We bring theatre to you! A technically equipped mobile stage that transports engaging and innovative professional theatre to audiences anywhere. We perform in a variety of settings including private events, school yards, public parks, and more. Our performances are geared for all ages.
Current Shows
The Bell Lyre by K. Jenkins
In the not-so-distant future, on a floodplain nearby, a family struggles to fit a lifetime of memories into seven boxes. In the world of The Bell Lyre, musical instruments are constructed from broken clocks and wallboards, pies are baked from forgotten apples, and shields are donned to catch bullets. This magical realism play is a family drama that speaks to environmental degradation, mass shootings, lost love, digital barrenness, and Alzheimer’s miracles.
Playwright Statement
Many people who have cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s have experienced the potential for music to soothe, comfort, and connect. Music resonates not just for the person with dementia, but for caregivers, family, and friends. My stepfather, Richard Olsen, died in November 2024 after living with Alzheimer’s. He loved music, had a full bass voice, and sang in operas and with the local symphonic choir. When COVID hit, I spent a lot of time with him as I helped support my mother in her caregiver role. I watched his spirit lift when she played symphonies, choral concerts, and searched for all things musical for us to share together. Ric remembered lyrics and notes when he could not recall how to eat. Music brought new life each day. The play summons the power of music as we face change, trauma, and grief.
The Bell Lyre in development since 2024.
The Bell Lyre had a reading in the fall of 2024 at Firehouse as part of its Firsts Draft and Bagels reading series, followed by a one week staged, script in hand, developmental performance as a Pop-Up Premiere at Firehouse Theatre in the winter of 2025. The Bell Lyre is being developed to tour to a variety of inside spaces: community centers, schools, assisted living facilities, and even your living room! Currently in rehearsal to open/tour fall 2026.
La Piazza del Duomo by K. Jenkins & Mark Lerman
In the plaza of the Duomo in Florence, Gloria aspires to capture her presence through a well-planned selfie. With the help of her traveling puppeteer companions and an eager audience member, she carefully stages an image. The life of this dynamic tourist destination has other plans, interrupting and exhausting their efforts. Defeated and weary, Gloria is visited by a brave starling who desires communion and teaches her to fly.
“Mozart found inspiration in the presence of a common bird. For us, too, the song of the world so often rises in places we had not thought to look.” - Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Mozart’s Starling. 2018.
Other ways to enjoy the Virginia Theatre Machine
Rent the Virginia Theatre Machine for your next party/special event: Need an intimate outdoor stage with lights and sound system? VTM makes it easy and hassle free!
Fees: 5hr minimum (includes one technician): $400* , $50/hr each additional hour. Discounts available for more than one consecutive day of rental.
(additional travel fees apply for performances outside of a 15-mile radius of Richmond)
Customized Productions: Commission the Virginia Theatre Machine to write a play based on the subject of your choice!
Availability: suggested lead-time for a custom production, 9 months.
Playwright interviews you for themes/highlights, researched the subject matter, and writes a two to three person play for your event. Virginia Theatre Machine recommends a mainly humorous touch to your custom play, but more serious matter will be entertained as well. Professional actors and directors then rehearse and perform your play for you and your guests/attendees at your event on a custom designed and built set. Cost varies on size and scale of requested production.