Little Bits (Bytes?) of Barksdale History

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our two nonprofit theatres are currently engaged in a branding study that will help us determine the future paths of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV. Two MAJOR thank yous go out to Kelly O'Keefe, Managing Director of the VCU Brandcenter, who is donating his leadership of the study pro bono, and The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia, providers of the grant that funds the research component of the study.

As a part of this strategic exercise, we've been engaging randomly selected audience members in focus groups to learn their opinions about our two stage companies. It's been fascinating to learn what John and Jane Q Theatre-Lover do and don't know about Central Virginia's oldest (Barksdale) and largest (Theatre IV) professional theatres.

It is becoming clear that our illustrious histories are fading, for many if not most, into virtual obscurity, so I've begun to recount the legacies that serve as our foundation by posting a brief new snippet from our theatrical scrapbooks as my "status" on Facebook each Monday morning. I don't know who or how many people actually see these tidbits, so, from time to time, I'll post them here as well.

Here's the story thus far, including the date that each item was posted:

Aug 12, 2010
B'dale / TIV History (Part 1) - Barksdale Theatre was founded in Virginia's historic Hanover Tavern by six NYC actors in August 1953. We're 57 years old! And I think (hope) the founders would be proud. Maybe even a little amazed. I feel the presence of Pete, Muriel and Nancy (pictured below) every day. A blessing.
Aug 13, 2010
B'dale / TIV History (Part 2) - Barksdale Theatre was Central VA's first professional performing arts organization of the modern era. Founded in Aug 1953, Barksdale came 2 years before the Virginia Museum Theatre (TheatreVirginia), 4 years before the Richmond Symphony and the Richmond Ballet, 12 years before Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 21 years before the Virginia Opera, and 22 years before Theatre IV.

Aug 16, 2010
B'dale / TIV History (Part 3) - Before they'd heard of Hanover Tavern, the founders of Barksdale brought their dream from NYC to Richmond VA on Feb 4, '53. Tom Carlin and his partner Stewart Falconer, Pete Kilgore and his wife Perky, their 2 children Kate and Beau, Muriel McAuley, Pat Sharp, and a dog named Rags moved into the home of Aline Miles (Falconer's mom). They lived there rent-free for 6 months as they searched for a home for their new theatre.

Aug 23, 2010
B'dale / TIV History (Part 4) - During a 4-month search, the Barksdale founders found Hanover Tavern. On May 26, '53, they signed a contract to purchase the Tavern and its 4+ acres for $25,000 (that's $202,199 in today's dollars), with $5,000 down. $2,500 was paid on signing. Pete Kilgore cashed in his veteran's life insurance to close the gap on that first $2,500.

Aug 30, 2010
B'dale / TIV History (Part 5) - After paying down the first $2,500, the Barksdale founders had 2 months to come up with the second required down-payment of $2,500 (that's $20,220 in today's dollars). Co-founder Muriel McAuley wrote: "In July we saved over $1,000 by not eating, not smoking and not drinking two fifths of Italian Swiss Colony on Sat nights."

Sept 6, 2010
B'dale / TIV History (Part 6) - Borrowing from each of their families, and pawning everything they had, the Barksdale founders finally came up with the final $2,500 down-payment by the deadline date of Aug 1, '53. The last $10 was in change. Penniless, they moved into their new home. Monthly mortgage = $250 (that's $2,022 in today's dollars), plus interest at 5%.

--Bruce Miller

Subscriptions Growing at Hanover Tavern

Posted by Bruce Miller

In the midst of an avalanche of challenges (snow cancellations, threats to the Virginia Commission for the Arts), there is some GREAT news coming from Hanover Tavern. Bucking all trends, local and national, subscription sales are UP by 10.5%!

First Baptist of Ivy Gap is doing exactly what we hoped it would. It’s selling well and sending happy and heart-warmed Hanover audiences into the cold night air feeling uplifted. We’ve just extended the previously announced six-week run by two more weeks. Many thanks to our extraordinary actresses--Ali, Harriett, Jan, Joy, Maggie, Sarah and Audra (Audra is filling in this week while Sarah is auditioning at SETC) for making this show such a crowd-pleasing hit.

Thanks also to Chase (stage manager), Jeannie (house manager), Terrie and David (set design), Sue and Marcia (costume design), and Slade (light design) for their fine work transporting us to a Tennessee church hall in 1945 and 1970. And major kudos to Ted Soto, Barksdale's Board of Trustees leader extraordinaire. It was Ted who first saw Ivy Gap at Cumberland County Playhouse and brought the play to my attention.

Ivy Gap is helping to define our Country Playhouse Season at Hanover Tavern as the type of pops series that provides a warm haven for those seeking easy-going, well produced, graciously performed, unabashedly pleasant comedies and musicals.

There are those who consider shows like Ivy Gap to be “popular,” and mean the word “popular” to be pejorative. At Hanover Tavern, we’re embracing the “popular.” Seriously, what else are “pops” series all about?

We’re doing our best to entertain and delight audiences at all our venues. We want the great plays in our Signature Season at Willow Lawn to be entertaining, and we work hard to make the entertainments at Hanover Tavern artistically rewarding. But in an attempt to draw a distinction, we program Hanover Tavern to appeal to those who love theatre that reaffirms rather than challenges, that cares more about being lighthearted than serious.

All told, Barksdale and Theatre IV have about 3,000 subscribers at Willow Lawn, 2,000 subscribers at the Family Playhouse, and 1,000 subscribers at Hanover Tavern, equaling six thousand subscribers total. Last season, Hanover subscriptions dropped to 953 subscribers, comprised of 839 renewals, 85 new subscribers, and the return of 29 former subscribers who had lapsed in previous years.

This year (and we won’t complete our subscription campaign until the close of Ivy Gap on March 28) we have 1,053 subscribers at the Tavern thus far, comprised of 900 renewals, 106 new subscribers, and the return of 47 former subscribers who had previously lapsed.

We couldn’t feel more satisfied and grateful. To our loyal supporters, THANK YOU! As we begin our five year plan to grow total subscriptions to the 8,000 level, we’ll do our best to continue to earn your vote of confidence.

--Bruce Miller

What's "News" at Hanover Tavern?

Posted by Bruce Miller
All of us at Barksdale Theatre are proud to be lighting the fuse of our 5th Anniversary Season back at Hanover Tavern--our 57th Anniversary Season if you overlook the ten years we were away!

I know this sounds cliché, but how can it be possible that we've completed four full seasons since returning to our ancestral stomping grounds? It seems like only yesterday that Phil and I were sitting with Pete Kilgore, sharing the tremendous pride and joy he felt from knowing that his theatre was returning, finally, to his HOME.

It was with Pete's blessing, and the strong support of the leaders of the Hanover Tavern Foundation, that we decided during our negotiations of 2005 to position Barksdale's work at Hanover Tavern as a Country Playhouse Season--the equivalent of the purposefully commercial Pops Series offered by symphony orchestras nationwide.

There were (and there still are) three good reasons why we chose to pursue this business plan.

1 We believe it would be foolhardy to compete with ourselves. We think each of our two seasons needs to have its own artistic identity and attract its own audience. In our Signature Season at Willow Lawn, we focus on theatre as an art form. In our Country Playhouse Season at Hanover Tavern, we focus on theatre as entertainment.

Of course there is overlap. We work hard to make everything at Willow Lawn entertaining and everything at the Tavern artistic. Our experience tells us there are large numbers of Greater Richmond theatre patrons who actively avoid the likes of Boleros for the Disenchanted, The Clean House, James Joyce's The Dead and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, while enthusiastically embracing Barefoot in the Park, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, Butterflies are Free, and their seventh visit to Nunsense.

And vice versa.

Barksdale is a big tent theatre. We want everyone to feel welcome and at home. We offer two different experiences on our two different stages because we want to appeal to the broadest possible base of theatregoers. One day, if we can find the time and money, and if we believe it will do no harm to our colleague organizations, we may re-institute Theatre Gym as a third season for a third type of audience member.

2 The second major reason to have a Pops Series is to create an entryway for new audiences. With Nunsense, a musical comedy with very broad appeal, we hope to attract and earn the trust of new ticket buyers who may have such a good time that they choose to return to see another Barksdale production with a lesser known title, or perhaps one that challenges their existing sensibilities. Part of our nonprofit mission--part of every nonprofit theatre's mission--is to educate the community about the art form. You can't educate anyone until you first get them in the door.

3 A third reason to want to attract a broad-based rather than a niche audience is to increase the attractiveness of sponsorship opportunities. Sponsorships are part of the life blood of every large professional nonprofit theatre in the nation. When seeking sponsorships, it's all about market share.

No performing arts organization in town--no other theatre including the "Broadway" series at CenterStage--comes close to Barksdale and Theatre IV in terms of market share and audience diversity. If a corporation wants to support the arts and get its good name out there to a large and discerning audience, they won't find better sponsorship opportunities than the ones offered by the boisterous bunch at Barksdale.

We know there are good people out there who question the business assumptions that inform our programming at Hanover Tavern. There are arts aficionados who prefer niche theatres that focus on one type of programming and/or one segment of the audience. There are arts advocates who would prefer that seriously-intentioned theatres not produce commercial work from Nunsense to Neil Simon, that symphony orchestras with aspirations of greatness not dedicate programs to The Hollywood Hits of John Williams, that ballet companies that seek artistic excellence not feel compelled to remount annual productions of The Nutcracker.

I certainly understand and respect their opinions. However, I believe that in markets the size of Richmond, artistic integrity is job number one, and keeping sufficient cash in the coin purse is job number one too.

After the closing of TheatreVirginia, Barksdale assumed the responsibility to develop and sustain the professional infrastructure (staff, freelance artists, facilities, equipment, production stock) that is required to support not only our theatre but also Greater Richmond's professionally-oriented theatre community at large. With such a heavy commitment on the expense side, financial health cannot be taken for granted.

Maintaining market share is vital for a major professional theatre, particularly when national competition enters the community determined to take it by storm. All of us can name five or six or more beloved businesses that once seemed to be invincible Richmond landmarks. Ultimately, these great businesses faced increasing national competition, lost significant market share, and suffered the dire consequences that inevitably followed.

At Barksdale and Theatre IV, we're working our hardest (and smartest) to continue to make our companies invaluable assets to the Greater Richmond community. We appreciate your support. We believe having a major theatre in Central Virginia that can sustain a professional infrastructure is essential, not just for us, but also for every theatre in town and the community in general.

So what exactly are we offering on the 2010 Country Playhouse Season? Five shows that I LOVE! I'm very excited about this year's lineup. You can find it on our website: http://www.barksdalerichmond.org/. Or you can wait a day or two and I'll outline our upcoming Tavern shows here on the Barksdale blog.

Hope you'll consider subscribing to our wonderful Country Playhouse Season at Hanover Tavern and our inviting Signature Season at Willow Lawn. We need and cherish every subscriber we can get.

After all, subscribing is the best way to guarantee that ... I'll see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

What to Do When You Have No Power?

Posted by Bruce Miller
About three or four times a year we lose power at Hanover Tavern on a show night, causing the cancellation of a performance. Last night was the first time we’ve ever had to pull the plug on an Opening Night. Bus Stop by William Inge is now set for a delayed debut this evening at eight.

Power at Hanover Courthouse is a sometimes thing. Years ago, Barksdale co-founder Muriel McAuley, an avid student of ancient cultures, explained it this way.

Thor (not the Marvel Comics superhero but the ancient Germanic god of thunder, lightning and electricity) flew in his chariot over Hanover on the first of August, 1953. As all you scholars of ancient Germanic mythology remember, Thor’s chariot is powered by two billy goats named Toothnasher and Toothgrinder. As all you scholars of Richmond theatre history remember, August 1, 1953, was the day the six NYC actors who co-founded Barksdale Theatre moved into the Tavern.

The goats looked down as they flew over these hallowed grounds and noticed two sows being dumped unceremoniously into the back yard of the historic property. The two porcine princesses were named Sheba (after the titular pet in William Inge’s first Broadway hit, Come Back Little Sheba) and Tallulah (after the celebrated star who, in Souvenir, laughed so hard during Florence Foster Jenkins’ legendary recital at Carnegie Hall that she had to be carried out of the theatre by friends). Or was that Greta Garbo? Hmmm.

Anyway, the ever optimistic co-founders of Barksdale had acquired two piglets weeks before actually purchasing the Tavern, sure that their dream would soon be a reality. They planned for the pigs to be a thrifty way to “take care of the garbage and provide meat.” However, between the dates of piglet purchase and hog transport, the two sows had grown to 70 lbs each.

On August 1, the pigs were chauffeured to the Tavern by co-founders Muriel McAuley and Pat Sharp. (Pat would play Cherie in the Tavern's 1958 production of Bus Stop.) Quoting from Muriel’s book, Going On … Barksdale Theatre, The First 31 Years: “Until you’ve driven 30 miles with two trussed up, screaming, crapping pigs in the back of an overheated station wagon, you’ve missed one of life’s unique moments.”

Toothnasher and Toothgrinder apparently looked down, saw, heard and smelled the roly-poly garbage disposals, and collapsed in laughter. They knew full well that the co-founders should have foregone the purchase of pigs for the far more sensible choice of goats. This moment of hilarity caused the chariot to jolt, and in retribution, Thor sent a bolt of lighting thundering down onto an unsuspecting Hanover.

Along with the lighting came a curse, which has been buzzing and sizzling along the power grid ever since.

Our policy is this. If the electricity has been out for at least two hours, and it continues to be out three hours prior to showtime, we will cancel the show. It’s the only way we have a prayer of reaching the majority of ticket holders, all of whom we try to call within 30 minutes of the decision to cancel.

Last night’s call turned out to be a good one. As of this morning at 8 a.m., power had returned to the community of Hanover Courthouse, but there was still no power in the Tavern. As of this writing, I'm pleased to report that everything is finally back up and running.

Cancellation policies have not always been so practical. I remember performing in Old Wives’ Tale at the Tavern, three decades ago almost to the day. It was a fun vampire mystery comedy written by former Richmonder Ed Sala and directed and designed by Pete. I co-starred with the late Carol Chittum, the late Will Keys, the late Anne Goodwyn, and the very much still with us Glenn Crone.

One night the power went out in the Tavern during dinner. Rather than cancel the show, Pete, Nancy and Muriel asked every table to carry their hurricane-globed candle with them into the theatre. The candles were placed around the perimeter of the stage, and we performed the entire show in candlelight. Nancy sat to the side and hummed the incidental music and Pete made all the sound effects (wind, thunder crashes etc) by mouth.

It was one of the most fun and exciting performances I’ve ever been privileged to be a part of. But in these more practical days of fire marshals and liability litigation, it will never happen again.

Now that the lights are back on, I look forward to seeing you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

... and things that go bump in the night

Posted by Bruce Miller
True story. At least I think it’s true. Sometimes I inadvertently make this stuff up. Someone please help me out if my memories fail to jive with reality.

About 30 years ago, right here in River City, an older woman (watch, it will probably turn out that she was in her mid- to late-50s, younger than I am now) died a week or so after falling off the stage into an orchestra pit in a darkened theatre.

Here name was Margaret Eddington. She and her buddy Jean Alfred used to volunteer at theatres all over town. Or maybe they were employees somewhere. I’m not sure. I guess I knew Margaret either from the erstwhile Children’s Theatre of Richmond, or Rec and Parks (at the Mosque, now Landmark), or Dogwood Dell—maybe all three.

Which brings me to the subject of ghost lights—our third theatre superstition of the week.

Almost every theatre I’ve ever worked in has had a ghost light. We have one at Barksdale at Willow Lawn and another at the historic Empire. And now that I think about it, I ought to run out this week and buy one for the stage at Hanover Tavern and another for the Theatre Gym (the new name as of two weeks ago for the former Little Theatre).

Ghost lights are basically night lights, or safety lights, but you’ll seldom if ever hear them referred to by that name by a theatre insider. The names “night light” and “safety light” have no drama at all, so why use ‘em.

Ghost lights also have their own unique look. Most of them roll on and off-stage on a built-in three-wheeled base. Traditionally, they have no on-and-off switch. To turn one on, you either plug it in or tighten the bulb; to turn it off, you do the opposite. They tend to have long cords, no shades, a single bare bulb of pretty high wattage, and sometimes a capsule-shaped steel cage built around the bare bulb to protect it.

Where does one even buy these things—at Home Depot? Pleasant’s? An occult shop?

Do places other that theatres use them? I don’t know. And if and when they do, do they refer to them as ghost lights?

Let’s face facts—theatre folk love their traditions. And if those traditions come attached to superstitions, all the better.

A ghost light has a very practical purpose. Before leaving the theatre for the night, the stage manager always plugs in the ghost light (or tightens the bulb) and rolls it out to center stage. Only then can the stage manager leave the building.

In practical terms, the ghost light is there to protect the dear Margaret Eddington’s of the world as they creep back on stage in a darkened theatre to retrieve a forgotten prop.

For the superstitious, ghost lights are uniquely theatre-centric. They are there … and I’ve heard both of the following explanations given, but I greatly prefer the first:

1. to continue to light the stage after all the Lekos, Fresnels and PARs have been extinguished, so that the ghosts of the theatre, who emerge only after the muggles have left the building, can once again enjoy their moment in the spotlight; or

2. to ward off evil spirits who otherwise would surely wreak havoc by sawing half-way through stage braces, hiding props, and removing the safety locks from trap doors once the stage manager is no longer watching.

I’ve heard many a story about the ghosts in Hanover Tavern, which surely must have them, being more than 200 years old. Jacquie O’Connor, I believe, has had a close encounter of the third kind.

I too have encountered a ghost or two in my time, but I’ve yet to do so in a Richmond theatre.

If I could only remember which Richmond theatre dear Ms Eddington was in when she took her tumble. Surely there must be a ghost there. I’d love to see her again just to get my facts straight.
Till then, I hope to see YOU at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Porter Posts Plaudits for "Souvenir"

Posted by Bruce Miller
John Porter has written a lovely review of Souvenir, now inspiring hearty laughter and a wee lump in the throat at the historic Hanover Tavern. You can find the full review at "Souvenir."

Here are some review quotes we’ll be pulling:

“Magical!
The story of triumph when one stays true to a dream
Two top-notch performers
Jenkins is deliciously played by Debra Wagoner –
She turns every second into another great moment.
Jonathan Spivey comes across as a great raconteur –
a Cole Porter or Noel Coward.
Superior ~ Inspired ~ Impressive
A Triumphant Production!”

--John Porter, WCVE-FM

Terrie and I have tickets for Boy’s Life tonight at the Firehouse. Hope to see YOU at the theatre sometime (many times) soon!

--Bruce Miller

The Queen of the Night

Posted by Bruce Miller

Last night was a very rewarding Opening Night for Souvenir at Hanover Tavern. Many, many thanks to:

Debra and Jonathan for their terrific performances,
John and R. L. for their knowing stage direction, light design and musical direction,
Sue for her world-class costumes,
David for his masterful tech direction,
Slade for his invaluable electrics work,
Joe for his expert stage management,
Chase and Dee for their backstage magic, and
all the amazing theatre artists and administrators who are making this charming production possible.

This true story of Florence Foster Jenkins and Cosme McMoon is inspiring as it challenges our assumptions regarding what is art, which artistic performances have value, and who gets to decide.

As much as we in the audience find ourselves doubled over with laughter at Madame Flo (as Cosme calls her) and her vocal stylings that surely must be sending countless Pamunkey pups running for the hills, we simultaneously find ourselves falling in love with her confidence and generous spirit.

If none of this makes sense, then come see Souvenir, a delightful evening that takes you back to NYC during the glory days of American musical performance. When Cosme begins the show talking about Cole Porter, Elsa Maxwell and the Aga Khan, it took me back to the glory days of the original production of Randy Strawderman’s Red Hot and Cole in the mid-70s, when those same names were recalled on stage during the opening of that most famous of Barksdale world premieres.

If you would like to learn more about the real Ms Jenkins or Mr McMoon, you can sample their recordings at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B000003F97/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_001?ie=UTF8&track=001&disc=001

and/or you can read the transcript of a radio interview conducted with Mr McMoon in the early 90s in Berlin:

http://listproc.ucdavis.edu/archives/mlist/log0402/0004.html.

The photos used in this blog post are of the real Florence Foster Jenkins. To see Debra Wagoner’s gracious, hilarious homage to Ms Jenkins, buy your tickets to Souvenir today. Like Boleros for the Disenchanted, it’s not to be missed.

--Bruce Miller

Those Canaan Days

Posted by Bruce Miller
Being, as it is, the first day of Autumn, I would be remiss to say goodbye to the Summer of ’09 without recognizing that a quarter century has passed since Barksdale began the most prosperous two years of its history. It was on Friday, June 29, 1984 that Barksdale opened Randy Strawderman’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a success of Biblical proportions. The smash hit musical took Richmond by storm. It ran for over two years at Hanover Tavern and then headed out of town on national tour. Joseph was directed and choreographed by Randy, with music direction and arrangements by Barry Hayes, setting and costumes by Jann Paxton, and lighting by Katrina Allison. James Hughes, a virtual unknown with no professional stage experience, starred in the title role, with Sandee Flores (née Hayes) co-starring as the Narrator, the role of her career.

The incomparable Jay Lundy appeared as the patriarch Jacob, and the now ubiquitous David Clark, Larry Cook, and Cynde Liffick (née Cindy) made their first big splashes on the Richmond theatre scene.

The rest of the original cast included Robin Arthur, Regina Christopher, Karen Elaine Cress, Holly Dudley, Robert Easter, Adam Harris, Paul Haynes, Kevin Henshaw, Tyler Lincks, Connie Manson, Harry McEnerny, Robert Pemberton, Don Semmens, Bernard Toliver, and Bryan Wade. Tracy Adams, Graham Cheek, Michael Cole, Philip Jowdy, Rhonda Lipscomb, Bobby Mauney, and Norvell Robinson Jr. joined as replacements and alternates later in the summer.

Terry Little served as Production Stage Manager. Barbara Stanitski stage managed (to be replaced later in the summer by Sybel Crone). Richmond artists Bill Nelson (poster graphic) and Clifford Earl (sun sculpture that held center stage) added immeasurably to the production. Rook Strong and Doug Draucker (alternating with David Jewett) joined Barry Hayes in the onstage combo.

In those days gone by, Barksdale did not have a “season” or “subscribers,” and when a show was a hit, it simply kept running. Joseph certainly was a hit, and its phenomenal run broke Richmond longevity records for all time.

So as we bid farewell to this Silver Anniversary Summer, all of us at Barksdale offer many thanks to the innumberable theatre artists who have added so much to our company’s history. Your incomparable efforts and talents will live on our stage / your stage forever, long after the final curtain of any one particular show.

Your presence is felt and honored.

--Bruce Miller

August 30, 2009

Posted by Bruce Miller

Resonance.

Richness or significance, especially in evoking an association or strong emotion.

Intensification and prolongation of sound, produced by sympathetic vibration.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. It was the last show of Fully Committed and a packed house once again leapt to its feet in appreciation of and wonder at Scott Wichmann’s talent.

It was also Scott’s 36th birthday. Twenty-six of his family members were there, along with over a hundred friends from Richmond’s theatre community. Love, friendship and respect were palpable.

Immediately after curtain call, Scotty made a heartfelt speech about how special this all was. “I moved here ten years ago,” he said. “I had no intention of staying. I also had no idea of the community I was joining—a community that immediately embraced me and has supported and sustained me. A community like family, that even introduced me to my beautiful wife. This is an amazing birthday because all of you are here.”

After the show, we celebrated with Scotty and each other during a picnic in the Tavern’s back yard. As you all know, yesterday was also Scotty’s last day before joining the Naval Reserve. He checks into a hotel room this evening and hops on a bus tomorrow morning for basic training.

I arrived at yesterday’s festivities leading a van filled with young actors who had just travelled from their homes in New York to connect with the Richmond theatre community for the first time. They are amazing actors, and all of them are Latino. They came here on faith to perform in our upcoming production of Boleros for the Disenchanted.

Our six Boleros actors have to be wondering … What is this Richmond theatre community like? Did I make the right choice to leave my home in New York to come here?

The minute I saw the Tavern, as I was driving up, my heart and head filled with … what? Fifty-six years ago this month, six actors from New York came to Richmond, saw the derelict tavern for the first time, and made the decision to pool every penny they had in the world, buy it, and devote their lives to saving this building and building this theatre.

Before the Richmond Symphony or the Richmond Ballet, before the Virginia Museum Theatre, these New York émigrés founded Central Virginia’s first professional performing arts organization. As they wove their passions and perspectives and talents and intelligences into the very fabric of our community, they changed it forever.

They heard about the Jim Crow laws that made it illegal to admit black audience members into their new theatre. When the county sheriff came to tell them, they offered themselves up for arrest, saying that there was no way in hell they were going to welcome some of their new neighbors into their theatre and home while excluding others. They broke the back of those insane laws by becoming the first Virginians to simply stand up for what was right.

No arrests were made.

How proud Pete, Nancy and Muriel would be, I thought, to know that Barksdale is about to launch Richmond’s first Hispanic Theatre Project. How pleased they would be to welcome these six new New York actors into the home they loved. How thrilled they would be to witness Scotty’s amazing performance, to meet his family, to see the Richmond theatre community gather here again to honor the great spirits that live in this place, in Scotty’s talent and in his heart as he ventures off to join the Naval Reserve.

I saw Phil when I arrived, and shared these thoughts with him.

As he was packing up after the wonderful day and getting ready to drive home to Ashland, Phil's heart and head also filled with a sense of ... connection. He turned the steering wheel of his car, and for the first time in four years, he visited Pete and Nancy’s burial site, located just a few minutes from the theatre. He had thoughts to share.

When he arrived, he looked down at their markers and discovered something that neither of us had remembered. Yesterday was also Pete Kilgore’s birthday. And Nancy’s birthday is Sept. 18, opening night of Boleros for the Disenchanted.

Standing in the dusk in the churchyard, Phil called me on his cell so that I would know.

Resonance.

A subatomic particle lasting too short a time to be observed directly.

I hope to see you at the theatre.

--Bruce Miller

Harnessing Honaker

Posted by Bruce Miller
First of all there’s the pronunciation. You put the emphasis on the first syllable—just like you would expect. But the first syllable rhymes with “bone,” not “don.”

Then there’s the matter of the second and third syllables. You say them just as if you were talking about an “acre” of land, with the “a” getting more emphasis than the “ker.”

So it’s Hone’-ake’-er, with each syllable getting slightly less emphasis than the one that preceded it. Like homemaker. Not Hahn’-ah-ker.

I’m talking of course about Audra Honaker, who is now starring in Barksdale’s I Ought To Be In Pictures at Hanover Tavern (see pictures above and to the right and below and to the left).

About her performance, critic Celia Wren wrote in the Richmond Times-Dispatch: “If America could harness the vim that actress Audra Honaker brings to her latest gig, the country’s energy problems would be solved.” That’s the first sentence of the review.

In STYLE Weekly, Mary Burruss issued similar compliments: “Hackman and Honaker hit dramatic heights. Honaker delivers a strong performance.”

If Richmond has stars--and I think we do--she's one.

So who is this theatrical powerhouse whose talent and energy are capable of lighting up a stage and a nation?

1. She’s the youngest of that elite group known as “the most talented professional actors in Greater Richmond.” No group’s really known as that, but you know what I mean. I’m not talking the top 50; I’m talking the top ten. I don’t use these words lightly. (That's Audra in Seussical to the right, and in Brooklyn Boy below and to the left.)

2. She’s one of the two or five actors in town so enjoyed and remembered by the theatre-going public that her name above a title can actually sell a significant number of tickets.

3. Like most of the greats, she’s a quadruple threat: she can act, sing and dance, and she’s very good looking.

4. She has a healthy self confidence. But her most endearing quality is that she honestly seems to have very little sense of her elevated place in the pecking order. I don’t think she knows there is a pecking order. And if she ever finds out there is one, I don't think she'll give a peck. She accepts roles in the ensemble just as happily as she accepts leads. In her spare time you can find her spray painting props, power washing sidewalks, laundering costumes, and tending to abandoned kittens. Whatever around the theatre needs doing, Audra is happy to do it. All these things I’m saying, she’d never say herself … or even think.

5. Like all the greats, she works all over town. Barksdale, Stage 1, Swift Creek Mill and Theatre IV (in alpha order) are all regular employers. (That's Audra with Drew Seigla, as Little Red and Jack, outside Willow Lawn on the sidewalk for Into the Woods.

6. She is equally adept at comedies, dramas and musicals. She has the instincts of a seasoned performer. She always takes direction eagerly. I’ve never once seen her roll her eyes as if she knew better.

7. She takes quickly to accents and with little or no effort can sound as eloquent and British as anyone could want. But in real life, she speaks with an unselfconscious Hopewell drawl that is easy to imitate as the Audra-voice. She probably (and proudly) has the most frequently impersonated accent in town.

8. She’s SMART. I should have put this as the first comment, because it may be the most important. (That's Audra to the left with Jan Guarino in the world premiere of Mona's Arrangments.) Audra's blog, and I won’t give you the address because it’s completely unselfconscious and I don’t want to freak her out, is laugh-out-loud-funny and warmly enjoyable. Other than boy genius Matt Hackman, Audra’s usually the first one off book. She sight reads vocal music like a pro, and is almost always the first one off score.

9. She’s nice, thoughtful and is friends with just about everybody. Seriously, does anyone know someone who knows Audra and doesn’t like her a lot?

So now for the shameless self-promotion part, except it’s not really self-promotion, it’s Barksdale promotion. Come see Audra in I Ought To Be In Pictures, playing now through June 21, and Audra may be missing a couple shows the last week, so come soon. Audra plays the wonderful role that won a Tony for Dinah Manoff (Best Supporting Actress, 1981) and should win Audra her second Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award next fall. (Audra won Best Actress last fall for her star turn in Once Upon a Mattress at the Mill.)

I Ought To Be In Pictures is a funny and sweet play. Audra, Matt and Lisa are wonderful in it. Hope to see you at the theatre.

--Bruce Miller

"I Ought To Be In Pictures" Opens

Posted by Bruce Miller
Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures opened on Friday, just in time to make up for the fact that Annie and Well were closing on Sunday. Thoroughly Modern Millie begins rehearsal this evening. Ah, the circle of life!

It's been fun working the past four weeks on Pictures. Fun because I was able to spend evening after evening with Audra Honaker, Matt Hackman and Lisa Kotula--three funny, smart and kind-hearted friends. I've said it for years. The greatest blessing of my job is that I get to work with wonderful people.

It's been fun to work with a play written in 1980 and update cultural references (the names of popular movie and television stars, cars, baseball heroes etc.) so that the play continues to be set, as the author has written, "in the present." The one popular movie star who needed no updating after 29 years? Jack Nicholson.

It's fascinating to see how a comedy plays when its 29-year-old bones are all dressed up in 2009 duds. (I'm using "duds" in the context of "clothing," not in the context of "a bomb that fails to explode." Yikes!) Is there some friction when dialogue written three decades in the past rubs up against cultural references from the present? You bet there is. Fun!

In theatre, it can't be only about recreating--or creating in the case of Bo and Steve's wonderful Mona's Arrangements--the comedies and dramas of today (Well, The Clean House). It can't be only about honoring the great plays of the past (Children of a Lesser God, Driving Miss Daisy). Sometimes it's fun to mix the past and present together and see what happens.

I was honored that Celia Wren, a great national theatre writer who happens to live in Richmond, reviewed Pictures for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Here are the quotes we're pulling from her terrific review:

“Funny, Poignant Play!

If America could harness Audra Honaker, the country’s energy problems would be solved!

Super-Competent, Shrewdly Choreographed

Hackman exudes the right kind of world-weary cantankerousness

Smart! Agreeable! Droll!

Kotula displays apt wistfulness

Exactly the Right Place

God is in the Details!”

--Celia Wren, Richmond Times-Dispatch

I hope you'll find the time to come out to Hanover Tavern to check in on this lesser known Neil Simon comedy. It's fun and sweet and I'm proud of it.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Mona's Arrangements on stage now!

Mona's Arrangements - our World Premiere Musical Comedy runs through April 5, 2009 at Hanover Tavern.
More information | Tickets | (804) 282-2620

Book by Bo Wilson
Music by Steve Liebman
Lyrics by Steve Liebman and Bo Wilson

Starring Jan Guarino, Scott Wichmann and Audra Honaker
Photos by Jay Paul








See the full photo album on our Facebook page.

Video Interview - Bo Wilson & Jan Guarino of Mona's Arrangements

Mona's Arrangements - our World Premiere Musical Comedy - opens this Friday, Feb. 27 at Hanover Tavern.
More information | Tickets

Visit the set of Mona as playwright Bo Wilson and actress Jan Guarino discuss the inspiration behind the show and the role the audience plays in tweaking a new production.

The Best Christmas Curtain Call Ever

Posted by Bruce Miller
Last night, Terrie, Hannah, Phil, Donna and I all drove out to Hanover Tavern to catch the curtain call of Sanders Family Christmas. For the Miller half of the Miller/Whiteway clan, that’s about a half-hour trek. But it was well worth it. It was The Best Christmas Curtain Call Ever.

Spoiler Alert: If you’re planning to see Sanders Family Christmas, and you haven’t seen it yet, you may want to stop reading. I’m about to discuss a significant plot point that occurs near the end of the show. It’s nothing too dramatic. No one bombs Mt. Pleasant Baptist, Denise doesn’t announce she’s pregnant with David O. Selznick’s love child … or anything like that.

But it is a significant plot point, and I don’t want to give anything away to some unsuspecting soul who’s looking forward to experiencing the show without already knowing how it ends.

OK, if you’re still reading, consider yourself warned.

Near the end of Sanders Family Christmas, Rev Oglethorpe (Billy Christopher Maupin) proposes onstage to June Sanders (Aly Wepplo). It’s a really nice, funny, sweet scene, and the audience always gets a little teary and feels warm and fuzzy all over. When June accepts the proposal, the audience always bursts into applause.

WELL … last night David Janeski (the actor who plays Dennis Sanders) topped all that. For those of you who don’t know, David Janeski and Aly Wepplo met in Barksdale’s production of Mame, and began dating during Barksdale’s production of Smoke on the Mountain. In the intervening year and a half, it’s been pretty clear to any and everyone that David and Aly had fallen in love. And why not, they’re a perfect couple.

Yesterday, David graduated from grad school at VCU, and so his parents were in town for the graduation ceremony. Last night, his family also turned out for Sanders Family Christmas. If I’m not mistaken, Aly’s family all came down for the show last night as well.

Following David’s careful planning, our stage manager Christina Billew informed the cast that I had asked if they would all return to the stage following curtain call for an encore. With everyone in the know except Aly, they all followed instructions, danced up the aisle as always, and then came running back onto stage for the “encore” I’d requested.

That’s when David took over. He introduced himself to the audience as David the actor, not Dennis the character who is a brother to Aly’s character June. He invited the audience to sit back down, and asked them for a few minutes of their time. “My family is here tonight,” David said sincerely, “and over the years they’ve given me just about everything I have. But the one thing they couldn’t give me…” (it was at this moment he began choking up and Aly got a strange look on her face) “… is standing right over there.”

When he pointed to Aly, the light went off in her head, and she knew what was coming. David professed his abiding love, invited Aly to center stage, and then he recreated the scene we’d just seen where Rev. Oglethorpe dropped to one knee and presented June Sanders with a ring. Only this time it was real. And when Aly tearfully and enthusiastically nodded yes, the audience once again leapt to their feet applauding, providing the second standing ovation of the evening.

After heartfelt hugs and kisses, David announced, “We’re really going now. Thank you.” And the cast once again danced up the aisle and out into the lobby.

It was the perfect ending of a perfect show, and an ideal beginning for a wonderful couple.

I’m crazy about David and Aly both individually and together. It all began with the Sanders Family. The proposal was the Best Christmas Curtain Call Ever. and along with everyone who knows and loves them, I wish the newly engaged couple a Wonderful Life.

--Bruce Miller

Dan's Declaration - "Talent to Spare!"

Posted by Bruce Miller

Dan Sherrier of Hanover’s Herald-Progress has added his voice to the chorus of approval for Sanders Family Christmas, now playing at our historic home. Under the headline “Sanders Family makes successful return to Hanover Tavern,” Sherrier applauds ever member of the ensemble, calling the show “perfectly cast.”

Here are the review quotes we’ll be pulling:

“Great News!
A fine way to start off the holiday season
Excellent pacing and comedic timing
Wonderfully Played ~ Talent to Spare ~ Especially Fun
Warms your heart and keeps you laughing
Perfect!”

--Dan Sherrier, Herald-Progress

There are still a handful of tickets left to see and hear the Sanders clan between now and Christmas, so if you want to add some joyful noise to your advent celebration, please call today.

Or if you wind up waiting until after Christmas to visit Mt Pleasant Baptist (the setting for SFC), know that you'll be in good company with the likes of ... say ... William Shakespeare and the Virgin Queen.

In Shakespeare's time, Twefth Night was a vital part of the Christmas celebration, and Twelfth Night was a four week festival that began on Jan 5 and continued into the beginning of February. The premiere of Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night ended England's Christmas celebration in 1602, and it most likely took place on February 2. (Visit our archives for January 2008 if you'd like to reread Celebrating Twelfth Night, posted earlier this year on Jan 5.)

So if Shakespeare can celebrate Christmas through early February, we can certainly run Sanders Family Christmas through Jan 25. Most of the show focusses on the early days of WWII and other pressing issues in 1941, so the production should play well even during the "extended" season.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

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.

"Clean H" Earns B'dale National Wiki Notice

Posted by Bruce Miller
All right, I confess. It’s one of my goals to get Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV into Wikipedia. The Richmond Symphony has been thusly immortalized, as well as the Virginia Opera and the Landmark. Why not B’dale and TIV?

I’m not talking about being mentioned in someone else’s Wiki article. We’ve already achieved that distinction. Stefan Sittig (a choreographer who worked with us in days gone by) lists both Barksdale and Theatre IV among his credits in the Wikipedia article that’s all about him. And the Wiki article on Richmond itself includes the following (oddly worded) copy under its Arts and Culture listing:

“Barksdale Theatre- Founded in 1953, originally as the Hanover Tavern. Created the nation's first dinner theatre. The Barksdale was Virginia’s first performing arts organization to open its doors to integrated audiences. Continues today as The Hanover Tavern, in Hanover Virginia, Barksdale Theatre in Richmond.

Theatre IV- founded in 1975 by Bruce Miller and Phil Whiteway and is one of the largest running theatres in Virginia. Tours children's shows all over the country. Now a family playhouse after Bruce and Phil took over Barksdale Theatre in Willow Lawn in 2001.”

Hmmm. Guess I’ll have to try to edit that a little. But it’s fun to know that Wiki and we are on a first name basis.

What I’m talking about is articles of our own, so that when you see us listed in someone else’s article, the names Barksdale and Theatre IV appear in blue and you can click on them to link instantly to the big articles that’re just about us.

I just discovered that our current production of The Clean House has taken us one step closer to achieving that goal. In the Wiki article about The Clean House and it’s current prominence in world theatre, Barksdale made the cut—which makes me mighty proud. Here’s what the operative part of the article says, word for word:

“Overview

The Clean House won the 2004 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, awarded annually to the best English-language play written by a woman, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. It has received glowing reviews from certain critics: Variety called the play a “…wondrously mad and moving work…” and Charles Isherwood of The New York Times dubbed it a deeply romantic comedy, “…visionary, tinged with fantasy, extravagant in feeling, maybe a little nuts.”

Other publications, such as The Village Voice and The New Yorker were more critical, registering complaints about the play's style and its treatment of Mathilde. At the end of 2006, Entertainment Weekly magazine named the New York production one of the top ten theatrical attractions of the year.

The Clean House has been produced at South Coast Repertory (West Coast premiere, January 2005), the Goodman Theatre (spring 2006, in Ruhl's native Chicago), The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. (July 11 — August 14, 2005) [1], Lincoln Center Theater at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (New York premiere, October 2006), Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England (April 2006, European Premiere) and at Northampton's Royal & Derngate theatres (Feb 08 then UK tour).

The Sheffield production featured Patricia Hodge (Lane) and Eleanor Bron (Ana/Mathilde's mother). It was directed by Samuel West. Both actors revive these roles for Northampton and UK tour, directed by John Dove.

The Lincoln Center production featured Blair Brown (Lane), Jill Clayburgh (Virginia), John Dossett (Charles/Mathilde's father), Concetta Tomei (Ana/Mathilde's mother), and Vanessa Aspillaga (Mathilde).

The Clean House was shown at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury in March and April 2008. A French version was played in Montreal a the Espace Libre theatre in February 2008 called "Une maison propre".

Will run at the Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, VA from Sept. 26-Nov. 2nd, 2008.”

And that’s it, folks. No other theatres are mentioned. Barksdale is in some proud international company, and we didn’t even put ourselves there, I swear.

Anyway, I thought that was pretty interesting. So, if you have yet to see the lovely Sarah Ruhl play that earned this national notice for little old Barksdale, please make your reservations for The Clean House ASAP. You’ll be glad you did.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Miss Daisy Wows the Crowds and Wins Raves

Posted by Bruce Miller
Driving Miss Daisy, our funny and poignant fall show at Hanover Tavern, opened on Friday evening and today earned it's first rave and fourth standing ovation! Daisy was directed expertly by Joe Pabst. The heartwarming play stars Joy Williams, Jim Bynum and Garet Chester.

In this morning's T-D, Susan Haubenstock writes: "Nostalgia is the first emotion elicited by Driving Miss Daisy--nostalgia for the play's period, the post-WWII years up through the civil rights era, and for the 1987 play itself. Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning work pointedly and touchingly looks at race relations in the South by focusing on one well-to-do elderly Jewish widow and one slightly less elderly black man. Through their interactions over 25 years the playwright delicately reveals the prejudices, blind spots and humanity representative of many Americans, yet particular to these two people."

Susie goes on to praise just about everything. Here are the review quotes we'll be pulling and publishing for anyone who'll read them:

“A Godsend!

Three FINE actors:

Joy Williams is a marvelous Miss Daisy.

Jim Bynum inhabits Hoke fully, giving us his dignity, warmth and humor.

Garet Chester is the mirror for both of them.

Joe Pabst directs with emphasis on the comedy,
but he doesn’t short-change the serious moments at all.

A touching, excellent ride!”

--Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

The wonderful costumes, wigs and make-up are by Sue Griffin. The attractive set design is by Amy Bale and David Powers, with outstanding scenic painting by Terrie Powers. The evocative lighting is by Bennett Fidlow. But at the end of the day, it's Joy, Jim and Garet who will knock your socks off.

The show is already selling well, and the box office should catch fire after this morning's review. So please plan to join us now for this very funny, very touching look at a meaningful and good-humored American story.

Hope to see you at our Hanover Tavern theatre!

--Bruce Miller

The Importance of Being British

Posted by Bruce Miller
One of the things that make producing a show like Shirley Valentine such fun for me is the chance to dip my toes in the waters of another culture. Shirley is a very British play. Too bad I didn’t have the sense I should have had after so many years of toe dipping. Had I been smart, I would have recruited a “British consultant” to advise us on all aspects of the production. But I wasn’t and I didn’t. Consequently, I received this very nice and constructive (and slightly embarrassing) note from a friend of our theatre.

In the end, I think this correspondence is informative, very positive, and kinda fun. So I’ll share the constructive note first, and then our responses.

Here's the nice constructive note...

Dear Barksdale,

I saw the performance of Shirley Valentine last night at Hanover Tavern and while the acting was quite good, the set and prop designs were completely inappropriate. I understand designers and directors often reset plays in different eras than the action was originally set---Shakespeare in modern dress etc.--but the presence of a bottle of Fairy Liquid and a couple of boxes of Weetabix led me to assume the action was indeed still supposed to be set in an English kitchen.

Apart from those props, however, everything else was completely wrong for an English kitchen--from the huge refrigerator to the curtains, cabinets, faucets, and even a cookie!!! jar. The English do not eat cookies; they eat biscuits. It may be nit-picking, but even the color of Shirley's passport was wrong. While it is true that today's passports are a burgundy color, in Shirley's time it would have been navy blue.

And no respectable English person-of-the-period would serve ketchup with egg and chips--it has to be HP Brown Sauce--in a bottle of course!.

I am a subscriber to Barksdale Theater and both my husband and I have really enjoyed all the plays at Willow Lawn. I understand you work with a tight budget, but a little more effort at authenticity would have been appropriate.

But then again, being English myself, maybe I am the only one who noticed these things and the only one who was bothered by them.

Sincerely,

xxxxx

Here's the first response from Jessica Daugherty, our webmaster who receives all emails first and lives in New Zealand…

Dear Ms. xxxxx,

Thank you for taking the time to write. I currently work from New Zealand and have learned some of the things you spoke about while living over here, where they also use slim refrigerators and say biscuits instead of cookies. I'm sorry you were disappointed with the set and props, but glad that you still enjoyed the acting.

I'm forwarding your message on to our Artistic Director, Bruce Miller, so that he can see your comments.

Kind Regards,
Jessica Daugherty
Internet Services
Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre

And now here's the response from me…

Dear Ms. xxxxx,

Thanks for your support of Barksdale Theatre, your thoughtful letter, and your valuable constructive criticism. May I keep your name and contact info on file to use as a "British consultant" in the future? Your points are all very well taken, and I appreciate the constructive input. We certainly could use your help.

All the matters you mention regarding inaccuracies in our depiction of Shirley Valentine's home and its contents relate to my responsibilities. I manage props, furniture and set decoration for all Hanover Tavern shows. I did a fair amount of research for Shirley, but clearly not enough.

Regarding the appliances, I contacted Biasco - The Kitchen Specialists, a major English wholesaler and retailer of refrigerators and washers. I asked them what brand of mid- to low-price refrigerator and washer would have been installed in a British flat in the 1950s, about the time we imagined Shirley's 1985 kitchen to have been constructed. Among the brand names they suggested as meeting that criteria were a Frigidaire refrigerator and a Bendix washer. Our Tech Director for Hanover Tavern, David Powers, searched for, found and purchased a 1950s Frigidaire refrigerator and a 1950s Bendix washer. The refrigerator is small by contemporary American standards and appears to be the same size as the refrigerator used in the West End production of Shirley Valentine. The script says only that the refrigerator must have a built-in freezer and this one does.

I'm glad you noticed the Fairy Liquid and Weetabix. The Fairy Liquid was a generous loan from a friend of our director, Amy Berlin. I bought the Weetabix along with every other British-seeming grocery item I could find at Ukrops. Several of the other pantry stuffers (King Arthur Flour, Old London Melta Toast, Wellington Toasted Sesame Crisps) were less visible on the set but nonetheless there. We had British beer in the fridge, purchased from Total Wine and Beverage. We re-covered the Biz laundry detergent box (too American) with blow-ups of the British detergent logos for Daz. We printed can labels for Harry Ramsden's Mushy Peas and Batchelors Bigga Marrowfat Processed Peas (the most mid-80s British-looking labels I could find on the Internet) and covered over the Food Club labels that were too recognizable, too American and too 21st century. These counterfeit cans were among the items that filled the shelves.

Regarding the condiments to accompany the chips, I went to Icons-A Portrait of England online (http://www.icons.org.uk/), and found this: "Who can bear the thought of the perfect, soft-centred chip without a generous splash of malt vinegar to provide an extra burst of flavour? No self-respecting chippy is without the obligatory bottle of malt vinegar on the counter, along with salt and perhaps tomato ketchup." So I purchased a jar of malt vinegar and replaced the American-looking label with a computer-generated mock-up of the authentic British label (London Pub Malt Vinegar). When Shirley served her "chucky eggs and chips," she salted them first and then placed glass bottles of London Pub Malt Vinegar and Heinz Ketchup (that's the brand all the British grocery sites carry) on the table with the chips, in keeping with the instructions found on icons.org.uk.

Regarding the cookie jar, you got me! That was sheer stupidity on my part. I know better and appreciate the constructive criticism.

Regarding the British Passport, I Google Imaged "British passport 1985," and literally every photo of a British passport that appears on the Internet in response to that search shows a burgundy passport with the gold British crest. All the U. S. passports from that period are navy blue. So I photocopied the burgundy passport cover with gold British crest, did away with the words "European Union," and applied the forged cover over my mother's navy blue U. S. passport from the 80s. I'm sorry my research on passport color and appearance wasn't exact enough.

My research indicated that British Airways was the most likely carrier to transport Shirley from London to Greece, so I found some vintage photos online and created the fairly authentic British Airways ticket you saw in the show.

Curtain fabrics, window treatments, cabinet and faucet design are the work of our set designers, Terrie Powers and David Powers. They tell me that the curtain fabric and treatment were inspired by "Ironing Hopes in a British Kitchen," a Flickr photo found via Google Images online after searching for "British kitchen." The cabinets and faucets were modeled after images found on BritishFlats.com.

All of this is meant to show that there was a significant "effort at authenticity" even if the results of those efforts didn't pay off. In the end, the lesson I need to learn is that all the Internet research in the world can't replace the input we can receive from someone who actually lived there.

Thanks again for your support of Barksdale and for your excellent input. We'll try to do better in the future.

All the Best,

Bruce Miller
Artistic Director
Barksdale Theatre

Note: There were two sets in Shirley Valentine, occupying opposite sides of a turntable. The first was Shirley's tiny British kitchen, the second was a Greek Island cliffside adjacent to the surf. Both are pictured above.

--Bruce Miller