The 2004/2005 season was changed to premiere in June 2004 to align with the scheduling of other regional theatres. During that year's opening night, the theatre was renamed The Leo M. Bernstein Wayside Theatre, but the name was soon changed back. Among the plays staged in 2004 was Robert E. Lee and John Brown, Lighting the Fuse, written by Crocker, that included lectures beforehand, including ones by historians Merrill D. Peterson and Mark Snell. During the 2005/2006 season, most of the plays were well received, except Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree, a sequel to Nunsense, that was panned by critics.
