Under the lights in the basement of the Falls Church Presbyterian Church is a theatre company unknown to many in The Little City called NOVA Nightsky, only five years old and ready to present its 25th production, “Anthropology” starting April 16.
The group is composed of dedicated theatre lovers, actors, writers, dancers, producers, and many with a Falls Church connection. They are motivated to present plays for and about women.
The founder and producing director, Jaclyn Robertson, said the name of the company originated at its first show in 2021 when the group performed outdoors during Covid at the American Legion building on Oak Street.
The troupe liked their name so much, they decided to keep it.
“We didn’t know if it’d be our first show or our last,” Robertson said in a group interview at the church, but NOVA Nightsky is still performing, its new show by Lauren Gunderson, one of America’s most produced living playwrights.
“Anthropology” is an adult drama which embraces contemporary themes and problems of isolation, family friction, grief, new technologies and “how we cope,” Robertson said.
Some “moments are very sad, but it ends with a ray of hope.”
Four talented actors strike strong punches.
The sister of Merril (Elyse R. Smith) has disappeared and is presumed dead – or is she?
Using her engineering skills, Merril creates an artificial intelligence personification of her sister, “Angie” (Fosse Thornton), to help Merril manage her depression, but it’s not long before Angie starts to assume control and reveal she’s got some secrets about “Angie.”
To make matters worse, without Merril’s approval, Angie invites Merril’s ex, Raquel (Hannah Ruth Blackwell) over to visit.
Shall we resume where we stopped off?
Soon enough, Merril’s mother, Brin (Mattie Cohan), shows up, bewildered by what she hears and sees.
NOVA Nightsky chose the play last year after its successful launch in London in 2023 and other performances around the world.
Sarah Baczewski, the director of “Anthropology” and the company’s artistic director, beamed, “This show is great for us, a newer work which we wanted to spearhead and be the first in the DMV to do and show that it can be done on a community theatre stage.
“We loved it, compelling, a sci fi drama, psycho thriller, with humor,” which “tackles so many interesting issues.”
Robertson added that the play “checked all our boxes with four women in middle adulthood across multiple generations and a female playwright. We have an entire female production team with the exception of an amazing team of talented men” who handle technicals.
Robertson thinks many in the audience will be able to identify with issues the play raises.
“’Oh, this could be my house,’” Robertson imagined possible audience thoughts. The play will target “modern reality rather than the future, because AI is here now. What we’re coping with now as a society is very real.”
One of her goals when she founded the company “was to try and feature as many women as possible because we always have more women showing up than men at auditions and I wanted to feature roles for women in a very specific age bracket, sort of in the middle age of life, after your kids have left home.”
The group could not say enough good things about the church whose venue, the basement, is much warmer than the word “basement” implies. It may be the first time the church stage has been used in 30 years, they said.
They think a Falls Church art district that includes NOVA Nightsky, the State Theatre and Creative Cauldron makes a lot of sense. “Residents can walk to these places!” Robertson exclaimed.
The group has had plenty of experience doing outdoor shows, having performed them twice in the church parking lot and eager to present one at Cherry Hill Park, but the city, not so enthusiastic. Ditto, the City of Fairfax.
Adam Ressa directs the outstanding backstage crew whose AI staging in a mysterious manner of ghostly holograms makes technicals worth the price of admission alone.
He’s helped by Jeff Fitzgerald, Nate Eagle and Nate’s son, Alex, age 12. Sharon Kim is stage manager.
Thursday, April 16 is opening night with performances through April 25 on Thursdays and Fridays, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 18, at 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 19, 7 p.m.; and Saturday, April 25, 2 p.m.
The Thursday, April 23 show will be “pay what you can.”
Tickets online are $28 and at the door, $30. Duration: Less than 90 minutes
Falls Church Presybterian Church – Memorial Hall, 225 E. Broad St., Falls Church 22046 with plenty of free lighted parking in the front and back.