The Vokes Players of Wayland present The Porch, directed by James Barton. Performances will be held at Beatrice Herford’s Vokes Theatre, Route 20 in Wayland from July 20 through August 5 Thursday-Saturday evenings at 8pm with a 2pm matinee on Saturdays, July 29 & August 5. For tickets and information call 508-358-4034, or order online via our website www.vokesplayers.org. Ticket prices are $18 for Thursday evenings; $19 for Saturday matinees; $22 for Friday & Saturday evenings.
The porch referred to in the title belongs to Alma, a slightly naïve septuagenarian who is about to throw her traditional Labor Day picnic for her friends and family, the first one since her husband passed away. To support her, her close friends Gert and Marjorie and Leo and Pat (their husbands) are there helping (to an extent; they’re not doing much beyond gossiping). And these three couples have a lot of history together, so there’s precious little that they self-censor anymore. As they prepare for the picnic, they’re teasing each other, they’re discussing current events (it’s 2004, Bill Clinton has just published his biography, and local news is breaking of priests who have abused children), and they’re watching the goings-on in the neighborhood. Their running commentary highlights the changing culture and how these folks feel about it. Local playwright Jack Neary explores with delicate humor themes of loss, trust, growing old, and the personal impact the big headlines of the day have on ordinary people. On their porch, these five Massachusetts natives live out their lives with each other, making sense of it all as best they can.
The cast for the show includes: Fred Robbins (Burlington), Liz Robbins (Burlington), Deanna Swann (Framingham), Robert Zawistowski (Medway) and Barbara Douglass (Newton). The director, James Barton, is from Marlboro.
The historic Beatrice Herford’s Vokes Theatre in Wayland is one of the truly unique cultural and historical resources in Metrowest. The Vokes Players is a non-profit theatrical organization. The Porch is the final production of our 2016-17 season. The theatre is wheelchair accessible. For more information about the Vokes Players, visit our website – www.vokesplayers.org.
