Theater
Auditorium in abandoned Mt Vernon HS, Alexandria, VA
I’ve had many humiliating moments in my life, high school theater is one of them. Mr. Robert S. Callahan led student theater in addition to his normal teaching duties. In the yearly play schedule, I think he’d put on two plays in one night…a short one and a long “extravaganza,” normally a musical. Mr Callahan asked me to take a part in the smaller play and I said no. He asked again, and again, and again. I relented. A disastrous mistake.
Play rehearsal was every afternoon in the study hall. That cut into Bird Dogs time but we were able to work around the play. Error. The play wasn’t long and it only had one set. I was the protagonist. Error. At first, it seemed innocuous and easy. Error. The play was “No Greater Love” by William Fisher. I will never forget the name of the play, I googled to find the author’s name. It was a play with a moral. Error.
Every day, we rehearsed. I can’t remember everyone who was in it…Alan Hodgson, John (?) Hershman, and ???? Memorize. Rehearse. Memorize. Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse. I absolutely positively could not get into the play, it just wasn’t me. I could not connect with the character and certainly couldn’t connect with the audience. They were watching the play as if they were watching midnight traffic on Dakota Avenue. Horrible.
Thank God for the play that followed. I don’t remember what it was but it was full of music and fun and clapping. I remember Sue Sampson belting out a song that had everyone on their feet. Even I was inspired by that performance. But afterwards, I melted back into a pool of humiliation.
Later in the year or perhaps it was the next year, I don’t remember, Mr Callahan asked me again to be in one of his plays. I liked and respected him very much and so if he asked me for something, I would do my best to get it for him. But this time I told him I would absolutely, positively, not ever, ever, ever be in one of his plays. Ever. He relented and said I would be the stage manager. I loved the stage manager job and had a great time at the next play.
Robert Callahan was an awesome teacher, administrator and person. I kept up with him for years until his death in 2019. I’d stop by Iroquois in the 70s when he was the school district superintendent and was sad when he retired. A loss to all of the students rising through that system. He helped me believe in myself; he helped me push my way through challenges. He was a leader and an incredibly empathetic teacher. I would have done pretty much anything for him…but I did learn my lesson about plays. Listen to your inner voice.
The image above is from the abandoned Mt Vernon High School. Huron’s auditorium was not semi-circular, rather straight row after straight row. Huron’s stage was large with steps on both sides and behind stage. The study hall (theater) was on the top (3rd) floor. You could exit the stage from behind and get to the second floor. Study hall “teachers” often did that, exit from behind the stage, go to the second floor and then come back into the study hall from the back door and catch someone talking, sleeping or otherwise being a student. A favorite trick of Coach W.