Alluvion opens theatre season with timeless musical ‘My Fair Lady’

Alluvion Stage Company, Liberty University’s Broadway-quality professional theatre company, will open the 2026-27 theatre season on Friday with “My Fair Lady,” a story of transformation, identity, and unexpected connection.

The plot follows Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, and phonetics expert Professor Henry Higgins who wagers that he can teach her proper English and transform her into a lady in six months. The two eventually form a bond despite their differences.

Linda Nell Cooper, artistic director for the Department of Theatre & Dance and the show’s director, said this “timeless” show is a story about self-worth and love, featuring well-known songs like “I Could Have Danced All Night.”

“It’s a great show to start the 2026-27 season because it’s uplifting, and it’s a reminder that humanity as a whole should be supportive and encouraging of each other,” Cooper said. “Everyone needs to learn, everyone needs to grow, and it doesn’t matter what your station is to begin with; we are all equal. That’s what’s great with Eliza and Higgins — they come from two different worlds yet they can see themselves in each other, and it helps them to grow as individuals and as a couple.”

“To grow as an individual, you need a community around you to help support you and lift you up,” she added, “and especially for our students at the beginning of a new school year, they need to understand they should reach out and let that community support them.”

New York-based actress Evan Bertram brings experience to the role of Eliza. She was an understudy on a Broadway national tour of the show in 2023 and 2024 and also played Eliza in a regional production in Connecticut. After some remote rehearsals, she arrived on campus two weeks before opening night.

“She’s very professional with her work ethic, and she is gregarious, very open-hearted, very bright, a joyful presence, and has lots of energy,” Cooper said. “I think she’s very giving to the students and all the other actors.”

Bertram connected with Alluvion through The Hang NYC, a ministry and gathering of Christian artists in New York City created by her friend, alumna Kayla Grizzard (’11). She said returning to the role in a production at a Christian institution has been a meaningful experience.

“It’s really exciting to think through how we know that our worth is in Christ, and these characters may or may not know that,” she said. “Because we are made in the image of God, we inherently have worth in Him. It’s just made me think a lot about that as a person, and how I wish these characters could know that.”

She has offered support and professional insight for the students in the ensemble cast and especially for her understudy, senior Grace Eason. She said the students have reinvigorated her work in the familiar role. She has been impressed by their skill and how they have in turn supported her.

“I get into patterns with saying all the lines similarly, and having this new energy of the students, getting to see them discover it for the first time, all those fresh perspectives, is helping me learn more about the character and about the world of the show in a new way,” Bertram said.

“Not only are they so talented but they are also so respectful, and they’ve been so encouraging to me,” she added. “The second I got here, it’s been a fast and furious learning process for me, and every single one of them has made sure I know that they’re there to help if I need it. I just feel like there’s no better environment to try and fail and then get back up. I feel so supported and uplifted.”

The rest of the principal cast is comprised of outside professionals and three Liberty alumni: Chris Nelson (’01), an associate professor of theatre arts in the role of Higgins; Timmy Williamson (’14, ’20), who plays Jamie and Selsey Man; and Sam Van Fossen (’14, ‘23), who plays Harry, Hoxton Man, and understudies Colonel Hugh Pickering.

“My Fair Lady” will mark the final production with a set designed by Head Designer Mark Howieson, who has built worlds on Liberty’s theatre stages for 15 years and is retiring to move closer to his grandchildren. Former costume designer Rachel Webb and former lighting designer Nicole Campbell have returned to Liberty to reunite with him for his career finale.

“He loves to tell stories through the visuals, and he’s very versatile with his designs,” Cooper said. “He always has a keen eye for richness, and his sets look so rich and detailed. Audiences don’t realize it, but so many times our painted backdrops have been painted by him, all by himself. That takes hours and hours and weeks and weeks, and they’re beautiful artwork. We really are going to miss him and his original artwork.”

The show runs through the next three weekends. Visit the Department of Theatre & Dance website for dates and ticket information.