Although they can be a problematic; we used a large Dry Ice Fog machine that spread out a nice two foot thick layer of fog all over the stage floor.
There was one day when something was different; the temperature, humidity or a door open some place, when the fog came out of the hose it just stayed together, ran across the stage floor and over the edge into the orchestra pit.
The next day it was back to normal and we never did find out what made it do that.
Someone had the idea to have the Ghost of Christmas Present make his first entrance flying in from above in a large Santa-like chair.
It did not seem all that safe but many ropes and two batten pipe that were tied together were used to make it work.
It was hard to keep it all in balance as a large actor got in and out of the chair and we had to stop it from zooming up and smashing the lights or other scenery above the stage.
A hundred pound plus sandbag was used to balance the weight when the actor was not in the chair.
During the intermission the chair was lowered, sandbag was removed as the actor sat in the chair and then flown up and out of sight.
It took four of us at the fly rail to keep the chair from flying up out of control as the actor, and his weight, stepped off of the chair.
Although it was an accident waiting to happen, the audience loved as the chair was lowered in.
Fortunately there was never a problem with the chair.
One night there was a robbery from the dressing rooms when someone snuck in during a performance and stole some of the actors’ wallets and a gold watch from George, the actor playing Scrooge.
George was from the area and went out after the show, down the alley behind the theatre and found where the thief tossed the empty wallets.
One of the actresses was fortunate in that she had put most of her recently cashed paycheck behind one of the dividers in her wallet and it was still there when it was recovered.
No one else was to be as lucky.
We had ten or more of shows before Christmas and several more after a day or two off.
I rode down to New York City with someone from the company and took a train out to Long Island to spend the holiday with my family, but had to fly back up to New Hampshire on Christmas night.
Working holidays is the price one pays for all the “Glory” of working in Show Biz.
I had gotten a new Buck knife from my brother for Christmas and put it in my bag to check, but when I got to the airport I found out that it was a little twelve seat twin engine plane and there were no place for checked bags and I had to carry it on with me.
I told the guard at the check point about the knife and she did not care and said to have a nice trip.
Ah the good old days of 1980 when things were a little easier.
The flight was fine but it seemed to be even colder than before.
I was concerned that the next play was to open in less than three weeks and we had not yet had a production meeting.
The set that I designed was just small bits pieces of scenery and although it worked for A Christmas Carol I did not know how I was going to design and build the set for Oklahoma! by myself in such a short time.
I was not going to be able to paint a backdrop or two in the small shop or build all of the required elements needed for the musical and it might be too late to rent a set.
On the day of the last show of A Christmas Carol I had decided to quit and go back to New York.
I was cold, I had been lied to about many things and just wanted to go back and start again.
As I walked up the stairs to the Theatre office I could see people running about and sensed that something was wrong.
The sprinkler system had frozen and burst the pipes and flooded the theatre with thousands of gallons of water.
Water poured down from the ceiling into the house left box seats and then spilling over into the orchestra pit and flooding the dressing rooms.
The dummer was near tears as his hand-made wooden drum kit was floating in the water.
The last performance was cancelled and we struck the set.
The company had planned to do the next show in a concert format at a local high school and told me that I would not be needed.
They gave me two weeks severance pay.
It took me a day or two to pack up and arrange to go back home.
As I walked past the rehearsal studio a few blocks from the Theatre I saw that there had been a burst pipe there as well, as a river of ice was coming down the stairs and out the front door.
My last night there I packed up my things and sat in my cold room watching the ball drop on New Year’s Rockin' Eve and when it hit the bottom all I could think was:
“Fuck You Dick Clark!”
So there I was at 8:00 AM on January 1st, waiting in the cold to take a bus back to New York, thinking about what was in store for me in 1981 and beyond.
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