Wayside Theatre on Tour
One of the most successful outreach programs that Wayside undertook during its existence was Wayside Theatre On Tour (WTOT). This program expanded Wayside’s presence that went beyond the theatre’s four walls by using trained actors to take theatre into the local community. While Gleason and Phillips were both involved in providing theatre instruction within the community, it was Gerry Slavet who broadened the concept by taking theatre into the area schools and beyond.
The Company - Virginia Folk Tales, Head’n Tales (1973) Dan Giulvezan (L); Cathy (Bobo) Bates; Don Butler; Graham Hubbel; Carol Hoehn
During the Gleason and Philips years, the Theatre offered classes for local children and adults but there is no record of any type of tours. These classes culminated with performances at the Theatre which were attended by a limited number of people, usually relatives and friends within the Winchester community.
When a WTOT performance was scheduled, the Theatre provided the sponsoring organization with a checklist that each host should comply with in order to have a smooth and enjoyable experience. The list included:
Travel – requesting a marked map and indicting the time the troupe would arrive. Dressing Room - - while no formal space was required, it asked for a warm area
with mirrors, access to bathrooms, and a safe place for storing valuables.
Stage - - requests that the stage and backstage area be clean as in some cases
the troupe performed without shoes, and that the actors have uninterrupted access
o the performance space from the time of their arrival until 30 minutes before curtain.
Show requirements - - performance space at least 16’ wide and 12’ deep; water and
four glasses; two assistants to help with load-in and load-out; and two 20 amp circuits completely free of any appliances, lights, etc.
Finally, four weeks prior to performances, the theatre will provide publicity packet of information with camera ready copy of programs and posters.
This list of requirements ends with the notice that no photography, tape or video recording would be permitted during the performance without written permission from the Director of Wayside Theatre. It was also noted that the Theatre would appreciate the sponsor expressing their opinion regarding the presentation, most likely as a way of evaluating the production.
SLAVET (1968 - 1974)
Slavet was keen on working with local teachers, encouraging them to use theatre-type techniques for innovative teaching that went beyond their traditional classes in teacher training. There are numerous photographs and articles in the local press that show him working with classroom teachers and staff.
Somewhere in Slavet’s early years, the idea was conceived of sending groups of actors to perform in schools. Details of this are not totally clear nor is it certain which was the first of these ventures. There are references to Selections from Story Theatre as being the WTOT production for the year 1971, but the files contain only vague references to this title. The most concrete bit of data is a note written in pencil that states, “1971-1972, Sections of Paul Sills ‘Story Theatre’ directed by Jerry Slavet.” Sills’ work was a collection of well-known Grimm Brothers and Aesop Fables stories.
Under the leadership of Gerry Slavet and Barbara Swink, WTOT flourished! Swink had joined the Wayside staff that year as the Director of Public Relations and Publicity, later serving as Associate Director, and finally as General Manager (“Edward Steele: New ….” WES. 6 Oct. 1979). She developed and produced the very detailed study guides that were sent to schools two weeks prior to the visit by the WTOT ensemble. These guides were intended for teachers to use in preparing their students prior to attending the performances.
To cast the 1972 WTOT tour, Slavet auditioned actors in New York for the instate appearances performing three one-act plays for schools and community organizations. A performance of The Marriage Proposal took place on December 1, 1972 at the Pittsylvania Educational and Cultural Center in Chatham, Virginia. On the previous evening, WTOT had performed in Danville, where the following information is given.
The Wayside Theatre, a ten-year-old acting company located in historic, sleepy Middletown, Virginia, not far from Washington, will present ‘The Marriage Proposal’
… admission is free …. The play is being presented in schools throughout the state
and will be performed at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the Center for the schools, and
8:00 for the general public. In each instance, it will be followed by a discussion between the audience and Mr. Slavet and the actors (“Young Group to Present ….” The Danville Register. 30 Nov. 1972).
Some information on the actors who performed in this production can be found in the Danville paper.
The ‘bombastic and bewildered father’ is played by Bill Wiley, who appeared in
two productions at Wayside in 1969, and has appeared on Broadway, worked in
regional and stock theatres, as well as done TV work and commercials. Gary
Filsinger, who played the demanding role of the hypochondriac suitor has appeared
in various Shakespeare productions as well as toured with Marat Sade. And, Penny
Lynn White, who plays Natalia, has worked in Second City Stage in Chicago and
worked in New York’s Eastside Playhouse (“Young Group ….” The Danville Register.
30 Nov. 1972).
In addition to the Checkov title, the 1972-1973 tour also presented Time, Here: Place, Now! an original work by Slavet that he had produced in Washington, DC under a Title III grant (“Wayside Theatre On Tour.” Undated typescript).
The 1973 tour of Virginia Folk Tales is probably the production that received the greatest attention. A handwritten note states that Lindé Hayen Herman wrote most of the script from the research notes provided by Slavet and Mel Speigel, the latter being an unknown name in Wayside’s history. The performance used a written script for some scenes while other scenes were improvised. It was reported that after five years of trying to establish a touring group, grants were obtained from the Virginia Commission of the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as contributions from individuals and organizations, to fund this tremendously successful 1973 tour that gleaned much greater success than expected. Virginia Folk Tales consisted of representative legends and stories of Virginia and was designed to entertain as well as educate. It was estimated that nearly 50,000 children and adults in 122 different locations in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, DC, and New York attended these performances that particular year.
After touring for four months, the group performed at Winchester’s Handley High School, after which they headed to New York where the ensemble also auditioned for an appearance on Broadway. A brief over-view of this successful WTOT tour is included in the article in the local paper. (“Wayside Actors Visit Handley.” WES. 22 Jan. 1974).
The five professional actors, using improvisation techniques, based their performances upon a basic script. They took on both animal and human personalities along with storybook favorites, or tales such as how the fox got a long nose, or the rabbit a short tail presented through song, dance, and pantomime. A brochure describes the options as being a choice of
… two productions: Virginia Folk Tales, a 45 minute to 1 hour program that also
includes Heads ‘n Tales, a program 30 to 90 minutes that permitted the audience
to interact and make suggestions that would help the improvisational performers
create on-the-spot songs, stories and skits. A fast and funny look at America that
is never quite the same from one show to the next. (Brochure, found in the 1973/
1974 scrapbook.)
Theatre files contain several letters from school administrators, praising the group’s performances. One from the National Endowment for the Arts commends the use of theatre as a teaching tool for young people stating, “the story theater approach has tremendous appeal - - at least for elementary ages” (Kirk. Letter). A Virginia school principal, expresses appreciation for the tour’s visit to his school, and shares several comments from the questionnaire that had been distributed to teachers following the performance. These included: “There was excellent rapport between the students and actors …;” “I thought that the method of having the actors beginning in the audience really started the [actor/audience] interaction …;” “Definitely Good. Actors had the students’ attention …. We need more of that kind” (Mitchell. Letter).
From a report, most likely written by Slavet, the following statement tells of a New York experience of the Virginia Folk Tales tour. The group
… had an unusual opportunity for exposure as far as Central School in Mamaroneck,
New York. A performance for students in that school was actually an audition [with
an audience] for a New York producer who anticipated presenting the show in a Broadway house and busing children to performances. School administrators from nearby schools who attended the audition/performance promptly booked Wayside Theatre on Tour which, with subsequent bookings, extended Wayside’s New York
stay to more than two weeks” (Slavet. “Wayside Theatre – Descriptive Annual Report.”
c. 1973).
In addition to touring the state of Virginia and a major portion of the East Coast, WTOT was the first resident company in the Summer Children’s Theatre program held at Wolf Trap Farm Park in the summer of 1974. These WTOT performances were widely covered by the local press.
WTOT with youth at Wolf Trap, Seated, Gerry Slavet.
A letter from Mrs. Jouett Shouse, donor of the Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts, expressed her appreciation for their residency and work with young people reads as follows:
Dear Jerry:
This note is to express my great appreciation for your contribution to our successful Enrichment Program. The Theatre in the Woods which you planned and managed brought Wolf Trap a new dimension for which we are extremely grateful. May this
be a forerunner of many seasons ahead under your direction as having you a part of
our planning staff is of tremendous value.
You and the company you selected brought pleasure to thousands of youngsters
and for many it was a first exposure to live theater. One of the valuable features
was the young audience participation.
Again, my appreciation and with all good wishes,
(signed)
Mrs. Jouett Shouse
Another letter praising the Virginia Folk Tales performance in Larchmont, NY calls it
… without doubt one of the most refreshing experiences I have had in all my
years of acting and play-going. Never have I seen young actors play together
with greater spirit! Never have I seen children happier in an audience! To see
the way those actors brought rapt response from those little ones was a profound experience - - indeed THAT is what Children’s Theatre is all about” (Harris. Letter.
14 Feb. 1974).
To staff this touring ensemble, Slavet again held auditions in New York City. It was advertised that he wanted to see and hear Equity, as well as non-Equity actors, with a preference given to those who could play a portable instrument, such as banjo or guitar. The ensemble that he selected consisted of five professional actors: Bobo [Cathy] Bates, Don Butler, Dan Giulvezan, Carol Hoehn, and Graham Hubble, who performed the folk tales taking on both animal and human personalities. The actors performed
… with the aid of two guitars, a banjo, several instruments for sound effects and
only a minimum of props. [T]his group of five energetic young people has offered improvisational theatre to youngsters who have been thrilled with their loveable
easy-going manner …. The highly trained troupe has already logged over 100 performances in its new season which began only six weeks ago (May. “Virginia
Folk Tales .…” Martinsburg Journel. 3 Dec. 1973).
During the fall and winter of 1973, the group “toured to schools in a four-state area … playing to more than 50,000 students in a five month [time period]” (“Wayside’s ‘Folk Tales’ at Wolf Trap.” Metro Virginia News, Leesburg. 21 July 1974). Another reference mentions that in addition to appearing for “students in Wytheville Community College [they had performed] for inmates at Bland Correctional Farm ….” (“Students, Inmates View ….” The Roanoke Times. 4 Dec. 1973). Reviewing their performance of “Virginia Folk Tales” at Wolf Trap Farm Park, the unsigned article refers to the “new version” being directed by Mel Spiegel
with two actors from the original cast, Bobo Bates and Graham Hubbel, and adds
three new members, Charles Lander, Cathy Simpson and Merrill Plaskow III. Beverly McGuffin is the stage manager and the costumes were designed and executed by
Susan Tsu, an Obie award winner for her costumes for ‘Godspell’ ” (Wayside Troupe Performs at ….” WES. 16 July 1974).
The five actors who performed the four titles were:
“The Fox, The ‘Possum, and The Rabbit”
Fox: Cathy
Possum: Merrill
Rabbit: Graham
Haunt: Chuck
Guitar: Bobo
“Giant of Virginia:
Peter Francisco: Chuck
Guitar: Graham
All other roles: Bobo, Merrill, Cathy
“Water Ho”
Woodpecker: Cathy
Duck: Bobo
Dog: Graham
Pig: Merrill
Banjo: Chuck
“Quare Jack”
Jack: Chuck
Strong Brother: Merrill
Smart Brother: Graham
Music and Sound: Bobo and Cathy
Wayside Theatre provided the teachers with study guides to use in preparing their students prior to attending the performance. The guides emphasized the four areas of the arts: drama, dance, opera, and music. Unfortunately, none of these guides can be found in the Theatre’s files.
During the Slavet years, the Wayside school productions were performed by actors, all of whom were “experienced in improvisational work, an essential tool for the follow-up activities they will take to the classrooms of the Title I students. During these activities, students will have the opportunity of acting out portions of the play” (1972 Scrapbook, undated clipping). It should be noted that these performances were more than just visits made by actors to the schools. Prior to the day of the performances, Slavet held preparatory sessions with the teachers. In addition, “before the performance the theater issues printed materials to help the teacher relate the play to other studies such as music, history, vocabulary building and social studies.” After the performance, “the youngsters have a chance to talk about the play with the director and his actors. Slavet tries to get the children to act out their ideas, improvising scenes from the play with the actors” (Longaker. The Commonwealth. May 1973). In addition to Slavet’s work with the WTOT ensemble, Melvin Spiegel is credited with training and directing them. Spiegel has coached actors for TV’s “Electric Company” program (“Students, Inmates ….” The Roanoke Times. 4 Dec. 1973).
In describing another school production, Barbara Swink states that the play, Nobody Knows Where It Came From, “examines the origins of the modern theater through song, pantomime, and improvisation.” The action “will take place everywhere - - not just on stage, but in the audience as well.” The performance was part of the summer enrichment program and performed before at Wayside before “255 students from nine different schools and geared to students who were from “economically deprived and disadvantaged conditions” (Havron. “Wayside Theater Giving. . .” WES. 19 July 1972). The 1972 scrapbook is filled with clippings and photographs cut from the various Valley newspapers that track the performances the Wayside touring group gave in area schools. They document a very successful attempt to bring theatre-arts into the world of education, not just for entertainment, but for the development of the pedagogical process as well.
One of the stops on the WTOT tour in 1973 was in the southern part of Virginia and is described as,
A rabbit, a giant and George Washington visited students at Wytheville Community College and inmates of Bland Correctional Farm this week. The visitors came from Wayside Theatre in Middletown and were actually five professional actors … per-
forming in improvisational roles based on legends and folk tales from the state of Virginia. The young troupe, traveling in its own van, has already given 100 per-formances during its current season for schools and colleges as well as the civic or professional organizations both inside and outside of Virginia …. The Virginia folk
tales used ran the gamut from why rabbits have short tails to the legendary Virginia
giant involving Gen. Washington and his troops (“Troupe Performs at ….” The Roanoke Times. 4 Dec. 1973).
The following year, 1974, WTOT created a similar touring company, this time with the title, Folk Trails Across America. Five actors, three of whom had been in Wayside’s resident company, were selected for the tour: Dan Giulvizan, Mickey Hartnett, Diane Irwin, Grant Stewart, and Dennis Boutsikaris, with Elly Greenberg as the musician, and Mel Siegal as the director. A special preview was held for Wayside subscribers on October 13, 1974.
FURMAN (1975-1977)
WTOT with youth at Wolf Trap, Seated, Gerry Slavet.
When Furman took over the Artistic Director position, he seemed eager to continue the success that WTOT had made during the Slavet years. Furman announced that WTOT’s sixth season would “… fly by magic carpet or some other wizardry … to schools in Virginia, West Virginia, and beyond” (“WTOT Tours ….” Wayside Theatre News. Sept. 1977). Little is known of the 1975 and 1976 tours other than the titles. However, in a 1975 playbill, one actor shares a bit of information when she mentions in her bio that “during the past winter, she was part of the five actors Wayside Theatre on Tour troupe, performing over 250 times for adults and children in Virginia, West Virginia, and New York in addition to Washington, D. C. and Birmingham, Alabama” (Irwin. “the company.” Wayside playbill 1975, p. 30). Thanks to her bio, there is some idea of where the performances took place.
The Theatre files also contains a most interesting document from the West Virginia Arts and Humanities Council that is the final report regarding the WTOT production of We, The People. The five actors in this production visited 23 schools performing before 8,607 people in Grant County, 8,855 people in Hardy County, 11,710 people in Hampshire County and 23,109 people in Mineral County, making a total of 52,281 people who attended the fifteen performances. The report indicates they were pleased “that it has made a REAL contribution, not only to the Bicentennial year, but to the education and pleasure of … the school students and many adults in this area” (WVAHC Final Report, 18 May, 1976).
The production for 1977, Once Upon a Hedley Kow, was based on magic stories compiled by Lou Furman and Barbara Swink, who had read hundreds of tales in order to select ones that were possible candidates for dramatic productions in schools. This includes,
An old English fairy tale, The Hedley Kow lending its title to that of the show; The
Fly, a Vietnamese folk story with an inscrutable almost Oriental air; The Wonderful
Mirror, a magical tale from ancient Peru; and The Bear Says North, a time honored Finnish fable, are excitingly performed by the Wayside troupe. But the show’s ‘big moment’ comes with the audience participation in the Mexican story, The Holes of
Lagos (WTOT. Undated).
The WTOT troupe members for that year were: Lynn Watson, Jason Lee, Allen Kleinman, Kristine Young, and J. Richard Gray.
There is a copy of the complete schedule for WTOT’s performances throughout Virginia and DC that took place from October 31 to December 14, 1977 that included 53 performances in 49 different locations. The list gives the location and time for each performance along with phone number of a contact person and performance requirements: size of stage, dressing facilities, restrooms, etc. For most days, WTOT appeared at two different locations, which meant travel time, putting up and taking down of the set, as well as giving the performance. The hand-written marginal notes on this document are of equal interest, as they show the fee that was paid by each school for the ensemble’s visit.
A 1971 brochure printed by the Theatre states that since WTOT began in the spring of 1971 as the educational arm of the Wayside Foundation for the Arts, it “has performed in 622 schools and communities, the Smithsonian Institution and the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts, reaching 184,050 people in the short span of six years” (WTOT brochure, undated).
An example of WTOT’s success is found in an undated status report. While there is no information to support these figures, the letterhead does show that Lou Furman was the Artistic Director of the Wayside at the time it was printed. The figures begin with the highly successful 1972 year through the three years that Furman was the Artistic Director at Wayside.
YEAR Number of Performances Attendance
1972-73 23 8,050
1973-74 132 46,050
1974-75 247 96,600
1975-76 86 30,100
1976-77 62 24,350
1977-78 52 18,200
Once again, this listing of performances illustrates the success of the WTOT program.
KIRKLAND (1978 – 1979)
New Artistic Director, Jim Kirkland, seemed to embrace the idea of a touring company of actors performing around the state. The 1978 WTOT production was Virginia Ghost Stories of the Civil War which received major coverage in the press, along with separate advertisement circulars. To help foster WTOT’s eighth season, a grant for $15,000 was receivedt to assist with expenses. Kirkland directed this production and the music was written by William Stancil, who also served as the musical director for the theatre’s summer season productions. The costumes were created by Lynn Sams, a Winchester native, who also served as the costumer for mainstage productions. The set was designed by William Barclay.
As had been done in previous years, the WTOT 1978-1979 tour was sponsored by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The five New York actors in the cast, Tom Herman (Mike), Randall Meade (Willie), Patrick Mickler (Bailey), Richard Patrick-Warner (Sam), and Lee Brocton Welch (Ned), were selected from over 800 people who auditioned (Inge. “Confederate Ghosts ….” Courier Record. 22 Nov. 1978). These men “are gifted with both dramatic and musical skills, as the play includes several minutes of expert banjo plucking and guitar strumming, in addition to the barbershop-sharp harmony” (Devereux. “Virginia Ghosts ….” WES. 2 Nov. 1978). WTOT’s goal continued to be to perform in schools and communities throughout Virginia and environs, along with one performance given in Middletown. A color photo of the five actors announcing this particular performance can be found in the local paper (“Public Performance of ….” WES, 16 Nov. 1978).
The five young characters that tell Virginia Ghost Stories of the Civil War, “… are all Confederate soldiers. All dead. All ghosts. It takes place near a small outbuilding at Harmony Hall, just off the Valley Turnpike, north of Strasburg” (“Tour Group ….” WES. 10 Nov. 1978). Kirkland explained that each ghost has a story to tell, and as they wait for the events of the October 18, 1864 battle to take place,
they piece together the circumstances and events that led to their deaths …. They
tell some tall tales, recount some battle experiences, play some games, and sing
some songs. When all of their stories are told, their spirits will be released to rest
quietly and in peace (“Ghost Stories ….” LTM. 16 Nov.1978).
The purpose of this WTOT production was more than just talking about a particular battle. Kirkland states that, “Our intent is to awaken curiosities to the richness of our past experiences and to inspire those who experience the play to search out and define their relationships to their surroundings” (“Tour Play is …”. TWS. 19 Sept. 1978). To prepare students for these performances, an excellent study guide was compiled by theatre staff member, Barbara Swink, and was intended to be used by the classroom teachers with their students, prior to the performance of the play, to give them an idea as to what they were to see. The guide contained information about the format of the play, suggestions for preparing the student to see the play, background information on the play, as well information on the actual battle that took place, including maps and a glossary of terms that were in common usage in 1864. With this guide, a creative teacher could easily build an entire learning unit around the performance. A copy of this guide can be found in the Handley Library Archives.
The 1979 production of Shakes & Company toured the fall of 1979 with a cast of Allan Stevens, Ken Stack, and Kathleen Krizner. When Stevens left the tour for another job, “he was replaced by John Healey, who ran Lime Kiln in Lexington for many years and now runs The Weinberg Center in Frederick, MD. (Lynch, D. Email. 11 June 2021).
STEELE (1980 – 1986)
WTOT information for the next few years is usually limited, sometimes only to information where the title of the work is cited and not much else. However, that is not the case for the 1981 production. That WTOT show was The Revolution! – Virginia’s Way and marks “two anniversaries: the bicentennial of the British defeat at Yorktown and the 10th anniversary of Wayside Theater on Tour.” The show deals with the “story of the Revolutionary War in Virginia and features the words of Patrick Henry, the inaugural address of George Washington and the contribution of the common man - - the planter, the merchant and the slave - - to the cause of patriotism.” The WTOT fall company included three actors who played multiple roles and a technician. The 50-minute production dealt with Daniel Morgan and his Virginia Riflemen as well, featuring “a little-known account of heroism and cowardice surrounding Washington’s crossing of the Delaware; and the tale of Jack Jouett, the Paul Revere of the South” (“Wayside Tours Production ….” TWS. 5 Oct. 1981). The three actors were Elisabeth Claire Jones, David McClure, and Jerry Caplin, with John West as the stage manager/technician. Jerry Caplin tells of his experience with that season’s WTOT production. He writes,
During the fall/winter of 1980, I was part of a statewide tour that Wayside sent out
called "Revolution: Virginia's Way" or something like that. Eddie Steele put it together and it was funded by a state grant in honor of the 200th anniversary of the surrender
at Yorktown. There were three actors, myself, David "Spike" McClure, and a woman named Beth Jones. We each played four or five historic characters, sang, played
musical instruments, and we toured all over the state. I bet we did that show 35 or
40 times, sometimes day trips out of Middletown, and sometimes overnights, staying
at motels. We played all the way from Wytheville, Bluefield, Pulaski, Martinsville, Big Stone Gap, up and down the valley, then over to Tappahannock, to Leesburg, Amherst --literally all over the state; mostly high schools, but occasionally middle or lower schools or town historical celebrations. There was a stage manager named John (B. West) something, who was a friend of Ed's; a Middletown local, and the four of us traveled in
an Inter-national Harvester SUV many a mile. Minimal scenery (maybe a three-fold screen) and lot of props and costume pieces that came in and out of a big trunk onstage.
(Caplin. Letter)
How wonderful to have this first-hand account of that season’s WTOT tour!!
The only information on the 1982 WTOT tour is a short paragraph from the playbill for the production of Arsenic and Old Lace, where it was announced that the Theatre had been awarded a tour grant of matching funds in the amount of $25,000. “The tour begins in the fall of 1982 in its 10th anniversary season with the original play, The Women of Virginia, followed in the spring with another American premier, Our American Poets” (Playbill, 1982). The cast for The Women of Virginia consisted of Jan Guarino, Beth Jones, and Dolly Lehman (Lynch. Email 11 June 2021). In another part of the above mentioned playbill the staff for the season is listed, along with a short statement indicating that “Pat Piper is working at Wayside for her third season” and will “stay with the theatre in the fall and serve as stage manager for the Wayside Theatre on Tour production of ‘The Women of Virginia’ ” (Playbill, 1982). Unfortunately, the playbills for the following years give little information about WTOT. The titles are listed with information about how to book one of these plays for a performance at a school or community organization, but with little else. Sometimes the listing of these titles would be one of the plays from the summer season, other times the titles would be special productions, such as the one-man shows performed by Ed Steele or Nick Nerangis.
However, there is one interesting tidbit found in the Theatre’s files. During a WTOT performance of Mark Twain, Himself on February 11, 1982 at the Northumberland High School in Heathsville, Virginia, some type of disturbance took place. It is unclear what this was, but evidently Steele must have singled out three students for their behavior. A letter of apology from one of the students states they did not mean any harm, nor did they realize their actions caused Steele to say what he did. The files also contain the Principal’s letter stating his desire in booking the WTOT performance was part of a plan to provide isolated, rural students to programs they would normally not have the opportunity to experience. Steele thanks the principal for his letter, saying that he enjoyed his visit to the school and is sure that the “three unruly students were in no way indicative of the student body as a whole” (Steele. Letter. 19 Feb. 1982).
The brochure for WTOT for 1984 included Folk Tales and Trails, American Tradition and History in Music, Song and Dance—A Revue!!, along with Ed Steele’s landmark show, Mark Twain, Himself. The brochure also contained the announcement that up to 50% of the total cost, not including transportation could be funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts. The fee for these performances varied between $300 to $700.
In 1985, one of touring programs for that season was American Tradition and History, a revue in vaudeville style, featuring Martha Hege and Ed Steele, providing a musical perspective of American history designed for middle school and high school students. Two other productions were in the season’s touring repertoire: Folk Tale and Fantasy, a musical for grade school students based on legends and prairie stories; and Ed Steele’s one-man show portraying Mark Twain, designed for middle-school and high school students. For all of these tour productions, the theatre provides study guides along with a list of suggested readings in order to prepare the students to be a more receptive audience (Bosley. “Wayside Theatre takes ….” TSVH. 28 Feb. 1985).
The 1986 tour, American Music and Legends, continued in the same vein as the previous year’s program, only this year’s theme was to illustrate the tie between music and American legends. An un-named source stated, “Through singing and some clowning, the three performers show how music has helped carry on legends about … railroads, cowboys, and Black heroes and legends.” Audience participation was encouraged during the performance.
In June of 1986, Steele created another one-person show, Teddy, and performed it at the highly acclaimed Chautauqua Festival in New York state on June 24, 1986. It was noted that there was an uncanny physical resemblance between Theodore Roosevelt and Steele, who had a great respect for this former president. Sources do not reveal if this show was performed at any other locations.
A listing of WTOT performances from the Spring of 1985 through the Fall of 1986 indicate that performances took place in 54 locations within the state of Virginia.
OWENS (1987 - 1998)
A newsletter entitled “Friends of the Wayside Theatre News” announced the offerings for the 1987 season. It also contained some information regarding WTOT.
Many of you may not know that the mainstage season Middletown is only part of Wayside’s performance schedule – and not even the largest part. From October
to May, Wayside Theatre tours the entire state of Virginia, bringing live professional
theatre into schools and community centers, performing productions that are both entertaining and an educational tool of literature and history.
Wayside Theatre on Tour plays to a total audience of over 50,000 each year –
supported in part by a grant from the Virginia Commonwealth for the Arts and
other grants from various corporations and individuals (Friends of the Wayside
Theatre News, #1. 1987 Season, Apr. 1987).
The 1987-1988 offerings for the WTOT season announced the final tour of Mark Twain-Twixt & Twain, calling it WTOT’s most popular show, along with the last tour of Teddy! - - both performed by Ed Steele. During November 9 – December 5, WTOT offered Christmas in Old Vic, a story of the Cameron family celebrating the season in Victorian England, based upon four short stories by Charles Dickens. The other offering, Billy Bishop … Goes to War, dealt with World War I flying ace and was available April through May of 1988.
Yet, an undated single-page brochure (perhaps from 1988) announces the three offerings for this particular WTOT season would be Great Shakes, A Vote for Murder, and Neil Simon’s comedy, The Good Doctor. The brochure states the tour is supported in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and these shows are appropriate for “Traditional Theatre, Dinner Theatre, Residences, Comedy Nights Cabaret Theatre, Assemblies, Performance/ Workshops or just for Kicks!!” The fee for a performance is given as $650 plus lodging for a cast of two men and two women, with a $750 fee for weekend performances. A phone number is given to call for booking. Along with information about Wayside Theatre, the brochure lists two specific requirements. One is that the host must provide: “a raised stage or platform no smaller then 12 feet deep by 16 feet wide. We require only 20 AMP electrical current for our lights.” The other statement indicates what is provided by WTOT, which states,
We provide everything for the show, scenery, costumes, lighting (if you have none), props, sound and transportation. Six weeks before the performance, we’ll even
send you our PROMO PAK to help you prepare for the event, print programs, and publicize the show” (WTOT brochure. Undated).
Listed below is a copy of the performance schedule for the 45-minute show, Mark Twain – Twixt & Twain, performed by Ed Steele as part of the Performing Arts in the School program that was supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and other organizations. Performance schedule is as follows:
February 22, 1988
Powell Valley High School 9:00 – 9:45
Powell Valley Middle School 10:15 – 11:00
Norton Elementary School 2:00 – 2:45
February 23, 1988
Appalachia Elementary School 9:00 – 9:45
Appalachia High School 10:15 – 11:00
J. I. Burton High School 2:00 – 2:45
February 24, 1988
Adams Elementary School 9:00 – 9:45
Pound High School 10:15 – 11:00
Wise County Christian School 2:00 – 2:45
February 25, 1988
St. Paul Elementary School 9:00 – 9:45
St. Paul High School 10:15 – 11:00
J. J. Kelly High School 2:00 – 2:45
February 26, 1988
Coeburn Middle School 9:00 – 9:45
Coeburn High School 10:15 – 11:00
Addington Middle School 2:00 – 2:45
The week-day charge for these performances was $650.00, with a weekend charge of $750.00. This listing is an example of the touring WTOT did for the various performances.
Wayside continued to be committed as an ‘on-the-road’ company. A note in the 1988 playbill announces,
In October, Wayside Theatre On Tour will launch a three-show repertory unit
that will take exciting theatre productions into community halls, schools, colleges,
clubs, military bases, civic organizations and arts councils. The troupe will be
rehearsed and equipped to do any of the plays at any time and will carry all sets,
lights, props and costumes necessary for the production … The three shows are:
Neil Smon’s comedy The Good Doctor, the cabaret musical Billy Bishop Goes to
War, and the holiday musical A Christmas Sampler (Wayside Theatre. 1988 Playbill).
The announcement concludes stating that if anyone were interested in sponsoring one of these productions, they were advised to call the Managing Director of the theatre.
The amount of work in creating, managing, and performing the various WTOT plays proved to be worthwhile. Records on file show the attendance figures for these productions in various locations. A letter addressed to Lori Ann Williams, Wayside’s Managing Director in 1989 who was also in charge of WTOT travels, supports this success. The manager of a location where a performance of The Good Doctor had taken place in November, 1989, illustrates the success of this performance. The school principal writes that the Country Club “had used the services of a national repertory group and I must admit that beforehand I had some misgivings about dealing with what I thought would be a less experience[d], more ‘local’ group. Boy was I wrong!” (Susano, T. Letter. 13 Nov. 1989).
For 1990 season, a WTOT mailing announced three titles that would be available between September 22 and November 17. For adults, A Vote for Murder by Christopher Owens was offered; for high school as well as adults; The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams; and for children, Jaime Meyer’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. At some point there must have been a change of plan, as The Glass Menagerie was replaced with An Evening with Bernard Shaw. The files contain a one-page program giving the following information regarding cast and crew:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Jaime Meyer
Dir. John Cooke; Set/Lights/Sound, Christopher Owens; TD, Chuck Arnaud; Costumes, Constance Campbell
Ichabod Crane - - Jerry Baggot
Narrator/Mrs. Sorenson - - Ellen Nichols
Katrina - - Jennifer Berman
Brom Bones - - Patrick Lawlor
An Evening With Shaw by George Bernard Shaw
Dir. Christopher Owens & Tamara Johnson; Set/Light/Sound, Christopher Owens; TD, Chuck Arnaud; Costumes, Constance Campbell
The Lady of the Sonnets
Shakespeare - - Jerry Baggot
The Guard - - Patrick Lawlor
The Dark Lady - - Jennifer Berman
Queen Elizabeth - - Ellen Nichols
The Inca of Perusaem
The Waiter - - Jerry Baggot
A Princess - - Ellen Nichols
Her Maid - - Jennifer Berman
The Inca - - Patrick Lawlor
A Vote for Murder by Christopher Owens
Dir. Tamara Johnson; Set/Lights/Sound, Christopher Owens; TD, Chuck Arnaud; Costumes, Constance Campbell
Inspector Savoir-Faire - - Patrick Lawlor
Tony Venuto - - Jerry Baggot
Vickie Vanderbuilt - - Jennifer Berman
Bobbie Jo Steng - - Ellen Nichols
A clipping from a Roanoke paper announces a 7:30 p.m. performance of A Vote for Murder at Wytheville Community College, with the note stating, “Audience members will be invited to guess the identity of the murderer during the play. The Shenandoah Valley-based Wayside Theatre has staged several similar murder mysteries, which have become audience favorites” (Roanoke Times. 2 Nov. 1990). The following morning, WTOT performed An Evening with Shaw on the campus of Southwest Virginia Community College, with a repeat of A Vote for Murder at the same location that evening. This is an example of the multi-performance WTOT tours.
The following notice was taken from the 1992 Playbill.
Many of you may know that the mainstage season in Middletown is only part
of Wayside Theatre’s performance schedule. Each year at least one production
is mounted solely for touring, and this season marks the third year that at least
one mainstage production will also move into the Washington area following its
Wayside run. In 1992, both The Foreigner and Lend Me a Tenor will transfer to
the Alden Theatre in McLean. Past productions that have been transferred include
How the Other Half Loves, (1991) and the 1990 production, A Walk in the Woods” (Wayside Theatre on Tour. Playbill 1992).
Following the above-mentioned tours, there now seems to be an emphasis placed on the murder-mystery evenings rather than plays designed for children and performed in various schools. The Curse of the Scottish Play was the Murder Mystery title for 1993. For this performance, a cast of six professional actors was used and the hosting organization would supply three ‘guest characters’ who used their real names and were given a few lines to read during the performance.
These Murder Mysteries continued in 1996. A performance of The Dangerous Illusion took place on March 9, 1996 at the Travelodge of Winchester as a benefit for the Frederick County Parks and Recreation Department. The week before, they had been the feature at a Reception/Dinner benefitting the Hartford Community College Foundation in Bel-Air, MD to raise funds for a new sound system for the Chesapeake Theatre as well as to observe the 31st anniversary of the Hartford Community College Special Events Series. The cast for this performance included:
David Fetchit - - Todd Williams
Harry Houisi - - Nick Nerangis
Shamus McGowan - - Joseph Parra
Mizzy Houisi - - Ellen Nicholas
Ginger Lee Guilford - - Tamara Johnson
Christine Craft - - Carrie Ellen Buddin
In 1991, a change was made in the touring offerings that was to benefit the touring expenses. What had previously been offered were two adult shows and a children’s production was reduced to only one show, which was the murder mystery, Deuce or Death. This change was a money-saving move in that it was not necessary to build three sets to transport from place to place. Owens states, “it’s not the number of shows, but the number of dates a particular show gets.” He added that the Theatre eliminated the children’s tour shows because “grants to public schools were the first target of cuts by the Commission for the Arts” (Euston. “Wayside Theatre has had ….” NVD. Undated).
An announcement was made of two productions that were designed as part of the 1999 Pre-Season Events for Children. The two titles that were available from March 1 – 5, 1999, were Aesop’s Fables and I Am Deborah Sampson Gannett. The first title is a repeat of the “very popular tour last year” and begins with “a short introduction about the differences between a fable and a story” and progresses “to renditions of ‘The Monkey and His Shadow,’ ‘The Milkmaid,’ ‘The Two Crabs.’ and ends with ‘The Fox and the Crow.’ ” Scenery for these titles was minimal and could be easily moved from place to place. (Wayside Theatre’s 1999 announcement. Undated).
The second offering, “I Am Deborah Sampson Gannett,” was suggested as being perfect for Women’s History Month, as it dealt with the only woman that participated in the Revolutionary Army and dressed as a man in order to do so. The first title was designed for younger audiences while the second was appropriate for elementary and middle school audiences. (Wayside Theatre’s 1999 announcement).
The pre-season announcement also urged schools to book early for tickets to attend the annual production in Middletown of A Christmas Carol, cautioning that tickets sell quickly as many school groups book as early as January.
Towards the end of Owens’ years, the WTOT program was supplanted by the popular Murder Mysteries that were great entertainment and excellent for providing additional revenue.
CROCKER (1999 – 2013)
For 2000, Wayside offered a program entitled, Education in Action. In this, the Theatre offered productions geared for young people either as a tour to schools, or performed on the main stage for school groups that were bussed to the Theatre. It also attempted to show how various SOL (Standards of Learning) categories could be met by having students attend a full working rehearsal of mainstage productions. For this, the Artistic Director would serve as a guide and discuss various technical aspects of a performance. The Guide indicated which SOLs in both English and Theatre were met by this, as well as indicating the productions designed specifically for young people that were either performed at the Theatre or toured to schools. Some of these titles were performed in “Reader’s Theatre style.”
A brochure announced the 1999 offerings for the Pre-Season Events for Children. Aesop’s Fables, which had been offered the previous year, was available from March 1 – 5, 1999. Also available during the month of March, and perfect for Women’s History Month, was the title, I am Deborah Sampson Gannett, the only woman in the Revolutionary Army. For this, the performer arrived in costume and in character, and answered questions provided by the students that related to American history. Other than this brochure, no other information about this title has been located.
One of the earliest productions for youth was a performance of Fractured Fairy Tales written by theatre intern, Scott Ruble, and was first offered for local school performances between April 3 – June 2, 2000. The following year it was offered between January 22 and February 22, 2001. An expanded version, Fractured Fairy Tales Greatest Hits, was also offered in 2002 with performances on Saturdays during March and April. Ruble also created a children’s musical, Recess, that was available during April and May of 2001. In addition, Nerangis offered his one-person show, Tending the Wounded, as part of the touring program.
For 2002-2003, the offerings included a 45-minute production, The Legend of Robin Hood. Performances of this title took place in several schools during the spring of 2003, along with the performances held on the main stage for students who were bussed to the Theatre. When writing about the latter two titles, it was suggested that these productions were designed “to please and entertain some of our senior citizen audiences … in senior citizen centers and communities.” The Theatre files also contain a memo indicating that as of January, 2003, a production of Robin Hood had appeared for two days at the Long Branch Hot Air Balloon Festival in October of 2002, as well as at three schools. The other titles offered for that season made appearances in one school and three retirement facilities.
Nerangis added another original work, A Life of Honor, to his repertoire. These two Nerangis titles were in the style of the one-person productions performed by former Artistic Director, Ed Steele. Theatre records also show that The Legend of Robin Hood was performed on the Theatre’s main stage for ten different schools while the two Nerangis works were performed at five different locations: schools, retirement communities, and churches.
There is also a reference to a Wayside Senior Tour that took place during the 2002-2003 season and involved two Winchester actors, Doug Saffell and Vicky Ryles. Saffel writes, “We travelled throughout Virginia (mainly DC suburbs) doing these productions. Intern Jason Bruffy drove the Wayside van. The productions were directed by Cephe Fahnestock Place [who also managed Wayside’s Box Office]. We toured four or five senior facilities in the Virginia suburbs” (Saffell. Email). From all information obtained to date, this project lasted only one year. Records also show that a production of Tom Sawyer was performed during the 2003-2004 season at nine locations as well as at the Commonwealth Festival held in Staunton, Virginia.
In 2006, the Theatre offered both Nerangis titles, plus a production of Furry Tails with a Twist, along with a new title, Tattershood’s Tales from Around the World. Performances for the latter were scheduled for the month of May, 2006.
Theatre files for 2007-2008 indicate that the two Nerangis titles were again offered. But, information is not available for titles beyond 2008. It appears that between 2007 to 2012 the educational program shifted its focus. In addition to classes in acting and speech, the emphasis in the Fall was upon the creation and performance of an original work, while in the spring, the performance of a Shakespeare work. Both of these offerings were open to the public.
The WTOT program continued during a portion of the Crocker years, but information regarding theatre tours beyond Middletown’s borders is sparse. It appears that, at some point in the early 2000s, there was a shift in emphasis from taking productions into the community to having school groups sign up to attend productions and workshops held at the Theatre. This, along with the change in State’s educational requirements, brought about a change in what had been known as Wayside Theatre on Tour and, eventually, ceased to exist.
At some point, there is mention of a group named The Starving Artists. This seems to have been a troupe of 10 Wayside interns that gave five performances in July and August at four local Winchester restaurants: Joe Muggs, The Daily Grind, Cork Street Tavern, and Coalie Harry’s Tavern. Unfortunately, the year for these performances cannot be determined, nor is there any specific information about the group in the files. While not an extended tour as had been done earlier in the Theatre’s history to various locales in the state, nor an official organization supported by the Theatre, it does serve as an example of Wayside’s interest in taking performances outside of its four walls.
In looking over the history of Wayside’s efforts to provide various services, one can see that it began with offering acting and speech classes led by Theatre staff or qualified people in the community. This expanded to the very successful WTOT productions. Perhaps it was a change in the nation’s economy that caused another shift to the touring company melding into the highly popular Murder Mystery plays. Or, it could have been due to the change in the taste of the public.
All in all, it shows that Wayside was active in a variety of performance types that took place beyond and within its four walls.