Having premiered on Broadway a half-century ago, “A Chorus Line” is one of the foundational works of modern theater. Given its now-legendary status, the reason the show entrances dancer and choreographer Matthew Couvillon is surprising.

“I’m very interested in new work, new stories to tell and new ways to tell stories,” Couvillon says. “It may seem counterintuitive but ‘A Chorus Line’ is a show that’s been teaching me for over a decade.”

Since first appearing in the show in 2010, Couvillon has worked with Bob Avian, co-choreographer of “A Chorus Line,” and Baayork Lee, an original cast member of the Broadway production, helping to stage the show all over the world. That proximity to the original creators has helped him understand the logistics of creating cutting edge work.

“Even though this show is not that now, it’s been exciting to learn how it was created, the visual storytelling, the composition that is its choreography,” Couvillon says. “It’s pretty brilliant and it was doing stripped down theater before that was a trend.”

Couvillon’s experience made him the perfect person to work with students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for their upcoming staging of “A Chorus Line,” says the production’s director, Nathaniel Shaw.

“I think the greatest gift for these students is learning the [Michael] Bennett staging and choreography from Matthew,” says Shaw. “It sounds hyperbolic perhaps but I think he may be the best person in the world for young people to learn this movement from.”

“A Chorus Line” burst onto Broadway in 1975 after an intense development period where Bennett, who was already famous from his work with Stephen Sondheim, helped craft interviews with actual dancers into a compelling story about the fervent hopes and crushing disappointments of an artistic life.

The original production won nine Tony Awards and was the longest running show in Broadway history when it closed in 1990.

Shaw, who already has a full plate as artistic director of Firehouse Theatre, agreed to shepherd the production in part because it will be groundbreaking for VCU.

“My understanding is that this is the first time the theater department, the dance department, and the music department have officially collaborated on a production,” says Shaw. “I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to support VCU as it brings the various departments under one umbrella ahead of its transition into its new performing arts building.”

The CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation currently under construction at the corner of Broad and Belvidere Streets is slated for a 2027 completion date.

Shaw wanted to bring in Couvillon as soon as he got the gig. The two men met in 2016 while working on a production of “A Chorus Line” in upstate New York in almost identical circumstances: Shaw directing and Couvillon restaging the choreography. “He’s been a great friend and a dear colleague ever since,” says Shaw.

During a four year stint as artistic director at Virginia Repertory Theatre that started in 2016, Shaw hired Couvillon to choreograph productions of “West Side Story” and “Cinderella.” Both efforts were honored with Richmond Theatre Community Circle awards.

“I knew that Matthew and I could really give the students a wonderful experience learning this iconic work,” Shaw says.

For Couvillon, a key tenet of working in an academic setting is treating the actors like professionals. “I am working with the students the same way that I would work with any other company or group of people,” he says. “I think they’re learning a lot about being in a professional rehearsal room, the pace in which those things move and the accountability expected.”

Shaw says students have responded to those kinds of expectations with surprising camaraderie. “Many of these individuals are being asked to do things outside their primary area of study: voice majors doing advanced choreography, dancers who have never cracked open a score,” he says.

“The most beautiful thing to observe is the way in which the students have cared for and helped one another.”

“A Chorus Line” is being staged in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall at the Singleton Center, 922 Park Ave. from Nov. 7-16. Tickets and information are available at https://arts.vcu.edu/theatre/mainstage-season/