Newsletters - Spring 2001

NEWS and VIEWS
Spring 2001

The Theatre at Washington, Virginia, is ten years old this year. To celebrate this milestone, we invited a few of the performers who have recently delighted our audiences to write a few words for this newsletter.

BEN JONES, stage, TV and screen actor, appeared at the Theatre in "Love Letters" last fall:

As a young actor, I constantly toured the country playing hundreds of venues. I played on flatbed trucks in boiling hot parking lots. I played the Kennedy Center. I played Cape Cod and the Berkshires, the Poconos and Hollywood. Occasionally in my travels I would walk into a theater for the very first time and get a feeling of being thoroughly at home, of being most welcome in an old playhouse.

The Theatre at Washington is such a magical place. It has an ambience of inviting coziness, a palpable feeling of performances past and performances to come. For the performer and the playgoer there are perfect sightlines and startlingly clear acoustics. The charming lobby, the pleasant greenroom and the beautifully appointed auditorium add to the feel of taste and tradition.

It is a gem of a theatre and a performer's paradise. Everything about it enhances the synergy between art and audience.

So, on behalf of "poor traveling players," thanks to the Theatre at Washington, Virginia, for giving us such a splendid place to hang our hats.

GENE BERTONCINI, the renowned guitarist, will return to play another concert at the Theatre next September:

The Theatre is the perfect setting for meaningful intimate jazz concerts. With the lingering echos of Charlie Byrd and other wonderful musicians and its perfect size, the Theatre provides an atmosphere for an immediate connection between artist and audience. My concerts there with Frank Vignola have been the highlight of our work together.

LAMBERT ORKIS, Grammy-Award winning pianist, who gave a fortepiano recital last December:

Though my musical life has brought me to some of the most world-renowned venues for the performing arts, I can honestly say that playing at The Theatre at Washington, Virginia gives me special pleasure. Its size allows the performer to intimately share the beauties of the music with the audience. The location of the theater amidst the rural charm of the town and the splendor of nearby Shenandoah National Park make for a welcome break from the urban congestion I normally associate with performing. By preserving this wonderful theater, Wendy Weinberg has performed a great service for the arts.

KENNETH SLOWIK, Artistic Director, Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, who arranges and plays in The Smithsonian at Little Washington concert series:

To play in a hall with a great history is always special. When I play at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, for instance, I can't help remembering that Mahler conducted there on several important occasions. A concert in the recital hall of Vienna's Musikverein brings to mind the fact that Brahms appeared there more than a century ago. Ghosts . . . Memories linger, too, when one has played numerous times in one venue. Each concert remains a special adventure, but the now-silenced sounds of one's previous concerts echo in the mind, like the hints of ancient spirits locked in the oak of seasoned wine barrels.

After nine seasons of "The Smithsonian at Little Washington" concerts, I feel the Theatre is inhabited with musical phantoms of this type, who offer their tacit welcome each time we drive up to unload at the Theatre's charming entrance. Your own gracious presence, and the warm enthusiasm of your audience, complete the feeling of returning to a musical "home-from-home." As I offer you my heartiest "Brava!" and congratulations as the Theatre celebrates its first decade under your enlightened administration, I look forward to the three concerts this spring that remain in the present season, and to marking the Smithsonian's tenth year with you next fall. You deserve your own standing ovation!

Wendy Weinberg owns and manages the Theatre at Washington, Virginia.

Below are some messages from a few members of our audience.

Bill Young, M.D., founder of RAAC's twice-monthly film series

About ten years ago, after many brief and varied attempts to use this 1940's movie theatre, it was bought by Wendy Weinberg. She updated the decor, inside and out and replaced seats and changed the programs, drawing local residents but attracting wider audiences as well. We are blessed now with world class jazz and classical musicians, vocal artists and actors. The Theatre is still available for the RAAC movie programs, talent shows, religious and political gatherings, etc. Who knows what next. Try it, you'll like it! Thanks to the Theatre for making life in the country even more interesting!

Jim Allison, Program Director, Classical 103.5 WGMS and wgms.com

We enjoyed last Saturday's concert very much. What a lovely venue in a lovely town. Now that I know it's not terribly far away I'm sure I'll return.

Jim Gannon, proprietor of the Old Sperryville Bookshop

In every community, there are a few precious places that give the community its heartbeat. In Rappahannock County, The Theatre at Washington, Virginia, is one of those rare places. It serves as a connection to the world of music, drama, dance and arts generally, and it serves as a connector - bringing local people together to share moments of grace. We are all the better for it.

. . . and a final word of thanks to all of you

Thank you for being such an attentive, responsive, thoughtful, warm, appreciative, and generous audience!

The Theatre
291 Gay Street
P.O. Box 322
Washington VA 22747