"Perfect!"

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin
That's just one of the many kudos for Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern's Butterflies Are Free by Leonard Gershe. And it runs for only two more weeks! Here is a sample of quotes from the five stellar reviews:

STYLE Weekly's Mary Burruss writes:
"clever script, stellar performances"

"audience laughter is constant"

"Bloch and Martin have a sparkling chemistry that’s fun to watch. Martin brings charm and believability to the ditzy yet sweet Jill."

"Mrs. Baker’s strong, if misdirected, maternal devotion is deftly captured by Johnson, whose Eartha Kitt-like voice lends appropriate strength to the role."

HERALD-PROGRESS' Dan Sherrier writes
"the perfect blend of comedy and drama"

"absolutely hilarious"

"talented cast and great direction"

"[Martin] brings the show to life"

"[Conyers] arrives late in the game but still manages to contribute some good laughs."

"Script? Excellent. Actors? Excellent. Direction? Excellent. Set, lighting and costumes? All excellent."

"The reliably solid Barksdale is at its best in Butterflies are Free."

Julinda Lewis, freelance correspondant for the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
"wonderfully detailed set"

"[Bloch] proves irresistible"

"Johnson is strong, subtle, commanding and hilarious, all at once."

"Butterflies are Free is smart, funny and immensely enjoyable."

WCVE's John Porter says:
"Butterflies Are Free is a good, solid, funny show."

Kristin Jimison from RVANews:
"the strength of the small cast shines under the taut direction of Billy Christopher Maupin"

"Butterflies is a delightful, refreshing comedy with just enough drama to tug at your heartstrings. Smartly executed and full of absolutely charming performances, it’s a perfect way to spend a spring evening."

Don't miss out on your chance to catch this smart, fresh, warm comedy!

[Photos by Jay Paul]

New Podcast Episode - Butterflies are Free

David Janeski interviews actor Matthew Bloch from Butterflies are Free, on stage now at Hanover Tavern. Matthew wasn't aware of the questions before hand, and David threw some pretty crazy ones at him. The results are hilarious...

Virginia This (Tuesday) Morning

Audra Honaker and Jan Guarino. Photos by Jay Paul

This Tuesday, March 17, Jan Guarino and Audra Honaker, from the musical comedy Mona's Arrangements, will be chatting it up on WTVR Channel 6 – the only live morning program in Central Virginia, Virginia This Morning, which airs from 8:55 - 10 AM.

Interviewing them will be co-anchors Greg McQuade and Julie Bragg. Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV actors have become favorite guests for Greg and Julie, because they always seem to have a lot of witty things to say!! Jan and Audra won’t be in costume, but they will project the lively, spunky spirit of Mona’s Arrangements.

Mona's Arrangements Online Tickets
Or CALL (804) 282-2620

Many thanks to Vogue Flowers for the beautiful flowers used throughout the show.
Thanks also to our season and show sponsors - The Supply Room Companies, JetBlue, Weinstein Properties, Union Bank & Trust and our media sponsor, the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Posted by Eric Williams

Eric appears as Stanley in Sanders Family Christmas. By day he is the Director of Tour Operations for Theatre IV.



Tonight is Opening Night again - sort of. It will be 1941, and the Sanders Family will descend once more on Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina.

Sanders Family Christmas has been in rehearsal for several weeks now and the experience has been both exciting and scary. About two years ago Bruce Miller gathered together a motley collection of actors who also sing and play instruments and guided us to what became Smoke on the Mountain. It was a successful venture with theatre lovers having to be turned away because so many of the performances were sold out—exactly the kind of problem any theatre would like to have.

The cast and theatre had conflicts making it impossible to extend the run, so when the idea was floated that we could reunite at Christmas time and do the sequel, we all jumped at the chance.

The entire cast and director are back. It was like putting on a pair of your favorite old shoes when we got together--very comfortable. We already knew all of the characters, so all that was left was to learn the new script and music. Piece of cake! None of us had actually seen the new script and music but how hard could it be? After all, we’d done it before and this sequel was just like the original, right?

Well, not exactly. While the format of Sanders Family Christmas is similar to Smoke on the Mountain, the two-hour script certainly was all new. And the music … well let’s just say I had to go on the Internet to find out how to play some of the newfangled power chords asked for in this new score.

Rehearsal was fun but urgent. We had some big, and I mean big, laughs. But there was business to be done too. Billy Christopher Maupin, a.k.a. Reverend Oglethorpe, plunked our notes over and over and over again. And that was just the vocals. We had not added the instrumentation yet.

Our cast was still a bit far flung. Our music director extraordinaire Drew Perkins was in Blowing Rock, NC until 3 weeks before opening. Aly Wepplo was in a show in Idaho at Company of Fools. David Janeski was performing at Busch Gardens (when he wasn’t off to Idaho to visit Aly).

Ok, now I was scared. We all had to learn 105 pages of new and difficult (at least to my fingers) music. Thank goodness we have really talented cast members who stepped in to plunk and help musically (the aforementioned Billy Christopher, Emily Cole and Julie Fulcher). There were several music rehearsals with just three or four of us. Bruce kept giving reassurances that everything would be just fine.

Finally, when Drew returned to Virginia, it all began to come together. Nonetheless, this has been a most challenging time—but challenging is good, isn’t it?

Our hard work is about to get the final test - the audience. As rehearsals come to an end and performances start we have a couple of things that you should know. The entire cast enjoys each other and we want you to enjoy yourselves too. Come slip on that old pair of shoes that is the Sanders Family and spend a little Christmas down home.

--Eric Williams

Sanders Family Christmas runs through January 25, 2009 at Hanover Tavern. Performances are already selling out quickly. Call (804) 282-2620 or purchase tickets online.

Meet the Cast of Driving Miss Daisy: Jim Bynum – “Hoke”

By Joseph Pabst (Director of Driving Miss Daisy)

(Note: Driving Miss Daisy runs through November 2, 2008 at the Barksdale at Hanover Tavern. Over the last several weeks, we have highlighted the other two members of the cast – Garet Chester and Joy Williams.)

If you attend a performance of Driving Miss Daisy, you may find yourself wondering, “Why does the guy playing Hoke seem so familiar to me?” Depending on your familiarity with & experience in the Richmond area, the answer may be, “From TV.” Jim Bynum was one of the regular spokespersons (spokespeople?) for “The” Grocery Store, when it was still in business. Along with K Strong, another Richmond theatre favorite, Jim came into everyone’s living room on a regular basis (via television, that is) to let Richmonders know about the specials on “The” Grocery Store’s shelves. For a time, Jim & K were firmly seated in Richmond’s pop culture, although Jim concedes, “K is prettier, of course, and was the real star of the ads!”

But Jim is no stranger to live theatre by any means. He has enjoyed a rewarding on-stage career playing many diverse and challenging roles. He’s played senior citizens (Do Lord Remember Me, Driving Miss Daisy), the mentally challenged (The Boys Next Door), the physically challenged (Shadow Box), the psychologically challenged (Fences), and even the musically challenged (Mayor Shinn in The Music Man).

The most exciting roles of his career have come about as the result of “blind casting”, casting without regard to race or physical type. These highlights include Mayor Shinn in The Music Man, King Duncan in Macbeth, and Troy in Fences. “Troy is listed because the role called for a much larger man,” says Jim. “As a rotund citizen, I need to restate that. Fences called for a much TALLER actor. The director felt that my loud mouth would make up for loss in size.”

This production marks Jim’s second opportunity to play Hoke. He first chauffeured Miss Daisy around in a production staged by the Swift Creek Mill Theatre (or Playhouse, as it was known then) in 1991, playing opposite Betty Ann Grove as Daisy, and Joe Inscoe as Boolie. So what brought him back to the role this time? “I was drawn to Driving Miss Daisy because I love everything about the show. Actually, I would have missed the audition had Alice Shreiner not called to inform me. Thanks, Alice!”

Jim has a lot of admiration for the character he plays on stage. “Hoke is a survivor, and so am I. He is a proud man who quietly circumvents cultural and educational barriers to establish unlikely, life-long friendships.” Jim is also taken with Hoke’s loyalty and perseverance. “I would love to have those characteristics!”

Life off stage is very busy for Jim. Or “as Hoke would say, ‘… a mess.’” He has a strong background in education, even having served as the spokesperson for Richmond City Schools. “That was an exciting job, except the times when unpopular decisions caused some to want to shoot the messenger – and not with a camera!” Now, on any given day, he can be found teaching in a university classroom, conducting a workshop for educators in another city, editing dissertations, or delivering food to those who can’t get around. The work and service he provides through the Rotary Club of Richmond is enjoyable and very rewarding. His greatest joy is interacting with his grandchildren, Justin and Jayla. He’s also kept busy “loudly saying ‘yes’ to whatever my wife tells me to do around the house, around the car, around the neighborhood. (That’s what Hoke and I really have in common!)”

While Jim’s character spends most of his life driving as a career, Jim has spent most of his adult life traveling for the fun of it. He’s been to every state in the Union, and even visited five continents. “That’s right! Plans are in the works for Antarctica!”

It’s a good bet he won’t be driving to get there…

--Joe Pabst

Half Price Halloween

Treat yourself to an evening at
Hanover Tavern for only $19.


"A Godsend!
Three FINE actors
A touching, excellent ride!"
--Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Derives its humor and tenderness from life.
A trio of actors that bring a special synergy to the stage
It’s charming, nostalgic and just plain fun."
--Joan Tupponce, Richmond.com

Driving Miss Daisy is on stage at Hanover Tavern through Nov.2. Tickets are normally $38. This half priced offer is for October 31 only. It is not retroactive and may not be combined with other offers. Discount valid while seats are still available.

You may also take advantage of this discount by calling our box office at
(804) 282-2620.

Meet the Cast of Driving Miss Daisy: Joy Williams – “Daisy”

By Joseph Pabst (Director of Driving Miss Daisy)

(Note: Driving Miss Daisy has been extended through November 2 at Barksdale at Hanover Tavern. This is the second in a series in which we shine the spotlight on each of the three members of the cast. Part 1 is available here.)

If you were to see Joy Williams on the street or in the grocery store, you would hardly confuse her for a 72-year-old woman. She is a tall, strong vibrant woman with a friendly smile, infectious laugh and a full head of blond hair. And she runs marathons – literally!

Still, Joy transforms herself into the elderly role of “Daisy Werthan” for each performance of Driving Miss Daisy. She starts the play at an astonishingly convincing 72 years old, and then continues to age over the course of an hour or so until she reaches 97. Because of the time constraints and fluidity of the play, this can only be partially accomplished with wigs, clothes and make-up. The real transformation is in Joy’s acting, her body, her voice. Before stepping on stage, Joy is well aware of the age she must portray, and fully inhabits the character at that age.

Joy is no stranger to Richmond stages, performing steadily at Barksdale at Hanover Tavern, Barksdale at Willow Lawn, Theatre IV and the Swift Creek Mill Theatre since she moved back here 18 years ago. Some of her personal favorite roles include: Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Charlotte Hay in Moon Over Buffalo, Edith Banks in Barefoot in the Park (welcoming Barksdale audiences back to the Hanover Tavern in 2006, after 10 years), and now, of course, Daisy Werthan. She is also a resident actor in the Swift Creek Mill’s youth theatre season. Younger audiences may know her (if they don’t recognize her) as Drifty the Snowman, a character created and written by Paul Deiss.

With two boys (Cory, 12; and Sean, 9), the Williams’ house has become the hub for neighborhood kids – always busy, loud and a little crazy. Joy is very active at Sean’s school, serving on the PTA Board, helping out in class, taking charge of the after school enrichment program and talent show. “I’d like to help out at Cory’s school,” Joy says, “but he won’t let me anywhere near his school!” Joy also has the good fortune to be the stepmom to two wonderful young men: Arle, almost 24, and Michael, nearly 21. “They came into my life when they were 7 and 4 … hard to believe.” Now they are both in college, and she and her husband, Eric, try to see them as much as they can. Besides taking care of all her boys (Eric included!), Joy gets a real kick out of gardening as well. “Roses are my favorite flower. Over the years, I’ve planted over 100 rose bushes in the garden and around the yard.” And in the midst of it all, she and her wonderful husband “try to eke out moments to be together!”

Joy shares a great sense of humor with her character. And like Daisy, she is very strong willed and independent. As Daisy says, “I was brought up to do for myself.” That “do-it-yourself” philosophy is part of Joy’s personal mantra as well. But while both the actress and the character are mothers, Joy is far more demonstrative of her affections than Daisy. “I’m a very touchy-feely, huggy person. The sun rises and sets with my kids. I make sure they know it, too.” Joy has a very close relationship with her mother as well, which is also very demonstrative. Daisy’s relationship with her son Boolie is more reserved, though they know how to push each other’s buttons and do so often. (Joy gets a real kick out of playing those scenes with Garet Chester.) “My kids know my buttons also, but I’m forever hugging them, kissing them… they have to ask me to stop!”

The parent/child dynamic in Driving Miss Daisy really speaks to Joy. “It’s a show that everyone can relate to on some level, whether you’re in the position of watching a parent age and faced with those challenges, or you’re the one aging and having to come to terms with giving up some of your independence.” Then there’s the unlikely friendship that develops between Daisy & Hoke. “I love the way their relationship remains throughout their entire lives. I love the humanity and the realness in the play. I love their friendship. And it’s a gift to be able to play this role with Jim Bynum.”

Oh, and about those marathons: She’s run 3 full and 5 half marathons. “I like the personal glory of running the full marathons, but it takes an amazing amount of time to train for them. And right now, I don’t have the time to devote to the extensive training.” She’ll be running her 6th half marathon in November. So marathoners beware: You may be outrun by “little ol’ Daisy”!


Tickets to Driving Miss Daisy are available online. Many performances have sold out, so please reserve early to avoid disappointment.

Backstage with the Tuna Helpers

By the dressers for Greater Tuna, Dexter Ramey, Shannon McCallester and Eric Evans



Every night as two talented actors step on stage and bring the citizens of Tuna, Texas to life from little Jody Buemiller and Vera Carp to Bertha Buemiller and the Rev. Spikes, the stories are played out to the delight of the audience. However the audience is not aware of the show behind the show. The people behind the curtains that transform the actors into 20 characters using 45 costume changes. We are the Tuna Helpers.

In an often fast paced 2 hours the transformations occur in as little as 15 seconds to a leisurely 2 minutes. Working together with the actors in what can best be describe as a dance, or at times controlled chaos, we the Tuna Helpers have learned the following things through trial and error.

1. If Stanley’s sandals are forgotten in the dressing room it is not humanly possible to run upstairs to the 3^rd floor dressing room and back in the time it takes Vera Carp and Aunt Pearl Burris to say goodbye to Judge Roscoe Buckner. It’s close, but as they say close only counts in horse shoes.
   
   
2. A sandal is just a sandal. Let Stanley wear Chad’s shoes….knowledge that would have been useful to us before attempting to set the land speed record up the back stairs of the Hanover Tavern. Lastly and most importantly….do not hit sweet Aunt Peal in the head with said flying sandals.
   
   
3. Necessity is indeed the mother of all invention. A tube of lipstick can double as a hair curler when needed. We have to keep our LGBT (Ladies Gathered for Better Tuna) looking their best.
   
   

4. The true power of double stick tape is in its ability to hold together Bertha Buemiller’s earring better than hot glue. 5 weeks and counting. Now if we could just get it to stay on Rev Spikes’ upper lip.
   
   
5. Don’t let the actors see you panic….it might be contagious.
   
   
6. Laughter makes everything okay.

I think it can be safely said that without the highly talented dressing skills of the Tuna Helpers, the good citizens of Tuna, Texas would still be there to entertain you…but they would probably be naked!

So come on y’all…come enjoy the show and as they say in The Wizard of Oz…..pay no attention to those people behind the curtain.

- Dexter Ramey, Shannon McCallester and Eric Evans

Albee Turns 80!

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

(NOTE: This post was written on Wednesday, but found itself stuck in draft mode until today.)

Today (March 12) is the birthday of one of our greatest living playwrights, Edward Albee. Since 1959, Albee's plays have been produced all over the world. In fact, his first play, The Zoo Story, was originally produced in Berlin (through some circuitious networking, following numerous rejections from New York producers). The Zoo Story was then produced in New York City the following year on a double bill with Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape.

Albee's work continues even now, almost 50 years later. Occupant will premiere in April at Signature Theatre in New York. Occupant was originally to open in 2002, but only made it through a week of preview performances before Anne Bancroft was taken with illness. The premiere production will star Mercedes Ruehl (Tony-nominated for her performance in Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?). The world premiere of his newest work Me, Myself, and I (about twin brothers, both named Otto, and starring Tyne Daly) had a January-February run at the MacCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ.

According to GOING ON...BARKSDALE THEATRE: The first thirty-one years, Barksdale Theatre produced the first professional production of an Albee work in Virginia in 1966 with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Hanover Tavern (and again in 1967with one cast change). Albee also appears in a picture on the porch of Hanover Tavern in 1978. (The caption of the picture above, to the left, also from the book, reads "Muriel's niece, Karen Schroll, a girl of obvious good taste.")

Other Richmond productions of his work include The American Dream at TheatreVirginia, Three Tall Women at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn (starring Katie McCall, Yvonne Erickson, and Mary Sue Carroll, pictured to the left), The Death of Bessie Smith at the Firehouse Theatre Project (accompanied by a visit by Albee himself and "An Evening with Edward Albee"), an independently produced production of The Zoo Story at Fielden's Cabaret Theatre, The American Dream (FTP), and most recently The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? also at the Firehouse Theatre Project.

So "Happy Birthday!" (However now belated...) to perhaps our greatest living playwright!

"Debra Wagoner, AKA Topeka Abotelli Sings in the Key of Q" or Debra Meets Lipton or Debra Wagoner Fills Out "The Questionnaire"

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Tomorrow night at 8PM the smash Off-Broadway hit Swingtime Canteen opens at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern. I have my tickets; do you have yours? It has already been mentioned that one could hear/watch these five dynamic performers rehearse from the marketing department at the Empire Theatre. I cannot tell a lie: I watched and listened on more than one occasion. These women (Debra Wagoner, Katrinah Carol Lewis, Vilma Gil, Audra Honaker, and Jan Guarino) sound AMAZING!!!

There are so many great shows opening this month! Swingtime on Friday, Moonlight and Magnolias next Friday at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn, and Theatre IV's production of A Christmas Story next Friday (yes, it's adapted from the movie!!!). Ooh...also Spinning Into Butter is playing at the Firehouse Theatre Project through this Saturday. It's pretty incredible: beautiful set (Edwin Slipek, Jr.), very interesting, thought-provoking play, and all of the actors really bring it to the table...or desk...so to speak (Katie McCall, Melissa Johnston Price, Fred Iocovo, Tony Santiago, Matt Polson, and our very own Robert Albertia). Oh, and A Lesson Before Dying is playing at the African American Repertory Theatre through this Sunday. From what I hear, it's a really fantastic production. Essie Simms in particular was very adamant about how great the show is. Plus, it features Darius T. Epps, another Barksdale Theatre employee!

So...back to the subject at hand...I get a bit excited about good theatre...and there's so much of it here! It's so exciting to live in this community! Anyway...to Debra's questionnaire...

I must point out that I found it rather amusing that Debra shares many of the same answers as Joy Williams (whose questionnaire you can see two posts below). And she hadn't read Joy's before answering. Just a fun little thing.

So...to "The Questionnaire"!

1. What is your favorite word?
Yes

2. What is your least favorite word?
No.
Big surprise, huh?

3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
Getting it right. I’m a terrible perfectionist.
A live audience….and knowing when you “have them.” I’ve often been asked why I don’t do more cabaret type gigs…get myself a little band together, etc. And I guess it’s because I like telling stories. And musicals to me are the best of both those worlds. You get to tell a story to the audience with words and music. Some people turn their noses up at musical theatre. But it IS most definitely an art form. And when it’s done well, it can be very transporting.

4. What turns you off?
People who hate musical theatre, HA HA!
But seriously, folks, I’m turned off by willful ignorance. Deliberate cruelty. Intolerance.
And little things like people who don’t use their turn signals……

5. What sound or noise do you love?
Laughter. Applause. Can’t pick just one sound.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Hmmmmm……microphone feedback. I would swear that I’ve sustained some hearing loss over the many years of dealing with microphones. I’ve never really enjoyed using them. But they are a necessary evil, I guess.

7. What is your favorite curse word?
F***. I have a potty mouth...It might be because out of pure contrariness; I started cursing when someone told me: “You have such a sweet face I can’t imagine you ever saying dirty words”. Well, f*** that s***.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Costume design. But, gee, I need to learn how to sew. The only other job I ever enjoyed was being a patient advocate of sorts for the elderly. Walking them through the insurance red tape, etc. I got some nice thank you letters, and some great homemade cookies doing that job! It felt really great knowing that I was helping these folks out. That was many years ago, and the healthcare/insurance system is even worse than it was then. Geez!

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything to do with politics.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Come on in and sit right down and make yourself at home.

You can read more about Debra and her goings on and her debut album, The Hopeful Romantic, which features a really stellar interpretation of "No One Is Alone" from Into the Woods, among others, at http://www.debrawagoner.com/.

Be sure to check out Debra and all the ladies in Swingtime Canteen at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern, running November 23 - January 20. Opening weekend is already sold out so be sure to purchase your tickets soon!

Another Fantastic Cabaret at the Empire Theatre

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

I am often accused of not sharing information early enough, so even though there are a lot of exciting things going on next Friday for First Friday at the Empire, I wanted to start getting the word out about the cabaret that will be playing in the lobby FOR FREE (which seemed to be the big question last time: "How much is the cover?"). FREE ENTERTAINMENT; How cool is that?
We featured an incredibly well-received cabaret for First Friday in September; so well-received, in fact, that we are featuring another next week, with several returning faces/voices and several new ones as well.

This time around Corey Davis (most recently of Stuart Little at Theatre IV and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project, also to be seen in the upcoming Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter at Theatre IV),

Billy Christopher Maupin (seen in Mr. Marmalade and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project and earlier this year in Smoke on the Mountain at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern),

Audrey Snyder (Stuart Little with Theatre IV, Frankenstein Lives! at the Carpenter Science Theatre, Where's Charley? at Barksdale Theatre),

and Chloe Williams (Barksdale Theatre's smash hit production of Mame) will return to the stage.

And the vibrant new voices of Taylor Baltimore (currently rehearsing as Petra in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music with Live Arts in Charlottesville),

Catherine Dudley (who just closed as Snowbell in Stuart Little),

Jacquie O'Connor (recently seen in The Full Monty and Scapino! at Barksdale, as well as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse),

and Jonathan Spivey (Barksdale's Cyrano de Bergerac, numerous performances at the University of Richmond, and a stunning Lady #3 in Paul Deiss' adaptation of The Magic Flute with Theatre IV) will join them.

The upcoming cabaret will feature songs from Cabaret, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Side Show, South Pacific, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and more!

So come check out all the exciting things happening, grab a drink at the cash bar and check out a fine cabaret. Life is, after all, a cabaret, ol' chum. So...(yeah...you're singing it...)

Friday, November 2, starting at 7:30PM at the historic Empire Theatre in Downtown Richmond!

(Pictured at right, from September's cabaret are Robin Harris-Jones, Billy Christopher Maupin, Russell Rowland, Janine Sears, Andrea Ross, Audrey Snyder, Corey Davis, Chloe Williams, and Keydron Dunn.)

(NOTE: Headshots appear in order of mention and not necessarily adjacent to name.)

Happy Birthday Barksdale! - Part II

Muriel McAuley continues her account of the founding of Barksdale Theatre. Our official birthday is August 1, the day that the six founders signed the deed to Hanover Tavern and, with no heat, no plumbing and no money, officially moved in.

“We moved in on a Saturday, and on

Sunday morning dressed up and marched ourselves down to the little country church, St. Paul’s, to introduce ourselves to Hanover. (An idea we shamelessly stole from Robert Porterfield who had led his troupe to his Abingdon, Virginia church when he started Barter Theatre in 1933.)

From the beginning, this tiny community welcomed ‘those crazy actors from New York.’ Mary Taylor offered her swimmin’ hole and for a week we carried soap and shampoo to Taylor’s Pond while Stu struggled to get one bathtub working. From our new neighbors came food from their gardens, home-made goodies, muscles and encouragement. And their kids. In a village where you had to be able to drive a car just to get to a movie or ice cream shop, the Tavern suddenly was where the action was. Many a parent concedes that his children were partly raised at Barksdale.

Their initial friendship, we think, was because of the Tavern. Once it had been the heart of the community, middle-aged people remembering their wedding reception there and neighborhood parties. For the past ten years, it had been neglected and abused, rented out only for wild Saturday night dances that left behind a glitter of smashed whiskey bottles and beer cans. For these dances the entire English basement had been painted red, white and blue, and the brick on 18th century fireplaces painted red and white like Santa Claus chimneys.

We put a stop to the dances and spent every moment away from our jobs scrubbing, painting, repairing. By September we had the downstairs presentable: broken windows replaced, peeling paint scraped off and a warm brown painted on (though it would be a couple of years and three more paint jobs before the red stopped bleeding through), the public johns wallpapered with covers from Theatre Arts Magazine. The Hanover Community League gave a big party, their first at the Tavern in many years, and at the end of the evening we found a note in the men’s room: ‘Thank you for a clean restroom.’ Those ‘crazy actors from New York’ were cleaning the place up.

In December, we were hired to do the Christmas program for the Hanover Woman’s Club, and performed an original one-act Tom had written. Our first paid job.”

--Bruce Miller

Photo captions: St. Paul's looks something like this little white church, but I'll insert a real photo of St. Paul's as soon as I drive out and take one. This pic of Bob Porterfield, legendary founder of Barter Theatre (and good friend of Barksdale), is the oldest one I could find. It dates from the mid-60s. Bob is the gentleman on the left.