Closing night and closing thanks
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When the curtain came down after yet another standing ovation for Wayside Theatre’s smash hit production of "Driving Miss Daisy" on Sat., April 26, it also unfortunately meant that it was time to turn out the lights on Wayside Theatre’s continued presence at the Royal Phoenix site in Front Royal.
Our time at the Royal Phoenix and in Front Royal was certainly as entertaining as it proved challenging. To say we are sad to be leaving the Royal Phoenix is an understatement. It was our hope to be able to maintain the Royal Phoenix venue as a second performance venue for Wayside Theatre, once we returned to Middletown this summer. We admired, agreed, and assisted in creating the vision of using the valley’s oldest professional arts organization as a key building block for the future development of the Royal Phoenix site. But as we said all along, Wayside Theatre’s always tenuous financial status would require additional funding to make that two performance venue a reality with Wayside Theatre’s participation, especially during this time of renovation. Unfortunately that funding was not forthcoming.
While this year saw stellar productions of Forever Plaid, the world premiere of Shadow of the Raven: Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming, and Driving Miss Daisy, much of our focus has been on things like a new roof and new plumbing for the facility in Middletown, in addition to new seating, and really sexy things like storage and water lines. It is a testament to the creativity and the talent of Wayside Theatre artists that during this year of relocation and construction, they continued to offer the high standards of work on the stage for which Wayside Theatre is known nationally, while all of this literally swirled around them during rehearsals and performances. And let us not forget that in the end, that is what this is all about, the art, the artists, and the communion that is formed each night with each new audience. We are looking forward to renewing that, once again, in Middletown.
So, it is time for us to leave, and it is time for us to return home. As we move forward with our plans to return to Middletown on July 12 for the opening of the Wayside Theatre’s 47th Season of professional theatre, we want to thank our many friends and supporters who followed us to Front Royal, and those who live there for their continued support. We also want to acknowledge those who may have discovered Wayside Theatre for the first time. We hope all of you will be in the audience for our season opening production of Always Patsy Cline, as we unveil the renovations we have completed in Phase I of our expansion plans and a new season.
We also want to thank the Front Royal/Warren County EDA for working with us at the Royal Phoenix and helping to provide us with a temporary performance space closer to home during this past year.
Please take this opportunity to immediately call our box office (540) 869-1776 for season tickets, to make your pledges to our annual campaign (your $150 or more entitles you to join the Wayside Foundation for the Arts "Patron's Society"), or just to chat and welcome us home. We look forward to hearing from you, our supporters and friends.
In behalf of all of us at Wayside Theatre, we look forward to seeing you in July and beyond.
Wayside Foundation for the Arts
Board of Directors and the Wayside Theatre actors and staff
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