Wayside's 'Hopes and Dreams' Intern Cabaret Showcase Begins 7/2

With the continued success of its production of Man of La Mancha, Wayside Theatre is pleased to announce the addition of an exciting event to their 2009 summer performance calendar. Wayside's Acting Intern Company will take off their tattered Spanish Inquisition costumes and wipe away their prison dirt for an intimate night of music and cocktails with their first planned "Intern Cabaret Showcase" of the 2009-2010 Season. For two nights only, beginning this evening Thursday July 2nd and Friday July 3rd, the Curtain Call Café of the theatre will be converted to a piano bar offering a free cabaret to the community.

Middletown has been treated to the beginnings of what will be an exceptionally unique and diverse season of characters from Artistic Director Warner Crocker and his professional acting company, whom have taken their audiences to afar with the misadventures of Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. Meanwhile, the community is eagerly anticipating the theatre's next main stage productions The Gin Game, a hilarious Pulitzer Prize winning drama, and a re-mounting of the historical drama Robert E. .Lee and John Brown: Lighting the Fuse. However, with all of the excitement that this season will surely offer, this Intern Cabaret Showcase will feature some of the theatre's budding talent in a completely new light.

What makes this Cabaret so unique is that it offers the community a rare glimpse at the actual people and personalities that have kept Middletown entertained night after night on Wayside's main stage. The company of young professional actors will be able to drop their characters and on-stage oddities and perform material that is close to them. It also makes for a perfect opportunity for these talented individuals to perform the songs that they feel best showcase their talent and personalities, which theatre patrons wouldn't otherwise get to witness.

The performance will be on Thursday July 2nd and Friday July 3rd following that evening's performance of Man of La Mancha at 11:00 pm in Wayside Theatre's Curtain Call Café. "The Curtain Call offers an ideal venue for this type of performance," offers Cody Murphy, acting intern currently seen on the Wayside stage as The Barber in Man of La Mancha. "In coordinating this event, I wanted a space that could offer our performances the freedom and intimacy that they demand; where better than in our own Curtain Call Café?"

Dave Sucharski, currently performing as The Padre in Man of La Mancha, shares his enthusiasm for the event. "I've been fortunate to work with such a unique and amazingly talented company of actors in our production. We've all been fortunate to be able to share Don Quixote's ‘Impossible Dream' with our amazing audience every night. In many ways, the story of Don Quixote inspires each of us to look inside ourselves and strive for our own impossible dream. That is why we would like to curtain this production by sharing our own ‘Hopes and Dreams.' I am thankful to have performed with such wonderful actors and for the people of Middletown. In many ways, this cabaret serves as our own personal thank you to the Wayside Theatre patrons!"

Wayside Theatre's Intern Summer Showcase "Hopes and Dreams" begins at 11:00 pm on Thursday July 2nd and Friday July 3rd at the Wayside Theatre's Curtain Call Café. It is free of charge - donations appreciated. For more information call (540) 869-1776. Wayside Theatre is located at 7853 Main St. in Middletown, VA. Visit www.waysidetheatre.org for all Wayside events. The Wayside Theatre is handicap accessible, smoke-free, and will offer a cash bar.