The University of Lynchburg’s theatre department will present “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Feb. 27-28 and March 1, in the Robert C. Hailey Theatre at Dillard Fine Arts Center.
The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. each night. Tickets are $5 and available here.
Lynchburg alumnus Hubbard Farr ’08 is directing the musical, which he describes as “a very silly, ridiculous, raucous, over-the-top comedy that centers around a Roman slave doing literally anything he can just to have the opportunity to be free.
“It’s a jovial fast-paced farce, filled with star-crossed lovers, mistaken identities, slapstick, and innuendo that in the end is just meant to provide … joy, laughter, and brevity from the real world.”
The cast of “Forum” includes several members of the University’s musical theatre ensemble, Curtain Call, which recently returned from a performance at 54 Below, a popular New York City cabaret club. They include Michael Tock ’27 in the lead role of Pseudolus, the Roman slave.
Tock, a theatre major who appeared in Lynchburg’s 2024 productions of “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” and “Seussical,” describes “Forum” as “by far, the wackiest show I’ve ever done,” adding, “There are so many beautifully ironic twists and turns in the show that there’s never a dull moment.”
Bobby Vinson ’25, a Curtain Call member and theatre major who has appeared in numerous Lynchburg productions, plays another main character, Miles Gloriosus. Gloriosus, a Roman soldier, is competing for the love of Philia, played by Lynchburg theatre alum Elizabeth Martin ’21.
“There’s no better way to spend your weekend than to enjoy a humorous endeavor of love, farce, and comedy on a single stage,” Vinson said. “Trust when we say this show is full of exciting moments, catchy songs, and dances that will bring so much energy to the space, you will want to get up and dance with us.”
The collaboration with Farr originated last spring, when theatre professors Jeff and Loretta Wittman invited him to direct the 2025 spring musical. In addition to Martin as Philia, several other alumni also are involved, including Connor McCroy ’23 as Hysterium and Bill Bodine ’78, ’89 MAd as Marcus Lycus. Kelly Nesser ’23 serves as production stage manager.
“It’s very rare that we get to have so many alumni work directly with the students in one production, and I’m honored they’ve joined us in telling this farcical story,” Farr said. “Their support means the world to me and these students.
“We cannot wait to share what we’ve been conjuring up, and I thank the Wittmans and the department for giving us the opportunity.”
Cast and crew recently finished the theatre department’s winter break boot camp, an annual tradition aimed at getting a jumpstart on production of the spring musical. From Jan. 15-20, just prior to the start of the spring semester, the group worked up to 12 hours a day.
“It gives them a fantastic base to build from and a little insight into the world of professional theater,” Farr said midway through boot camp. “They are working with me in blocking and acting rehearsals. Dana Ballard, the musical director, works with the students as they learn their parts in all the musical numbers.
“Abby Mann Owen, who teaches Dance Works at the University, has been teaching the choreography, and she created the bigger [dance] numbers involving the entire company, as well as working with our featured dancers in the show.”
Farr, a sport management major and theatre minor when he was at Lynchburg, most recently appeared at Hailey Theatre as Officer Lockstock in the University’s 2023 production of “Urinetown: The Musical.”
He’s a founding member of Wolfbane Productions, a professional theater and arts education nonprofit led by founding artistic director and Lynchburg alum Dustin Williams ’05.
Since leaving Wolfbane several years ago, Farr has worked as a professional actor. He uses the carpentry skills he learned at Lynchburg and Wolfbane at Modern Oak Construction, where he is a project manager and finish carpenter.
Farr also volunteers at Wolfbane when he can. He said several other Lynchburg alumni and current theatre majors — the aforementioned McCroy, Nesser, and Vinson, among others — have worked, volunteered, or appeared on stage at Wolfbane.
“It’s always wonderful to get students involved with the professional side of the business and see the differences of theater in the noneducational setting,” Farr said. “I feel like they have all grasped so much by being involved with a professional company in Lynchburg, created by alumni of the University.”
Nico Thomas ’25, a Lynchburg theatre major who volunteers at Wolfbane’s box office, plays Senex in “Forum.” The character has been described as “the perennial henpecked husband.”
Thomas — also a Curtain Call member and Sherlock Holmes in last fall’s “Baskerville” — described “Forum” as a “master class in comedy, filled with sharp wordplay, hilarious physical humor, and over-the-top situations that keep everyone laughing from start to finish.
“Senex is such a delightful character to bring to life, and I know the audience will love the absurdity and charm of all the characters in this show. It’s the kind of theater experience where you can feel the energy in the room — people laughing together, humming along to the music, and just having an amazing time.”
