Books I Read in 2022, Vol. XI

 

THE SONGS OF ROLAND: Not to be Confused with a Certain Epic 12th-Century Book-Length French Poem
Roland Trenary

Here you will find lyrics to 99 songs of humor, longing, love, despair, lament, joy, wonder, life & death, and so on and so forth, etc. The honesty will catch you, the rhymes entrance you, and the rhythms should pretty much take care of the rests. Please, fasten your safety belts as you are treated to stories of Arizona night skies, small-town revenge, joyous artistic creation, depression-era heatwaves, a dancehall Lothario, a child astronomer lost in the desert, ghosts of lost loves, and fickle fingers of fate that tickle ribcages.

Off and on for two decades, Roland and I played together on the stage of the Dakota Chautauqua as part of the Dakota County (MN) Fair. We sang. He played mandolin and guitar and banjolin. My character tried to convince his character that electricity is a good thing. A splendid time was guaranteed for all. When it comes to this book, Roland is still playing. He has words bouncing off each other and creating funhouse mirror effects that make the reading of these song lyrics a journey of delightful discovery. (Feel free to get one yourself by going to Amazon.)

First Line: We gather as a plethora, sing a single song.

Page 56/Line 5: A hawk swooped down my street.

Last Line: From my small apartment where I write, I hear birds compare the sunrise to the night.

Books I Read in 2022, Vol. II

 

THE GODSPELL EXPERIENCE: Inside a Transformative Musical
Carol de Giere

Day by day for more than 40 years, the musical Godspell has delighted countless performers and audience members around the world. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive account of the show's creative journey and how it became a theatrical classic. "Fans of the musical will find a treasure trove of information that is nothing short of inspirational." (Peggy Gordon, composer of "By My Side" and original Godspell cast member)

I have been both an audience member and performer of Godspell (First Presbyterian Theater's 1978 production [Fort Wayne, IN] is where Beloved and I met) and this book both informed me and transported me. The inside stories of its creation and creators really are wonderful. If you have any connection to the musical at all, I invite you to pick up a copy, read it, and then write Carol de Giere a thank-you note. Fun fact: I found and purchased this book while doing a little research in preparation for an episode of the podcast, Dewey's Jukebox, that featured the song that I sang when in the show: "We Beseech Thee." You can listen to that podcast episode by CLICKING HERE.

First Line: On opening night, May 17, 1971, a curtain could only metaphorically rise on the new Off-Broadway musical, Godspell, playing in New York City's Greenwich Village.

Page 56, Line 5: After a couple of years at Carnegie, she dropped out to work at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, which she found more fruitful than finishing her B.F.A. degree.

Last Line: It will go on transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, the mundane into the meaningful, for generations to come.

Books I Read in 2021, Vol XI

 

GLENSHEEN'S DAUGHTER: The Marjorie Congdon Story
Sharon Darby Hendry

In 1932, Elisabeth Congdon, an unmarried heiress to a mining fortune, adopts a three-month-old baby girl. The child, Marjorie, grows up in the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota, given everything she could possibly need or want. Forty-five years later, Elisabeth is found smothered in her bed. Her night nurse has been bludgeoned to death with a candlestick. Evidence points to Elisabeth's son-in-law, Roger Caldwell, and her adopted daughter Marjorie. This is the inside story of Marjorie Congdon and the stream of mysterious arsons and murders that have followed in her wake.

I bought this book (from the used book corner of a local-crafts store in Grand Marais, MN) because I once sung about Marjorie Congdon LeRoy Caldwell Hagen in the Dakota Chautauqua at the Dakota County (MN) Fair. It was a deceptively bouncy song about such a dark, twisted woman:

Oh Marjorie, Marjorie you tried so hard

To do that perfect crime

Marjorie, Marjorie, and now you're in the slammer

Doing time

You had a wealthy mother who was murderously smothered

With a pillow across her face

And when you went to trial and issued your denial

Somehow you were acquitted, got away that case

(Pete Martin & Eric Peltoniemi)

It took a little effort to get into the book because I felt assaulted with lots of names and relationships that I couldn't keep straight, but once Hendry started documenting Marjorie's parade of financial misdealings, arsons, and murders, it got pretty interesting.

The book, published in 1999, ends with Congdon sitting in prison for arson (having somehow gotten away with the murder of her third husband), awaiting parole. Wikipedia updates the story: "Marjorie was released from Arizona State Prison on January 5, 2004. She was arrested again, on March 23, 2007, in Tucson, Arizona, at her residence at an assisted living facility on charges of computer fraud and several other counts. In November 2008, Marjorie Congdon LeRoy Caldwell Hagen pleaded guilty to fraud after illegally taking funds from the bank account of Roger Sammis after his death. Mr. Sammis had been under her care before his death, and some suspect Ms. Congdon of foul play."

What a woman!

First Line: It was a warm fall afternoon, October 30, 1992.

Page 56, Line 5: At this, Marjorie pulled him out of the public school and enrolled him in Benilde, a Catholic school.

Last Line: It was one of many prices, he said, for the bad choices he'd made in life.

Goodbye, Farewell, Amen

Back in December, we published a note (“When’s the Next Show”) that filled everyone in on our Grand Poohbah’s retirement (Pete Martin, you are a legend!). In that note we quoted Community Education:  "Members of the community and Lakeville Community Education are working diligently to bring theater back to the families and students of Lakeville by Fall of 2017.  More information will be posted as it becomes available."

Well, there’s more information available.

The diligent work and hearty discussions all came to the conclusion that for Giant Step Theatre to continue, it would take at least one someone working at it full-time. (You know, kind of like what we said in our previous note.) Couple that with there not being anyone with the right skill sets, time, or inclination...and you’ve got a recipe for the official end of GST.

It’s been a great run! 36 years for Pete and Giant Step Theatre to “create performing opportunities for youth and entertainment for families” (16 years for this note’s author, Dewey Roth). WE CANNOT THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH for the time, finances, spirit of cooperation, and abundant talent you’ve shared with us!

Keep telling stories. Keep sharing your lives with others. Keep eating broccoli.

P.S.  -  Pete is still creating fun and mayhem! Be sure to visit the Dakota Chautauqua in the big tent behind the Dakota City Drugstore on the Dakota County fairgrounds during the county fair in August!

Memories of "Snoopy!!!"

 

The musical was Snoopy!!!, a lesser-known follow-up to You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, produced by Jackson County Community Theater, in a small, storefront former movie theater in Brownstown, Indiana, August 16-24, 1991. I was awarded a trophy for Best Actor in a Lead Role because of my work as Snoopy.

My bio: DEWEY ROTH was transplanted to Brownstown in January of 1990, when he became the youth minister at the Brownstown Christian Church. While this is his first production with JCCT, Dewey is no stranger to local theatre. His previous credits, in the Ft. Wayne area, include the Danny Kaye role in Inspector General, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Fagin in Oliver, Jeffery in Godspell, and many others.

"Thank you for all your time, patience, and talent with the show. I appreciate the sacrifices you made in making this show work. Hope you remain involved in the theatre for years to come. It's been great getting to know you and your family. Break a leg!

David "Earl" [the director]

P.S. One lady thought you were in school.

It's a big statement about my youth ministry workload at Brownstown for me to have been able to be involved in a theater production AND be a youth minister. This was the ONLY time in over 14 years when that ever happened. Having a member of the youth group in the cast probably made it a little more acceptable.

Memories of "The Inspector General"

 

The Inspector General was eventually turned into a movie musical starring Danny Kaye, but I was in First Presbyterian Theater's production of the original play by Nikolai Gogol...even though I DID have Danny Kaye's role, Ivan Alexandrovitch Hlestakov, a clerk from the Capital that everyone in town mistakenly believes is the Inspector General...come to town in order to clean up the place and get rid of the corrupt politicians.

This was one of the few non-musical shows I was ever in after high school, and the only time Fort Wayne had the opportunity to see me in a "starring" role. It was entirely appropriate for Denny Bechtelheimer to have been the one to direct me, as we had worked together several times before, not the least of which was when he was Jesus in Godspell with Beloved and me.

Strongest memory: With Denny's direction, I discovered that specific blocking really helped me memorize my lines for the lengthy scene in Act Three in which I became increasingly drunk. That scene also led to my castmates wanting me to over-imbibe at cast parties, but I didn't touch a drop.

"Next comes Dewey Roth as the clerk taken for the Inspector General. Roth has a wonderful role, the most usual of all the folks on stage but animated by a no-holds-barred ego that lets him fly high and free through the hilarious scene back at the Mayor's parlor after a banquet lunch. As he gets drunker and drunker, the stories get taller and taller, but the townspeople stick right with him, heightening the hilarity."  -  Connie Trexler, News-Sentinel

"Dewey Roth plays the opportunistic freeloader the townspeople mistake for the inspector general. His first appearance comes in the second act, an act which unfortunately is needed for introduction purposes, but which goes on interminably and, as staged by Bechtelheimer, rather dully despite Roth jumping over and under and around the small space. Escaping from that, however, Roth comes alive in the final two acts and makes them his. His drunken scene is a mindboggler."  -  Roxanne T. Mueller, Journal Gazette

"Roth is refreshing and bon vivant, as he charms the heart of everyone on stage."  -  Susan Horine, The Communicator

"His Royal 'Fakeness'  -  Dewey,
       Oh boy. Here I am, ready to tell you how much I appreciate you and what you've done for the show...I don't exactly know how...
       You have made this show a delight  -  I mean that. Hlestakov is everything I ever hoped he would be  -  and more.
       I am privileged to know you, to work with you again on a show, and to call you a good buddy. Thanks.
       Love, Denny"

Memories of "Winterthing"

 

This was a strange little play at First Presbyterian Theater, November 23-December 2, 1979. It was directed by Godspell's choreographer, Lynn Hillsamer Blosser, with whom, for some reason I can't remember, Beloved and I spent the night once and enjoyed a hash and eggs breakfast.

A piece of direction I received in this show sticks in my memory. I was putting a lot of volume and anger in a particular line and Lynn suggested I try the line again, but to hold all that emotion inside. It instantly made the whole scene feel better and actually gave that particular line MORE power.

The young gal (maybe 10 at the time?) who played my youngest sister, Melanie Wharton, was super smart and cute. She once spent the night with Beloved and me. It must have been that she came home with us after a Sunday matinee performance because she came to the little radio station in Decatur, IN where I did a Sunday night shift (kinda like a hobby I got paid for). We ordered a pizza from a little place across the street and when she brought it into the studio, she plopped it down on the turntable...that was currently playing a record on the air. I did a little "Augh! No!", she screamed and ran out and I may have traumatized her for life.

No, that's not me on the left, but I think we all know which part I'd play if I was doing the show NOW (2023)

"Dewey Roth as Jakin and Melanie Wharton as Carilan capitalize on the juiciest parts in the play and are thus able to establish definite characterizations which the other principals fall short of doing. Wharton could be called a modern Jane Withers. She's so insufferably whiney and snotty that you tend to cheer Roth on when he tells her to shut up." [Roxanne Mueller - Journal Gazette]

Just remembered...I supplied the wolf howl that ended each performance.

Memories of "Godspell"

 

This special show, retelling the parables of Matthew and Luke with vaudevillian humor and acoustic rock music, was my first show with First Presbyterian Theater, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the means of Beloved and I meeting and "falling in love."

It was her first involvement in musical theater and my...umpteenth.

With performances May 12-21, 1978, it was just a few years after Godspell had been a hit on Broadway and only five years after the far-less-successful movie. A couple hundred people auditioned, but only 14 were cast (and also a couple mimes that mostly stayed on the sidelines...don't really remember WHAT they did). Because the show was originally written for a cast of 10, we played around with the parts and solos. I mostly did Jeffery's lines and had his solo, "We Beseech Thee".

Once the initial herd was whittled into a more-manageable 30 or so, the audition process, in addition to singing a song, was mostly a series of theater improvisational games, which I loved. Once cast, there was a high level of actor input for our costuming and clown makeup design. (It's not in the couple of early promo photos below, but I ended up wearing a colorful Walt Disney World hat that I borrowed from my "baby" sister.

This was, without a doubt, my favorite theatrical involvement of all time. Between the subject matter and the sheer FUN of it all, there is no competition.

Fun Fact: Opening night featured the opportunity for dinner and the show if you were willing to shell out $7.50 a ticket!

"Debbie Ann Brewer, with her doll-face makeup and outfit, is outstanding on what I think is the show's most beautiful song, 'By My Side'." - Roxanne T. Mueller, Journal Gazette

"Dew-Dew! It isn't difficult to allow freedom to an actor as disciplined as you. Your talent, your warmth and especially your supportive attitude carried me through several rough times in Godspell's life. I sincerely look forward to working with you again. Your head's in a grand place, Mr. Roth. You witness well! Love, JT" [Director]

"My special thanks. You do the nicest things in the nicest way! Love, Debbie [Given when she wasn't sure if we would ever see each other after the play was done.]

Memories of "Kiss Me Kate"

The musical was Kiss Me Kate, produced by Arena Dinner Theatre at the Chamber of Commerce, Fort Wayne, Indiana, October 14-29, 1977. I was awarded the Arena Theater Award for Best Actor in a Minor Role in a Musical for my work as Nate, Hortensio, and Dancer.

Strongest memories: trying to sing and dance on a tiny side-stage while wearing a mask and loaded down with a garden hose and 3 or 4 additional props; running down a hallway to make it to my next entrance; learning how to play a few notes on a mandolin for a scene.

My bio: Dewey Roth was last seen on the Arena stage in Lend an Ear, the musical revue for which he was nominated for a best acting award. He has appeared with Purdue Indiana Theatre in Ah, Wilderness and 1776, also with the Little Theatre of Northern Wells in Li'l Abner, The Boyfriend, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He is a graduate of Norwell High School where he was active in the theatre program and attended Indiana Purdue at Fort Wayne. He is currently a radio announcer for WFWR Radio here in Fort Wayne.

"Dearest Dewey, Thank you for being talented, dependable, professional, supportive, and a good friend. And a special thanks for the enjoyable dream!

Lynda [our choreographer]

"Dewey - I just want to say..."ABOUT TIME we did a show together!" Thanks for ALL (every single bit) your work and encouragement. Everything you do to make this show work is beautifully executed. Break a leg.

Love, Denny [the director]

Memories of "1776"

 

1776 is a musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence and was the only musical I was involved in at Purdue-Indiana Theatre (PIT). I had just finished my freshman year of college at Indiana Purdue University - Fort Wayne as a Theater major.

Performances were June 4-20, 1976. Something I had totally forgotten is that we did TWO performances each Friday and Saturday, starting at 7 and 10 p.m. TEN PM??!?

The director, Larry Life, instructed the cast to approach their characters with the underlying thought that they are all sex-starved, having been in Philadelphia, away from their wives, for at least six months. Being the know-it-all freshman who had done the assigned research, I informed him that MY character, Secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson, actually lived in Philadelphia and so his instruction didn't apply to me.

Not that it really mattered. None of my lines consisted of my character actually talking. All I did was read letters from George Washington to the assembled congressmen. (And I didn't memorize them...which required a lot of faith in the "messenger boy" who brought the dispatches to me (High school classmate, Mark Ferrell). If he had handed me the wrong one, we all would have been sunk!)

Random Memories:

• "Other nice moments are contributed by...Dewey Roth as Congressional Secretary Charles Thomson." [Connie Trexler News-Sentinel]
• During one of the dress rehearsals, the actor portraying Benjamin Franklin cast his vote AGAINST the declaration. We were all dumbfounded: "What?!?"
• The day of our last performance was the last time I shaved for several years.
• The one lasting effect on my life from being in this show was the acquisition of the multi-useful phrase "hot tuna" from the man who played John Adams, Jan Swank. ("Hot tuna" can be used in place of "yippee"...either sincerely or sarcastically. It also stands in for something more vulgar when saying "He thinks he's hot tuna.")

Memories of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"

 

Presented by The Little Theatre of Northern Wells June 6-15, 1975, I'm pretty sure this is the first show in which Denny Bechtelneimer directed me...though we were both in the cast of Lend an Ear at Arena Theater a year earlier. It was also my introduction (again, "I'm pretty sure") to Jari Cook, 20 years my senior, but the holder of a special place in my heart and the woman who introduced me to the music of Bette Midler.

I was cast as one of "The seven proteans, men with incredible versatility and dignity." Whenever the script called for sailors or soldiers or singers or slobs, we took care of the need. It was a fun group of guys, but, as can be seen below, our costumes were...um...interesting.

I pity the folks in the orchestra pit for the view they no doubt had

Thanks to Doreen Dunphy Ayers for these pictures. (Even this one, where I am but a mysterious shadow in the upper right.

Memories of "Carnival"

 

The spring musical my senior year of high school was Carnival, with performances April 3-5, 1975. I played Jacquot, an assistant puppeteer...a part originated on Broadway by the voice of Beauty & the Beast's Lumiere, Jerry Orbach. I was also the puppeteer and voice for the French fox, Renardo.

The show opened with my character playing a harmonica solo (something I learned to do just for this show, but using my fingers to isolate the notes, instead of my tongue and lips, like a real harmonica player would do). As we began the dress rehearsal on April 1, my solo was interrupted by the voice of someone offstage: "I want to be in the play!" The director pretended to be confused and annoyed, but it turned out the would-be cast member was the school's football coach, Mr. Huber, already wearing a strongman costume. The directors had convinced him to join the cast at the last minute.

I must have really enjoyed being in the show. The school paper quoted me as saying "Carnival was definitely a nice thing to be involved in. In all the plays I've been in, there's been a certain closeness between the cast members, but Carnival and the people in it were extra special. I liked the chance to be sensitive in a part rather than just a comical figure, and yet, Renardo allowed me to be a ham if I wanted to. I'm very happy about the whole experience."

"There were moments in the play that I'll never forget such as Dewey's intro to 'Cirque de Paris'." [Anne Dormire...which reminds me that one of MY favorite scenes was when my character listened to HER character sing "Mira". That was all I did, and it was lovely.]

"Mr. Jacquot - Don't really know what to say or how to say it, except that you're really fantastic!! The character that you've developed for Jacquot is so warm, sensitive and loving -- for me, it's just right!
     "My admiration for your acting potential has jumped about 20 points during our show, and I feel very sure you're going to do extremely well in your future - just work hard!
     "I think you know me pretty well, and I hope you realize that I do believe in the 'magic of the theatre,' and Renardo and Jacquot...but most of all, I believe in a super-talented guy named Dewey Roth who expresses that special magic better than anyone in our cast! Give 'em Hellems. Break a Leg  -  Mr. H" [Show's director and school's choir director]

Memories of "Lend an Ear"

 

This is the show in which I made my Fort Wayne stage debut, which felt like a big deal at the tail end of the summer between my Junior and Senior years in high school, August 23-31, 1974.

It's fun looking through the program and seeing names of people that I met in this show and then worked with several times in the following few years. It's also frustrating to see the names of castmates and not be able to pull a face or any memory at all to the surface. Including Carolyn Glossenger who wrote, "It's been great that an 'old lady' and such a nice young man could become such great friends. It has been a joy working with you  -  hope it won't be the last time." (I'm guessing it was, because I have no idea who she is/was. Sorry, Carolyn.)

The show itself was a musical review that opened on Broadway in 1948. We cut some of the musical numbers and sketches and replaced them with other, more recent, tunes and jokes.

The Arena Theatre was a dinner theater that performed its shows "in the round" at the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce building. The director, Larry Wardlaw, would always let us know whether the audience was going to be a good one based on alcohol sales.

Random Memories:

• I remember us taking a break during a rehearsal and listening to Nixon resign the presidency.
• Castmate Jordan Hamm tricked us into thinking she was a mother by asking if we wanted to see her pride and joy and then showing us a picture of two products with those brand names.

• In the cast was Denny Bechtelheimer, who had just directed me in Li'l Abner two months before. "Dewey -  Here you are, big 17-year-old star...making your Ft. Wayne stage debut! (With me at your side, of course) You're gonna be great! Break a leg tonight! Love, Denny"
• The director was Larry Wardlaw, who I would later co-star with in Inspector General. "Dewey, My chance to tell you Thank you! for being one of the most exceptionally talented and creative young men I've ever worked with! IT's there  -  and your theatre future can only be bright! Thank you, Dewey! Always, Larry"
• I borrowed a pair of tap shoes from a veteran Ft. Wayne actor/dancer. They were a size too small. Kept me light on my feet!
• I was nominated for a Parky Award: Best Supporting Actor in a Musical ...like a Tony, but just for shows produced by Arena Theatre.
• Abby Dormire (cheerleader and high school principal's daughter who I had just co-starred with in Oliver that spring and Li'l Abner in June) and I were dating at the time and she wrote me a note for opening night: "Dear Dewey, WHO is going to be fantastic tonight and stand out as the 'shining star? You are! I wish you the best of everything. I will not be there in body but very, very much there in SPIRIT! Yah! Rah!"

Memories of "Li'l Abner"

 June 7-16, 1974, The Little Theatre of Northern Wells presented the musical comedy, Li'l Abner, based on the Al Capp comic strip. Along with a cameo appearance as the President, I starred as Pappy Yokum.

As I browse through the program and script notes and newspaper clippings in 2023, I am impressed at how much about this show I have forgotten. For example, I have always thought that Denny Bechtelheimer directed this production, but it turns out he was going to direct, and did advanced planning and auditioning and the casting with that intent, but scheduling issues led him to step down to being "only" the Musical Director, leading the orchestra and choreographing the dance numbers. Don Stewart functioned as the show's Director: "Dewey, I want to thank you for being in the cast of 'Li'l Abner'. I thoroughly enjoyed you and your characterization of Pappy. You have good stage presence and a lot of talent. Keep up the good work!  -Don"

Things I DO Remember:

• Filling in for a missing castmate in a minor role during one rehearsal and having everyone in stitches and the director wishing I could do that bit in the performances
• Abby Dormire (Mammy Yokum) getting sick between weekends and her part being taken over by Denny's sister, Cheryl
• Cheryl making a circle with the forefinger and thumb of her left hand and inserting the forefinger of her right hand on the line "That's the time between when the gal sez 'Shore do' and the preacher sez 'Go to'!"
• "A wiry Pappy Yokum was created by Dewey Roth of Markle" [Laura Pipino - News Sentinel]

Memories of "The Boyfriend"

 

This Little Theatre of Northern Wells production took place in the early summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school. And yet, I was cast in the title role! And yet, I don't think it was a huge part...the program says my character only sang one song (which I don't even remember doing).

This should be a short post because I have very few memories of this show at all. And yet, the ones I have are very specific:

• Following a performance, an audience member who ran a dance studio said she thought I could benefit from her instruction...and made it sound like a compliment.
• The director, Larry Life, had me change my pronunciation of "fallacies" from my incorrect "fal-uh-sez" to "fal-uh-seez", saying that my way sounded like "phalluses," a word which, at the time, I did not know the definition of.
• In one of the very few stage kisses I've ever needed to perform, my character kind of surprised the object of his affection and, as I took her in my arms and leaned over her, she appropriately reacted with an open-mouthed gasp. When I told fellow cast member, Doug Hunnicutt, that the actress, Vickie Fuller, maintained said mouth posture throughout the kiss, he told me I should "slip her some tongue."

All of that, and I'm not in any extant photos of the show...

Memories of "Dracula"

 

'Twas December 1-2, 1971...late fall of my freshman year of high school. Either I gave an amazing audition reading or there just weren't that many guys interested in being in a non-musical because I was cast in one of the lead roles, Jonathan Harker, for which I was far too young.

Random memories:

• This was my first stage kiss, as recounted in THIS edition of Almost the Truth.
• Dracula "magically" made a mirror shatter by throwing a small pocket knife at it. It looked like he was doing a flamboyant "alakazam" hand gesture, and the audience was far enough away they probably couldn't see the knife.
• In one scene, Professor Van Helsing (played by Lee Bynum) entered the room just as my fiance, Lucy (played by Judy Lambert), was about to bite my neck...saving me from becoming a vampire. During one performance, Lee was distracted by a card game backstage and was late making his entrance. Judy just kept hovering over my neck, fangs bared, for what seemed like forever, until the good professor appeared...sliding into the arched doorway like Tom Cruise in Risky Business (but fully clothed!).
• I earned enough points with this one role for membership in the National Thespian Society...something that ticked off a few of the older theater nerds.

Memories of "The Wizard of Oz"

 

Toward the end of my 8th-grade year, I was cast as the Scarecrow in our production of The Wizard of Oz. While I had been Prince Charming as a 3rd grader, a Korean orphan in a short play at church, and one of the Three Men in a Tub in our 6th-grade show, I count this as my first "real" theater experience.

The friendships made during this production lasted throughout high school and beyond. It is significant to me that Abby Dormire was Dorothy to my Scarecrow and, in our Junior year, Oliver to my Fagin.

The director, Dorotha "Dot" Sellers, was my oldest sister's music teacher, and she would often remind me of that. Here's the nice note she wrote after the show was over:

Congratulations, Dewey, for an excellent performance as "Scarecrow" in "Wizard of Oz". I am sure the Lancaster grade students will never let you forget this play. They will not know your real name, but they will remember you as the "Scarecrow". You have great talent, so I hope to see you in the musicals at Norwell. A person talked with me after the performance and mentioned about the way you stood in the cornfield. You didn't move!! Thanks for your wonderful cooperation. I hope you had fun doing the musical. It is a lot of hard work but very rewarding. Best of luck to you at Norwell. Sincerely Yours, Miss D. Sellers