The show will go on at 1st Stage, even as the professional Tysons theater mourns the loss of one of its actors and board members.
William T. Newman Jr. died at his home on Feb. 10, leaving behind a storied legacy as both a civic leader and judge in Arlington and a thespian on both stage and screen.
“He brought laughter, joy, and a thoughtful approach to the rehearsal room that echoed his years of experience in the DMV theatre scene and beyond,” 1st Stage said, describing Newman as “a beloved artist and board member.”
A fixture of 1st Stage’s board of directors for nearly a decade, Newman also regularly performed at the theater and was cast in its upcoming production of “Between Riverside and Crazy,” which was scheduled to open on Feb. 19 and continue through March 8.
He had been rehearsing for the lead role of Walter “Pops” Washington for several weeks prior to his unexpected death.
The 1st Stage team announced last week that they have decided to move forward with the show, which will now open this Thursday (Feb. 26) and run through March 15. Newman’s role will be filled by Addison Switzer, another 1st Stage regular who most recently appeared as Wining Boy in “The Piano Lesson” last summer.
“After much discussion, the cast, crew, design team, and staff have agreed that 1st Stage will finish telling the story that Bill started,” the theater said. “… 1st Stage is grateful to Addison for his compassion and dedication as he takes on this role.”
Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Between Riverside and Crazy” by playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis follows Washington, a former cop and recent widower, as he and his recently paroled son fight to keep their rent-controlled apartment, while he pursues a discrimination lawsuit against the New York City Police Department.
Tickets for 1st Stage’s production, which is directed by José Carrasquillo, can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 703-854-1856. General admission costs $55 with a limited number of $25 and $40 tickets available. Students, teachers and military service members can buy tickets for $15.
Under the new schedule, shows will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees also available on Saturdays and Sundays. Select performances will offer captions and audio descriptions.
Recently renovated, 1st Stage is located in the Spring Hill Business Center at 1524 Spring Hill Road.
A native of Arlington who grew up during segregation in the 1950s and ’60s, Newman became that county’s first Black board member since Reconstruction in 1987 and was later appointed to serve as a circuit court judge by the Virginia General Assembly in 1993. He was elected as the Arlington Circuit Court’s chief judge in 2003, a position he would hold until his retirement a decade later.
Newman remained active as an actor even as his political and legal career thrived.
Graduating from Ohio University with a theater degree, he primarily worked on the stage but also acted on TV, radio and film, building a resume that includes appearances in the soap “Somerset” and the historical drama “The Butler.”
In addition to 1st Stage, where his past roles included the trombonist Cutler in a 2017 production of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” he was a reliable presence at Arena Stage, Avant Bard Theatre, and other companies in the D.C. region.
Newman is survived by BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, who he first met in the 1980s as an actor in the Negro Ensemble Company.
After reuniting in 2002 when he coincidentally presided over her divorce from longtime business partner Robert Johnson, the couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Middleburg’s Salamander Farm that was reportedly attended by 700 guests, including then-governor Mark Warner, Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine and news anchor Katie Couric, and covered by the Washington Post and New York Times.
