has thrived," he says. "I directed many plays here, including four Shakespearean plays and other classics like Death of a Salesman. These were the golden years of the theater on Commerce Street." Kershner has been an active director over the past few years, directing Arsenic and Old Lace in 2022, Steel Magnolias in 2023 and he will be directing To Kill a Mockingbird later this summer. "I am proud to have served Commerce Street Theater since it began and to be a part of the history of this well-known, remarkable theater space for decades. Our goal remains to bring the very best dramas, comedies, and musicals to the Lynchburg area."
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Commerce Street Theatre's mission is "To provide a variety of opportunities that entertain and enrich through the performing arts in one of Central Virginia’s most intimate and unique theater venues.” Commerce Street Theater has accomplished so much in such a brief time. All are invited to come participate, either on stage or as an audience member, at this remarkable theater. In the words of Commerce Street Theatre's slogan, "There's a seat for you here!"
The Odd Couple, 2022
Arsenic and Old Lace, 2022
I Hate Hamlet, 2024
The set for Steel Magnolias, 2022
Winnie the Pooh: Kanga Rules, 2024
The set for Barefoot in the Park, 2023
For more information on upcoming performances and how you can get involved, visit www.commercestreettheater.org and check out their Facebook page for the latest updates and news.
