The New Theatre at Firehouse is proud to announce the Carol Piersol Legacy Production of
Buried Child. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Sam Shepard opens on Friday, July 5th,
2024, on the Carol Piersol Stage at the Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad Street. Buried
Child will have two Pay-What-You-Will preview performances on Tuesday, July 2nd and
Wednesday July 3rd, and will run through Sunday, July 21st, 2024. As part of our year-long
celebration of Firehouse founder Carol Piersol, we will honor her legacy with this new
production of a landmark Firehouse project.
Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the disintegration of the American Dream,
through the eyes of a dysfunctional family in rural Illinois. Long buried family secrets are
unearthed, including a haunting mystery in the backyard. Buried Child explores themes of
decay, denial, and the inescapable grip of the past, as Shepard powerfully critiques the
disillusionment with traditional values in contemporary America.
Playwright Sam Shepard, one of America’s most esteemed dramatists, crafted nearly 50 plays
staged nationwide in diverse venues, from coffee shops to Broadway. His works, frequently
anthologized and taught in academic settings, reflect dark themes influenced by his turbulent
childhood and a fascination with the myth of the vanishing West. Shepard’s career, spanning
almost 40 years, also saw him achieve recognition as an actor, writer, and director in film,
earning numerous awards, including the Cannes Palme d’Or, and the Pulitzer Prize. Born in
1943 in Illinois and raised on various military bases, Shepard’s early experiences and love for
theatre and music shaped his unique, symbolic, and non-linear storytelling style. He wrote
notable plays like Buried Child, which won him a Pulitzer, and had significant acting roles in
films like The Right Stuff, earning an Oscar nomination. Despite his broad creative pursuits,
playwriting remained his core passion until his death in 2017 from ALS, leaving a legacy deeply
embedded in American cultural and theatrical history.
Chelsea Burke will direct. Burke is a theatre and film director originally from Cleveland, Ohio.
Her theatre directing credits include the World Premiere of The Verge at Firehouse Theatre;
How I Learned to Drive, The Revolutionists (RTCC Nominee for Best Play), Grand Concourse
(RTCC Awards for Best Play and Best Director of a Play), the World Premiere of Level 4, The
Last Five Years, and When Last We Flew at TheatreLab; It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio
Play at Virginia Rep; The Rocky Horror Show, Collective Rage, the World Premiere of Molly
House, Girlfriend, and Hand Grenades at Richmond Triangle Players; The Taming of the Shrew
(RTCC Nominee for Best Direction) at Quill Theatre; Anonymous and I and You at Theatre VCU;
and Assistant Direction of In Love and Warcraft at the Kennedy Center MFA Workshop. Her film
directing credits include Shanidar (Remember Tommy Productions) and The Gallery (Hey, Babe!
Productions).
The design team includes scenic designer Frank Foster and lighting designer Michael Jarrett.
Candace Hudert joins the creative team as both assistant director and sound designer.
Elizabeth Hopper will design costumes, Erica Hughes will serve as dialect coach, and
Lucinda McDermott is intimacy and violence director. Grace Brown LaBelle will stage
manage.
The cast stars David Bridgewater as Dodge, last seen in the US premiere of The Barber of
Moville at New Theatre at Firehouse, and Boomie Pedersen as Halie. The cast also includes
Andy Braden, Patrick Rooney, Adam Turck, Ashley Thompson, and Doug Blackburn.
Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office (804) 355-2001 and are available online at
www.firehousetheatre.org. Tickets are $35. $15 tickets available for college and high school
students. Pay-What-You-Will performances will be offered for both preview performances, as
well as all matinees (excluding closing, July 21st).
PRODUCTION TEAM
Direction – Chelsea Burke
Assistant Direction – Candace Hudert
Scenic Design – Frank Foster
Lighting Design – Michael Jarrett
Costume Design – Elizabeth Hopper
Sound Design – Candace Hudert
Intimacy/Violence Direction – Lucinda McDermott
Dialect Coach – Erica Hughes
Stage Management – Grace Brown LaBelle
Assistant Stage Management – Kennedy Shahan
CAST
Dodge – David Bridgewater*
Halie – Boomie Pedersen
Tilden – Andy Braden
Bradley – Patrick Rooney
Vince – Adam Turck
Shelly – Ashley Thompson
Father Dewis – Doug Blackburn
Dodge understudy – Joe Pabst
Halie understudy – Gina Marie McKenzie
Tilden/Bradley understudy – Andrew Gall
Vince understudy – August Hundley
Shelly understudy – Rachel Weatherby
Father Dewis understudy – Daniel Moore
*Actors’ Equity Association
The Firehouse Theatre is a thriving hub of creative activity, an artistic home, and a center for
community engagement where new work is produced and performed. The New Theatre strives
to challenge and expand art and industry through innovation in project development,
presentation, and community participation. With a revitalized commitment to our legacy,
energized by combining two dynamic organizations, TNT@FT is committed to amplifying the
diverse voices of the New American Theatre and fostering innovative performance and
organizational practices.