145 To the stage

Taking to the stage

Watching the recent award shows and seeing the gorgeous array of gowns and costumes, takes me back to my days on stage--short-lived as it was.

Our high school thespian troupe put on class plays, radio shows, and some one-act performances. Our leader was the fearless Mrs. J. (short for Juergensmeyer), who was also the chorus director, French teacher, and wife of our high school principal. Mrs. J’s presence was formidable as well as striking and most students wanted to be part of her world.

My high school Thespian pin

My drama experience actually began in junior high school with skits and shows during lunchtime but was enhanced in high school with more formal auditions and stage times. Tryouts were open and anyone could give it a whirl. Not sure why I thought I could do it, but I did. The experience brought to life the adage, "all the world’s a stage," and helped me handle my future performances as a classroom teacher.

Once the cast was announced, the playbooks soon followed. It was thrilling just to look at these exotic paperbacks and imagine what magic they held. As we delved into big-time rehearsals, costumes were considered and some ordered. I will never forget the day the large cardboard box arrived from New York City with the precious cargo. As we unpacked the contents, I realized I would actually get to wear this period piece that came from a costume company in the big city for my part as the villain in the Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt. 

I had no idea that costumes could be ordered, much less delivered to our high school deep in the Appalachian Mountains. I was smitten and totally over the moon with excitement. I think my performance was affected by that special dress from NYC. Friends and family couldn’t believe my acting as a deranged killer. I had actually tried out for a different part but the advisers must have had a sixth sense when it came to acting potential.

This renting of costumes was very alien to all of us in those days. My mom would usually buy or have outfits made if we needed them for school performances. What a relief to have them sent to us almost like magic but for sure, someone was footing the bill – we never asked.

Renting outfits is an idea that definitely comes to fruition as dresses (wedding, prom, special occasions) are now readily available--why didn’t someone think of this sooner? Men have it right as they have rented tuxedos for generations!

But back to the stage--another part of our thespian adventures was a weekly, 30-minute radio show. We would be assigned a part and would meet Sunday afternoons on the stage of the high school little theater to broadcast on the local radio station. We were never sure anyone listened except our families, of course, but we had a great time vocalizing these short plays.

In addition to the many thespian activities at the high school, Mrs. J. would organize field trips to attend artist series performances at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. about 60 miles away. Nothing was as magical as watching the action unfold in the beautiful Keith-Albee Theatre that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Camelot with Robert Goulet was one of the masterpieces we were fortunate enough to attend. 

This whetted my appetite for the theater and continued when I attended Marshall a couple of years later. Prominent actors and entertainers such as Johnny Mathis came to the lovely city on the Ohio River--bringing fantasy and make believe to a world of coal miners and steel mills. It brightened our days and filled our nights with wonder.

My theatrical career did not continue in college or in my adult years. In college, I pursued a writing curriculum that took all the extra time I had to write and edit for the school publication, The Parthenon.

We left those mountains after college graduation and moved to the top of Virginia. But my interest never waned as I continued as a patron of the arts and passed on my love to my children and grandchildren. My daughter and her family attend a performance of The Nutcracker ballet every holiday season or it just doesn’t seem like Christmas.

For years, I combined my writing and theater passions as I reviewed plays for the newspaper. As a high school and middle school teacher, I set up and planned field trips each year to theatrical productions far and near. We are fortunate to live so close to many venues including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

I have to give thanks to Mrs. J., for giving my classmates and me a great start!

Frances            

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