HAMPTON—Virginia Peninsula Community College hasn’t had a theater club for several years. For David Garrett, manager of the Dr. Mary T. Christian Theatre at VPCC, that amounts to a tragedy.
“Music and the performing arts, these disciplines predate a business major. These disciplines predate science majors,” he said, adding theater is so pervasive nowadays.
“We watch Netflix. We watch ‘Wicked’ on the big screen,” he said. “We are immersed deeply in the output of the performing arts that we seem to assume that they just happen, that it grows organically.”
VPCC said it doesn’t, and he knows that.
While the theater reopened in January, the theater club’s revival at VPCC occurred in fall 2025. It is called the Society of the Performing Arts. The previous name was the TNCC Players.
VPCC says that with the club’s return came the commitment to resume a regular schedule of events. Historically, the College has produced three performances a year: a non-musical, a musical and an operetta.
That is continuing with the February announcement of “The School for Scandal” by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in the spring, and Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Gondoliers” in the summer, both at the Dr. Mary T. Christian Theatre. Garrett hasn’t announced the fall event.
In addition, two current VPCC students and one former student are among the cast of four for “What the Constitution Means to Me,” which is scheduled for April 18-19 at the Williamsburg Regional Library Theater at 515 Scotland Street. Showtime is 2 p.m. each day. It is open to the public and part of Virginia’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday. Four students are working as members of the crew also. Finally, Garrett is ironing out the details for the theater department’s involvement in two other Virginia 250 events. He said an official announcement should be coming soon.
VPCC says that none of this would be possible without the theater club.
Kynnidi Piert (pronounced Kennedy Pier), a graduate of Woodside High School in Newport News, is the club’s president. She’s in the Health Science program and aspires to go into VPCC’s nursing program. For now, theater is “just a side thing.” Though the college does say she acknowledges the importance of the club.
“Even if we’re putting on productions without a club, that’s not necessarily building more connections,” said Piert, who is the assistant director for “The School for Scandal.”
Ashley Gonzalez is the club’s vice president. She graduated from Warhill High School in Williamsburg and is studying graphic design at VPCC. She likes the inclusive aspects fostered by the theater club.
“It makes you feel like you’re included,” she said. “You always feel like you have someplace where you belong no matter what.”
She is serving as stage manager for “The School for Scandal.” Gonzalez admits she has “a love-hate relationship” with the stage and prefers being backstage. In high school, she handled the spotlight for “Freaky Friday.”
“The School for Scandal” is set for April 30-May 3, and “The Gondoliers” for July 23-26. Tickets for “The School for Scandal” will go on sale the week of the show.
VPCC says that with the rebirth of the theater club, Garrett and Sandra Calderon-Doherty, a faculty member and co-adviser alongside Garrett, wanted to make sure students at the Historic Triangle Campus had an opportunity to participate in the club. The production of “What the Constitution Means to Me” offers that.
“We’ve known for a while now that there is interest in theater up at the HT, but there are (fewer) opportunities for them to work on shows because to go down to Hampton could be problematic,” said Calderon-Doherty, who is directing the show.
The show discusses mature themes so it is not recommended for children. There is no admission fee, but organizers would like people to register so they know how many people to expect.
“It’s a show that’s educational, but it is also warm and comedic,” Calderon-Doherty said.
All these performances offer students various options, which is important, said Garrett.
“It’s critically important to have an outlet for our students to become immersed in because we teach collaboration. We teach teamwork. We teach communication. We teach empathy. We teach a skill set that our students desperately lack in their online, siloed
educational environment,” he said.
VPCC said he compared it to a team sport.
“Being part of an ensemble is critical to success in the workplace, even the workplace of the future,” he said. “The skills that we learn in doing this work are irreplaceable and incredibly valuable in a job market.”
He relayed an adage, “If you want to get the job done, hire a theater major.”
“We don’t have a theater major, but we have a theater club,” he said. “The theater club’s purpose is to produce compelling, fun shows and productions. But to also create that space where we can fill in the gaps that the curriculum can’t address.”
For more information on the shows or the theater club, call (757) 825-4074 or email [email protected].
For more on the College, visit www.vpcc.edu.
