TOD:
An excruciatingly labored and unintentionally hilarious production of "Darkness At Noon". Worst thing about this play done in my senior year at college is that the new department head was the director. My "part" was in ensuring the house was prepped, doing flyers and keeping track of reservations, etc. (i.e. House Manager). It was the first time I'd done something not "on" or "back" stage. I was fortunately "due" to fill that function as part of my degree pursuit. After the first act, I found reasons to be in the lobby our outside on the front steps of the theater. I already dreaded the rest of the year which, as it turned out, wasn't bad at all as I had one of the leads in the spring production of "See How They Run". That rather guaranteed my graduation, I think, as the new department head "hated male theater majors", in general (although he had been one, too!!!) and I thought that extended to me, in particular. When the seniors did their directorial one-acts, he "fired" my lead actor the night before performance (with cause, I might add). It wasn't all the lead actor's fault as the department head attended all my rehearsals and criticized the guy constantly. He even took over directing at one point until I stood my ground and asked him to leave if he couldn't control himself. The result was the department head wanted to fail me on the one-act. Instead, I did the part myself, pulling an all-nighter memorization and a hurried run-through the next afternoon with the leading lady (not to be confused with a quickie).
It went VERY well. VERY well. After that, Dr. Virgil Grey looked at me through kinder, gentler eyes.
