The Oddest of Odd Couples
At one time or another there are two shows with which all theatre people will eventually be involved. One is The Man Who Came to Dinner, and the other is The Odd Couple. In my case, I only worked on The Man Who Came to Dinner twice (once in high …
Theatre and Practical Physics for Home and Stage
One of the questions that I have been asked numerous times over the years is, “Did your theatre background actually help in ‘everyday’ life?” Well, I guess you could call it one of the benefits of a liberal arts education, but, yes, my theatre background has helped, and continues to …
Tales from the Theatre: Dracula
Here’s a little story from back in the theatre days that you might find interesting. The adventures took place while I was doing Dracula for the first time. Yes, the first time. I have done Dracula twice. The production was at a small college in Central Illinois that will remain …
Tales from the Theatre: Writings from “Back In the Day”
Waaaay back in 1988 I had an article published in the now-defunct Theatre Crafts magazine. I am making available a PDF of that article, “Sniper Shots” here. It is, if I may say so, rather interesting. Back in the day, that being the late 1970s and early ’80s, some …
The Curse of the Faulty Wagon, or, “Why Your Scenery Doesn’t Roll”
Now, this issue we will go back in time to when I was designing and building theatrical scenery. One of the basic things that we were taught was how to build theatrical wagons. Wagons are rolling platforms. They are an essential component to scenery in the theatre. When they are …
The Man Who Came to Dinner’s Mummy Case
This lovely gem is a prop that I made back about ’76 or ’77 for The Man Who Came to Dinner at Illinois State University. For those of you do not know the play, this prop is integral to the later parts of the play. The show is about a …