Daw Theatre
Gassen and Jefferson would like to bring back the floating theater, referring to the James Adams Floating Theater, which played in the small towns of the Chesapeake region, such as Tappahannock.
Sometimes, all it takes is outsiders to create a new vision for an old town. In the case of Tappahannock, it’s a couple of midwesterners with a history in the theater who are galvanizing the community around the stately Daw Theater. Located on Prince Street near the corner of Water Lane, it opened as the Essex Theatre in 1930 and was renamed the Daw Theatre in 1939. Closed about fifteen years ago, it was purchased by Gene and Mary Jane Cook, primarily so it wouldn’t be torn down.
The Cooks also own the Essex Inn, an 1851 manor house converted to a B&B in 2002, which they purchased in 2006. In April 2014, after their last innkeepers retired, they hired Ric Jefferson and Jeremy Gassen to take on the day-to-day responsibilities of running the inn.
The new innkeepers arrived with resumes boasting years of corporate hotel background and something even more crucial for Tappahannock: experience running Jeric Productions, their own theater company in Kansas City.
“I think it was part of the reason we were hired,” says Jefferson, serving coffee and his homemade lemon blueberry cake from the settee in the inn’s parlor.
The two are currently working with locals to form a steering committee with the goal of raising funds to restore the Daw to its 1930s art deco glory. Once fully renovated, Cook plans to donate the theater to the city. Jefferson and Gassen, with over twenty years of experience in all aspects of theater, have agreed to be the artistic and managing directors to get the project off the ground.
“Our goal will be to bring in large, money-making shows, using our professional connections to bring down producers from New York and DC,” Gassen says. The profits from those productions will allow the theater to host groups such as high-school groups and community theater and dance groups. “It’ll be a home base for local groups.”
“This will take an entire village,” Jefferson interjects. “This is bigger than Ric and Jeremy.”
Gassen admits that prior to their arrival in Tappahannock, he was nervous about taking on such a big endeavor in addition to their new roles as innkeepers. “Sometimes it’s difficult to get communities behind something like this. But every person here has a memory of Daw, a story about Daw,” he says. “That theater has a home in the heart of the Tappahannock community.”
With funds from Cook, the theater has been gutted and the 300 seats removed, 200 of which will be reupholstered and reinstalled, along with a bigger stage. The goal is to keep as close as possible to the original Daw, achievable because of the town’s collective memory of it.
“It’s got great bones,” Jefferson says. “You can already see the potential of the place.” The former projection booth will be converted to a light and sound booth for the donated equipment. Ever the optimist, Gassen projects that the theater will be open for performances by next spring. “That’s a big goal,” Jefferson says with a laugh. “How about 2016? We can agree on that.”
Another thing they can agree on is running the Essex Inn, a far cry from their years working in corporate hotels. “I love the hospitality industry but hated doing it where I was,” Gassen says. “I’d shake guests’ hands 300 times a day and never see them again.”
Jefferson has chef duties and Gassen runs the inn. “This has been a dream,” Gassen says. “We used to joke that we were going to retire at a bed and breakfast, but I’m glad the opportunity presented itself before retirement because this is a lot of work, seven days a week.”
Their hectic schedule makes a few allowances for time away, usually at the beginning of January when bookings are scarce. For short hops, they visit local farms and wineries, a combination of work and pleasure.
“The first thing we changed about the inn was working with local farms,” Jefferson says enthusiastically. All the meat and eggs for the inn are supplied by the Callao farm Piglets and Sunshine and they tap the plentiful local sources for seafood. “In the summer, we go to Sneed’s and pick berries.”
Day trips to Virginia wineries have impressed on them how much better Virginia’s wine industry is organized and promoted than Missouri’s, their frame of reference back home. Currently, they’re in the process of deciding which Virginia wines to carry, with a goal that their wine list will eventually be entirely composed of Virginia wines.
Walking through the restored house, it’s obvious that the two midwesterners have been smitten by Tidewater Virginia.
“I have completely fallen in love with this area,” Gassen says, pointing out the original gas and oil chandeliers now converted to electricity. “There’s so much to love here. I grew up on the mighty Mississippi and you could put six of those here. I’m a history geek and pretty much everything that happened, happened here. I can see now why people were willing to fight for this part of the country.”
In just over a year in Tappahannock, the two have already seen changes. “Like any small town, change is hard, but I think it’s slowly happening” Jefferson says. “A lot of smart, progressive people here want to see a few more shops and restaurants downtown.”
They see the town as having the core components that cater to the tourist industry with the potential to grow. “Over time, we’ll see it diversify. We’d like to see a few more restaurants in nearby communities” Gassen says. “We’re very happy with where in the process we are right now. We lucked in at a very good time for the area. A lot of what’s needed will happen organically as tourism grows and local area businesses respond.”
One way they’re responding is with regularly scheduled events at the inn. Every month, they feature “Local Artists in the Parlor,” kicking off with a public meet and greet, an opportunity to chat with the featured artist and other art lovers. Jefferson hosts the event with tea and finger sandwiches for visitors to savor as they mingle and take in the new work.
The first Monday of every month, the Essex invites the community in for “Chase Away Those Monday Blues,” a happy hour with live local jazz and blues musicians, beer, wine, hors d’oeuvres and a signature cocktail In pleasant weather, it’s held in the courtyard, an inviting space under the shade of one of the oldest living box elders in Virginia, according to an arborist who estimates it to be 350–400 years old.
This article appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of The Local Scoop Magazine, pgs. 19-25.