Theatrical Wednesday Wanderings

For some, hobbies seem to come and go. They have a passion, and it flairs strongly for a while, only to be eventually replaced by something else. Alison's hobbies have varied through the years - antiquing, scrapbooking, jewelry making, and now crochet.

There's nothing wrong with that. There's a lot to be said for experiencing a variety of interests throughout your life.

For others, like myself, hobbies remain relatively consistent. Comic books, reading, writing, an interest in politics - all have been with me since I was very young, continuing even to the present.

One of those foundational hobbies has been theatre. I have been performing in plays all my life, from being Hansel in Hansel & Gretel in second grade at 7 to the present at 67 in Harvey.

Harvey was the first play I performed on a stage (as opposed to the classroom or cafetorium). I was a High School Freshman. I had tried out for the JV Football team and found the initial practices chock full of cross country running. I didn't mind sprints (my best position was halfback), but I found running for long periods exhausting and tedious.

There was a poster for play tryouts, and I thought, what the hay, let's give it a whirl. There has to be less running; besides, everybody knows, chicks dig actors!*

To my surprise, I got a part! I was cast as a very elderly Judge in the comedy Harvey, about a man whose best friend is an invisible six-and-a-half-foot tall rabbit. I hammed it up and became completely addicted to the theatre when I heard the swell of applause as I came out for curtain call.

And now, 53 years later, I am reprising the role of Judge Gaffney in WACT's upcoming production of Harvey. The major differences between my performances? A lot less makeup. and I don't have to work so hard at pretending to be old.

This season represents WACT's 50th season, an incredible milestone for any community theatre. They have been producing quality plays for a half-century!

I am proud to have been a part of HALF of those fifty years, my first production with them in 1997, playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. There are a couple others who, if they perform in any show this season, can say they've been performing longer than I have, but we are a fairly exclusive club.

Some have shined brightly for a while and then moved on to other things. But some of us've been bitten by the acting bug and just can't let it go.

So, yeah. As long as there are parts I'm qualified for  (plays where the oldest characters are in their thirties or younger, seem out of reach for me), as long as I have enough brain wattage to memorize lines, I'll be performing.

So, with luck and good fortune, WACT, here's to looking forward to performing in your 75th season!

Salute!

* yes, I was actually that stupid that I believed that student theatre acting would lead me to be more popular with girls than playing football.