The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Show keeps going on
Workshop Players group marking 75 years, gearing up for first full season since pandemic
The wings of the Workshop Players theater group, based at 44820 Middle Ridge Road, have been spread throughout the community of Amherst for 75 years.
After celebrating its history with a gala in May, the dedicated volunteers that operate the unique theater are gearing up for the first full season since the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re all excited about having a real season,” said Board member and performer Pat Price, noting that the pandemic was incredibly hard on theaters across the country.
Performers, sets and costumes all were ready to go for the musical “Pippin” in March 2020 when the pandemic shut the world down.
In the fall of 2021, the 101-seat theater opened at 50 percent capacity.
Gradually, audiences increased.
“Everybody was still so nervous about going out,” Price remembered.
It took the renewed energy of board members and troupe alumni to return to sell-out shows and a new full season.
Lorain filmmaker John Baumgartner, who worked in marketing in Hollywood, has joined the board and spearheaded efforts including a new website set to launch this month.
Baumgartner also used his skills to capture comments by video from alumni such as character actor Cliff Bemis, who recently returned to the area. Bemis helped promote the Player’s May gala celebrating the diamond anniversary.
“He, as a kid, was very involved with Workshop Players, and he’s very passionate about making sure it stays alive,” Price said.
Workshop Players began in 1948 when student Duane Hinds and teacher Valerie Jenkins yearned to spend more time treading the boards.
In 1952, the group moved into the century-old theater building which once was a one-room schoolhouse.
The Amherst school district still owns the building, but the Workshop Players now have a 100-year lease.
At the gala, memories of past players and staff were shared and loyal patrons discussed their favorite productions.
“To perform and direct in that space is so special because it’s theater in the round and the audience is right there.”
The cabaret-style event also featured live performances and drew more than 100 guests to German Villa to kick off the Raise the Curtain fundraiser.
“We’ve already raised the curtain, but we want to keep it up and not have to constantly ask for money,” Price said.
The gala also was a chance to honor longtime members of the group who have died.
Lucille Trelka ran the box office beginning in 1984, usually from her home next door to the theater, and Bill Reising, director and set designer, worked on more than 100 shows before his 2021 death.
The sense of community in the theater is very real with families who have been attending shows since the 1960s and others who have literally grown up in the theater.
“To perform and direct in that space is so special because it’s theater in the round and the audience is right there,” Price said.
“I’ve made so many wonderful theater friends there.”
Help always is needed and all are welcome, she added, noting that the best parts aren’t always in the actual productions.
“The real show is often backstage. We dance to the scene change music and just have so much fun,” Price said.
The new website will mean all tickets can be purchased online.
Season tickets for all five shows are $84.99. Individual tickets remain at $18.50.
Discounts are available for Thursday shows or groups, and organizations may buy out the entire theater and resell tickets as a fundraiser.
Price is excited for the show that will start the season Sept. 14 — “Death Trap” by Ira Levin.
“I really believe it is the best thriller written,” Price said. “There are so many surprises.”
In November, the group will stage the classic comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring.
The “Dining Room” by A. R. Gurney is a series of nostalgic vignettes with actors playing multiple roles.
It will run in January and February.
The classic drama “12 Angry Jurors” by Reginald Rose is planned for March and the new comedy “Rip Cord” by David LindsayAbaire will close the season in May.
“It is just a hilarious show,” Price said. “I’m so excited for that one.”
— Pat Price Workshop Players board member and performer on the group’s Amherst facility