Ed Steele: 1984
To announce the upcoming theatre season and for the price of only $1.00, one could purchase a 1984 Wayside Souvenir Playbook. On the cover were the titles and dates for the season’s six plays, along with three photographs of shows from the previous summer. Inside the fourteen-page booklet are advertisements for various businesses and organizations, the names of the Wayside Board of Directors, the names of sponsors, a synopsis of each of the upcoming plays, and a list of names for the Wayside company for 1984 season with a brief paragraph telling of their background and experience. There is even a section that tells of the activities of the actors and staff who had performed at Wayside in previous seasons. The format of the booklet is similar to the booklets used during the early years of the organization.
Also in the booklet are two letters: one from Edward Steele, the Producing Director; the other from George Black, the Artistic Director. Both letters state that the success of the theatre depends upon the attendance and support of the public. Both men express their appreciation and urge the public to continue this very necessary backing.
One could question the titles over which Black and Steele append their signatures. When one looks at the chronology of Wayside’s Artistic Directors, the name of George Black does not appear. Only the name of Ed Steele is listed for that position. It would be of interest to see a job description for these titles and compare them to current interpretation. In 1984, did George Black serve as the Artistic Director while Ed Steele was the General Manager? They both appeared as actors, and both directed productions, which makes it all the more confusing. In the 1984 Souvenir Playbook, the message to the patrons was from the Producing Director, Ed Steele, and the other letter was from the Artistic Director, George Black. Regardless of titles, the three-fold message is clear: produce high quality theatre, make ticket prices affordable, and create a varied theatre season.
And, on this note, the 1984 season began. In an interview, Steele recounts the Theatre’s financial situation when he took over, and he praises the Board for going forward and not closing down. Steele felt that his main priority was to rebuild the damaged reputation of the organization. “There were some bad shows, some incredible sorry management both artistically and fiscally … [and I] felt the first thing we had to do was give our audience a quality product, and then we could start rebuilding.” He continues the interview by thanking those who have supported Wayside, but confesses “No small, non-profit theater is without difficult days. People come to Wayside Theater to be entertained. We try very hard to make our audience feel comfortable” (Fordney. “Wayside to Open Tonight.” TWS. 6 June 1984). At the conclusion of the interview, Steele lists the titles for the upcoming 1984 season.
Wayside opened the 1984 summer season with The Fantasticks, a title that had been performed at Wayside in 1963 and 1968. Horan writes that despite some opening night jitters, the cast performed a charmer of a play in a “production that does itself proud.” He praises each member of the cast, the set, and especially the accompaniment of Barbara Pacquin on piano, with Seth Austin doing “a thoroughly professional job with a tricky score on guitar.” He concludes, “The entire production showed the deft touch of George Black, Wayside’s skillful artistic director” (Horan. “Wayside Theatre Opens ….” NVD. 8 June 1984).
The season’s second show, Dial M for Murder, “has a cast that gives solid performances - - you become comfortable with all the players quickly and are free to concentrate on the plot” which is the purpose of any murder mystery states Fordney’s review. Director George Black had to step in at the last minute to play the part of Lesgate, as Ed Steele, who had been scheduled to play the part, had to drop out at the last minute due to an injury (“Fordney. “ ‘Dial M’ Is a …” TWS. 21 June 1984).
Price finds that Last of the Red Hot Lovers, the season’s next play, to be an entertaining two and a half hours, despite the dialogue being tedious at times. She notes that George Black is “perfect in the lead role. Sometimes he even looks like Simon. At times he is adolescent and eager, at other times middle-aged and square” (Price. “ ‘Red Hot Lovers’ Is Good Entertain-ment.” TWS. 6 July 1984).
A simple set consisting of a few benches and a pair of beautiful tapestries was used for Lion in Winter, the season’s fourth play. Attractive costumes and a strong cast beautifully directed by George Black “make for an entertaining evening.” The reviewer mentions each cast member by name giving a description of their acting strengths (Robbins. “ ‘Lion in Winter’ ….” TWS. 26 July 1984). Horan concurs by adding, “the leading roles are … deeply drafted and, as usual, the Wayside cast, under the direction of George Black, makes the most of them” (Horan. “ ‘Lion in Winter’ Opens ….” NVD. 27 July 1984).
The season’s next production was The Dining Room, a 1982 play that was still considered a new work when it appeared on the Wayside stage in 1984. Reviewer Horan suggests there is no need to look for a plot in this work, as it is “a series of vignettes - - all of them enjoyable, some of them hilarious - - that provide a pleasurable escape from the cares of the world and other weighty matters.” He praises the cast who “play so many and varied roles that keeping them straight can be a problem and singling any of them out for special praise would be unfair … [but] they achieve the ideal of ensemble acting: superb acting while no one outshines the other” (Horan. “ ‘The Dining Room’ ….” NVD. 10 Aug. 1984). Another reviewer calls it “a delightful way to spend a summer evening;” adding that, “The unique play which captures glimpses of many people acting out their lives in a regal dining room is provocative and hilariously funny at the same time” (Kinley. “Wayside Serves ….” DNR. 10 Aug. 1984). All reviewers mention the structure of the play, one calling it “not commercialized, homogenized theatre. It’s different, it’s creative, and it’s probably the best show at Wayside this summer (Price. “ ‘Dining Room:’ a Creative Menu.” TWS. 9 Aug. 1984).
The playbill for The Dining Room also contained the announcement for a Wayside Theatre Tour of London and Paris that was scheduled to take place between December 26 1984 and January 8, 1985 at a cost of $1310.00 per person and would be led by Ed Steele and George Black. The tour included tickets to seven shows, a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, shopping at the Christmas sales at Harrod’s and Marks & Spencer, New Year’s Eve in Paris, among other attractions. Unfortunately, there is no information as to whether this adventure took place.
The season closed with The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams’ powerful drama that “illustrates life isn’t always what it promises to be.” It seems to have been a stellar production as Price praises the work of actress Leticia Hurt stating, “I’ve seen this play several times and Hurt gives the finest performance of Laura I’ve seen” (Price. “ ‘Glass Menagerie.’ ” TWS. 23 Aug. 1984).
In a two-part article, Strohmeyer writes of the success Wayside has had over the five years under Steele’s leadership, stating, “Steele has gradually but cautiously elevated the quality of productions at the theater, this year mixing crowd-pleasing standards … with serious dramas ….” The writer adds that, under Steele’s leadership, season subscriptions have risen from 782 in 1983 to 880 in 1984, and the increase in theater attendance has translated in a “63 percent occupancy rate for the 240-seat theater.” One example of this success, writes the author, is seen in the reaction by one of the subscribers who encountered Steele at a restaurant a few days after attending a performance of Da. The person told Steele “the play was awfully good even though I didn’t care for it. But, I’ll see you next week” (Strohmeyer. “Wayside: Success Doesn’t ….” NVD. 7 Sept. 1984). Steele was delighted with that conversation because it meant the patron was a theatre devotee, and one questionable performance was not going to sour his support of Wayside.
Included in the above-mentioned article, Steele makes reference to the first season of Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre. This theatrical venture, located on the campus of Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music in nearby Winchester, had not been a financial success. He refers to the “financial bath that Shenandoah College took this summer when it staged four large-scale musicals but failed to attract large audiences has raised some questions about the feasibility of expanding theater in the area.” Steele questions “whether or not we have the fiscal base in the community to support two ongoing institutions in the summertime,” and confesses, “I could be wrong, but that’s the way I feel” (Strohmeyer. 7 Sept. 1984). It should noted that at this writing, SSMT continues and Wayside Theatre has closed.
Steele also created Wayside’s Second Season, a two-play extension that took place at the end of the regular six-play season. Performances for this newly formed Cabaret Mini-Theatre were on weekends taking place in the Curtain Call Café, rather than on the main stage, with the audience limited to fifty. “Tickets for this series include dessert and the first non-alcoholic beverage served at the customer’s table” (“What’s Going On.” NVD. 2 Nov. 1984). The performances were “in a relaxed atmosphere [where] tables ring the stage.” This added season opened on October 4, 1984 with Noel Coward’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen. This sophisticated revue, that spears the English uppercrust, won over one reviewer who stated, “In short, the show’s a winner … The stage juts into the audience, which is seated on three sides. The singers make use of the intmate atmosphere frequently singing while walking among the tables …” (Strohmeyer, J. “Wayside Theatre Production Sparkles.” NVD. 5 Oct. 1984). The Second Season’s next show, The Gin Game, took place in November, and featured Ed Steele and Anne Marley, a member of the James Madison College faculty. Both received kudos for their fine work. Patrons were cautioned that this play contained strong language and dealt with adult themes (“What’s Going On ….” NVD). Horan seemed to like the intimate and relaxed setting of the Curtain Call, stating, “The acoustics are fine … and there doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the house” (Horan. “ ‘The Gin Game’ Opens ….” NVD. 5 Oct. 1984).
Continuing with what was becoming a tradition, performances of A Christmas Carol took place on the main stage between December 14 – 23, with matinees on the 19th and 22nd. It isn’t certain, but it seems that this production used the script by Ed Steele. Joe Mattys is credited as being an excellent Scrooge. “He looks the part as the wicked Scrooge at the beginning, but is capable of playing a totally believable ‘nice’ Scrooge at the end” (Strohmeyer. “Wayside’s Christmas Production ….” NVD. 15 Dec. 1984). Ed Steele, who was the Ghost of Christmas Present, is the only other cast member mentioned in Strohmeyer’s review. While he writes favorably about the production, Strohmeyer makes one critical comment stating, “although costumes are suitably grubby for the most part, one boy had on corduroys with an obvious name tag on the back pocket” and concludes, “otherwise, the costumes are first-rate” (Strohmeyer. “15 Dec. 1984). As yet, no playbill has been located for this production.
In addition to keeping track of all the details of running a professional theatre, Ed Steele found time to make solo appearances in the community. He was photographed with students of the newly chartered National Honor Society of Strasburg High School after he had performed “Mark Twain – Himself” (“Mark Twain’s Visit ….” NVD. 6 Oct. 1984).