The Winter Series

The Winter College Series, or The College Showcase, was also sometimes referred to as Wayside’s Winter Season.  It was scheduled to run from September to March, a time when the Theatre would normally be closed.  The first year of the Series, 1975, consisted of productions performed by five different colleges:  James Madison University gave two performances of A Thurber Carnival on September 23, followed by a matinee and evening performance of The Fantasticks on September 24; Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music performed Gershwin: a musical revue on two consecutive December evenings; Virginia Polytechnic Institute performed Commedia dell’ arte on two evenings in January; Lynchburg College presenting two evenings of Godspell in March; and the Winter College Series concluded in April with two performances of Tiny Alice presented by the University of Virginia. 

Although there is little information available on this Wayside sponsored event, a November news release from the Theatre announced the names of schools and their presentations for second Winter Series for 1976-1977:  December 3 and 4, Shenandoah College and Conservatory Music Theatre Ensembles will present Rogers and Hart, a musical revue containing some sixty-five well known tunes; Virginia Polytechnic and State University’s tragic-comedy, Waiting for Godot on January 14 and 15, 1977; James Madison College’s production of Delicate Balance on March 11 and 12,  and concluding the series with the University of Virginia’s performance of  School for Wives on April 14 and 15, 1977.  An un-named school performed earlier in the series, but there is no information regarding the name of the school or the title of its play (Wayside Theatre News.  22 Nov. 1976).

The Winter College Series presented six different shows that were all different and distinctive from one another.  Tickets for the Series was a real bargain:  $14.95 for all five shows, plus $2,95 for the sixth.

Records give no clue as to the success of this venture. There is no mention of this Series after the 1976 season.