Director’s Notes

Plays, and movies, are much like swans. The beauty you see on stage and screen hides the effort that it takes to bring stories to life. Some of the best-known pieces of culture have the craziest of backstories. And no movie had more going on behind the scenes than Gone With the Wind.

Three of the characters you will see onstage—David O. Selznick, Ben Hecht, and Victor Fleming—are directly based on the real men who were driving forces behind the movie. All three were larger than life in history, which has been a joy to bring to life. The major beats of the story are true to life. George Cukor was fired from the production and replaced by Fleming. At least five different writers had a hand in the screenplay, including Hecht. While many of the beats in our story come from the imagination of the playwright, they capture the spirit of the madcap production of one of the most famous movies in Hollywood history.

Published in 2005, Moonlight and Magnolias also deals with the historical moment in which the play is set. By the time Gone With the Wind was released in January of 1940, war had begun in Europe. As the characters grapple with a story set heavily during the Civil War, they also grapple with the real-world parallels unfolding in Europe. Much of the language used in the play is jarring to modern ears. While the play is distinctly a comedy, we are reminded that the world of 1939 was very different from the world today.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

Juli Tarabek Blacker Director

In case of an emergency, LTA has three AEDs (automated external defibrillators)

They are located as follows:

1. in the lobby, near the Council Green Room

2. in the cast entrance hallway, near backstage door

3. in the Alexandria Academy, on the first floor

Take a Seat.

Here’s a gift idea you can wrap your arms around! For the person who has everything, memorialize their love of theatre by purchasing a seat in our lovely theatre. An engraved plate, with up to three lines of engraving, will be placed on the arm rail. To purchase a seat, contact Tina McCrea in the LTA Business Office at 703-683-5778 x2. By request, a Seat Purchase Certificate can be obtained for your presentation to the recipient of your gift.

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