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Wayside Theatre
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 theatre 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 appeared at Wayside Theatre, including 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. The small building was not designed to be an acting theatre. There were renovations throughout the years, but a planned expansion that would have added a second theatre and additional backstage space was cancelled 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.
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. The building later became the Shenandoah Normal School before the teaching college relocated to nearby Reliance, Virginia. 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.
In 1946 Herschel C. Borden constructed the current building, which was known as the Bordon-Lee Theatre or Middletown Movie Theatre until 1961. 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.
On February 22, 1962, Dwyer sold the property to Leo M. Bernstein, a real estate developer, banker, and philanthropist from Washington, D.C. Bernstein had previously purchased and restored the nearby Wayside Inn, a historic building and the namesake of Wayside Theatre which opened as a tavern in 1797, 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.
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Wayside Theatre
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 theatre 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 appeared at Wayside Theatre, including 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. The small building was not designed to be an acting theatre. There were renovations throughout the years, but a planned expansion that would have added a second theatre and additional backstage space was cancelled 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.
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. The building later became the Shenandoah Normal School before the teaching college relocated to nearby Reliance, Virginia. 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.
In 1946 Herschel C. Borden constructed the current building, which was known as the Bordon-Lee Theatre or Middletown Movie Theatre until 1961. 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.
On February 22, 1962, Dwyer sold the property to Leo M. Bernstein, a real estate developer, banker, and philanthropist from Washington, D.C. Bernstein had previously purchased and restored the nearby Wayside Inn, a historic building and the namesake of Wayside Theatre which opened as a tavern in 1797, 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.