From the high school halls to the grand stage! The upcoming musical Anastasia, held at the Fauquier Community Theatre in Vint Hill, is being performed from September 18 through October 4, 2026. This musical includes three students and three staff members from Kettle Run: director Mrs. Gillespie; sound designer Hannah Correll; props decorator and cast member Mrs. Correll; and cast members Mrs. Shawkey, JD Bernhardt, and Allison Budnik.
Anastasia the musical is based on the grand duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia in the early 1900s. It is meant to resemble the time surrounding the overthrow of the Russian imperial family by the Bolsheviks and a conspiracy theory about what happened to the royal family’s youngest daughter, Anastasia. This musical is a captivating story that is now being brought to life in our local theater! Come and see the live interpretation of the historic fairy tale with a touch of romance.
Who orchestrates it all?
Mrs. Gillespie, director of the Anastasia musical, was asked what inspired her to direct the show. She stated, “I was asked if I was interested in directing Anastasia by the Fauquier Community Theater. I love the movie and I think the musical is great, so I said yes!”
She remarked to us that she went to school for theater and played Mrs. Honey in the Matilda musical right before she became a teacher. As director, Mrs. Gillespie has to make hard decisions, whether that’s about props, scenes, or characters. In addition to these responsibilities, she also was determined to choose a great cast, including Jennifer Ayers as Anastasia. Because of Mrs. Gillespie and her love for theater, the musical Anastasia is coming to life in our very own Fauquier Community Theatre!
Behind the scenes, let’s hear about it!
The sound director of Anastasia the musical, Hannah Correll, expressed that she has had previous experience in sound. However, in this musical she has a lot more responsibilities. She originally did sound for Bright Star the musical, but it was mostly simple sound effects. This is her most involved project so far.
When asked what inspired her to take on sound direction, she said, “I worked on a musical at the community theater last year, then this year I was asked if I wanted to be the sound director, I like theater and helping around there, so I agreed and joined.”
She stated that she is excited to work on this new project and that, “This play was really well casted.” She is ready to work in this new area and is confident in how the show is running so far. With it being tech week, the performance coming up very soon, and the actors being “very capable,” her confidence is a good sign that the show will run smoothly.
When asked about the cast and theater community, Correll added, “Yea everyone is super supportive and nice. It’s a really good community.”
Meet the Cast
Ms. Shawkey, the choir teacher at Kettle Run and Auburn, joins the Anastasia ensemble and also appears as Paulina. The role of Paulina is featured specifically in two scenes throughout the show. Because her character only appears in those specific moments, Ms. Shawkey spends the rest of the production as a frequent ensemble member.
This will be her first time performing since high school, and she walked into this opportunity being open to any role. However, she was first inspired to audition by her close school friend Ms. Gillespie, who shared her excitement for theater. “Ms. Gillespie inspired me to join the Anastasia musical when she was talking about how she was going to direct the play, so I auditioned.”
She is deeply honored to return to the stage and looks forward to sharing this production with the community.
JD joined the ensemble to stay busy, enjoy theater, and hang out with people, making the production a great way to stay social over the summer. Since he already knew many of the coordinators and cast members, he wasn’t nervous and immediately embraced the community. Though he only recently watched the movie, he notes that, “What we are putting on stage is very exciting” and quite different.
JD is a strong advocate for the live show over the film, especially enjoying how the main cast blends into the background because he believes supporting characters are crucial to the show, even without a lot of recognition.
Allison Budnik plays the role of Maria Romanov. She originally tried out for teen Anastasia or the ensemble. Allison loves doing theater and participating in community events. We asked her what inspired her to join, and she said, “Because I like doing theater, especially with my friends and I wanted to meet new people.”
She thinks that performing is one of the best things you can do because it helps if you have stage fright or even a fear of public speaking. “The more you practice, it can help you do almost anything and be confident in it.” She says that some of her best friends came from theater and encourages everyone to join. Allison was happy with the role she received and was ecstatic about getting the honor to perform.
Mrs. Correll, a science teacher here at Kettle Run, joined Anastasia the musical for the fun of theater and her love of performing. She is a part of the ensemble and the props crew. While she is now fully immersed in the production, her path to the stage actually began as a way to connect with her family.
What began two years ago as a supportive gesture for her daughter transitioned into an inspiration for her to take the stage herself. When she decided to audition, she had already spent a significant amount of time behind the scenes over the last two years doing theater work, so she was already familiar with the community and production coordinators.
“My daughter started, and now it has become a full on family affair,” Mrs. Correll notes regarding the experience. She said she can’t wait to open tonight, September 18th!
These students and staff love what they do and are proud to help out with theater productions! Make sure you get tickets to support them all in Anastasia! The show runs from September 18th to October 4th. You can see the show on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Buy your tickets now at fauquiertheatre.org. Good luck to those performing and helping behind the scenes!
