A number of our Board of Directors have
written there thoughts about Wayside Theatre and why it is important
enough for them to volunteer their time to serve the community through
serving the organization. You'll be seeing more of these. This first one is from Bill Sirbaugh.
Sitting here now, close to 45 years later, I can’t remember if it was
junior year or senior year in high school. I do definitely remember,
though, arriving at a destination I had little interest in, the Wayside
Theatre. I think, if challenged, I could even find that seat location
today. The ghost in the balcony could well be my shadow.
They
drug us kicking and screaming, at least as much as they allowed us to
“kick and scream” in 1968 or 1967, to see a play we were agonizing over
in class. The lights dimmed, ironic since that is when the lights came
up in another way, and on the stage below actors began saying the words I
had only looked at (not really read) before. Characters on the page
came alive and the Shakespeare tragedy unfolded as only live performers
can make happen. The tragedy became a celebration and even today when I
read a play I envision in my mind how it would look and sound on that
stage. I want to share that experience. I want to gift it to the next
generation. I want to see others have that opportunity.
This
is why the Wayside is important to me. It has been a magic part of the
quality of my life. A Wayside production was one of the first places in
the Valley I took the woman who would become my wife to introduce her
to the Valley. It is the place I brought my family as they grew. It is
an event I bring friends to whenever I can. All lives need the
experience of a live production, a live production on the Wayside stage.
If you'd like to read more about this campaign please check out more infomation here on this blog, on Facebook, or at Wayside Theatre's website. If you'd like to help or share your story we'd be very grateful.
