One Last BIG High School Show

We did Guys and Dolls as our Spring Musical my senior year and I was surprised that many members of the Football team and other “Jocks” tried out and made the cast.
The roles of Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit were Theatre Students, but many of the other characters (including Big Julie, Harry the Horse and Nicely, Nicely Johnson) were cast from the “Jocks”.
I think it reflected of the makeup of our class that the “Jocks” were secure enough to give Theatre a try, but the that fact that many of their girlfriends were involved with the Fall play may have had an influence on them.
They all did a great job and everyone had a good time.

I had worked on Guys and Dolls a few years earlier with the Sayville Musical Workshop.
After working backstage on all the previous productions I thought I would give acting a try and at my audition I was asked if I would work backstage if I did not get a part.
I did not take that as a good sign and, Surprise!, I did not get a part.
But I did not want to do lights again so I asked to be the Stage Manager.

I helped make to show run smoothly backstage and I think many of the “Jocks” saw me something like a coach, helping them and making sure that they were in the right place at the right time.
One of my most important jobs, although not official, was taking orders for beer before the cast party.
I was 18 and so was the drinking age, this cast party was a little more fun then my first one a just a few years earlier with soda and cupcakes.

After the cast party I do remember taking one very drunk and sick actor home, his head was hanging out the window of my car and his girlfriend crying all the way.
The actor will remain nameless here but, I will e-mail him this Blog.
I got him home, up his front steps, rang the door bell and quickly drove away.

It was a great way to end High School with several groups of students not normally evolved in productions working on it and having a good time.
At our class reunion 30 years later, two people paid $40 dollars apiece for extra copies of the show’s Program that I had brought, the money going to the Class of 1974 Scholarship.
It may seem odd that I kept them all this time, but then again I have a leaf we made for the Yokum Berry Tree for Li’l Abner back in 1971.

I know I have left out a few stories and if I can piece them together I may share them at a later date.
I clearly remember that we all had fun working on the plays, musicals, holiday shows and music concerts as well as going into the “City” to see Broadway shows.

High School would soon be over and College was straight ahead.
The first thing I learned in college, even with all I had already done, was that I still had a lot to learn.
I would have this feeling again and again, even today.
There is always something new to learn and to experience, and no two shows are ever the same.
This is one of the big reasons I love working in Theatre.