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BY CRAIG CHALLENDER

Special to The Farmville Herald

“I feel out of place doing this. There are no accolades I’ve deserved.” So began the recent interview with Daphne Mason, long-time member of The Waterworks Players board of directors, on the occasion of the board’s unanimous vote to award her the title of Director Emerita.

And so, we tried another tack. Had she ever been involved in community theater prior to Waterworks? “Goodness, no — I didn’t even know community theater,” she smiled. “I was in some musicals in college; Plain and Fancy is one I remember. I had a few bit parts, but mostly I was a member of the chorus.”

Had she ever acted in or attended plays staged by the Daniel Players in Keysville? [Waterworks, founded by Artistic Director Dudley Sauve in the early 1970s as the Daniel Players, performed on the campus of Southside Virginia Community College. The troupe moved to Farmville in the 1980s, locating the theater in an old water treatment plant (now the site of the Farmville Fire Department) they christened The Old Mill. A plan to permanently house there fell through but the troupe’s new name, “The Waterworks Players,” remained.] “No, never in Keysville,” Mason said. “But I was in several plays in Farmville: The Old Mill, Jarman Auditorium and the lower dining hall on the Longwood College campus, the Presbyterian Church fellowship hall. Everything was so spontaneous — Dudley would say, ‘Let’s do a play,’ and we did!”

When asked what her favorite role was, Mason’s eyes lit up. “Definitely Auntie Mame. That was my best part, at least before the theater collapse.” [The old State Theater on High Street was the Players’ new home from 1989 until February 1994, when its roof collapsed from a massive ice storm.] “Mame was my first major role. It was so much fun, and I had what seemed like a dozen costume changes. One time — I was on the stairs of the set — I accidentally kicked Martha Womack, the costume mistress, in the nose! Martha and I were in so many funny plays together: Arsenic and Old Lace, Nunsense, The Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Victory Church. One of my favorites is Kitchen Witches; Martha’s character painted my face with chocolate pudding, and I pushed a ball of dough down her dress.”

“But I was cast in several serious parts too, like Sister Aloysius in Doubt,” Mason continued. Dudley’s set for that play was really simple, just a desk and two chairs. I was really irritated — I wanted to move around more. But years later I saw a production that had an elaborate set, and it was distracting. Dudley was right — Doubt is a heavy play, and the audience’s attention needs to be focused on the actors, not the furniture.

“Driving Miss Daisy, where a grand old Southern lady and her Black chauffeur gradually become friends over the years, was even more challenging and very meaningful to me. I didn’t let my young grandchildren see that play, though, because my character ends up as an infirm old woman in a nursing home. Miss Daisy was such a sellout that Dudley added an extra matinee performance, for a total of six shows instead of the usual five. I taught high school English for over 40 years, and there’s a scene where I say: ‘I have taught some of the stupidest people in the world, and they all read.’ My old students in the audience really laughed at that. Sometimes when I go to bed I think about that scene, and I go right to sleep.”

What was her greatest satisfaction during her stint as president of Waterworks? “Well, I succeeded Dudley and served as president for three years,” she said. “It was an interesting transition. We went from being loosely organized to becoming something more like a business model, with bylaws and committees. Helping, or trying to help, manage that transition is what I feel is most important.”

Finally, we noted that Daphne has been a vital part of other community organizations like the Farmville United Methodist Church choir and the Commonwealth Chorale. What was most gratifying about that involvement? She thought for a moment, and then smiled. “I’m one of those rare people that are called ‘natives.’ I’ve been treasurer for the Commonwealth Chorale for 26 years. I’ve spent 51 years singing in church, from the cherub, to the adolescent, to the adult choirs. Farmville is my home town. I can’t imagine not being a part of it.”