by June Valliere
Vokes Theater on Boston Post Road in Wayland looks like a blue and gray nondescript building from the road but stepping inside, the theatergoer is transported to a miniature 19th century opera house. The interior is reminiscent of Ford Theater in Washington D.C. Sidney Hayward, a wealthy Wayland resident, built the theater on his property in 1904 for his wife Beatrice who was an American actress and vaudeville performer. The dollhouse theater was scaled to an intimate size for Beatrice to perform her monologues. It is complete with a small stage, balcony and proscenium (boxes to the side of the theatre).
Beatrice Hereford performed monologues both in England and the United States. Her monologues were comic in nature, lampooned popular figures and types. They were favorably received on the New York and London stages. Beatrice built the Vokes Theater, which is named after British actress Rosina Vokes to entertain her friends. For over thirty years she entertained her rich and famous friends which included actors such as Ethel Barrymore, John Drew and Norah Bayes. Some of her famous actor friends inscribed their signatures on the inside of the box office. There are framed pictures from that period in the theater lobby. The property was later divided. The original Hereford home is a couple lots away.
A small group of amateur actors asked Beatrice in 1937 if they could use the theater. After she agreed, they refurbished the theater and the Vokes Players were born. The Vokes Players have been performing ever since. According to John Barrett, President of Vokes Players, their theater is considered to be a “solid quality repertory theater in the region”. He said that people drive from other towns in the area to see their productions. The group performs four plays a year. There is generally a musical, a drama, a comedy and the fourth is either a classic or a modern play. This year their fourth selection will be William Shakespeare’s “Midsummer’s Night Dream”. The members of the play committee read 30 – 40 plays a year and boil them down to four, according to Barrett. They map out their seasons in three-to-four-year increments to offer a variety to their 400 subscribers. He said, they look for a balance in genres and a mix of good male and female roles.
All auditions are open to everyone. No experience is needed. Since they are a true local theater and they do not pay their actors and there are no equity actors performing in their plays. Barrett said that their goal is for as many people as possible to try out but some people are dissuaded by the quality of their productions. However, he emphasized that everyone is welcome to try out. They have a smattering of actors who had professional careers when they were young but gave it up to work in more lucrative professions. He said there are a couple of women who performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company in England. John Barrett both directs and acts in their performances. All the actors are volunteers but directors and set designers are paid a stipend around $1,000. He was a professional when he was young, performing with theater companies in Boston, Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
Vokes Players currently consist of about 50 members who perform various tasks in subcommittees such as building maintenance & grounds, play reading, publicity. The theater is a not-for-profit company and is primarily supported by subscriptions and donations. Tickets can be purchased online and at the box office but the box office only accepts cash & checks.
There are two remaining performances this season which are “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” and a “Midsummer Night Dream”, playing in May and July.
