My Year In Theater 2014

Boy, this will be a short one.  In reviewing what I did in theater in 2014, it is even sparser than I thought.

I participated in nothing the first four moths of the year, thanx and a hat's tip to tax season.

I passed on Driving Miss Daisy, which I regretted because my good friend Anita Lynn got the Miss Daisy part.  The upside was that I did get to see her act, and give one of the best performances of the year.

The next play WACT (Waycross Area Community Theater) did was The Dixie Swim Club.  I had waited long enough, and was ready to participate.  But acting would have to wait.  There were only  five parts, all for females.  I have done a lot in theatre, but drag ain't one of them.

So I decided to direct instead.

Here is The Dixie Swim Club team.  Alison was stage manager on the left.  I am surrounded by our our fabulous, first-rate cast - Nadine Borrelli, Rhonda Powers, Anna Pinder, Mary Beth Kennedy and Caroline Sanford.  Not shown is my son, Benjamin, who worked the lights and sound.

And it was AMAZING!  Quite simply one of the bast cast and crews I've ever had the privilege of working with.  There was some cast turnover, but once we settled in, it was quickly apparent that we had something special.  The cast blended into their characters perfectly, and the audiences laughed more than in any play I've ever worked with.

I only direct, on average, about once every three or four years.  I am glad that it was this one that I got to be associated with.  It leaves a very good memory to savor until I work up the desire to direct three or four years from now.

The second and only other play I was in was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  LOTS of children, which could have resulted in a lot of chaos, but they really put on a wonderful show.  We had large, enthusiastic crowds, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Benjamin had a good sized part, playing one of the Herdmans, five siblings who start out wild and rowdy, but gradually learn the message of Christmas.  He did a great job of playing a bully who later softens.  

I also got to act, a small part as the Reverend of the church that is putting on the pageant.  I had a whopping five lines, but I made the most of them.

I saw many good performances in 2014.  Particular standouts were Blake Kildow as the perfect Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (performed by WACT), and Ryan Beverly in When We All Get to Heaven (performed by Trembling Earth at the Okefenokee Heritage Center).

Flying Dragon Arts Center had a challenging year. with some facility problems, but they still put a great slate of shows, and are very deserving of community support.  A vibrant children's theater is an important measure of a community's health, spirit and vitality.

Yes, I only had five lines in 2014.  But it was still an enjoyable year.  And I look forward to 2015.

As soon as I can get this tax season thing over with.