The StageCoach Theatre Company, based in Ashburn, is making a move within Northern Virginia. The company announced it will move to Dulles Town Center.
StageCoach had formerly occupied a space on Ashburn Road. It will now take over a first-floor unit in Dulles Town Center in the wing that previously held the Nordstrom.
More than Just a Move
But the company is making more than just a physical move. StageCoach manager Jerri Wiseman describes this change as “more of a shift in direction for StageCoach Theatre than simply relocating from one space to another.” According to Wiseman, the company will now begin focusing primarily on its interactive murder mystery dinner theater.
Wiseman said that when the company began 15 years ago, it was a traveling theater company that performed in different venues across the region. The Ashburn location allowed it to expand with more offerings, including traditional stage productions, camps, and classes.
“We reached a point where maintaining a full black box theater while also expanding the murder mystery side of the company was pulling us in two different directions,” Wiseman said.
A New Chapter
Going forward, the company will focus on the murder mystery dinners, such as the upcoming show A Grave Misunderstanding. It will also discontinue the children’s theater education programs such as classes, camps, and stage productions for kids. (Private lessons will still be available for young thespians.)
Wiseman says that instead of being a black box theater, this space will serve as a home base for rehearsals, private murder mystery parties, and team-building events. Public performances and corporate team-building events will be hosted at partner venues around NoVA.
“We’re excited about the opportunities this next chapter gives us to work with more restaurants, wineries, historic venues, businesses, and other partners, while bringing StageCoach Theatre to audiences rather than asking all our audiences to come to us,” Wiseman said.
StageCoach is hosting a sale of costumes and props at the Ashburn location through September 14.
Feature image courtesy Dulles Town Center
