So, here we go again! Happy Friday to all. And a special shout out to Mikey and Erin who are gettin hitched this weekend up in the Great Smokies! Have a blast, ya'll! We're all really happy for you...
And, an unfortunate bit of info from my wife's blog...
"My sister called to tell me a guy she graduated from high school with died this week. He was only 39, married, had two very young daughters. Devastating. At their 20th class reunion last year he was the life of the party. Sanjiv, peace and love."
I'm 39, folks. Fixin' to be the big 4-0 any day now, good lord willin...just goes to show you that you just never know when your number might get called. Life is fragile, and it's precious. We don't often treat it as if it's either, and that's a real shame. I didn't know Sanjiv, but heard Hope and Joy speak very fondly of him through the years. Hope had, in fact, just seen him recently at their 20th HS reunion, where he was , quote "The life of the Party"... His family will be in my prayers tonight.
In that vein...here's a topic for you. If there's someone who has passed on that was inspirational to your artisic life, celebrate that person in your next comments. Tell us how great those folks were.
And while you're at it, over the next few days....stop and smell the damned roses, will ya? You'll be better for it.
4000 points for the reference.
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19 comments:
I guess I can start out by discussing a woman very near and dear to my heart, Ms. Hattie Sue Tipton. Mama T, as we called her, was our High School Drama teacher. She was 5 foot nothing, 125 lbs of pure fireball! She was very instruental in nurturing a love for theatre in a very young, very wild boy. I can't say that I remember to many specific "lessons" from her (more due to a serious decline in brain cells over the years) but I do remember that she took us seriously. She gave us great responsibility,and she valued our input. She also showed us how tremendously fun and engaging the rehearsal process could be. She was always there for us, whether it be to help with a personal problem, get us out of a jam with another teacher/administrator, or kick us in the ass when we got too full of ourselves (frequent!) I will always have great love in my heart for Hattie Sue. Upon her passing last summer, the funeral home's message board was flooded with comments such as mine, from a host of her students encompassing her 30 some odd years at good ole Riverdale High. God speed, Mama T- I still miss ya!
I still miss my college theatre dept. head, Hayward Ellis, who died at least 15 years ago, way too young, and probably from AIDS, although he was pretty secretive about his health troubles. He taught me early on the value of a strong director's hand, the pride of creative ownership, and the difficulty of making a life in the arts. Great guy.
And more recently, the death this srping of Jo Motsinger, KET make-up artist and costumer, and the most spiritual person I've ever known. She taught me how to face death with utmost dignity, humor, and strength. She brooked no bull shit, and she had a hard edge that was tough to get past, but once you did, you knew you had a lifelong friend and supporter. I miss her every day.
I actually think I've been pretty good about telling mentors and influences on my artistic life how much I appreciated them. One only has to go over to the lobby of the Guignol and see the movement studio that Julieanne and I dedicated to our college professor, Charles Dickens, "Artist, Mentor, Friend". I stayed close to Charles right up to the end and always rendezvoused with him whenever I was in town, usually at his haunt at the Saratoga. This was also true to a lesser extent with Ray Smith, Wally Briggs, and Mary Stephenson. All were at our wedding. We kept up a Christmas card correspondence with Mary right up to the end and usually also called her around the holidays.
One of the first unpleasant tasks I had after I moved here was to attend the funeral of Mr. Knauf, our vocal music teacher and choral director up at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas. He was a much beloved teacher, full of energy and jokes and just pure genius. His connections in the music world in Greater Cincinnati and the May Festival, often had us singing in it and every year, without fail, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, came to our gymnasium and did a concert, the chorus performing several numbers with them. No other high school did this. I remember Erich Kunzel, director of the Cincinnati Pops, when he was a young sprig of a conductor with the orchestra under the auspices of Max Rudolf.
After our thirtieth high school reunion, because Knauf had been mentioned so frequently over the weekend, I went by his house and just told him how much he had been loved by the class and how influential he had been to so many of us. He was genuinely touched and was really glad to see me. I gave him a copy of my novel of DRAGONHEART and got a lovely email shortly afterward, telling me how much he enjoyed the book. I was really glad I had made the effort to see him. The last few years, he had succumbed to Alzheimers and I would have missed my chance. A tough way for such a vibrant man to go.
I still have a relationship with my high school Senior English and Creative Writing teacher, Norm Yonce. If Charles Dickens prepared me for my professional life better than anyone else; Norm prepared me for college life better than anyone else.
I think I mentioned on the theatre post, my friend, Clay Nixon, 57, who just passed away and was influential as a fellow student during my UK theatre days. He took my first resume photo. Clay eventually alienated a lot of folks and drifted off from them. He was plagued by many psychological and emotional problems. But I always kept a fondness for Clay and remembered the good times.
And, of course, my influential wife (who cast me in my first role at UK) I married.
X, Riverdale High? Isn't that Archie Andrews' alma mater? How is ole Arch, Reggie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty?
Archie went on to great stardom as a game show host, Jughead got busted for running a Meth lab, and Betty and Veronica wound up doing porn...
...and yep, that REALLY was the name of the school! Up on the banks of the mighty Stones River in Murfreesboro, TN (SAL-UTE!)
Kareena Christie. When I was a wee lad in Monticello, KY my parents were friends with Bob and Kareena. She taught piano and I hung out with their two daughters who played. One day I was in the kitchen with Kareena and the radio was on. I was banging out a rhythm on the counter with my hands while she cooked and we talked. I became aware that she had stopped what she was doing and was looking at me. She said, "You have very good rhythm!" I was simply elated. I was 4 years old but I remember it vividly.
This dear woman died of cancer a few years ago, still very young. She probably never realized how she nudged my rudder with that little comment. I am certain that my life is very different than it would have been otherwise.
Wow, Chuck. Mr. Yonce was also my senior English teacher at Highlands. I remember he was almost supernaturally calm in the face of all those angst-fueled teenagers.
Thankfully, none of the folks who influenced me artistically have passed on yet. Gary Brooks and Dan Davies (both at Highlands) were the drama instructors in my high school days who provided a place for theatre folk to play and have fun. They each approached doing shows very differently, and I appreciated the breadth of their styles. But they were both unfailingly positive in the support they gave us, and that's stuck with me over the years.
Natalie, I was in the first class (of '68) that Yonce started his career at Highlands with. He was young and enthusiastic (and terribly funny) in those days. I don't know when you had him, but I know in his last few years before retirement, he was eagerly anticipating it and had become somewhat disenchanted with both teaching and the quality of students that were the norm. I remember him telling me: "I asked my class, how many thought they'd be making a hundred thousand dollars a year once they went out into the work force after college. Every hand shot up."
Our drama instructors at Highlands in my day were English teachers who oversaw "the drama club". We did like one production a year. Mrs. Hamel was running it when I was there; assisted by Mrs. Mariani.
Anyone know what the Hell is going on over at the Lex Theatre Site...I'm afraid to post anything, because it seems everyone is getting tagged with this Graphic Site Spam when they do? Pity, we could use a rehash of the Tonys, which I still think is the classy Awards show televised. Glad to see History Boys do so well.
Chuck, I was class of '87, so I had Mr. Yonce that year. He was a funny guy then too, albeit maybe a little world-weary. He had traveled a lot and challenged us to think beyond the safe confines of Fort Thomas (a great place to grow up, to be sure, but also prone to inducing narrow-mindedness if one wasn't careful).
Mr. Brooks was also the art teacher, but he left my sophomore or junior year to become a commercial artist. Mr. Davies was an English teacher and he shepherded us to a state drama championship my senior year. During my time at HHS, I seem to recall we also did one big show a year (which could double as the one-act for competition, though sometimes we did an extra show), and we alternated straight plays and musicals. Charles Wells was our choir director in those days; he had the most amazing wrap-around this side of Donald Trump. But he was a really nice, hard-working guy who expected everyone else to work just as hard.
Did they still do "the Variety Show" every other year? It used to be called a Minstrel Show till that term became politically incorrect, but it still functioned as such...the End Men donning clown make-up as opposed to any sort of black-face. I suspect by your time, Mr. Knauf had moved on to NKU.
No, the variety show was gone, but the choir did a musical montage each year. I remember the teachers did a talent show senior year; I think Mr. Davies was behind it. The most controversial element to that show was the drag performances. Mr. Knauf was indeed gone, but I'll bet I ran into him at regional drama competitions, which were always held at NKU.
My Grandmother. No doubt about it. She loved that I loved the theatre. She cultivated my imagination and my creativity. She used to tell me stories off the top of her head every night when she would visit. About Edgar and Alicia-two children who had wonderful adventures. Her storytelling was my introduction to monologues. She embraced imaginative play. Loved to watch me put on "shows" in the living room. And laughed at everything and "punctuated" the laughter with an "oh My!" She made me feel great and allowed the freedom of my mind as child be just that-free.
Help! I just got laid off my retail job...need employment. Anybody heard of anything out there for somebody like me? I need Thursdays from 12-2:30 off during the school year to do my show at KET, but other than that, I'm pretty flexible. And I'd rather not wait tables or haul plywood around. Too old for that.
I began this acting "thingy" in Junior High that starting with a speech and drama class to help with my stuttering/hesitation problem. That class was recommended by a guidance counselor. He's still kicking, I believe. So is the teacher of the drama class. The rest of the people who inspired me are relatively young, all things considered (hard living, being rode hard and put away wet, etcetra) and still alive. I guess I'm pretty fortunate in that regard.
And as for contemporaries, I still miss Jamie Halley.
Jamie and i once chilled on a porch drinking a few beers and talked about the Shakes Fest...we then proceeded with a few folks to the train tracks to set off fireworks...and a train came by and it was very surreal...but memorable....plus no one looked better tan and sweaty in a boonie hat climbing a ladder!!!
Adam/Laurie..."Jamie Halley"
Who was this person? I'm not familiar...
Jamie was many things...but he was mostly known around town as a fabulous lighting designer...did lots'o'work with the Shakes Fest.
New topic, Timmy? Either that or I'll just have to stir up some vehemence on the Lexington theatre group board with another of my inciting post. I never think they're that inciting...but some folks do seem to get riled by 'em.
No CHuck we can't have that! A new post is'a comin!
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