To see the latest news on James' work as well as information on his directing work, please visit:
www.jamesstovertheatre.com
Directing URINETOWN at VCU
Along with my duties teaching 'Movement for the Actor' and 'Musical Theatre Performance' this year at VCU, I am also directing the spring musical URINETOWN. My concept is that our production will be a live action graphic novel (a choice to go against the usual "brechtian" approach).
Our show features musical direction by Ben Miller and choreography by Brianna Larson. The cast is made up of a large group of talented undergraduates (many of whom are students of mine) and led by VCU MFA Student and Equity Actor Matt Ferrell (star of the International Tour of The Rocky Horror Show) as Officer Lockstock.
The production opens April 15th at VCU's Hodges Theatre and runs through May 1st. For more information please visit http://arts.vcu.edu/theatre/
Our show features musical direction by Ben Miller and choreography by Brianna Larson. The cast is made up of a large group of talented undergraduates (many of whom are students of mine) and led by VCU MFA Student and Equity Actor Matt Ferrell (star of the International Tour of The Rocky Horror Show) as Officer Lockstock.
The production opens April 15th at VCU's Hodges Theatre and runs through May 1st. For more information please visit http://arts.vcu.edu/theatre/
Role on AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies
I will be appearing in an upcoming episode of AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies. The show returns for its third season this April and I can be seen in this season's eighth episode (titled "Mended") in the principal role of 'Singing Patron'. As a big fan of the show, I was excited to take part in it and to share a seen with famed character actor John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story, Fargo). Look for me on Turn in late May on AMC.
Concert of Hello Again at Richmond Triangle Players
This past September, I played the role of 'The Soldier' in an acclaimed concert performance of Michael John Lachiusa's Hello Again at Richmond Triangle Players Theatre. I appeared opposite fellow AEA member and VCU Alum Marisa Guida (in the role of 'The Whore'). The concert was directed by RTP associate artist (and cast member from RTP's recent production of Yank!) Keith Fitzgerald.
For more information on Richmond Triangle Players please visit www.rtriangle.org
South Pacific at Virginia Repertory Theatre
This past summer I had the great pleasure of playing Luther Billis in "South Pacific" at Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond.
(with Matt Zimmerman as Lt. Cable)
The production was directed by VRT's Associate Artistic Director Chase Kniffen (who directed last summer's critically-acclaimed and award-winning "The Color Purple"). It featured music direction by Sandy Dacus and choreography by Brad Willcuts. The production starred Branch Fields (who appeared in the Lincoln Center Broadway Revival of the show), Amy Jo Phillips (who appeared in the National Tour of the show, starring Robert Goulet, as well as Broadway's "Showboat") and Stacey Caboj (fellow VCU MFA grad and RTCC Award winner for her performance as Eliza Doolittle in VRT's "My Fair Lady"). The production ran at the November Theatre from June 26-August 9th.
REVIEWS
"James Stover, as sweaty Luther Billis, presides over the show's high comic moments while still deftly steering the show through many of the story's key emotional turning points"
-Richmond Times Dispatch
"James Stover plays Luther Billis...to great comic effect. His sweet and funny Luther provided the perfect balance between the more serious themes."
-Richmond Family Magazine
"...adding gravitas but also humor...opportunistic comic relief character sailor Luther Billis."
-Style Weekly
"James Stover was also a standout playing Luther Billis. At first, he was more than a little rough around the edges, but as the show progressed his character developed more and more and he became one of my favorite characters by the end."
-Richmond's Macaroni Kid
The production was directed by VRT's Associate Artistic Director Chase Kniffen (who directed last summer's critically-acclaimed and award-winning "The Color Purple"). It featured music direction by Sandy Dacus and choreography by Brad Willcuts. The production starred Branch Fields (who appeared in the Lincoln Center Broadway Revival of the show), Amy Jo Phillips (who appeared in the National Tour of the show, starring Robert Goulet, as well as Broadway's "Showboat") and Stacey Caboj (fellow VCU MFA grad and RTCC Award winner for her performance as Eliza Doolittle in VRT's "My Fair Lady"). The production ran at the November Theatre from June 26-August 9th.
REVIEWS
"James Stover, as sweaty Luther Billis, presides over the show's high comic moments while still deftly steering the show through many of the story's key emotional turning points"
-Richmond Times Dispatch
"James Stover plays Luther Billis...to great comic effect. His sweet and funny Luther provided the perfect balance between the more serious themes."
-Richmond Family Magazine
"...adding gravitas but also humor...opportunistic comic relief character sailor Luther Billis."
-Style Weekly
"James Stover was also a standout playing Luther Billis. At first, he was more than a little rough around the edges, but as the show progressed his character developed more and more and he became one of my favorite characters by the end."
-Richmond's Macaroni Kid
YANK! at Richmond Triangle Players
I directed the Mid-Atlantic premiere of the musical YANK!. The Production opened this past May and had a healthy five-week run at Richmond Triangle Players. YANK! tells the story of gays in the military in WWII incorporating both a love story and a band of brothers journey through the War in the Pacific.
I had previously performed in the Off-Off Broadway production of the show (which starred Tony Nominee Bobby Steggert and Olivier Nominee Nancy Anderson and won the NYIT Award for Best Musical) in 2007. It was a great experience to return to this beautiful show. For more information on the show visit: www.yankthemusical.com
The RTP production featured musical direction by Kim Fox, choreography by Rebecca Frost Mayer and designs by Michael Jarrett, Grenville Burgess, Curt Miller and Alex Valentine.
Our show received very strong reviews, from both critics and audience:
"Directed winningly by James Stover...Yank! succeeds most when the men share their frank quiet moments of reckoning. The young and winning cast members bring heart to Yank's broader theme..."
-Richmond Times Dispatch
"Director James Stover and Choreographer Rebecca Frost Mayer have mounted the show with fun and flair. This appealing musical offers a lively, entertaining and sometimes touching gay angle on wartime history."
-Sifter
"There is never a dull moment in Richmond Triangle Players exciting production of David and Joseph Zellnik's YANK!... What attracts me to the direction and movement aspects of a play most is that I can see that there are strong choices being made, and this play had a number of powerful moments that added layers to the play's meaning."
-GAY RVA
I had previously performed in the Off-Off Broadway production of the show (which starred Tony Nominee Bobby Steggert and Olivier Nominee Nancy Anderson and won the NYIT Award for Best Musical) in 2007. It was a great experience to return to this beautiful show. For more information on the show visit: www.yankthemusical.com
The RTP production featured musical direction by Kim Fox, choreography by Rebecca Frost Mayer and designs by Michael Jarrett, Grenville Burgess, Curt Miller and Alex Valentine.
Our show received very strong reviews, from both critics and audience:
"Directed winningly by James Stover...Yank! succeeds most when the men share their frank quiet moments of reckoning. The young and winning cast members bring heart to Yank's broader theme..."
-Richmond Times Dispatch
"Director James Stover and Choreographer Rebecca Frost Mayer have mounted the show with fun and flair. This appealing musical offers a lively, entertaining and sometimes touching gay angle on wartime history."
-Sifter
"There is never a dull moment in Richmond Triangle Players exciting production of David and Joseph Zellnik's YANK!... What attracts me to the direction and movement aspects of a play most is that I can see that there are strong choices being made, and this play had a number of powerful moments that added layers to the play's meaning."
-GAY RVA
"Director James Stover was in an early incarnation of YANK and has come to Richmond as a student and leaves his mark as an assured director. His pacing is tight and he has allowed his actors to create strong characters that entertain us while enlightening the audience about a struggle we need to remember."
-John Porter, WCVE
Man of La Mancha at VCU & Mame at Virginia Repertory Theatre
For the past few months, I've been assisting Director/Choreographer Patti D'Beck (along with my fellow VCU graduate students Brad Willcuts and Rebecca Frost Mayer) on two productions that opened within two weeks of each other.
I worked as Associate Director for Man of La Mancha at VCU. The show opened on November 7th at Hodges Theatre. It starred Guest Artist James Taylor (the opera singer, not the folk singer) as well as a slew of talented VCU students. The show ran for three weeks. I assisted in staging as well as coaching the actors and helping to shape the production.
I was also an assistant for "Mame" at Virginia Repertory Theatre, starring Tony Nominee Emily Skinner. The show opened at Virginia Repertory Theatre's November Theatre on November 21st. I worked creating blocking and choreography during pre-production and rejoined the creative team following the opening of "La Mancha" to assist in notes, staging and story. "Mame" runs through January 11th. For more information please visit
www.va-rep.org
(above, James Taylor and the cast of VCU's "Man of La Mancha". Below, Tony Nominee Emily Skinner and the cast of Virginia Repertory Theatre's "Mame")
I was also an assistant for "Mame" at Virginia Repertory Theatre, starring Tony Nominee Emily Skinner. The show opened at Virginia Repertory Theatre's November Theatre on November 21st. I worked creating blocking and choreography during pre-production and rejoined the creative team following the opening of "La Mancha" to assist in notes, staging and story. "Mame" runs through January 11th. For more information please visit
www.va-rep.org
(above, James Taylor and the cast of VCU's "Man of La Mancha". Below, Tony Nominee Emily Skinner and the cast of Virginia Repertory Theatre's "Mame")
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