answering a masquer's call

The Armstrong Masquers may not exist on paper any more, but their spirit lives on in all who once trod the stage in Jenkins Hall.

I had many roles there in my undergraduate years, but the vast majority - stage manager, prop mistress, wardrobe helper, lights and sound controller, set painter - were out of the limelight, except once when Dr. John "Sooch" Suchower put me on at the last minute when an actress couldn't make it.

Ah, such golden days at Armstrong State College!

Travis Spangenburg is also forever an Armstrong Masquer, as well as the man who wore yellow stockings - to my great delight! - in a Shakespeare play.

 

When he sent out his appeal on fb about his latest role, I knew I had to see the play, even if it meant I would miss something else.

"I’m very excited to announce, later than I should have, what I’ve been working on for the last two months or so.
Rabbit Hole has been one of my favorite plays for 14 years now. It’s a beautifully crafted and complex examination of one of the most imaginable losses a family can withstand. Playing the role of Howie, a grieving father, has been one of the more rewarding experiences I’ve had in theatre and I think me and my fellow cast of student actors have created something really special together. Something with pain, heart, and a sliver of hope.
Moreover, this is all happening at Armstrong where I was first assigned this play and where I eventually got my degree. Not only does this material mean a lot to me, but so does the venue and its theatre program, one that needs as much support as this community can give.
We’re doing three shows, October 24 - 26, and it would mean a lot to me to see a good Savannah crowd at my first time onstage in a full length play in five years. I know we all have a lot going on as Halloween approaches, but I hope everyone in town will consider coming to a show."

And so, amidst all the other goings on of this weekend, I made time to see "Rabbit Hole" at its final show this afternoon.

Right place, right time, right in my seat beside Mama's.

I wonder if he heard my laughter during the comedic moments and recognized me?

Because, yes, there were humorous parts to this drama about a family struggling to stay together after their 4-year-old child was struck by a car and killed.

The teen driver had seen the dog run into the street, but did not see the boy in time.

The stay-at-home mother has busied herself with eradicating signs of the child, in hopes it will salve her grief.

The working father objects to the lack of the boy's things in the family room, the absence of his drawings on the fridge, the dog now transplanted to the maternal grandmother's house.

To me, their actions were a variation on the dilemma in "The War Of The Roses": how to make someone leave when all they want to do is stay, versus how to keep someone when all they want to do is leave.

In this instance, the dilemma is whether to keep the memory of someone who has died versus to clear out all traces of a dead one's life.

Then there's the issue of guilt in the game of "what if".

What if the mother had been outside when the child was in the yard?

What if the father had been home that day?

What if the teen had not "been going 31 or 32 instead of 30"?

What if the grandmother had not phoned the mother while the child was outside?

What if the mother's sister had not necessitated that phone call?

What if...

Yes, the game no one can win.

Truly well done.

Travis was perfect as the father.

Plus, I recognized Morrow Smith - who played the grandmother - as the crime solver in "Lethal Lecture" last fall, and made sure to tell her so.

Then, guess what?

She recognized me right back!

"You're the one who came up on stage with us!"

 Very cool!

Now, to get ready to party with ghouls!

(smile!)