Oneliners

THEATER

My First Actors Equity Association Job -1

John Travolta – 2

She Loves Me with John Travolta // Photo by Jim Drake

“When You Comin Back Red Ryder?” -3

The Horne Sisters

“I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road” 1978-1981

Gretchen Cryer, Betty Buckley, Virginia Vestoff, Carol Hall,  just a few of the leading ladies.

New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Birmingham, Michigan, just a few of the cities we played.

Lady Byrd Johnson in Austin Texas

Greater Tuna, 1983 gave me many wonderful highlights but one of the best was meeting the former first lady Lady Bird Johnson

Kevin Conway

was asked to direct the 2nd stage revival of Short Eyes and asked me to stage manage. The casting was stellar and very surprising. Besides Michael O’Keefe it was full of new names that would soon become stars: Lawrence Fishburne, Esai Morales, Ving Rhames, Reggie Montgomery, David Patrick Kelly.

Michael Cerveris’ first professional New York City show

Total Eclipse by Christopher Hampton and directed by John Tillinger.  He had hair.

Tony Kushner’s Bright Room Called Day directed by Michael Grief with Michael Mayer as his Assistant to the Director.

And what a cast: Frances Conroy, Marian Seldes, Henry Stram, Joan MacIntosh, Reno, Olek Krupa, Ellen MacLaughlin, Ken Marks

Danny Burstein

is now one of Broadway’s most talented and respected actors. In 1993 he was an ensemble member of St. Joan on Broadway. One day one of the actors that he was understudying did not show up for half hour call. I let him know and also notified all of the departments. At 10 minutes to curtain still no actor. Danny went on and did a fabulous job.

True West with Philip Seymour Hoffman & John C. Riley.

I came in as a substitute stage manager to call the show. They were soooo into the roles that they barely left their dressing rooms so I barely met them. But it was a thrill to see them on stage night after night.

POLITICS & EVENTS

Geraldine Ferraro

Working for Geraldine Ferraro was a highlight of my career.

Walt Disney’s 100th Birthday.

In 1985 my sister Carol invited me to join her on the team that was blowing up 1,000,000 balloons at Disneyland to celebrate Walt Disney’s birthday.  We had two big tops set up in the parking lots one to blow up the balloons and one to hold them until the release.

Jessye Norman’s: Healing Concert for AIDS at Riverside Church

directed by George Wolfe with, Maya Angelou, Elton John (program).

V-Day- Hammerstein Ballroom, Madison Square Garden and The Apollo. (The Vagina Monologues done with celebrities)

Clinton Global Initiative

Hillary Clinton

I really am a big fan and lucky enough to have worked on quite a few events with her: A fundraiser with Jerry Nadler; Eleanor’s Legacy Lunch;  Directing the 2000 NYState Democratic Convention