Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/tony-award-winning-va-theater-sprouted-from-garage Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Arlington, Va.'s Signature Theater won a 2009 Tony Award as one of the nation's best regional theaters. Jeffrey Brown explores the theater's history and humble beginnings. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: And finally tonight, a big honor for a regional theater with very humble beginnings. Jeffrey Brown has that story. JEFFREY BROWN: When Signature Theater learned it had won this year's Tony Award as one of the nation's leading regional theaters, it was no coincidence that the company was about to present the world premiere of "Giant," a musical by Michael John LaChiusa, based on the 1952 Edna Ferber novel about Texas ranching, oil, and family strife.A brand-new, big musical, four hours long with 21 actors and a 15-piece orchestra, taking on a complicated subject, by one of today's leading musical theater composers, the Arlington, Va.-based Signature, as the Tony committee said, has become known for its "bold productions of challenging new and established works," almost 20 years after very humble beginnings.ERIC SCHAEFFER, artistic director, Signature Theater: I was young. I was 27 years old when Signature was started. And I was so fearless. And, I mean, I still think I am today, but, back then, I just said, "Well, why not?"