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Richard Portner Resigns 40-Year Tenure at the Weathervane Theatre |
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Written by Gibbs Murray
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 In 1968, Tom Haas, founding father and artistic director of the Weathervane Theatre, introduced me to a young couple from Minnesota who were teaching assistants at Emerson College in Boston where Tom was a professor in the Theatre department. Tom felt strongly that Richard and Terry Portner would be the perfect compliment to our fledgling summer theatre (ad) venture. Both had strong theatre backgrounds and had done The Pajama Game on a USO tour in Germany; Terry played Babe and Richard was Heinzie—and production coordinator for the tour. Both had served in similar capacities at Deertrees, Emerson's summer theatre in Maine.
We had received word from John Dodge of the Mountain View House that he had purchased the Weathervane Inn and would re-open it if we would open the theatre next door. Tom understood that we needed strong support and commitment. It's no secret that Richard and Terry proved their mettle; we were a very happy collaborative team.
Terry essayed most of the star musical vehicles from Dolly and Mame to Mama Rose and turned in wonderfully wrought comic and dramatic roles. Richard played everything from Felix Unger and Elwood P. Dowd to Edmond in Long Day's Journey, the Stage Manager in Our Town and Salieri in Amadeus. He also regularly directed, and has served both as artistic consultant and technical/ business advisor in the first qarter century of Weathervane seasons.
Following Tom's untimely death in February 1991, Richard and I asked Jacques Stewart, Tom's appointed associate artistic director to take the helm, and, without fanfare, Richard assumed the business end of our operations.
Richard has addressed the WV Board with the annual budget proposals, negotiated royalties/rights, contracts, by-laws, fire and safety regulations, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.. which reminds me, I think Richard also played the King of Siam opposite Terry's Anna Leonowens.
Last year Richard announced that he would retire from his role as managing director. He stated that he and Terry want more time for travel and other things; reasonable after forty years of exemplary service to this institution, made venerable, in large part, to Richard Portner's vision and hard work. I still don't believe this has happened. We are so close-- literally; the Portners arrived from New Hampshire to their house in Philadelphia, two doors from me, last night. I spent a portion of this morning outside questioning Richard on a number of Weathervane-related matters. He has said he's not going away entirely; he'll always "be in the shadows." Today, there was bright sunlight overhead and no discernable shadows as I pressed Richard for—again—his good advice. |