Giving Voice to New Stories: Somewhere in Time Productions

When Malanna Henderson's father took her to see Oliver! on Broadway, something transformative happened. "It was mesmerizing," she recalls of that childhood experience that would ultimately shape her life's work. Now, as the founder and artistic director of Somewhere in Time Productions, Henderson is creating opportunities for other storytellers to experience that same theatrical magic—but from the other side of the curtain.

Incorporated in October 2024 as a 501(c)(3) performing arts organization, Somewhere in Time Productions has a focused mission that sets it apart from traditional community theater. "Our mission is to produce original plays by local playwrights, to give them a platform and introduce new works by new voices in the community," Henderson explains. "Revivals headline most community theaters; we're giving the theatergoing audience an alternative."

It's a mission born from personal experience. Henderson's journey through the theatrical landscape took her from undergraduate acting classes to earning a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting from the City University of New York. Along the way, she discovered the challenges original playwrights face in getting their work performed.

"As a playwright myself, I know how hard it is to have original work produced," she says. "I really believe that a play isn't finished until it's in front of an audience."

Henderson's own accomplishments as a playwright are impressive. Her one-act play, A Question of Color, about a man wrongly convicted of killing his wife, won first place in a contest with the Tulsa Library. Another work, The Eclipse, was staged at The Brooklyn Heights Theater in New York before being submitted to a one-act festival in Fredericksburg. She even discovered unexpected talents while adapting her play 'Tis All a Game of Chance into a full-length musical. "I discovered I could write music and lyrics, disciplines I've never studied," she notes with evident delight.

The fledgling theater company launched its first productions in May 2025, presenting two one-act plays by local playwright Cara Hadden, a recent graduate of George Mason University. But the road to opening night proved to be an adventure in problem-solving. About a month into rehearsals for Uncle Alfie's Diary and Amor Aeternus, both male actors resigned—one called to law enforcement duty, the other accepting a role at another theater.

Henderson refused to panic. "I remember giving myself a pep talk. 'We will find actors to fill the roles,'" she recalls. That Saturday, she attended her writers club meeting and took a leap of faith, asking if any men wanted to give it a shot. "Two men who had never acted before volunteered, and they both did a wonderful job," Malanna said. The show went on as scheduled at St. George's Episcopal Church, and two writers discovered new talents and a passion for a new form of storytelling.

Henderson's own commitment to historical storytelling runs deep. She was commissioned by the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield to write plays for Black History Month in 2018 and 2019, including Secret Codes, which told the remarkable story of Lucy Ann Walker, an enslaved woman at Chatham Manor who passed intelligence to Union forces through the strategic positioning of laundry on clotheslines. For Women's History Month, she created three vignettes, including "Give Us the Vote," which highlighted the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, and "Love on Trial," about the landmark Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case.

This November, Somewhere in Time Productions presents The History Lesson, written by Henderson, at the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center. The play runs on various dates from November 1 through November 16, with Saturday performances at 6:30 PM and Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM. The production features Ashlee’ James as Hattie Rose and Gladys Perkins as Bertha, both of whom bring depth and authenticity to their roles.

For Henderson, the work is about more than entertainment. Her historical plays offer audiences fresh perspectives on shared history, sparking meaningful conversations. "[They] teach about history and give you a perspective you didn't think about, which is great for discourse," she says. "If you were in this position, what would you have done differently?"

But the theater's future isn't limited to one genre. Henderson is always seeking new works and new voices. "If you have that play you've worked on and tucked it away in a drawer, send it to us," she urges. "We would like to read it, and who knows? Maybe we'll produce it."

Aspiring playwrights, actors, directors, and set designers can reach out to the organization through its website at somewhereintimeproductions.org or via email at somewhereintimeproductions21@gmail.com. Henderson would also like readers to know that sponsorship opportunities exist if anyone feels inclined to support the arts, provide a platform for original stories, and assist with production costs.

For Henderson, each production represents a new adventure, and the journey is just beginning.

"My love of theatre inspires me along with a desire to share my knowledge and support others in the arts," Henderson reflects. "I enjoy everything about producing. Even the problems are interesting and send us on an adventure in our desire to solve them."