IT'S 3 p.m. on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, when most folks are either enjoying the sunshine or getting ready to grill out.

Not Gernard Reed of Montross.

Since noon, he's been sequestered in the dark recesses of the Westmoreland Players' theater on U.S. 360 near Callao, working hard to don a chauffeur's cap and the character of Hoke for the community theater's production of "Driving Miss Daisy," which runs June 9-25.

The Northern Neck painting contractor is not alone in this oasis of a theater a dozen miles or so past Warsaw.

Taking the seat behind him on the stage benches representing a vintage Oldsmobile is Bev Mangan of Callao.

She's playing Miss Daisy in the production, and is having a blast in the role made famous on the big screen by Jessica Tandy.

"I tried a little theater in high school," said the 72-year-old as she detailed a career with C&P Telephone and the raising of a family at the same time. "Between then and my first role with the Players, 53 years had passed."

Smiling as he listens, Jason Strong of Warsaw, who came to Richmond County schools from Nebraska to teach English, said he won a role in "To Kill A Mockingbird" and hasn't looked back.

"Being in a production like this is really special," he said, noting that at some point, the hard work of rehearsing helps the actors to truly own their dialogue on stage. "I'm hoping to get a bunch of my students to come to see the play."

Watching the trio who make up the cast in the Alfred Uhry play is a proud moment for Glenn and Joy Evans, the husband and wife producers/directors of this show and others for the Players.

After more than 25 years in business, there are many reasons these days for the Northern Neck community theater to be positive about its future:

The fact that the days of renting the theater hall out for wedding receptions and more are over.

Beginning this year, the Players are offering four shows a year, one in each season.