Wayside Theatre Presents The Leo Awards

Wayside Foundation for the Arts President, John Westervelt and Artistic Director, Warner Crocker, presented the 2011 LEO Awards to persons who are significant in their support of Wayside Theatre.

The Leo Awards was established in 2001 by the Board of Directors of the Wayside Foundation for the Arts. The awards are presented by the Board of Directors to persons who have a passion for the theatre and its programs, and who have demonstrated those attributes over an extended period of time. A LEO winner may be young or old, an individual, or may be an organization or a business. The medallion presented to each recipient is cast in pewter with a cut-out of the theatre and engraved on the back with the date, the name of the person/organization, and a statement of thanks from Wayside Theatre. Each awardee also receives a framed plaque commemorating the event.

The 2011 Leo Award recipients are: DeWayne Coats, Craig Laird, and Malcolm Barr.

DEWAYNE COATS

Dewayne W. Coats has been a volunteer for Wayside Theatre for over 17 year. Opening night crowds will recognize him as one of our Opening Night ushers that help you find your seats, and Wayside Theatre audiences have been ushered to their seats by Dewayne for many of those 17 years. But, Dewayne is also a key volunteer and consultant for our production team. He provides advice, purchasing and installation assistance, and consultation on the multi-media equipment including our sound and projection equipment. During the temporary relocation to the Royal Phoenix in Front Royal, Dewayne set up our control booth and equipment and also did the same when Wayside Theatre returned home to Middletown. His expertise has been vital to such past productions as Reunion, A Musical Epic in Miniature, Groucho, Robert E. Lee and John Brown, Always Patsy Cline, and Sherlock Holmes, The Final Adventure among many others. DeWayne is also an active volunteer for his church and many other organizations as well. Wayside Theatre as a professional theatre has always relied on volunteers to assist its professional staff on any number of fronts. Some of those volunteers become as integral to our operation as any of the staff. Dewayne Coats personifies that volunteer spirit, without which Wayside Theatre could not operate.

CRAIG D. LAIRD
Craig D. Laird, is the owner of Royal Oaks Computers. Personally and through his business, Craig is an active supporter of many organizations including Wayside Theatre and he is a very active community advocate in the Front Royal community. Through Craig, Royal Oak Computers has been an active show sponsor for a number of seasons. Craig's expertise and knowledge of computers and computer networking have been an invaluable resource to Wayside Theatre throughout the last five years. When something goes wrong the call to "call Craig" goes out, and things are quickly put right again. Simply put without him, we couldn't operate with today's technology. Craig also serves as a member of the Wayside Fellows and is an invaluable resource for marketing and operations advicE. Craig is married Robin Laird.

MALCOLM BARR
Malcolm Barr has been a major supporter of the Arts in the Front Royal and Warren County community.
Malcolm Barr served on the Board of Directors for Wayside Foundation for the Arts from 2003-2009. Since his term as Board member ended, Malcolm has served as the President of the Board of Directors for the Humane Society of Warren County. As a board member of the Wayside Foundation for the Arts, Malcolm was very active on a number of projects including assisting Wayside Theatre with its temporary relocation to the Royal Phoenix Theatre during the 2007-08 Season, while the renovations were being made to our home in Middletown. Malcolm worked as a journalist for most of his career and currently is a free-lance writer for various local newspapers. He has been active with Rotary in Front Royal and also the Rockland Rockers, working with to bring the members of both groups to attend Wayside Theatre. His commitment to arts in education has also been evident by the number of students he has personally gotten involved in Wayside Theatre's educational programs. His tireless promotion of Wayside Theatre has been and continues to be an ongoing asset to Wayside Theatre. Malcolm is married to Carol Barr and has one son, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman, Malcolm, Jr.

Wayside Theatre is the second oldest professional theatre in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and is celebrating its 50th Golden Anniversary season of presenting high quality, professional entertainment. Patrons can obtain single tickets, subscription packages, and group packages by calling the Box Office at 540) 869-1776. Additional information can be obtained on the theatre's website at www.waysidetheatre.org. Wayside Theatre is located in Middletown, Virginia on Route 11, Main Street, just north of the intersection of I-66 and I-81.

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