Wayside Theatre is a former regional theatre located at 7853 Main Street in Middletown, Virginia, United States. The theatre company began after businessman and philanthropist Leo M. Bernstein purchased the property, along with the nearby Wayside Inn and other buildings in the surrounding area. The building had previously operated as a movie theatre from the time it was constructed in 1946 until 1961. The professional theater company staged its first performance in 1963 and operated for 50 years before abruptly closing in 2013 due to financial troubles. At the time of its closing, Wayside was the second oldest professional theatre in Virginia.
There is often confusion about the early history of Wayside Theatre, with most people having been told the theatre was founded in 1961 and that the original company was called the Maralarrick Players. No evidence has been found for any group by that name performing at Wayside and the first performance of the theatre company took place in June 1963, as was noted by news articles at the time. During its history, Wayside Theatre was led by eight artistic directors, the first being Larry Gleason. The last, Warner Crocker, served as artistic director for the longest period.
During its opening season, Peter Boyle was among the actors who performed at Wayside. In the following years, other actors who would eventually become stars in film, television, and on Broadway, include Chris Sarandon and his then-wife Susan Sarandon, Cathryn Damon, Donna McKechnie, Sam Gold, and Clark Middleton, among others. Kathy Bates appeared in Wayside's traveling company, Wayside Theatre on Tour, early in her career.
Most of the productions at Wayside were well received by critics. For the majority of its history, Wayside hired from the Actors' Equity Association, except during periods of financial troubles in the 1980s and from 2011 until the theatre closed. Due to the small size of the building and the fact it was never designed to be an acting theatre, Wayside staff and actors often dealt with limited space. There were renovations throughout the years, but a planned expansion that would have added a second theatre and additional backstage space was canceled due to effects from the Great Recession.
The economic downturn later spiraled into a worsening financial situation for Wayside. After years of lower ticket sales, a reduction in grants and other funding, and the expenses of a needed renovation that was completed in 2008, Wayside board members closed the theatre in August 2013. Since that time, the theatre has remained mostly vacant. The building is one of many contributing properties to the Middletown Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register in 2003
^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. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
WaysideTheatre is a former regional theatre located at 7853 Main Street in Middletown, Virginia, United States. The theatre company began after businessman...
stage throughout the 1970s. In 1973 she performed in WaysideTheatre's traveling group, WaysideTheatre on Tour, and was credited as "Bobo Bates". Her first...
Darlinghurst Theatre at WaysideTheatre, Sydney, Australia. 1996: actor - When You Comin' Back Red Ryder? for Darlinghurst Theatre at WaysideTheatre, Sydney...
1968 he and his then-wife, Susan Sarandon, worked as actors at the WaysideTheatre in Middletown, Virginia. Later that year Sarandon moved to New York...
as an inner-city drama school. Darlinghurst Theatre productions were originally based at the WaysideTheatre in Kings Cross. A devastating hail storm destroyed...
dinner theater, and children's theater. In 1973 Gilvezan performed in WaysideTheatre's touring group along with Kathy Bates. In 1980, while doing an on-camera...
Sarandon and her then-husband, Chris Sarandon, appeared on stage at the WaysideTheatre in Middletown, Virginia. The following year, the couple went to a casting...
Lifeline Theatre in Chicago in 2004, and again in the Fall of 2013. The adaptation was subsequently produced at Anchorage Community Theatre, the Wayside Theatre...
future Dark Shadows co-star Jerry Lacy all appeared on stage at the WaysideTheatre in 1967. While on Dark Shadows, she appeared in two films based on...
career. The following year Palillo starred in The Fourposter at the WaysideTheatre in Middletown, Virginia. As a director, Palillo directed successful...
Orchard. During the 1967-68 season, she appeared in Dames at Sea at the WaysideTheatre and understudied the roles of both Mame Dennis and Vera Charles in...
following year the play was the first production to take place at the WaysideTheatre. The play was revived at the Jewish Repertory Theater, New York City...
the WaysideTheatre in Middletown, Virginia, where he also presented a puppet show called "Puppet Personalities". In New York, he began his theatre career...
1963, Peter Boyle starred in the play during the opening season of WaysideTheatre. The Broadway premiere of the revised version titled The Eccentricities...
Musical Tribute at the Shubert Theatre in New York. Later that year, McKechnie starred in a production of at the WaysideTheatre in Middletown, Virginia. In...
Award for Outstanding Ensemble performance in Signature Theatre's 2015 revival of "The Wayside Motor Inn" by A.R. Gurney. "Russian Doll star Rebecca Henderson...
Retrieved 2020-07-09. "Shenandoah Valley Music Festival". All About WaysideTheatre News. Retrieved 2020-07-09. "No Treble Here in the Valley". Virginia...
The Wayside Theater (1975) No Time for Sergeants – The Wayside Theater (1975) Of Mice and Men – Cohoes Music Hall (1976) The Best Man – Actors Theatre of...
The Wayside Chapel is a charity and parish mission of the Uniting Church in Australia in the Potts Point area of Sydney, Australia. Situated near Sydney's...
Elizabethan Fan Dancer, The Martyrology Cecily Nicholson poet From the Poplars, Wayside Sang Hal Niedzviecki 1971 novelist, critic Ditch, We Want Some Too Susin...
In addition, the Shenandoah Valley WaysideTheatre and The Whipping Man, originally produced by Manhattan Theatre Club added to theater contributions...
Lila Neugebauer (/ˈlaɪlə ˈnɔɪɡəbaʊ.ər/; born 1985) is an American theatre director, writer and artistic director. After studying at Yale University she...
Borntrager) 2009 Sideways Stories From Wayside School by John Olive (directed by Jason Ballweber of Four Humors Theatre in Minneapolis; scenic design by Andrew...
including Manhattan Theatre Club's productions of Of Good Stock and Long Lost, and Signature Theatre's 2014 revival of A. R. Gurney's The Wayside Motor Inn, directed...
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