In the summer of 1937, G.Evans Hubbard was a busy man. He had just recently founded a single-sheet weekly called The Wilton Bulletin and, as a leading member of the Wilton Community, wanted to do a benefit for the Wilton Red Cross.

But what to do?

Luckily he was living in a community that had a great deal of artistic talent. There were groups doing shows and concerts at St. Matthews Church, The Congregational Church and just over the border in Norwalk “Theatre in the Woods” was importing New York talent for it’s alfresco greek-style theatre (located between Belden Hill, Old Belden Hill and Gristmill Rd at the top of “Super” 7). Maybe Wilton could “put on a show”?

The core group was gathered and the preprodction began. The cast was:

Joseph O Glover Jr. as Zach Freeman
Dorothy van Name as Sally
Christopher Smiles as Freeman, the landlord
Henry M. Wreszin as Willum
Benjamin B. Burton as Vagabond
Sally Wreszin as Violet
Innes Randolph as Governor Lamson
Jeanne S. Keeler as Mrs. Lamson
Joan Keyes as Virginia Lamson
Alan MacCracken as Tom Allen
G. Evan Hubbard as The Sherrif
William A. Lidgate as Ezra, The First Cop
Fenton Keyes as Joshua, The Second Cop
Charles B. Hester as Stevens

Technical folks where there too.

The set was desiged by Dorothy L. Moore, Costumes and makeup were handled by Katharine Bukan, Sound effects were provided by Emeroy Burton, Lighting expertise was provided by Horace Shipman, Properties where handled by Ruth J. Pedersen and the Prompter (they had those back then) was Gertrude W. Noonan.

The Tavern was presented by “The Wilton Play Shop” (as it was called in the August 1st issue of The Wilton Bulletin, at the Wilton Town Hall on Route Seven August 13th and 14th at 8:30PM. Ticket order cards were mailed to every home in Wilton. Tickets where 50 cents each. There was dancing after both performances.

The “program” seems to have been created by The Wilton Bulletin since we have a taped together copy which shows how the cast list seems to have been cut from the front page of The Wilton Bulletin issue mentioned above while the article at the bottom appeared originally ran on the bag page of the same issue.

The show’s two performances were sellouts with standing room only crowds in the 650 seat room raising some $600+ for the Red Cross. According to The Wilton Bulletin most of the money raised was used to fund swimming lessons at Meyer’s Pool.

It was during the “strike” of The Tavern on August 15th that the assembled group decided to get together and make this official. They formed a committee headed by Ora G. Wier with the purpose of creating bylaws and a constitution around which a permanent organization would be founded.

The group then made plans for it’s first official Playshop production, The Late Christopher Bean, which would be presented in November 1937.