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@KitMoxie let me know it's #lovetheatreday. Since I joined @BespokePlays after quarantine I have no pics of a Bespoke production of mine, so I will flash back to the highlight of my theatre days, and one of the highlights of my life: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE with Kurt Vonnegut.
That's right. That's me with Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I was in a theater company in & after college, I got them to do HB,WJ, then I got a hold of Vonnegut's agent. He called me and said "I put five things in front of Kurt, yours is the only one he's interested in. Call him tomorrow."
I was an RA at the time, so I had my buddy Charlie Wilson (sitting on the other side of Vonnegut in that photo) meet me in one of the dorm offices and sit beside me for emotional support. I called Kurt Vonnegut. We chatted.
He was thrilled we were doing the play, he'd always felt the original run got a raw deal when it was shut down due to a Broadway strike. He said "You know, Col. Looseleaf Harper. That's a great character." I nearly choked. "Yeah, that's...that's the part I'm playing."
He met with the company. He took us out for dinner. He came and did a talkback at the show that I led with our director, Rachel Chavkin (yes, the Tony Award Winner, also pictured above). He took us out a few more times.
The week after the play closed he took us all to lunch in his neighborhood. Afterwards we were walking him back to his house. "You know where I live now," he said. "If you're in the neighborhood, stop by. We're friends." You could have knocked me over with a feather.
I stopped by his place a few times after that, he was always extremely kind and hospitable. He gave me a writing assignment I still haven't done because I cannot wrap my head around it. He died on my birthday.
I've probably told this story on here before, but look, you have a story like this, you tell it whenever you can. Also, here's my headshot to let you all know that I used to be halfway attractive. Please validate me.
