Reruns.

Since I've just moved over to this new spot on the blogger map, and in honor of the writer's strike in Hollywood that is causing late night television into the endless re-run loop, I've decided to "run" some of my previous postings, seen only by the people who subscribe to Myspace, and who, apparently, have a lot of time on their hands to read the semi-articulate ramblings of a sanity-questionable fellow such as myself.

And, if you've read them before, remember that the fast forward key is down, and to the left.

This first one is from June of this year. I start with this one, because not only is it long and filled with words, but it also gives a small glimpse of me, to save you all the trouble of looking me up on Match.com.......

raining reminiscences for four and twenty hours.....

At this time of the year, when all the summer theatres have begun to bloom, I think back to a few particular times from my days in the "wars"....

At the outdoor drama YOUNG ABE LINCOLN, working on the first new song to be put in the show since it's beginning. God, it was FUN to have that much creative input, putting together a new opening number. It was equally fun to come back a few years later and see how much of my "creative imput" remained. But my favorite moment is when the actor playing the role I'd played for a few seasons comes up to me at a get-together and says, "So, YOU'RE the John that they kept talking about.....what did John do at this point? John did this really great thing here, do you remember?"

I love being remembered.

Far back in my memory is a fellow named Todd Conaster. He and I did SLEUTH many years ago in Clinton, Iowa. It's a two person show, with this wonderful set, a lot of twists and turns, and Todd and I played the shit out of it every single night....my favorite story from that was the night that somebody loaded too much flash powder into the safe....

You see, Todd's character is supposed to blow the safe open, and the effect is: a) Todd puts plastic explosive on the outside of the safe door. b) Todd puts fake electric fuse into plastic explosive. c) Todd and John hide behind desk downstage of safe. d) Todd presses button, which cues Stage Manager to perform effect. e) effect is that flash powder goes off behind the safe door, blowing it open slightly, with smoke.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: a) Todd pushes button, which cues Stage Manager to perform effect. b) too much flashpower causes large explosion. c) safe door is blown off hinges, flying over the heads of John and Todd hiding behind desk downstage of safe. d) Todd and John simultaneously scream, "JESUS CHRIST" in family-oriented theatre, but to their credit, do it in their british accents.

I haven't seen Todd Conaster in 22 years. But I remember that show like it was yesterday.

There are many stories, and not enough time, but I couldn't finish it without speaking of the late, lamented Golden Eagle Riverboat Dinner Theatre in Canton, Missouri. If you've never done legitimate summer stock theatre, you've been pampered, and your training as an actor is filled with a large hole. The Golden Eagle was a great training ground; you built sets, collected costumes, served dinner, and performed material that was less than perfect; more to the point, the material was what you made of it. Your job was, quite simply, to turn lead into gold. I worked with a lot of actors at that joint, and I'd work with most of them again in a heartbeat.

My favorite story.....it was during a production of THE BOYFRIEND, which was a bit over-built, set wise. The third act took place in what seemed to be a yard, and the designer put a WORKING fountain in the middle of the set. This involved a small pool, a statue, some tubing, a pump, and about one hundred gallons of water. All it would take would be for one person to get too close to the fountain during the dance, kick the small plastic pool in the wrong place at the wrong time, and......

Well.....I'm in the dressing room below the stage when I hear a line I've never heard before..."THAR SHE BLOWS!" I start running toward the noise. I am met at the bottom of the stairs by one hundred gallons of water.

God, I LOVED being an actor.