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A Glenmont resident who grew up in Silver Spring, Van Grack said he would like to incorporate both English and Spanish into productions.

‘‘Wheaton is an Arts and Entertainment District and I thought, well, they should have a theater,” Van Grack said.

Van Grack started acting in sixth grade, was part of many high school productions at Montgomery Blair, and studied theater at the University of Maryland and The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

In addition to his 17 years with Capitol Steps, Van Grack has also directed several local productions.

Van Grack has wanted to start a theater group for more than 20 years and thought it would be great to have one in the community where he grew up. He has two children at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School in Chevy Chase and said he wants to make the theater accessible for children, adults and for Spanish-speaking residents who make up a large portion of Wheaton’s population.

Using two languages is something that Van Grack said not only adds to actors’ performances, but also incorporates a group of people who may not have a lot of experience with live theater in this country.

Regardless of language or national origin, he said good theater makes people feel a connection with others’ experiences.

‘‘There are universal truths about human experience that we all share,” Van Grack said.

He said there would also be a focus on the classics: musicals like ‘‘Les Misérables,” ‘‘Ragtime,” ‘‘Guys and Dolls” and even Shakespearean work.

‘‘I worry if you quote, ‘To thine own self be true,’ young people won’t know what you’re talking about,” Van Grack said.

The theater group, tentatively titled Heritage Theater, already has a board of directors, all of whom have known Van Grack for many years or have had experience with theater and performing.

Scott Sedar, a local actor, director and longtime friend of Van Grack, is the vice president and said Wheaton is ready for this kind of cultural amenity.

‘‘I think Wheaton is on the cusp of growing to a different type of community,” Sedar said. ‘‘Developers have come to realize that neighborhoods really do survive based upon something to draw people into them at night and keep them interested. Of course restaurants can do that, but theaters can also feed restaurants.”

While both Van Grack and Sedar said the theater group would most likely rent auditorium space in and around Wheaton, such as at the old Round House Theatre building on Randolph Road, Sedar said the theater group could find a permanent place in downtown Wheaton.

Manuel Hidalgo, Van Grack’s neighbor, is also active in the Wheaton community as the director of the Latino Economic Development Corp. and a member of the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee. Van Grack told Hidalgo about his idea one morning as they waited with their children at a school bus stop.

‘‘That is part of what’s been lacking here about redeveloping Wheaton,” Hidalgo said about using a bilingual program. ‘‘This is not the same Wheaton that people are used to. It’s a changing Wheaton. It’s an immigrant Wheaton.”

Van Grack said the use of both languages should work well with ‘‘Man of La Mancha,” a musical based on Don Quixote, a novel by 17th-century Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Van Grack hopes to open with the musical in 2008.

Van Grack said his biggest challenge in forming the theater group was getting funding, usually through grant money.

However, he said his drive to do this is not about the money or the competition with other local theater groups, but about giving children and adults an outlet to enjoy something he’s loved all his life.

‘‘There is a need for people to be with other people,” he said. ‘‘I think that’s one of the good things about theater.”

To get involved with Heritage Theater or for more information, call Brad Van Grack at 703-598-1222 or e-mailsheckycat@comcast.net.