As We Move Beyond Our 50th Anniversary

As I'm sure everyone has noticed by now, a few changes have come our way in the past year. Our beloved president, Charlie Lawson requested to step down as president, after holding the position as president for eight years. A position that is normally only a two year term, but Charlie has held this organization together, and has been its motivation. For Charlie had the incredible skill of talking anyone into doing anything. Trust me, I've seen it with my own eyes, talking a man into giving him the shirt off his back. It was that skill, along with his creativity and love for the Players organization itself that got him elected again and again. Although he no longer wants to be in the position of president, we are lucky to still have him on our board. Thank you Charlie, for your eight years of awesomeness.

Last season we lost some wonderful members, who have contributed more than they ever needed to, to the Waynesboro Players. Ross Hersey, who was involved with the Players almost in the very beginning. Lee McGratty. who designed and built some of the most spectacular sets, along with being involved with a lot of the construction inside of our present warehouse, and of course Duane Hahn, who's death was a shock to everyone. Duane had literally lived his life around the Players. A long time board member, emeritus, actor, director, playwright, and a friend to everyone. We still feel the void with the loss of Duane.

As we round the corner into our 50th season, we've made some small changes, hopefully for the better. We've changed our starting time for evening performances from 8:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. . The change was made so both our patrons and performers could get out of the auditorium at a reasonable time. Especially when you have young actors involved, you'd like to get them home and to bed at a decent time. The other small change was the way we run our concession stand during intermission. It was suggested by one of our new board members and was given a try at our Holiday Double Feature. We've implemented the "Pay What You Can" system. The system seemed to make the concession line move a lot smoother, and ran on wonderful donations by our patrons. No complaints on this system have come my way at this time, so it looks like this may be the new normal for future performances.

What is ahead for the Waynesboro Players? Well, we are going to step back to humble beginnings. The Waynesboro Players have had the reputation of being a family oriented organization and plans are to move back to that reputation. We've experimented with shows that slightly step outside the box. Wonderful shows, with wonderful talent, and have probably been some of the most amazing performances put on by a community theater group. However, doing these shows costs a lot of money, and if you don't have an audience to enjoy them, then it's all for nothing. So starting on our 50th season, we are stepping back and bringing the family oriented shows back. Our first production, was a wonderful holiday double feature of "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!", and from the reaction of the audience it looks as though we are on the right track again. Everyone loves Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple". For our second production we bring you a updated version of the "Odd Couple", written by Neil Simon, called "Oscar and Felix". The same wonderful characters, same great story, only updated. No longer taking place in the 1960's, this story takes place today. Again, a wonderful family oriented show, and with its more modern curve to it, a show everyone can enjoy. Then closing our season with the beloved "Annie". Ironically reopening on Broadway this year, we bring Broadway to you. With some of the most popular songs such as "It's a Hard Knock Life", and "Tomorrow". We are really looking forward to "wowing" your socks off on this show. It is line ups like this that we are planning to bring to you in the future. More popular, and more family oriented.

Our big dream down the road is to have shows from our own venue. Waynesboro High School has been our home since literally the beginning, and we've switched shows back and forth between Kate Collins and the high school for the past few seasons, primarily because we like the modernization of Kate Collins, but love the size of the high school. For decades the school board has given the Waynesboro Players a great deal as far as rental of the auditorium facility. But with cuts in education and the school boards budget, our days of having this great deal are over. Scheduling our shows is based on what is available in the auditoriums, and being able to advertise our upcoming seasons are held off as we wait to see when we can be fit in to perform them. Lately, climate control and other building facility issues, have been a problem that we have no control over, or have actual control at the facility to take care of it. It is uncomfortable and a inconvenience to you and we feel helpless in not being able to correct the problem. We'd like to admit it's our problem and be able to fix our problem. Then lastly, we would love to build our sets and "tweak" with them, and do whatever modifications we have to do to make the work. Presently we build our sets at the warehouse, we rehearse with our sets (which is an improvement from what I've heard was done early on), then a week before we open we take the sets down, transport that along with the props, costumes, and sound equipment, and reassemble it at the schools. It is literally a two day event. Not to mention the cost of renting a truck, and finding the manpower to move and reassemble. Although, we've heard word that the Wayne Theater will possibly be up and operational by the spring of 2014, and their is the possibility we may perform a season or two there, it is still not our own place and we still have to fall into the mess of scheduling with what is available on their schedule, and having to move sets from one place to another. Our facility would offer a small but quaint auditorium. We'd have a banquet hall available to the public, and a place where we could perform desert and dinner shows. A place where we could have fund-raising events and special activities for the community. We'd change our one weekend performance to two weekends. Most of all it would be a place that we could call home. It's a dream, that Charlie Lawson had envisioned and really was hoping he could fulfill during his time as president. As we move forward, we'll be putting a committee together to honestly start making moves toward this dream. In the end, I think it will be a dream we will all come to love.

Help us fulfill the dream and support your community theater.
See ya at the shows!

Craig Cavanaugh
President, Waynesboro Players

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