For Tony-Winning Signature Theatre, Virginia Is For Musical Lovers

When artistic director Eric Schaeffer received the “Congratulations-Signature-is-winning-the-Regional-Theater-Tony-Award” call, he was—industrious artistic director that he is—attending a preview of Giant, the Michael John LaChiusa musical making its world premiere at his theater in Arlington, Virginia. Confesses Schaeffer: “I forgot to turn my phone off. It was vibrating!” He laughs sheepishly. “Needless to say, I didn’t go back after intermission.”

Presumably LaChiusa forgave his boss’ abrupt departure. After all, in the 33 years the Regional Theater Tony has been in existence, no theater has won it more than once. And the award’s national exposure is just the latest recognition for a company that’s been—wonder of wonders—a success from the start.

Signature Theatre was formed in 1990 with the goal of presenting both new musicals and inventive adaptations of overlooked and forgotten works. “When you start a theater, you don’t think you’re going to make it to the next season,” says Schaeffer, as his company gets ready to celebrate its 20th anniversary. But the young artistic director struck a nerve when he dared to present Sweeney Todd (starring Norm Lewis) in September 1991.

“We knew, okay, this show will either make the theater or it’s going to put us out of business,” Schaeffer recalls. “We had 18 people in it, 15 in the orchestra, and 80 seats. We just dove in, and it was a huge hit.” By the third season, the company had outgrown Arlington’s Gunston Arts Center. “We had that Catch-22—people didn’t even try to get tickets because they were like, ‘Oh, your shows are always sold out.’ We couldn’t extend, they couldn’t give us more space…so that’s when we found The Garage,” recalls Schaeffer, referring to the renovated auto-body shop that housed the Sig for 13 years.

As the company established itself, Schaeffer continued presenting one Sondheim musical each season, often in inventive, stripped-down productions. “It actually started kind of random,” he says now. [After Sweeney] we did Assassins because we could get the rights, which we actually didn’t think we were going to get. Then our audiences were like, ‘What’s the next Sondheim?’ He wasn’t being produced in D.C. in the early ’90s; we were the only professional theater doing it. Even this year, when we did a concert version of Anyone Can Whistle, people were like, ‘That was great, but we want a real production!’”

Along the way, Sondheim offered his tacit support to Schaeffer’s efforts, traveling to Virginia to see the productions and offering feedback, both positive and negative. (As Schaeffer puts it, “He’s just honest”). In April, the famously private composer allowed Signature to create the Sondheim Award. “It’ll go to an artist who has collaborated with Steve,” explains Schaeffer, “but then that honoree will also pick a young person who’s starting out in the biz to get the award. Because one of the things he’s so great about is mentoring.” The inaugural award went to Sondheim himself, who accepted in person at a black-tie benefit gala in D.C.

In 2007, Signature made its next big move to a spanking-new $16 million, 48,000-square-foot complex complete with two flexible black-box theaters, 550 parking spots, two green rooms and three rehearsal rooms—one of which was christened The Sondheim in honor of the company’s most produced artist. Signature now boasts more than 5,000 subscribers and attracts 80,000 patrons each season.

There have been a few blips along the way, of course, including the hasty 2008 Broadway transfer of Glory Days, a musical that opened and closed in one night. “That stuff happens,” Schaeffer says without a trace of bitterness. “There’s no way to predict or make the stars align. That’s the great thing about theater and the horrifying thing about theater.” Six months later, back in Virginia, Schaeffer was collecting raves for his production of Les Miserables.

Signature’s musical-heavy 20th anniversary season is shaping up to be one of its most ambitious ever: Emily Skinner as Mae West in Claudia Shear’s Dirty Blonde, Schaeffer’s production of Show Boat, I Am My Own Wife, another Schaeffer-directed Sweeney Todd, [title of show] and the world premiere of the Tina Landau-directed Ricky Ian Gordon musical Sycamore Trees. Schaeffer knows DC-area audiences can handle it: “We’re not all boring and political and stuffy down here. We like to push the envelope!”