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In a time when people are not going to the theater, the Wayne Theatre figured out how to take the theater to the people.
The Wayne TheatreĀ in Waynesboro has announced the development of new and innovative online programs for alternative forms of workshops and entertainment designed for an at-home experience. The brand new āAt Home with the Wayneā program series will feature educational materials for 
children and adults. Included will be: virtual art exhibits, pop-up performances to be broadcast online only, classic film introductions, special cabaret performances, online storytelling, lectures, and more. All materials are designed to follow the Wayne Theatre’s mission of delivering diverse programs from a wide variety of genres, appealing to people of all ages.
This special content will be made available online through the Wayne Theatre’s website YouTube, and social media; and At Home with the Wayne programs will be Pay What You Will. Payment and donations are accepted through its website.
“While these trying times may keep us apart, we remain strong in our commitment to delivering quality programming to our local community and are looking forward to reaching even more people online,” says Wayne Theatre Executive Director Tracy Straight.
āWe feel that the Pay What You Will model will allow us to continue to create and distribute programming that is accessible to everyone,ā Straight continued. ā And it reminds our community that our programming relies on the generous support from those who purchase gift certificates, make donations, sponsor a show, and join us as a Partner in the Arts member.”
Shannon Sankar, who handles marketing for the Wayne, gave us some additional information. āRight now, the program has officially launched, and we are all very hard at work on delivering more ā and more quality ā in the coming days and weeks.ā She expanded on some of the content being planned, which includes:
- Storytelling Sessions
- Sing-Alongs
- Actor Workshops/Tutorials including theatrical makeup, practicing foreign accents
- Cabaret-style performances
- Performances from a variety of singers and actors, including mini-concerts presented online
- Virtual presentations from exhibits with the Wayneās Exhibit Art Gallery
āAdditionally,ā Sankar continued, āthe Monday Movies at the Wayne series has been a longstanding favorite event, allowing us to present classic films 
like The Wizard of Oz on āthe big screenā with an introduction by Jimmy Overton. While these movies canāt be shown in-house for a while, the Wayne Theatre and Jimmy O are working to continue the presentation, creating a video introduction of the film originally scheduled for ābroadcast.ā Audiences can now watch at home (most of the films are readily available through streaming media).
Support for the Wayne Theatre can be made through a direct donation by mail or on its website, or by becoming a Partner in the Arts member, as well as through the purchase of gift certificates which can be ordered by calling the Wayne Theatre at 540-943-9999.
Get a preview of whatās available with this impromptu “Parking Lot Performance” by the children of the Wayneās Frozen JR production. Unable to perform āon the big stageā as they had originally intended they sang some of their favorite songs from the show–from the parking lot of the Wayne Theatre. Watch the video here.
Learn more about At Home with the Wayne here.Ā
Banner photo courtesy the Wayne Theatre