Getting to be Grandpa Again

The Ancient One's season with Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) ended last Saturday. Actually, the 2011 season in Carlson Park ended on Sunday, August 22 and was very successful. But the Popcorn Children's Theatre production of The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk was invited to do 2 performances last Saturday as part of the Long Beach Sea Festival and we had large, appreciative audiences at the Bixby Park Band Shell.

It was fun being The Old Man and serving as co-producer of the production. And Heidi Dotson wrote another amazing script with venerable old story being narrated by the cutest cow you ever did see.

But now it's on to a new production for The Ancient One. He has been cast once again as Grandpa Martin Vanderhof in the 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning play, You Can't Take It With You. It was great fun trying to bring this amazing character to life in the summer of 2009 for CCPT. Now he gets to be grandpa again and will be on stage to reprise the role at Manhattan Beach Community Church (MBCC) for 5 performances in October (15 ,16, 17, 22, 23). Thanks to that chance meeting with Director Alan Peterkofsky while walking through a shopping center in June. . .and his invitation to the auditions.

It's not often that an actor gets to play out the antics of a character as wonderful as grandpa. But to get to do it a 2^nd time is pure joy. Rehearsals are going well and learning the lines seems easier this time. Being part of a wonderful cast helps too. I'll talk more about this later and I'm looking forward to seeing many familiar faces in the MBCC audiences come mid-October. Join us there!

YCTIWY Portrait – CCPT 2009

Here is a portrait of most of the cast members (mugging for the camera) in the Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) production of You Can't Take It With You which closes with 2 final performances on Saturday and Sunday, August 1-2 at 2:00 p.m. in Paul Carlson Park:

Seated in front is Grandpa Martin Vanderhof (The Ancient One); leaning on his knee is Mr. Di Pinna (J.T. Moyé)

The row behind him L/R: Kolenkhov (Robert Kane), Essie (Hilary Chen), Alice (Katrina Straub), Penny (Donna Donnelly) and Rheba (Megan Beasley)

Back row L/R: Ed (John Glass), Tony (Kenny Seliger), Paul (Clyde FT Small), Donald (Jonathan Sherman) and Mr. Kirby (Jacques Freydont)

Missing from the photo, but equally important to the cast, are: Henderson/Mac (J-Man) (John Gutterman), Gay Wellington/Grand Duchess Olga Katrina (Laura Boccaletti), Mrs. Kirby (Melissa Skirboll), J-Man (Kamel Dickinson) and Jim (J-Man) (Chris Bonanno)

The Ancient One thanks Director John Glass for casting him in this wonderful play with such a talented cast. Thanks also to Assistant Directors Michele Howden & Elaine Russell, the "world's best" Stage Manager Suze Campagna, special effects master Paul Porter and Producer Milton Chen. What a great production team!!

As we draw this run to a close, all I can think of are the words of Grandpa, uttered 3 times in the play in totally different contexts, "WELL, WELL, WELL!"

CCPT 2009 Season – Weekend 1

What a week it was! The final dress rehearsals and then into Carlson Park for the opening weekend of Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) 2009 season. A bit of drama on the opening day when there were problems getting power for the sound system. Finally, everything was up and running 20 minutes before "curtain."

The weekend opened with the CCPT Children's Popcorn Theatre production of Aunt Fondeen and the Lost Dutchman Goldmine (written by Heidi Dotson, a CCPT member of several years. The audience loved it both days. Only 2 pictures are offered here (with apologies to all cast members not pictured).

Harold (Stefan Tabencki) and Aunt Fondeen (Osa Danam) riding off in Betsy Hacklebarney

Crazy Walt (Kamel Dickinson) and P. Pierpoint Ragright (Josh Gren)

The main stage production of Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take It With You, directed by John Glass followed. It also was greeted by an appreciative audience that was entertained by both the antics on the stage and the special effects emanating from back stage. Since The Ancient One was in the cast, Milton Chen graciously agreed to take pictures, 2 of which follow (with a plan to bring forth more at a later date).

Grandpa (The Ancient One) with Ed (John Glass) and Essie Hilary Chen) Carmichael

Penny (Donna Donnelly), Tony (Kenny Seliger), Mr. De Pinna (J.T. Moye) and Grandpa

All in all it was a truly wonderful weekend with a combined audience of about 240. Now on to the rest of the season. And, of course, a shameless plug: Information can be found at www.ccpt.org .

6 Days and Counting (CCPT)

Only 6 days until the opening of Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) 2009 season. The Ancient One will be appearing as Grandpa Martin Vanderhof in You Can't Take It With You, a Pulitzer Prize winning comedy by Hart and Kaufman.

The Tech Weekend in Carlson Park went well. We actually completed a complete run through of the play today and it felt good. The Ancient One has really enjoyed working with such a talented cast and feels that the 3 weekend, 6 performance run will be a success. Now we just have our final 4 rehearsals to polish the performance, costumes and (numerous) props and we will be ready for those wonderful audiences that appear in Culver City's Carlson Park every summer.

You Can't Take It With You goes up every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. starting July 18 and closing August 2. It will be preceded at noon each performance day by the CCPT Children's Popcorn Theatre production of Aunt Fondeen and the Lost Dutchman Goldmine, another 1 hour play written by Heidi Dotson. Aunt Fondeen. . . will continue for 3 additional weekends (August 8 -23). On those dates it will be followed by Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer.

For additional information, go online and visit ccpt.org. The Ancient One looks forward to seeing at Carlson Park this summer. Be sure to say hello!

You Can’t Take It With You at CCPT

The Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) 2009 season opens July 18 in Carlson Park. The Ancient One has been in rehearsal in the role of Grandpa In Hart and Kaufman's, You Can't Take it With You, a delightfully raucous comedy first staged on Broadway in 1936.

This story is about a family whose members just want to live their lives in their own way without bothering anybody else. There's Martin Vanderhof (aka Grandpa), his daughter Penny and her husband Paul Sycamore, their daughters' Alice and Essie (who is married to Ed Carmichael). There's also an assortment of other characters, some who live in the house and some who don't.

The Ancient One is doing his best to get "off-book" as the Grandpa and enjoys both the richness of the character and the opportunity to play an age-appropriate character. There aren't a lot of really wonderful curmudgeons out there, but Grandpa certainly is one.

For the moment, the only photo being offered is one of the family taken at a recent rehearsal.

L-R: Grandpa (The Ancient One), Penny (Donna Donnelly), Paul (Clyde Little), Alice (Katrina Straub), Ed (John Glass) and Essie (Hilary Chen)

You Can't Take it With You is one of the funniest American plays ever written and is guaranteed to provide an afternoon of fun and hilarity. The Ancient One will look for friends in the audience. So come and enjoy free theatre this summer in Culver City.

CCPT 2009 Season

Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) has announced its 2009 summer season and The Ancient One is excited. Please treat this post as a blatant advertisement for CCPT's upcoming season.

Here's the line-up:

Children's Popcorn Theatre

Aunt Fondeen and the Lost Dutchman Goldmine
Written by Heidi Dotson
Directed by Sharon Savene
Saturdays & Sundays from July 18th-August 23rd at 12pm

Main Stage Productions

You Can't Take It With You
Written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Directed by John Glass
Saturdays & Sundays from July 18th-August 2nd at 2pm

She Stoops to Conquer
Written by Oliver Goldsmith
Directed by Alex Wells
Saturdays & Sundays from August 8th-August 23rd at 2pm

All shows are presented admission free at Dr. Paul Carlson Memorial Park ON THE CORNER OF Braddock and Motor in Culver City, CA 90232.

For those interested, auditions are scheduled for: May 13 & 14, 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at The Veterans Memorial Complex, 4117 Overland Avenue in Culver City (the corner of Overland and Culver Blvd.) You will be asked to do a 2-minute monologue of your choosing OR one provided to you from the play scripts. Please bring 4 headshots.

Okay, that's the ad for the season. It's going to be a very enjoyable one with much hilarity in all the productions. The Ancient One hopes to see some of you in the L.A. area at next week's auditions.

Visitor #8000

The Ancient One received his 8000th hit today. The visitor logged on from 20th Century Fox here in L.A. and found the site through a google search using "culver city public theatre" directors as the search term.


That reminds me that I have said almost nothing about CCPT (the theatre company) since the season ended last summer. I thank this visitor for reminding me and I'll write soon about the new officers and the early stages of planning for summer 2009.


Thank you #8000 for jogging my memory.

The Sheriff and the Judge (CCPT)

Thanks to Milton Chen, here are a couple of photos from one of last weekend's performances of To Kill a Mockingbird at Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT),

The first shows Sheriff Heck Tate (Eric Billitzer) and Judge Taylor (The Ancient One) just before their entrance onto the stage from the audience area early in Act 1.

And the 2^nd shows them moving across the stage a few moments later.

Thanks to Milton for allowing The Ancient One this opportunity for some blatant self-promotion.

Final performances of CCPT's To Kill a Mocking Bird are this weekend (August 23-24) at 2:00 p.m. in Paul Carlson Park at Braddock and Motor in Culver City. Y'all come by, y'hear!

Challenges of Performing Outdoors (CCPT)

I write a lot about rehearsals and performances with Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT). Yesterday as I was sitting backstage waiting for Judge Taylor's entrance for the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird, I was thinking about why I enjoy performing in the park so much. While I enjoy the camaraderie among the actors and being part of a good ensemble cast, there is also great satisfaction simply in the challenge of presenting a credible performance in an outdoor venue with no amplification

When I first performed in the park in 1996, I remember the director bringing in a voice coach to do a short workshop with those of us new to the outdoor theatre environment. I don't remember the individual's name, but I remember clearly his stating that our job was to make our voices "bounce off the houses across the street." This requires the ability to breathe correctly and to project our lines from the diaphragm and not the throat. If we were to shout without proper breathing and projection, we would quickly lose our voices. Since that first summer, I have often commented that if you can successfully perform in the park, you can perform anywhere.

But there are other factors that challenge the actors. There are numerous distractions that drown out voices and make it difficult to stay focused. The loudest of these are the fire engines with their screeching sirens that can be heard from blocks away and the jet planes and helicopters that fly overhead. We've succeeded in getting the ice cream man to NOT ring his bell as he comes by to hawk his wares. We have silenced the leaf blowers by offering gardeners bags of popcorn to arrange their schedules so that they are not across the street at performance times.

Yesterday there was another event in the park where they were using amplified music. They didn't seem to even consider our request to hold down the volume during the children's show. Occasionally, a birthday party and the joyous shouts of children celebrating with a piñata will drift across the park. Next week, the annual Fiesta Ballona will be going on a few blocks away and we will have to face rock music from their main stage flowing through the neighborhood into our performance space.

And if the outside noises aren't enough to distract us, there is the wind. There is always a cooling breeze in Carlson Park. But sometimes it does more than cool the summer air. Today the wind toppled two of the flats defining the set just prior to the start of Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill. Those of us backstage took turns holding the legs on the flats to make sure they stayed in place during the performance. Then, as the wind gusted during To Kill a Mocking Bird, the prosecuting attorney had to scoop of papers with his notes as they took flight during the trial. The judge had to weigh down and reposition his legal pad to keep the pages from flapping in the breeze.

And yet I find all of these challenges to be an integral component of the joy I find in performing with CCPT. And I was thinking of all of this while waiting for the beginning of Act 2 and my entrance in a wind blown judge's robe to preside over the trial of Tom Robinson.

So come join us next weekend for the closing performances of CCPT's 2008 season. For those in the Los Angeles area, Paul Carlson Park is at Motor and Braddock in Culver City. Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill starts at 12:00 noon and runs 1 hour. To Kill a Mockingbird begins at 2:00 p.m. and runs for 2 hours.

Come join us. You'll have a wonderful afternoon. And it's free!!

Oh, What An Opening @ CCPT!

It was a wonderful opening weekend for To Kill a Mockingbird at Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT). Our 1^st performance went well with a few of the usual opening glitches but very few in the audience had any idea of where lines or cues were missed. The Ancient One got a bit twisted with one Judge Taylor's lines but was able to extricate himself in a semi-graceful way.

Today's performance was far better. The actors had high energy and the large audience seemed to be transfixed by what they were watching. Eric Billitzer, as Sheriff Heck Tate, did a bit of brilliant improvisation at one point when fire engine sirens screamed a block away at the same time a large (and loud) jet flew directly overhead. Afterwards, one audience member declared it was the best performance she had seen in Carlson Park since the 1^st play she had seen there in 1996. (Okay, I confess, the comment came from the Ancient One's Wife Donna. But she does not give that kind of high praise very often.)

Obviously, the judge could not take pictures, but his camera was in the capable hands of Heidi Dotson on Saturday and she snapped away. A sampling of the results follows:

Those are all that I'll post now! I hope to add captions plu pictures from other photographers later. AT least these give a flavor of opening weekend. Enjoy!

To Kill A Mockingbird Opens @ CCPT

I am back on stage tomorrow as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (stage adaptation by Christopher Sergel) opens the 2^nd half of Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) summer 2008 season. The Ancient One is cast as Judge Taylor and presides over the trial of Tom Robinson.

I finally got a chance to take a few pictures at the final dress rehearsal last night. Below are the best of the lot.

Sheriff Heck Tate (Eric Billitzer), Jem Finch (Zander Ayeroff), Atticus Finch (Dean Edward) & Bob Ewell (James Sherrill)

Calpurnia (Allana Barton), Scout Finch (Remy Beland), Boo Radley (Vinny Brar) & Atticus Finch

Boo Radley, Scout, Atticus & Heck Tate

Hopefully someone will send me performance pictures to post here. Alas, The Ancient One has yet to figure out how to take pictures of plays in which he appears.

Huh?

Last night we began the final 4 nights of run through rehearsals for To Kill a Mockingbird, which opens at Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) venue in Paul Carlson Park next Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. We also started working in costumes to the degree they were available.

As Judge Taylor, of course, I need black judicial robes. Sharon Savene, a fellow CCPT member, came through with a graduation gown that apparently had been used by her sister. It fits perfectly! Now, I was aware that in recent years, students purchased, rather than rented, their caps and gowns. I never thought about it very much. Then last night, I happened to notice the label in the robe/gown the good judge will be wearing.

Huh? Notice the bottom line. I showed it to others in the cast, several of whom wondered out loud, "Then how do you clean it?" I assume that you don't. In this modern day and age we have garments to be worn until dirty and then thrown out. I'll just have to keep it clean until the end of the run.

I guess these graduation gowns are in the same category as that "disposable underwear" I remember reading about several years ago. Oh well!

P.S. Ignore the size on the label. The Ancient One has never come close to 6'0", much less the range shown. But the gown, as a costume, still works.

The Ideal Husband @ CCPT

Oscar Wilde's The Ideal Husband has one more weekend to run at Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT). Performances will be nest Saturday and Sunday (August 2 & 3) at 2:00 p.m. In Paul Carlson Park (Motor at Braddock Avenues)

Below are some pictures taken at the Saturday, July 26 performance. (Hopefully, names will be added later but The Ancient One is working this week and decided it was better to show the pictures even if he can't give the actors the credit they deserve until he has a bit more time.)

Sluefoot Sue & Pecos Bill at CCPT (Encore)

After my problems with the photos of yesterday's performance of Sluefoot Sue & Pecos Bill (see previous post following this one), I retook pictures today using a flash in the hope I might lessen or get rid of shadows. As a result, I switched out the pictures in the previous post. And now I add some additional pictures from today's performance. First, a cast photo:

L to R: Josh Gren, Donna Donnelly, Blake Anthony, Derrick Billitzer, Heidi Dotson (Playwright and Director [kneeling], Sharon Munfus, Dean Edward (top), Nicole Nelson and Barry Nackos

Next, the vanquished, yet beloved, Clarence the bear who loses a wrestling match with Sluefoot Sue:

Catfish McGraw proving he's a "thinking man.:"

Ma, incognito:

And, finally, Widowmaker, one nasty horse who has "sent 13 men to early graves:"

And a closing thank you to an incredible audience today. Why, those kids loved the show so much that a couple of the toddlers kept trying to run on to the stage. Credit should also be given to a couple of very quick fathers who caught those kids before they could join the cast.

For information on Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) and this summer's performance schedule, click here.

Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill @ CCPT

It was a very bright, sunny day as the 2^nd weekend opened for Culver City Public Theatre's 2008 season. I had the camera and got some great pictures, except that the blending of sun and shade on the performance area made it difficult to make all the faces clear. Anyway, I do present the following from today's performance of Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill with apologies to actors who are not totally recognizable. [Note: I retook pictures on Sunday, July 27 and switched out the following for the originals. I used a flash in the bright sunlight and, while not totally successful, I was able to make the actors' faces a bit more recognizable.]

Donna Donnelly (Ma)

Dean Edward (Orlo Hightower) & Sharon Munfus (Louisiana Lu)

Josh Gren (Catfish McGraw), Nicole Nelson Sluefoot Sue) & Blake Anthony (Pecos Bill)

Josh Gren (Catfish McGraw) & Eric Billitzer (Caterpillar Pete)

Barry Nackos (Marshall Doom)

Pecos Bill & Widowmaker

Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill runs Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00 noon through August 24 at Paul Carlson Park (Motor and Braddock) in Culver City. Bring the kids for an hour filled with pure ole Wild West fun.

The New Season is Underway (CCPT)

The 6 week 2008 season of Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) began last Saturday. The Childrens' Popcorn Theatre presentation of Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill, written and directed by Heidi Dotson opened CCPT's 10^th anniversary season. It is a rollicking, hilarious 1-hour journey through the old west and the good guys do come out on top at the end. It will run every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 noon though August 24.

The mainstage performance was Oscar Wilde's The Ideal Husband directed by Gregg Brevoort. The fine performances by an outstanding cast were augmented by spectacular costumes. Husband will run 2 more weekends at 2:00 p.m., closing on August 3. It will be followed for 3 weeks, starting August 9, by To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by John Glass and Maria Turnmeyer. The Ancient One will be appearing in that production as Judge Taylor.

Hopefully, I can post photos next week from this coming weekend's performances of Sluefoot. . . and Ideal. . . Below, I do offer one photo from last night's rehearsal of Mockingbird.

(L to R) Zander Aeroff (Jem), Billy Shaffer (Dill), Remy Beland (Scout) and Dean Edward (Atticus Finch)

More CCPT posts will follow as the season progresses.

Middle of May Musings

It seems like more than just 4 days since my last post. The middle 1/3 of the month of May has been a potpourri of events, activities and happenings that have kept The Ancient One very busy indeed.

There have been the CCPT auditions and callbacks. In addition to a hoped for role in To Kill a Mockingbird, I am taking on a first-ever theater task for me this summer as I assist Director Heidi Dotson as a Producer for the Children's Popcorn Theatre production of Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill. It should be interesting.

There have been numerous events surrounding Alicia's completion of her 2 Masters Degrees including a Saturday evening reception/ceremony and Monday's graduation at Hebrew Union College's Los Angeles campus. To celebrate her accomplishments as well as Seth's new teaching credential and "permanent substitute for the rest of this school year" as drama teacher at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, we hosted a party on Sunday evening. It seemed like at least a 100 people were here at the house (and in the yard) drawn from family, friend and the worlds of both Alicia and Seth as well as older brother Bill (even though he could not get here from New York). Then yesterday, Alicia left on a 2 week trip to Germany.

It's also been an intense "medical" period for the family. Back on March 28, I posted about my brother Andy's quadruple bypass surgery and his wife Sandy's hospitalization with MRSA. Fortunately, they found the right anti-biotic to which her infection responded a few days later. But it was 7 weeks before Andy was able to be awake and breathing on his own for any length of time. Finally, he is doing well in rehabilitation and late last week I was able to talk with him for the first time since the surgery. A great weight was lifted from my heart when I heard his voice.

Two weeks ago, my older sister Bobby, who lives in the Detroit area, had shoulder replacement surgery (a relatively new procedure). She is now doing very well in rehabilitation and is delighted with the near disappearance of what had been years of incessant pain. She can't wait to reach the point of having full use of both arms again.

And then today; Donna went in to have arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. It went well and quickly and the entire time at the hospital was only about 5 hours. She is home and resting. Hopefully it will be many years before she will have to go back for knee replacement surgery.

Our two visits to Dodger Stadium were discussed earlier here and here. And there were even a couple of other events I may talk about later. Well, I guess that's it for our Middle-of-the-Month-of-May-Madness. Soon to bed; after all, I was up at 4:00 a.m. today and it could take days for this old body to recover.

CCPT’S 10th Anniversary Season

We are ready to start up with Culver City Public Theatre's 10^th anniversary season. Our plays and directors have been selected. Auditions start May 14, rehearsals 3 weeks later and the plays go up for the annual 6 week run in Paul Carlson Park on July 19. Admission is free and performing outdoors is an incredible experience.

Main Stage Plays:

• Oscar Wilde's The Ideal Husband, directed by: Gregg Brevoort (Saturdays and Sundays @ 2:00 p.m., July 19 – August 3)
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by John Glass & Maria Turnmeyer
  (Saturdays and Sundays @ 2:00 p.m., August 9 - 24)
  

Children's Popcorn Theatre:

• Slue-Foot Sue and Pecos Bill: An American Tall Tale, written & directed by Heidi Dotson (Saturdays and Sundays @ 12:00 noon, July 19 – August 24)
  

Auditions begin May 14 at the Veterans' Memorial Building in Culver City, as shown in the below flyer: [Clicker on image for larger view]

I hope that any L.A. area actors who see this will come on down and audition.

Oh, What a Weekend it Was. . .

Well, the Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT) 2007 season has come to an end. And what a weekend it was. There was that incredible mixture of joy and melancholy. The audience was great and uplifting in their response. The King Midas cast (pictured below, courtesy of Heidi Dotson who is kneeling in front) responded to the audience and each other in true ensemble fashion.

I came away from the day and the season with a special memento. Dean Suh, who did the artwork that was used on both the cover of the playbill and the front of the annual T-Shirt, gave me a signed copy of the original artwork which I will soon have suitably framed. His drawing was based on 3 photographs that were used for the season's publicity flyer. Pictured are John Glass and Shannon Pritchard (as seen in Much Ado About Nothing), Eric Billitzer (in the Good Doctor) and The Ancient One (as King Midas).

At the end of the day the season ending barbeque was held and there was a lot of mutual back slapping for a season successfully completed. Personally, I was ready for the end because I have either been rehearsing or performing since the end of January and it is time for a break. But, there are feelings of melancholy too. It's over!!! The work and the audiences are gone for a while. And the King Midas cast, with its very special chemistry, will never perform as a single unit again. Those of us who continue to see each other will share stories of the experience but it isn't quite the same; it isn't the same high that comes from collectively touching an audience with a story to which they respond enthusiastically. I will miss that collective sense of joy and accomplishment that comes when you succeed in touching others lives through theatre. I know that is one of the main reasons I perform on stage or, in the case of CCPT, in the park.

Well, there may be an afterword or two about the season over the next few weeks if other pictures and stories from the come forth. But CCPT is now dark until 2008 after a wonderful, successful season.

CCPT Weekend 6 – The Season Finale

Well, this is the final weekend for the Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) 2007 summer season. And what a summer it has been; good plays and great audiences in the beautiful setting of Carlson Park. As we enter this last hurrah, a different photographic view, 2 shots that show the audience (from the rear) for one of the Much Ado About Nothing performances and provided by company member Laura Boccaletti:

This has been a memorable season for me. I have been privileged to work with an incredibly talented group of actors who not only perform but set-up and strike the set every performance day. The days are long in the park. Most of the actors arrive before 10:00 a.m. and are not finished with the strike until about 5:30 p.m. The season also has been special for me because I had a rare lead role in the CCPT's Popcorn Children's Theatre production of King Midas and I made it through my first venture into Shakespeare as the delightfully befuddled Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Anyone who saw my "pre-season" posts knows how I struggled preparing for both plays at the same time.

And I always have a special place in my memories for the audiences. I've talked about the interaction between the performers and kids during King Midas. Last week, there was even one young lad who was back for the 3^rd or 4^th time and decided that he would vocally call out what was happening next as new missteps appeared for King Midas. I talked with him after the show and he really was a nice kid who just got carried away, much to the embarrassment of his mother and annoyance of those around him who were seeing the show for the first time.

There are also fond retrospective memories of the distractions that abound when doing outdoor theatre. The planes overhead, the bell on the cart of the passing ice cream man, gardeners' leaf blowers in neighborhood yards, kids at a birthday party hooting and hollering as they swing happily away at a piñata. At least this year, no tree branches fell on unsuspecting audience members during performances as has happened more than once in the past.

Goodness, there is still a full weekend of performances and the season closing CCPT company barbeque ahead and I am already waxing nostalgic. But CCPT and the summers in Carlson Park are such wonderful aspects of my life. Well, on Monday I can start thinking about 2008.