James Kirkland: 1979
Once again, the Theatre’s files for 1979 season are quite sparse, consisting only of a few newspaper clipping and a copy of the production schedule for the year.
But, the financially strapped Theatre received some good news just before the summer season began when it was announced that some much needed assistance would be awarded in the form of a grant from The Virginia Commission of the Arts and Humanities. The Commission awarded $28,000 to Wayside in the form of two grants: $15,000 “will be used for expenses for Wayside Theatre on Tour … and $13,000 will finance projects during the new extended season” (“Wayside Gets Bigger Grant.” DNR. 25 June 1979).
The season opened with the musical, Side by Side by Sondheim. Based on reviews, it appears the show was performed on a fairly bare stage with two upright pianos placed back to back in center stage, with the pianists facing one another. One reviewer wrote that the choreography and staging were mediocre with “blocking that was not well thought out … the revolving stage was quite effective, but even better use could have been made of it” (Sibert. “ ‘Side by Side’ is Okay.” WES. 15 June 1979). Other reviews mention that Kirkland served as the narrator for the performances giving comments that set up the songs before they were performed.
Angel Street, the season’s second show, is better known as the successful movie, Gaslight. In Sibert’s review, he states that the jitters displayed for the opening of Side by Side by Sondheim were not in evidence in this production and calls it “dazzling,” praising all aspects of this tense drama, adding that the set is not only effective, “it is downright good-looking. It was rather ingeniously constructed with a long wall on one side and a short wall on the other to give the illusion of space and depth” (Sibert, “ ‘Angel Street’ ….” WES. 6 July 1979).
At some point during the early part of the season, there was a suggestion made to the Theatre management by the Beau Geste group which appears to have been adopted. Because of the high price of gasoline during this particular summer, it was proposed that the theatre provide a van to assist with transportation due to the fuel crisis, or for people who simply preferred not to drive to Middletown. A van was engaged for the Tuesday evening and Saturday afternoon performances to shuttle audience members from the Handley Library in Winchester to Wayside Theatre in Middletown. The van would depart an hour and fifteen minutes before curtain. For the return, the van would depart Middletown for Winchester approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of each performance. The dates for this service during the run of Angel Street were included in the article with the suggestion that “reservations for the bus service should be made at the same time as ticket reservations, and seating is limited” (“Wayside Offers Free ….” WES. 16 July 1979). It is not known how long this service was provided or if it were ever offered for future performances, but it does not seem to have been popular with the public.
A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Davey Marlin-Jones, must have been a real triumph! All aspects of the season’s third production receive high praise from the press, comments ranging from the excellent set to the visceral performances given by the three leads: Victor Arnold (Stanley Kowalski), Margaret Winn (Blanche), and Lisa McMillan (Stella). Strohmeyer states that the director “has brought to Wayside a level of creativity that has eluded producing Director Jim Kirkland for two seasons” and praises the set that was extended into the aisles so that it gave “the audience the feeling of being on the street looking into the apartment.” He applauded the original piano score, calling Stancil’s “blue piano” the crowning touch that “adds immensely to the play’s decadent and tragic aspects … the delicate melodies build on the sensation of implicitness” (Strohmeyer. “ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ …. ” NVD. 28 July 1979). Another reviewer concurs with Strohmeyer, giving praise for the fine work done by the cast, calling the play an “impressive portrayal of Tennessee Williams’ gutsy drama.” Sibert mentions each cast member individually and describes their work, and notices that William Stancil’s original music is “sometimes whimsical, sometimes discordant, sometimes irreverent, and sometimes desperately sad” (Sibert. “Powerful Drama at Wayside.” WES. 27 July 1979). Composer Stancil himself commented on the process of composing for this production, stating,
Before the actors rehearse, I have prepared certain things which I’ve written - -
certain ideas, whole or partial compositions, sometimes just a chord or a note.
These are ideas of things to do …. Then I fit them to the action of the play (Sibert. “Original Music Spans ….” WES. 23 July 1979).
Little can be found regarding the show, Harvey, other than it was “another first rate pro-duction.” One reviewer, who had obviously attended the opening night performance, adds, “There is no doubt that Harvey will iron out any rough spots the actors felt existed in the opening night fete” (Patton. “Harvey’s a First Rate Show.” WES. 17 Aug. 1979).
The season’s fifth show, Shakes & Co!, consisted of scenes from five Shakespeare plays performed by only three actors. The scenes were taken from Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Twelfth Night. This show was scheduled for four performances in the Middletown space, after which it would tour Virginia schools and colleges as part of WTOT. Shakes & Co! was funded by the $15,000 grant from The National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission of the Arts and Humanities. To date, no information regarding the proposed tour has surfaced.
With the announcement for Shakes & Co!, it was suggested that this production would be “an interesting introduction to the great play series” (“ ‘Shakes & Co.’ ….” TWS. 6 Sept. 1979). It is unclear if this ‘great play series’ was part of Kirkland’s dream of producing three of Shakespeare’s plays at the close of the regular Wayside season or if he were making reference to a WTOT event.
The Great Play Series was scheduled for September, October, and November of 1979, but the only play actually performed was Hamlet. This production received great press from one reviewer who wrote, “The actor cast as Hamlet was sensational.” He refers to Richard Bey, as “one of the best leading men to hit this area in a long time. His performance alone makes up for any other acting or technical deficiencies.” The reviewer felt that,
Bey approaches Hamlet with a youthful passion that edifies the somber interpreta-
tions usually offered. He brings new realism to the role. It is not a traditionalist’s
Hamlet, but it is well suited to the Wayside atmosphere” (Patton. “ ‘Hamlet’: Tinkering With ….” WES. 12 Oct. 1979).
Other actors did not fare as well nor did the imperfections in the production, “most notably the set, the technical paraphernalia … along with a couple of mis-cast parts which arise from a low budget” production (Patton. 12 Oct. 1979).
History shows that the other Shakespeare plays scheduled for later in the season were not produced, seemingly from lack of support by the community. But, Kirkland kept busy, directing The Miracle Worker for the Old Opera House in Charles Town, West Virginia scheduled for March 1 – 4, 1979 (“James Kirkland Directing ….” Spirit of Jefferson Farmer’s Advocate. 15 Feb. 1979).
To round out the year, the seasonal favorite, A Christmas Carol, was scheduled for two weeks in December. Little can be found about the production other than it was directed by Ed Steele, who is said to be “back by popular demand.” A cast list does exist and is found in the Production Chronology.
And, about the same time as the production of Hamlet, Edward Steele was elevated to the position of Wayside’s new Managing Director. Barbara Swink, who had been at the Theatre since 1972 and is credited with much of the success of the WTOT program, retired. She had created the excellent WTOT materials that were sent to schools for student preparation prior to the performances, as well as being responsible for the scheduling of these performances. While not proven, it is thought that her relationship with Kirkland was not a positive one and she wished to retire because of this conflict.
Steele brought a great deal of experience to the Managing Director position having been the director of the Charlotte Little Theatre as well as having served as business manager of the Chelsea Theatre Center in New York City, where he was employed before assuming leadership of Wayside.
With Steele’s arrival, a new dawn hovered over the theatre in Middletown.