Would you believe that we had to fight to let Big Daddy say "ass" on stage?
Say it, or show it? ![Wink ;)](http://www.haineshisway.com/smf/Smileys/XarSmilies-1/wink.gif)
This is bringing back memories.
The Bellfry Playhouse was located in a reconverted church on a Bellevue side street. It was started by this very elderly lady (Dorothy "something"), who had been a stage actress way back in the early years of the 20th century.
She had chosen a season of plays, LOVE RIDES THE RAILS, SMILIN' THROUGH and other relics, that modern audiences could care less about.
When I was asked to direct something, I gave her a long list of more "contemporary" plays, and the only one she would even consider was LAURA.
I'd never seen the play, but I did like the movie. I figured that the play couldn't be too bad.
It was.
We did, however, wind up with a decent production and, as a result, I was able to talk the newly established Board of Directors into letting me do CAT...with certain cuts in Williams' script.
It was really a battle royal, but CAT did make enough money for the struggling theater to keep it going. After that, they started doing more commercial plays and I moved on to start my own theatre group...taking most of the better Bellfry actors with me.
Our first production was Tennessee Williams' SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER.
I miss working in theater. Hopefully, when we move to Austin, TX, next year, I can get involved again with it.