A new Lexington-based professional theater company will soon offer area residents the opportunity to experience firsthand original works by new and original voices in American theater.
New Views Theatre held its launch party Saturday, April 12, at the Patton Room in downtown Lexington.
“Many people have come to me afterward to tell me it was fun and enriching,” said founder and artistic director William R. Duell, who is also an accomplished playwright.
“Plus, it was well-attended and we raised a sufficient amount of money for the first part of our next season,” said Mike McDowell, managing director of the theater.
The event featured performances by professional actors of four short, original monologues by up-and-coming playwrights. It also included a live auction of 13 artworks by professional artists (10 of them local residents), and a silent auction of 22 gift baskets and unique vintage items donated by area businesses and theater supporters.
McDowell said that all 35 lots were bid on, and that the highest bid was often much higher than the lot’s fair market value. Duell said that “it’s a testament to how much people like what we’re doing. Mayor Frank Friedman was kind enough to speak to kick off the monologues and Colonel Cody Manspile handled the live auction with aplomb.”
With plans to open its inaugural season this October, New Views Theatre “is committed to serving the broadest community through readings, workshops and productions that will enlighten, empower and prompt thoughtful and constructive dialogue about ideas, events, legacies and characters,” Duell said.
He added, “The name of the theater company alludes both to the natural beauty of the area and to the content the theatre will present. Our theater’s slogan is ‘We’ll give you something to talk about,’ and that’s what we intend to do.”
“Our presentations may entertain, comfort or even challenge audiences of different backgrounds and points of view,” McDowell said. “All of us at New Views firmly believe that all ideas grounded in reason, humanity and compassion are worthy of our attention.”
The company is currently in negotiations for a professional venue, “ideally a more intimate theater, like the Johnson Theatre in the Lenfest Center,” Duell said. “We’re interested in works that are intellectually stimulating, emotionally moving and illuminating. This is the kind of theater you often find at off-off Broadway productions. We like to think that we’re bringing a little bit of off-off Broadway to Lexington.”
Duell is a native of Buena Vista. His plays have been produced and work-shopped across the U.S. Most recently, his full-length drama “honor” premiered in 2023 and had a successful run at the Gural Theatre in NYC, directed by Gerald vanHeerden and produced by vMHF Theatricals.
His most recent play, the comedy- drama “Planet First,” was commissioned by Susan Ossman and the Anthropocene Research Kitchen at NYU Abu Dhabi. It will have its U.S. premiere in the spring of 2026, directed by director Jennifer Decker, at Mildred’s Umbrella Theater in Houston.
To learn more about New Views Theatre and to sign up for its growing mailing list for news, updates and future events, visit www. NewViewsTheatre.com.
LEXINGTON MAYOR Frank Friedman addresses the attendees at the launch party.
