[NEohioPAL]expiration of discussion on Randy Rollisons' letter at midnight

Sat Jan 29 13:09:30 PST 2005

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Today (Saturday, January 29, 2005) will be the last day I forward  responses 
to Mr. Rollison's open letter.   

Fred

_http://www.fredsternfeld.com_ (http://www.fredsternfeld.com/) 
216-360-0708-  home
216-496-6087- cell

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>From amadan152earthlink.net" <amadan15 at earthlink.net  Sat Jan 29 21:42:23 2005
From: amadan152earthlink.net" <amadan15 at earthlink.net (amadan152earthlink.net)
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 13:42:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [NEohioPAL]An Open Letter to the Theater Community
Message-ID: <123462.1107034943893.JavaMail.root at bert.psp.pas.earthlink.net>

          As the Irish fella said when he found a bar fight in progress, "Is this a family fight or can anyone join in?.

          I relished the letter from Randy Rollison and the several responses, especially from Larry Neering.

          The problem of drunks and other users in the theater is not all pervasive or constant.  However, it is there
often enough to piss off a lot of people.  While reading the letters, I remember more and more the occasions when 
I saw people under the influence during rehearsal and performance.  I would need several pages to set them all down.
It was either the wafting scent of the several too many coctails consumed before a performance or it was complete
incompetence because an actor is high or drunk. 

          I can sense very easily when a fellow performer is drunk because I am usually standing two feet away.  
Similarly, just as audience members can detect dishonest performace, phony emotion and non-existent tears, they
can damn sure detect drunkenness.  As actors, that is our sin and own deepest shame. It just corrodes the soul to
see that sort of thing in the sacred space that is the theater.

          Lest I wallow unduly in sanctimony, I here confess that I have sinned.  On one occasion I freaked after a court
hearing in Akron and missed a performace of "King Lear".  On another day I crewed a performance at Dobama whle
I was stiff as a crutch.  My sense of shame over those transgressions is boundless and unrelenting.  The sorrow runs
much too deep ever to go away.

          To be drunk on stage is to insult the Gods in whose honor the Greeks built theaters in the first place, so many
many centuries ago.  To see our art corrupted in any way shatters the joy and love and passion that we bring to this 
most sacred of the fine arts.

          To Randy, to Larry, to Lissy, to Vaughn from the bottom of this Celtic heart my applause belongs to you.

          That's enough grandiloquent blarney for now.

          God bless us, everyone.  No exceptions.

          Most sincerely,

          TONY WALSH
          Dangerous Actor 
          Loudmouthed Lawyer
          and your obstinate servant
          amadan at mac.com
          (216) 421-2905