[NEohioPAL]Re: An Open Letter to the Theater Community

[David Hansen]

To the Cleveland Theatre Community ...

I would like to personally thank Randy Rollison for this opportunity to com=
e
clean.  In the spirit of full disclosure, may I now admit to the following
transgressions:

February, 1992 =AD "Death of  Salesman" Karamu House, Howard; Opening night,
one glass of wine with dinner prior to performance.

April, 1992 =AD "Andromache" The Working Theatre, Pyrrhus; Opening night, two
beers with dinner prior to performance.

September 1992 through May, 1993 =AD "You Have the Right to Remain Silent"
Guerrilla Theater Company, company member; Occasional beer enjoyed on-stage
in full view of the audience.

June, 1993 =AD "The Taming of the Shrew" Guerrilla Theater Company, Petruchio=
;
Having passed on the opportunity to play a transvestite in the film "Double
Dragon" to commit to this company show, I felt justified in slamming two
bourbons just prior to curtain some evenings.

September, 1994 =AD "Romeo & Juliet" Guerrilla Theater Company, director;
Slightly tipsy most nights of performance but never at rehearsal.  As a
director, this is not unusual, and should not be counted against me.

March, 1995 =AD staged reading of Alex P. Michaels=B9 "What Angels Fear?" Karam=
u
House, in the part of the bad, white cop; Drunk.

May, 1995 =AD "Junk Bonds" Cleveland Public Theatre, Kent; Cocaine, but only
once.

October, 1995 =AD June, 1998 =AD various productions at Dobama=B9s Night Kitchen,
as director; crystal meth. was the drug of choice, but never in the presenc=
e
of the minors.  Then we drank beer.

March, 1997 =AD "The Vampyres" Dobama=B9s Night Kitchen, as playwright; Opening
night, drunk, but as the playwright, on opening night, this is not unusual,
and should not be counted against me.

February, 1998 =AD "Love In Pieces" Cleveland Public Theatre, Antony/Orpheus;
Cocaine, but only once.

July, 1998 =AD "As You Like It" Cleveland Public Theatre; Drunk, but as I was
there as a critic, this was not only not unusual, but a Cleveland tradition=
,
and should not be counted against me.

August, 1998 =AD "Eight Impressions of a Lunatic" Red Hen Productions, Edouar=
d
Manet; Opening night, one glass of wine with dinner prior to performance.

November, 1999 =AD "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" Bec=
k
Center; High on marihuana (entire run.)

October, 2000 =AD "Cloud Nine" Bad Epitaph Theater Company, Clive/Edward;
Ecstasy and Viagara.

April, 2001 =AD "The Alchemist" Bad Epitaph Theater Company, producer; I had
little to do with the production, and was never there, but I think I was
intoxicated every night of the performance.

July, 2002 =AD "Henry IV" Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Bardolf; Dead sober=
,
everyone else was drunk.

August, 2003 =AD "I Hate This" Minnesota Fringe Festival, solo performance;
Valium.

November, 2003 =AD "Mrs. Bob Cratchit=B9s Wild Christmas Binge" Cleveland Publi=
c
Theatre, Bob Cratchit; First experience working with Randy Rollison, I swea=
r
off drugs and alcohol forever, at least on performance nights.

I feel better.  Thank you.

David Hansen
http://www.davidhansen.org/vampyres.html