The Final Curtain

During the summer of 2011, the world-renowned Shaw Festival, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, observed its 50th anniversary. Next to the imposing Festival Hall, in the lobby of the smaller Studio Theatre, was a display of posters and production photographs. A larger and more comprehensive exhibit of the Shaw’s impressive history was to be found a few blocks away at the town library. Upon entering the lobby, one was drawn to a three-panel screen. The text on these panels served as an introduction to the items that were on display, only a few steps away.

It just so happened that the 50th anniversary of the Shaw Festival coincided with the observance of Wayside Theatre’s 50th season. It was the opening sentence on the first panel that caught my attention, as I had just begun to delve into Wayside’s history. It read:

Theatre is always doomed to become a memory once the final curtain falls.  A few tangible records remain — house programmes, newspaper reviews, a poster; (photographs) …. These bits and pieces are no less ephemeral than the theatre experience itself. 

It was these bits and pieces, or “items of memory,” of Wayside’s history that had already begun to encroach on the floor of my study. These “memories” had surfaced from various sources: thumbing through playbills; viewing photographs of past production; listening to actors recount their experiences of rehearsals and performances; jogging the memories those who had served on the artistic staff and had created the sets, hung the lights, and built the costumes. These “memories” had also included talking with people who had sat in the theatre’s seats, who had applauded what they had seen on the stage, and who had left the space filled with the magic that only theatre can bring.

What a privilege it has been to come into contact with these Wayside “memories.” When this project began in 2011, it was assumed its final form would be as a coffee-table book, combining historical narrative with abundant photographs. Because new information continues to surface, it was decided not to freeze this story into print, but to keep it flexible in some type of electronic format, so that when additional information appeared it could be added. Regardless of the project’s format issues, it was assumed that collecting these memories would be a long and tedious process.

But, further “memories” were not to be. In July of 2013, the Board of Directors made the decision to close the Theatre due to financial reasons. Consequently, there will be nothing more to add, only the reconstructing of what has gone on before. This project is now an historical document about a defunct organization with a rich past.

It is with hope that these memories will be all the more valuable to those who read the story of Wayside Theatre. May this “jewel in the Shenandoah Valley” not be forgotten.

JHL

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