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====1964-1969====
====1964-1969====
The theatre was renovated between the 1963 and 1964 seasons. The exterior was painted white and decorative elements including shutters, awnings, urns, and a spiral staircase were added to the façade.<ref name=coffeebreak>{{cite news | title=Coffee Break | work=The Warren Sentinel | date=May 21, 1964 | pages=21}}</ref> The interior was renovated by stage designer Thomas (Tom) McKeehan. The stage was expanded, which allowed a larger array of performances, a new lighting system was installed, and additional seats were added, bringing the total seat capacity to 276.<ref name=phillips1>{{cite web | url=https://www.allaboutwayside.com/phillips-1964 | title=Owen Phillips: 1964 | publisher=allaboutwayside.com | accessdate=May 17, 2023 | author=Laster, James H.}}</ref><ref name=fresh>{{cite news | title=Middletown’s Wayside Theatre to Have a Fresh Look When 1964 Season Opens | work=The Northern Virginia Daily | date=February 20, 1964 | author=Harris, B.W. | pages=A6}}</ref>
The theatre was renovated between the 1963 and 1964 seasons. The exterior was painted white and decorative elements including shutters, awnings, urns, and a spiral staircase were added to the façade.<ref name=coffeebreak>{{cite news | title=Coffee Break | work=The Warren Sentinel | date=May 21, 1964 | pages=21}}</ref> The interior was renovated by stage designer Thomas (Tom) McKeehan. The stage was expanded, which allowed a larger array of performances, a new lighting system was installed, and additional seats were added, bringing the total seat capacity to 276.<ref name=phillips1>{{cite web | url=https://www.allaboutwayside.com/phillips-1964 | title=Owen Phillips: 1964 | publisher=allaboutwayside.com | accessdate=May 17, 2023 | author=Laster, James H.}}</ref><ref name=fresh>{{cite news | title=Middletown’s Wayside Theatre to Have a Fresh Look When 1964 Season Opens | work=The Northern Virginia Daily | date=February 20, 1964 | author=Harris, B.W. | pages=A6}}</ref>
[[File:Susan Sarandon, Festival de Sitges 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Susan Sarandon]] and her then-husband, [[Chris Sarandon]], performed at Wayside Theatre during the 1968 season.]]

Owen Phillips, who had previously served as production director of the [[Barter Theater]], was named Wayside Theatre's new artistic director for the 1964 season, the first of four seasons he would lead the company.<ref name=phillips1/> To promote the theatre, Phillips appeared in front of local civic groups and spoke at public events. Echoing the plans made by Bernstein, he advertised the theatre as a place to visit during the busy tourist season, which runs from May through autumn in the area surrounding [[Skyline Drive]].<ref name=phillips1/><ref name=experience>{{cite news | title=Wayside Has Experienced Figure in Owen Phillips | work=Winchester Evening Star | author=Cummins, Jack}}</ref> A bus tour company from Washington, D.C., offered a weekend excursion package that included a stay at the Wayside Inn, a ticket to the theatre, and meals, along with visits to [[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harpers Ferry]] and [[Berkeley Springs, West Virginia|Berkeley Springs]] in West Virginia, all for $33.25 per person.<ref name=phillips1/> Attendees at the opening night of ''The Pursuit of Happiness'' in 1964 included [[Luci Baines Johnson]], daughter of President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].<ref name=luci>{{cite news | title=Miss Johnson to Visit Middletown | work=Winchester Evening Star | date=April 8, 1964 | pages=1}}</ref> Similar to what happened in 1963, the 1964 season was extended, this time to November.<ref name=phillips1/>
Owen Phillips, who had previously served as production director of the [[Barter Theater]], was named Wayside Theatre's new artistic director for the 1964 season, the first of four seasons he would lead the company.<ref name=phillips1/> To promote the theatre, Phillips appeared in front of local civic groups and spoke at public events. Echoing the plans made by Bernstein, he advertised the theatre as a place to visit during the busy tourist season, which runs from May through autumn in the area surrounding [[Skyline Drive]].<ref name=phillips1/><ref name=experience>{{cite news | title=Wayside Has Experienced Figure in Owen Phillips | work=Winchester Evening Star | author=Cummins, Jack}}</ref> A bus tour company from Washington, D.C., offered a weekend excursion package that included a stay at the Wayside Inn, a ticket to the theatre, and meals, along with visits to [[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harpers Ferry]] and [[Berkeley Springs, West Virginia|Berkeley Springs]] in West Virginia, all for $33.25 per person.<ref name=phillips1/> Attendees at the opening night of ''The Pursuit of Happiness'' in 1964 included [[Luci Baines Johnson]], daughter of President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].<ref name=luci>{{cite news | title=Miss Johnson to Visit Middletown | work=Winchester Evening Star | date=April 8, 1964 | pages=1}}</ref> Similar to what happened in 1963, the 1964 season was extended, this time to November.<ref name=phillips1/>


Revision as of 03:08, 18 May 2023

Wayside Theatre
The former Wayside Theatre in 2023
Location7853 Main Street
Middletown, Virginia, USA
Coordinates39°01′44″N 78°16′45″W / 39.028864°N 78.279034°W / 39.028864; -78.279034
Built1946
Part ofMiddletown Historic District
Designated CPJune 23, 2003


History

Pre-theatre site history

The site at 7853 Main Street in Middletown, Virginia, was first owned by John Campbell in the late-18th century and later transferred to Jacob Danner. A building was constructed on the property which housed a tavern and store, the Danner Hotel and the Storehouse.[1][2] The building later became the Shenandoah Normal School before the teaching college relocated to nearby Reliance. In the early-20th century the town hall and town jail, a dry cleaner, and a barbershop occupied the building. In 1941 the property was destroyed in a fire. At the time it housed Little & Larrick’s Store, a restaurant owned by Ed Goode, and a store owned by Ed Sperry. The site remained empty for the next three years.[1][3][4]

In 1946 Herschel C. Borden constructed the current building, which was known as the Bordon-Lee Theatre or Middletown Movie Theatre until 1961.[1][3] The building was subdivided, with the first floor containing the movie theatre, a pharmacy, and a store. The second floor contained an apartment in the back of the building where Borden lived for several years. There was also an office in the front portion of the second floor where Bob O'Neil practiced law. The office was later converted into another apartment. The space where the pharmacy was located later housed offices for the town government and police department. During this time the basement level housed a barbershop, a beauty shop run by a reported alcoholic who later disappeared, and an alleged betting parlor. The film projection system and theatre seats were sold to local movie theatres around two years after Joe Dwyer purchased the property in 1959.[1]

On February 22, 1962, Dwyer sold the property to Leo M. Bernstein, a real estate developer, banker, and philanthropist from Washington, D.C.[1][5] Bernstein had previously purchased and restored the nearby Wayside Inn, a historic building which opened as a tavern in 1797 and the namesake of Wayside Theatre, and restored numerous other properties in the area including the Hotel Strasburg, Stonewall Jackson Museum, and Crystal Caverns in Strasburg, the Battletown Inn in Berryville, and the Burwell-Morgan Mill in Millwood.[3][5][6][7]

Theatre company

Opening season

Peter Boyle is one of several actors who performed during the Wayside Theatre's opening season.

Many sources, citing the Wayside Theatre's playbills, list the theatre's founding taking place in 1962 as the Maralarrick Players (sometimes spelled Marralarrick Players). According to historian and former Wayside Theatre actor, James Laster, there is no evidence of any group named the Maralarrick Players ever performing at the building. Two possible explanations are there was a local stock company that performed in 1962 or the group was based out of the Wayside Inn, but Laster has stated: "Therefore, to date, no documentation can be located that gives any definitive information about the Marralarrick group, what they performed, the name of their director, or how they came to be in Middletown."[8][9]

After Bernstein's purchase, extensive renovations took place for the building to house a theatre company. Advertisements announcing the theatre's opening began appearing in newspapers in 1963 with one advertisement stating "See these Broadway shows performed by a professional New York cast, including [Mitch Miller's daughter] Andrea Miller."[10] The theatre opened on Tuesday night June 18, 1963, the beginning of an 11-week, 9-play season.[11][12] The first play performed at the theatre, featuring members of the Actors' Equity Association, was Neil Simon's Come Blow Your Horn. Larry Gleason, Wayside's first artistic director, had previously worked at Arena Stage and the Theater Lobby. Gleason's former coworker, Zelda Fichandler of Arena Stage, was a member of Wayside's advisory board.[12]

Attendees during the first season received a 12-page playbill. In addition to the company's biographical information, the playbill included a statement by Gleason:[13]

Summer Theater is an adventure. The Wayside Theater is proud to be a part of this adventure. Our season is ambitious, but every adventure is fueled with the same fire. During our first season you shall meet many people on our stage, we trust you will welcome their work. As you travel from Maine to Pennsylvania, many summer theaters spring up in front of you. We at Wayside are proud to bring summer theater to Northern Virginia. This area, rich in history past, seemed a natural spot for such a theater. During the season you will find something that will please you, whatever your taste. You will be amused or impressed or even amazed. You will spend an evening with Shaw and Tennessee Williams. You will see the old, the new, the borrowed and the ‘blue’. We are glad to welcome you to this adventure. Won’t you join us many times this summer?

Mitch Miller, who at the time hosted the television show Sing Along with Mitch, drew considerable attention from local media when he visited the area to see his daughter perform. Before the season began, Andre had served as marshall of that year's Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Fireman’s Parade.[14] She and Lowry shared a room at the Wayside Inn during the season while many of the company and staff lived in apartments above the theatre.[15]

After Come Blow Your Horn, plays performed during the 1963 season included Charley's Aunt, Summer and Smoke starring Peter Boyle and Jane Lowry, Bus Stop, Light Up the Sky, The Fantasticks, The Drunkard, Misalliance, and Two for the Seesaw.[7][11][16][17][18][19] The first year was so successful that Gleason extended the season by one month, adding four plays to the roster.[20] Among these additions were Under the Yum-Yum Tree, Dial M For Murder, and Bell, Book and Candle .[16] After the last performance of the season, attendees walked onto the stage to congratulate the actors.[11]

1964-1969

The theatre was renovated between the 1963 and 1964 seasons. The exterior was painted white and decorative elements including shutters, awnings, urns, and a spiral staircase were added to the façade.[21] The interior was renovated by stage designer Thomas (Tom) McKeehan. The stage was expanded, which allowed a larger array of performances, a new lighting system was installed, and additional seats were added, bringing the total seat capacity to 276.[22][23]

Susan Sarandon and her then-husband, Chris Sarandon, performed at Wayside Theatre during the 1968 season.

Owen Phillips, who had previously served as production director of the Barter Theater, was named Wayside Theatre's new artistic director for the 1964 season, the first of four seasons he would lead the company.[22] To promote the theatre, Phillips appeared in front of local civic groups and spoke at public events. Echoing the plans made by Bernstein, he advertised the theatre as a place to visit during the busy tourist season, which runs from May through autumn in the area surrounding Skyline Drive.[22][24] A bus tour company from Washington, D.C., offered a weekend excursion package that included a stay at the Wayside Inn, a ticket to the theatre, and meals, along with visits to Harpers Ferry and Berkeley Springs in West Virginia, all for $33.25 per person.[22] Attendees at the opening night of The Pursuit of Happiness in 1964 included Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson.[25] Similar to what happened in 1963, the 1964 season was extended, this time to November.[22]

Between the 1964 and 1965 seasons a new arc spot light was installed and a grand curtain was added. A gallery featuring works from local artists was added to the second floor. Along the hallway to the gallery were photographs of previous performances at the theatre. The gallery was later moved downstairs to the space that would later become the Curtain Call Cafe in 1968, which was decorated with Tudor-style wood paneling and glass lamps.[22][26][27]

During the remainder of the decade, the theatre's reputation grew considerably. Local media provided reviews of each new play and Bernstein assisted in promoting the inn and theatre.[22] Bernstein brought a group of government officials and business leaders from Washington, D.C., to attend a performance in 1965. That same year Bernstein and Phillips established the Wayside Foundation for the Arts. Ownership of the theatre was transferred to the nonprofit for $1 while Bernstein retained ownership of the inn. Harold Herman and Lindé Hayen were among the theatre's actors in 1965.[28] They would later establish the theatre program at Shenandoah College and the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, before the two schools were merged to form Shenandoah University.[22]

The opening night for each season was a black-tie event, often attended by notable members of the media along with government officials from Washington, D.C. Attendees at these events included journalist Merriman Smith, Senator Estes Kefauver, Dutch Ambassador Carl Willem Alwin Schurmann, and White House official James W. Symington.[29] Special events held at the theatre during this time included a fundraiser for the restoration of Middletown's St. Thomas Chapel and a mobile art gallery outside the building featuring works donated by Paul Mellon to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.[30] An acting workshop was also created with Phillips and the theatre's actors serving as teachers. Attendees, apprentices, and locals would stage a performance at the conclusion of the workshop.[31]

Phillips left Wayside at the conclusion of the 1967 season and returned to the Barter Theatre.[26] He is credited with the success of Wayside during its early years.[32] In 1968 Bernstein purchased the nearby Dominion Motel on U.S. Route 11 to house the actors, a living arrangement that continued for several years.[32][33] Gerald Slavet was hired as the new artistic director and, like Phillips, appeared before local civic groups to advertise the theatre. Slavet's group ensemble, The Garrick Players, were among the actors during his first year after the five members had been evicted from their space at Grace Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.[34][35] The 1968 season was postponed due to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the national observance that followed. Prior to the season opening, directed by James Waring, the theatre's lighting and sound equipment had been rebuilt and Herb White, who Bernstein hired to restore the inn, also remodeled the theatre.[27][35][36]

In addition to Boyle and Lowry, notable actors that performed at the theatre during the 1960s include Chris Sarandon and his then-wife, Susan Sarandon, Nancy Barrett and her husband, David Ford, Jerry Lacy, and Cathryn Damon.[26][37] Plays performed during this timeframe include Bye Bye Birdie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Mary, Mary, The Women, The Odd Couple, Dracula, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Laster, James H. "From Movie House to Theatre". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Harbaugh IV, Charles; Pennington, Jeff (2015). Middletown. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. pp. 60–61. ISBN 9781439649268.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c Klimm, Tess; Fletcher, Helen Lee; Jones, Guy M. (November 8, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form - Middletown Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved May 16, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b "Shenandoah Normal College Students, 1887". Handley Regional Library. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Mayer, Caroline E. (November 4, 1985). "Leo Bernstein: Once a Banker, Ever a Banker". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Tucker, Neely (July 15, 2010). "Charm for sale: Shops in tiny Strasburg, Va.; 'Antique capital' that Leo Bernstein built is unloading his properties". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Buckey, Margaret (July 25, 1963). "New Summer Theater Success in Virginia". Montgomery County Sentinel. pp. A5. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  8. ^ Keelor, Josette (June 4, 2021). "Wayside Theatre gets another act: Actor creates website to tell theater's history". The Northern Virginia Daily. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  9. ^ Laster, James H. "The Maralarrick Mystery". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "Wayside Theatre Ad". The Northern Virginia Daily. May 20, 1963. p. 7.
  11. ^ a b c Laster, James H. "The First Season: 1963". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Carmody, James (June 15, 1963). "Art's Council Gets Equity Blessing". Evening Star. pp. B12. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  13. ^ Knowles, E. Lewis (July 30, 1963). "Follow the Leader: Wayside Theater". The Staunton Leader. p. 4.
  14. ^ "Mitch Miller Sees 'Bus Stop' Show at Middletown". Winchester Evening Star. July 5, 1963.
  15. ^ McLendon, Winzola (August 1, 1963). "Memo". The Washington Post. pp. E3.
  16. ^ a b Laster, James H. "Gleason: Production Chronology". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  17. ^ Yarbrough, Charles (June 30, 1963). "Gen. Banks Gave Up a Lot More Than He Knew at Middletown". Evening Star. pp. B6. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  18. ^ "Wayside Theatre Records" (PDF). Handley Regional Library. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  19. ^ Carmody, James (July 16, 1963). "Ford's Team Returns In Boisterous Mood". Evening Star. pp. A12. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  20. ^ "Wayside Theatre Extends Season to September 28". The Warren Sentinel. August 29, 1963. p. 2.
  21. ^ "Coffee Break". The Warren Sentinel. May 21, 1964. p. 21.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h Laster, James H. "Owen Phillips: 1964". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  23. ^ Harris, B.W. (February 20, 1964). "Middletown's Wayside Theatre to Have a Fresh Look When 1964 Season Opens". The Northern Virginia Daily. pp. A6.
  24. ^ Cummins, Jack. "Wayside Has Experienced Figure in Owen Phillips". Winchester Evening Star.
  25. ^ "Miss Johnson to Visit Middletown". Winchester Evening Star. April 8, 1964. p. 1.
  26. ^ a b c Laster, James H. "Owen Phillips: 1967". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Sterago, Marcia (June 15, 1968). "Middletown – The Broadway of Tomorrow?". The Winchester Star. pp. 6–7.
  28. ^ "Washington VIPs Gaily Entertained at Wayside". Winchester Evening Star. July 1, 1965. p. 9.
  29. ^ "Glamour and Personalities Reign at Wayside Opening". The Daily Mail. May 27, 1965. p. 8.
  30. ^ "Season Opening at Middletown Was Evening To Be Remembered". Winchester Evening Star. May 23, 1966. p. 7.
  31. ^ "Wayside Review". The Warren Sentinel. August 18, 1966. p. 20.
  32. ^ a b Laster, James H. "Transition from Phillips to Slavet". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "Former Motel Purchased to House Visiting Performers". Winchester Evening Star. January 26, 1968.
  34. ^ Lickson, Bryane Miller (2001). The Lure and Lore of the Wayside Theatre. p. 15.
  35. ^ a b Laster, James H. "Slavet and the Garrick Players". allaboutwayside.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  36. ^ Capps, Kriston (June 28, 2007). "Herb's World". Washington City Paper. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  37. ^ "The Private Ear and The Public Eye' - An Evening of Superb Theater At Wayside". The Northern Virginia Daily. June 14, 1968. p. 8.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wayside Theatre.
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