Freshman Year High School 1970-71

Michael, My brother, is three years older then me and was already working on school plays when I got to High School.
He seemed to be having a good time working on the plays so I thought I give it a try too.
Mike was the stage manager and I did not want to be right under his feet so I worked with the set and lighting crews.
My first full length play was the fall production my freshman year “Love is Contagious” by Patricia McLaine.
I don’t remember much about it, I know it was a love comedy/farce or something like that.
It was silly, it was fun and I wanted to do more.
And I did.

The spring musical was next.
Working on “Li’l Abner” was the start of my knowing that theatre could be fun, that it was full of challenges and very important I soon found out that the stage crew could get away with murder in high school.
I have a few good stories to share about what we did in my high school and plan to share them in upcoming posts.
I thought I would post my tales in chronological order, but my memories may not always let me.

Yukum Berry Leaf

Unlike what I hear about kids working in high school today, back then they let us do it all; hang and focus lights, build and paint sets and run the plays.
There were few adults to get in the way.
Our stage crew supervisor was an Art teacher whose son was on the stage crew.
Working with a small group of seniors I got to work on a special project, we got to build a car.
They let us work in the shop and use all the tools.
We played with all the tools, even the ones we didn't need.
A sheet of plywood, some 2x4’s, two pipes, cardboard, 4 real car tires and the front hood section of a ‘32 Ford.
To finish it off we used a trophy that I had won, for some now forgotten event, as the hood ornament.
We built it in the shop and it looked great, then we had to take it apart to get it through the doors.

It was on this show that I got to help run the lighting board.
15 autotransformer dimmers in three rows plus one big locking handle that could run them all.
There was a classical operator patch system with the wires that pulled up and went into the various dimmer outlets.
I do have a photo of me in front of the old lighting board and may post it in a future post as I learn more about this blog program.

In addition to plays the stage crew helped work on the music events.
Lighting, microphones and putting up the sound shell.
Gee some things never change as I still have to do that almost 40 years later.

Comming up: Community Theatre, Cast Parties and real guns in school.