It was time to pack up and head on to the “Real” world.
Even leaving Ann Arbor was an adventure.
I had to buy the largest portfolio case I could find; 32” x 42”.
I called the airline to make sure that it would fit if I carried it on, as I was not going to check my artwork.
They said it was 747 and that it would not be a problem.
I got to the airport and went through security (not the same X-rays and chemical tests of today, but they still hand checked most bags) my agent looked puzzled and called over his supervisor.
He said: “Hey this guy has sword in his bag!”
The supervisor looked in and laughed; “It’s just a T-Square, let him on the plane”.
Of course the portfolio case was too big to fit in the over head compartment and they were not sure what they were going to do with it when one of the stewardesses found room behind one of the seats.
So at 24 years old I was done with college and graduate school and moving home with no idea what I was going to do next.
I called some of my friends who were already working in New York City for some help on I what I should do next.
One friend was working over in New Jersey and my first job after college was going out there and helping him strike the set for “On Golden Pond”.
I spent a few days on my friend's couch and do not even remember if I got paid or not.
Another friend gave me the names and phone numbers for two scenic studios that he had worked for and I called the shops and told them who I was, that was just out of grad school and that my friend had worked for them.
Both places said that they had no idea who my friend was but I sounded good and to please come in for a job.
I did two jobs for The Theatre Machine, both on location and I never saw their shop.
This first job was in the Guggenheim Museum down in the theatre in the basement level.
Like the museum, the theatre is round.
I helped to install a set, most platforms for the seating, and had a few interesting moments.
New York City has strict fire codes and all of the wood is fireproofed.
One day I got some sawdust in my eye and it burned for hours and I lost a half a day’s work.
Another we were moving in sheets on Masonite to cover the floor when about 20 to 25 sheets of it fell against me pinning me to the wall.
It was very hard to breathe or yell for help, but I was soon free.
The best thing that came of this job that one day at lunch I had the best piece of cheesecake that I have ever eaten.
Nothing has ever been close but I have no idea of the name or location of the restaurant.
The second job was downtown a bit near Union Square.
In an empty space that had been an Athletic Club, we built a mock-up of a boardroom for 3M.
They wanted to test the size and shape of a new big table they were going to have made to make sure they liked the shape and that it would serve their needs.
It must have been a very expensive table if they spent the extra money to have us build a mock-up of the room and table.
I worked next for Crawford Brother Studio in Brooklyn.
Their shop was in the neighborhood that is under both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and it was cool to see them way above the buildings.
It is a popular view and I have seen it many times in movies over the years.
I was hired to help build the set for a tour for a production of “Oh, Calcutta!”
The show is famous for two things; Lots of naked people onstage and that it ran for a long time.
We built many acting cubes and small platforms that would make the set and loaded them in the bottom of a tour bus when we were done.
They did not too much room for the costumes.
So this was my start and working in the “Real” world, just a few months out of school and more adventures where just ahead.
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