Bobbie Waugh, 100, took the stage of The Valley Players Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 8, to share her treasured memories of the community theater’s early days. Her presentation, held inside the Humphreys Cultural Center, was attended by theater enthusiasts and members of the Trivium Club of Liberty.
As one of the few remaining individuals who witnessed the birth of The Valley Players, Waugh’s account offered a glimpse into the history of an institution that has delighted audiences since 1953.
The Valley Players, Liberty’s beloved community theater organization, was co-founded by Kalita Humphreys Burson and her husband, Joe Burson, in 1953. Kalita, a native of Galveston, had a background in the Galveston Little Theater and the Dallas Little Theater, while Joe was an actor and director. Both used their talents in stage performances on Broadway. The Bursons relocated to Liberty in 1951 to be closer to Kalita’s mother, Mrs. Geraldine Humphreys, after marrying in New York City.
Initially, The Valley Players lacked a permanent home. Waugh recalled how the group “roamed around like a bunch of gypsies,” staging productions wherever they could.
“Most of our plays were done at the Sam Houston Elementary auditorium,” she said. “The disadvantage was that it was a very old building with no restrooms backstage, so you had to wait until intermission to go.”
Despite the challenges, the group performed many shows there, creating sets they had to dismantle after each production.
The group also performed at Liberty High School, city hall, and other makeshift venues, including an old building on Main Street with no stage, and even an abandoned poultry and rabbit barn at the fairgrounds. Waugh laughed as she described the latter as being in “deplorable conditions,” but it gave them a place to call home for a while.
Sadly, the Bursons would not live to see the full success of The Valley Players. In 1954, just a year after the group was formed, Joe and Kalita were tragically killed in a small plane crash near Lenhartsville, Pa., while en route to New York. Kalita was just 38 years old. Nevertheless, the theater group they started continued to grow and thrive.
The eventual construction of the Humphreys Cultural Center was made possible by Kalita’s mother, Mrs. Geraldine Davis Humphreys. Before her passing, Mrs. Humphreys, whose love for the region was well-known, left portions of her estate to the Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) in Houston and the creation of the cultural center in Liberty. Today, the center houses both a library and The Valley Players theater, which Waugh described as “the envy of any city.”
The cultural center, named in honor of Geraldine Davis Humphreys and her legacy, stands on the land once known as “Seven Pines,” the family home. Waugh noted how the theater, originally started in humble venues, has gone on to produce “wonderful, wonderful shows” in its permanent home.
Thanks to the efforts of the Bursons, Mrs. Humphreys, and the dedicated members of the community, the theater continues to be a cultural cornerstone in Liberty, entertaining audiences and preserving a rich history of local performance arts.
The Valley Players is currently preparing for its Christmas performance of “A Christmas Carol.” For tickets and showtimes, follow Valley Players on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Valley-Players-100064471698829/
If you want to see Waugh’s full speech, click the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlEwbiwuh_Q
Bobbie Rich Waugh asked me to make these corrections: 1) She stated that Kalita Humphreys Burson and husband Joe were “co-founders”, not sole founders; and 2) “Most of our plays were done at the SAM HOUSTON ELEMENTARY auditorium…”, not at the San Jacinto Elementary.