BROOKE HILLS PLAYHOUSE: A COLLECTIVE MEMOIR, Part 18

by Shari Murphy Coote and Friends

Season Eight, 1979

THE SEASON IS SHORTENED

We were finally getting the hang of things. In 1978, for some reason, we had dropped the employment term for the staff from 13 weeks to 11 weeks. The first three weeks were set aside for opening and cleaning the barn, hauling in lighting equipment and tools, and finding a new (donated) piano (often necessary, and always a heavy, bulky upright, because the pianos remained in the barn over the winter where they warped and couldn’t be tuned).  Auditions for the first 3 shows were held, and rehearsals began.  After scheduling 7-9 shows each season in the past, we dropped down to six shows in 1979, but it was grueling.

The two musicals ran two weeks each, but the four comedies only ran one week per title, and three of those titles were bam, bam, bam, one after the other. After the final Sunday evening performance, take the set for Oliver! down, and put up the new set for Dear Delinquent.  The following Sunday after four performances of Dear Delinquent, take that set down and put up the set for Same Time, Next Year.  The next Sunday and four performances later repeat set down and new set up for 6 Rms Riv Vu. Repeat the process for The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw, which thankfully ran for 8 performances, two weekends, giving the crew a breather. The final show, Come Blow Your Horn, a Neil Simon comedy, ran one weekend, and don’t forget, that in addition to the scenery, each show required furniture, maybe curtains, things to hang on the “walls,” what we call “set dressing,” props, and costumes. Lighting instruments would have to be re-hung or re-focused, and the crew still needed to be fed! It was a whirlwind, and the season was over well before Labor Day on August 13.

As if things were crazy enough, however, Bill and I bought a house in Follansbee and with the help of the crew and many friends we left our apartment on 6^th and Commerce St. in Wellsburg to 1341 Orchard Street in Follansbee. Whew! The good thing for me was the house was directly across the street from Follansbee Middle School where I taught. The bad thing was it was five miles further from the Playhouse.

I think what saved the Playhouse crew from complete exhaustion this summer was having two very talented designers/tech directors and carpenters (Jim Cirilano returned for his second season, and he was joined by Erich Zuern), Al Martin and all of his skills returned, and we had a great staff.

A SUPER-WELCOME ADDITION

Joe Thomas had grown up in Beech Bottom and had played professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles.  Joe was the Brooke Hills Park Manager for a number of years, and the Playhouse barn was located inside the park.  Joe’s family and my family were very close friends, going on vacations together several times when my siblings and I and the Thomas girls were kids.

In 1979, Joe came to me with an offer. He had noticed how we were struggling to get sofas, breakfronts, big pieces of scenery, and pianos up the steps to the second-floor theatre. He also knew that we had no handicap access to the second floor. Members of our crews and casts would carry people in wheelchairs up the high staircases at the back of the house and then carry them down to the front row of the audience.

Joe had secured some funds from West Virginia’s Governor Jay Rockefeller’s office for making the park more handicapped accessible, and Joe offered to have a ramp built for the Playhouse. It was a wonderful, out-of-the-blue surprise.

Bill Harper designed the ramp, drew up the architectural plans, submitted the plans to the county engineer, who quickly approved them, and prepared a budget for the project. Joe secured the funds for the building materials and the manpower to build and paint the ramp. 

I can’t think of another improvement that meant more to the crew members over the years than the ramp. It was like manna from heaven!  It also gave us a new entrance point to both the audience and the backstage area. Eventually, we built a shower room for the crew under the ramp, another great improvement, but not so great as the ramp itself.

CATHY GAINES MERLIN REMEMBERS THE RAMP

When I mentioned the ramp in Part 7D, Cathy Gaines, a staff member in the 1980 and 1981 seasons wrote to me.  She had never worked at the Playhouse without the ramp. “I do remember how everyone was so grateful that there was a ramp,” wrote Cathy, “when it came time to move pianos.  Fortunately, I was never invited to the piano-moving party.  You know, this is completely unreliable, but it seems to me that the ramp was built with a state grant for wheelchair access.  Not sure I ever saw a wheelchair go up or come down, but I did see the piano and quite a bit of scenery on that ramp.”

Although Cathy may never have seen it, over the years the ramp actually was used by people in wheelchairs, people with health problems, and of course, grateful crews! [Cathy’s other memories are included in Part 19.]

AN INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION

Wellsburg resident Nancy Patterson contacted me early in 1979 and asked if the Playhouse would be willing to present two performances by the Heatham House Youth Center Players from Twickenham, England. We didn’t get requests like this every day, and the group wanted to perform on a Monday and Tuesday in the middle of one of our two-week runs which was perfect. We said, “Yes.”

The group was performing and touring across the United States.  Their show was performed on the box set minus the furniture that up for whatever show we were running at the time.  The kids loved that they were performing in a “real” theatre and not some community hall or church fellowship hall. Their show was like an old-time music hall show–songs, dances, comedy skits, and it was a delightful evening.

Numerous parents accompanied the kids, including the Heatham House director and his wife, David and Rosemary King. The parents of the performers were like “roadies.” They set the stage, ran props, called lighting cues, etc. One of the parents was a guy whose last name was Pertwee, an actor of some renown in the United Kingdom.  He was a regular on the crazy and wildly popular Benny Hill Show, which was sometimes shown on American TV.

The shows were well-attended, and the group returned with a new cast and a new script in 1981.  David and Rosemary became my lifelong friends. Richard and I visited them in Portsmouth, England in 2007, and we exchange Christmas cards to this day.

THE TALENTED ERICH ZUERN JOINS THE COMPANY

Bill Harper had worked on his M.F.A. at Wayne State in Detroit with a guy named Jack Sederholm. Jack had become the head of the Drama Department of Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Starting in 1978, Jack sent us some of his students to work on the Playhouse staff. They were all great kids—lots of fun and willing to work hard. Some were also talented actors. 

In 1979, Jack sent us the immensely talented Erich Zuern from Syracuse, New York who would serve as a Designer and Technical Director alongside Jim Cirilano. With two creative designers who were also great carpenters, the sets were beautiful (if beautiful was called for) and functional (which every director appreciated). Additionally, the scenery-building/painting workload for the crew was at a minimum. It was quite a luxury!

Although this was mentioned in the write-up for Jim in Part 16, Erich and Jim installed the electrical raceway along two barn beams which eliminated the need to run a heavy cable (think industrial extension cords) from each individual lighting instrument to the far away lighting control board.  It was a big job which entailed running yards and yards of cable and installing numerous outlets for stage lighting instruments.  Decades of staff members since have Jim and Erich to thank.

Erich was at the Playhouse for two full seasons and returned to volunteer for part of another. Erich was always prepared for strike nights, and his sets went up quickly and without a glitch, which the entire staff appreciated. Multi-talented and a really nice guy, Erich also appeared on stage in several shows over the years.

Erich graduated from Elizabethtown College and then graduated with his M.F.A. from Wayne State University in Detroit. He went on to work for the Milwaukee Stage and then the Syracuse Stage, the professional theatre company at Syracuse University, where he worked with numerous big-name actors.

For a while, Erich worked at the prestigious Adirondack Scenic Studio and as a scenic artist in Florida, where his company built a lot of sets and props for the Burt Reynolds Dinner-Theatre and the Burt Reynolds television show, B. L. Stryker, both featuring numerous celebrities.

Recently Erich wrote, “I hope that you understand what the Playhouse meant to me. I went to Elizabethtown to major in Biology, fully intending to pursue a career in science.

“By my junior year I was double majoring in Bio and Communication Arts (the closest thing to a degree in Theater offered there).

“When Jack Sederholm suggested I contact Bill to work at Brooke Hills Playhouse in the summer of 1979, I thought that it would be useful to immerse myself in this and see if I liked doing it full time. Boy did I!

“As I mentioned in our phone conversation, I do not come from a family that is connected to the arts in any way. I had no exposure to the arts as a partaker– and certainly not as a ‘doer.’ All I knew was that I could not draw for beans and therefore was not ‘artistic.

“Some wonderful high school teachers saw something and gently fanned some embers that got me involved (late) in high school productions (backstage, of course) and in going to see productions at what was, at the time, a new regional theater, Syracuse Stage.

“Working together at Brooke Hills as a team with adults with a shared passion really cemented my interest in pursuing theater further—even though I had no idea what that really meant.

“If you look at my life trajectory, CLEARLY Brooke Hills Playhouse became available to me at a pivotal time and provided me with the inspiration to enter this big, vast unknown thing–the arts–full-time and seriously.

“It has been an incredible journey to many very rewarding places.

“Had you and the very dedicated team NOT created and nurtured the Playhouse, I very likely would have spent the summer of 1979 working at my neighbor’s root beer stand in North Syracuse, and I am honestly not sure I would have had the certainty to move into a graduate program in theater and on to everything else I have had the privilege to do since.

“So, I thank you sincerely for all of your hard work and perseverance. It has really meant everything to me.

“All my best,
Erich”

Erich’s kind words mean the world to me.  In a recent phone conversation, Erich said, “I have fond memories of my time at the Playhouse. I remember how welcoming everyone in Wellsburg was, the great 4^th of July Parade, and what fun we had at the party on the Fourth at the Hamiltons’.

“Let’s see. I remember the big, lighted cross on the hill across from the Playhouse. In the play, Everybody Loves Opal, the title character saved tea bags. I remember Al Martin, who directed the show, saved his tea bags and had everyone else saving tea bags until dress rehearsal, where the tea bags appeared strung up on a line across the kitchen section of Opal’s apartment!

“In celebration of Sandy’s birthday yesterday, we went to a local production of Oliver!. Boy, did that bring back some memories!  That was the first production of my first season at the Playhouse! I was briefly on stage as a bartender in the pub opening Act II with that rousing “Oom Pah Pah” song. The bar was conveniently located at the back of the stage, near the head of the stairs, which allowed me to dash down and cut the lights at the end of the scene! Yesterday’s show was a fine production, and the kids were terrific. I really enjoyed it!”

In 1993, Erich left theatre behind and embarked on a new design career–developing museum exhibits. This job has taken him from Aruba to Iceland, Lebanon to the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, and places in between! Presently Erich is the Executive Producer for Bluewater Studio in Milwaukee. “Opening a museum exhibit is like opening a show,” said Erich. “It’s a very collaborative effort, but it’s more permanent!”

Erich has two grown sons and continues to work nationally and internationally. He and Sandy live in Milwaukee.

LORIE RICHMOND CIPOLETTI REMEMBERS

It was the spring of 1978, on a Saturday morning, a group of us, who were very involved in the chorus at Wellsburg Middle school, were encouraged by Sue Ann Armstrong, to try out for the summer musical at the Playhouse.

I remember on audition day sitting in the back row of the theater, with a group of other kids my age. We read parts of the script, and Shari would tell us how to say things in a certain way. We practiced, then we showed her our best on stage. We would practice a piece of music then take turns belting it out.  I don’t remember how we found out if we got the part.  But when I did, I knew I was going to be a part of something big and magical.

My first show was The Sound of Music.   I was 10 years old. I played Marta, the second to the youngest Von Trapp child.  I knew some of the other Von Trapp Family children.  Jane Paul, David McMullen and I all went to the Wellsburgh Presbyterian church together. I specifically remember the thunderstorm scene with all of the kids on the bed with Maria.  In the storyline, she sang “My Favorite Things” to calm us from the storm. I have been afraid of thunder and lightning my whole life, and the thunder in the show was so real. I think it was a big piece of metal that someone shook backstage.  It scared me every time I heard it, even though I knew it was coming. Then, there were REAL thunderstorms at the barn. They were on a level of their own out in the pitch-black park. 

When I close my eyes, I can smell the barn and feel the material on the old red theater seats. I loved the primitive dressing room and sharing the small space with all of the actresses and watching the adults put on lots of makeup. I just recently learned that Madeline Jackson was the makeup artist that I would watch, in awe, as she transformed someone into character. It was always exciting changing our costumes quickly and quietly climbing those steep back steps and waiting back in the dark curtains for the next scene. It is so vivid in my mind.  I caught the Playhouse Bug as a 10-year-old. I couldn’t wait for the next season.

My second show was Oliver! in 1979. I was an orphan (all of the girls played the part of boys) in a large group of dirty, singing, and dancing street urchin pickpockets. I don’t remember much from the show except FAGIN. He was a great actor. FAGIN was a frightening main character with an amazing makeup transformation (thanks to Madeline Jackson most likely).  He played the part so well that I was really afraid of him.

In 1982, I was in The Music Man. It was my favorite play. I was Zanita Shinn: Daughter of Mayor Shinn (Russel Welch) and Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (Peggy Barki).

The show was filled with so much music. I loved to hear the ladies of River City sing “Pick a Little, Talk a Little.” There was a lot of laughing while they learned that number.

I had a repeating line in the play, “Yee Gads, “with my high pitched squeaky voice. Peggy Barki called me “Yee Gads“ every time she saw me from that day on.

Mr. (Rick) Taylor was Harold Hill, The Music Man. His “76 Trombones led the big parade.”   The part was created for him. He was a pillar of Playhouse music magic.

I was also in H.M.S. Pinafore in 1982. Sad to say, I don’t remember a thing about it, and I don’t think I liked the music!

For me, the best part of Brooke Hills Playhouse was the feeling of being a part of something special, something unique. I cherish the bonds and friendships that were formed with Theresa and Rick Taylor, Katey and Nicholas as well as Paula and Russ Welch and so many others.

A special thank you to Shari (Harper) Coote for providing me with the opportunity to, as she would always say, “Break a leg” and to have the privilege to say that I was a part of Brooke Hills Playhouse history.  It was an amazing experience and a joy to sit and write this. It is so vivid.

I have remained in the area, and I am proudly married to Raymond Cipoletti (for 37 years). We have two wonderful sons, Nathan and Ryan. I taught kindergarten for 11 years at St John School and later became a librarian at Brooke High School. Raymond and I are retired and enjoy trips to Florida to visit my parents in Bradenton. I also enjoy visiting my sister LeAnn (Richmond) Kurey and her family in Georgia. A shout out to LeAnn for all of her dedication to turning pages for several Playhouse pianists along the way.  I hope the Playhouse continues forever for all to “Pass a little Playhouse along.”

[NOTE: If pictures from Oliver (1979) and The Music Man (1982) turn up, I’ll add them.–Shari]

JOHN BARTO REMEMBERS

I first met John Barto in 1974 when I directed You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Follansbee Middle School where I was teaching 7^th and 8^th grade Language Arts.  John was a bright and lively 5^th grader, and I cast him as Snoopy.  He was charming and delightful.  He sang and delivered his lines, instinctively knowing what I preached for years.  “You can be the greatest actor on earth, but if the last row of the audience can’t hear you, what good is your talent?”  He was a natural with stage presence to the max and took direction like a pro.

When the Playhouse group decided to produce Critic’s Choice in 1975, mainly to showcase the talents of Judy Porter (later Hennen) and John Hennen, we struck gold twice. We needed a young boy, and John Barto came to mind. His parents knew he’d had a great experience with the middle school production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and he was allowed to read for Tommie Martin, the director.  He was 12 years old, and he was cast.

A beautiful older woman from Steubenville, Ohio also auditioned and was cast as Judy’s mother.  Her name was Marge Franklin, and she was another natural who was in a number of shows after Critic’s Choice.

“Tommie treated me exactly the same as every other cast member, and I was determined to please her,” said John. “I was so impressed with John and Judy. They knew exactly what to do onstage, and they had this great repartee going on between scenes or rehearsals. I loved being around them.

“We rehearsed out in the Kiwanis Picnic Shelter where cast parties were often held. The heavy picnic tables were moved out of the shelter, and the set designer would lay out the show’s set on the floor with masking tape. The tape lines were where the walls of scenery would be when we got on stage. There were breaks in the tape that were labeled, ‘door,’ ‘arch,’ or ‘window.’

“It didn’t take long for me to realize,” said John, “that three shows were nearly always in some stage of production. One show was being presented nightly on stage, and two other shows were rehearsing. One show’s cast was usually off the book (lines were memorized), and they were working with props and tricky costumes. The third show was still in the blocking-and-reading-from-the-script stage.  It was quite an operation.”

Four years later in 1978, John and his sister Sally came to see Rated X-Tra Special as their friend John Mark Cooper was in it. John said, “I started thinking that I should be performing, too, but the next summer, I went to church camp, and the Playhouse carried on without me.”

Finally, when John was in 10^th grade (1979), he saw that the opening show at the Playhouse was Oliver!.  John said, “Shari had directed Oliver! at the middle school in 1976. I was in the show, and when the kid playing Fagin had to drop out, she moved me up to that role.  I had wanted to get back on stage, and when I saw that they were going to do Oliver! at the Playhouse, I auditioned and was cast as Noah Claypole, the undertaker’s assistant. I had other chorus parts as well.”

John had at least three costumes and numerous changes for that show. He was an older guy in several crowd scenes—makeup to age him, lines on his face and hands, white shoe polish in his hair, kind of baggy pants, shirt, suspenders, and body attitude a little stooped. As Noah, he wore formal attire, appropriately black for mourning, hair parted in the middle. His other character was a younger chorus member, plus-fours, shirt, snap-brimmed hat. “I got a workout running up and down those steep backstage stairs between the stage and the dressing rooms!” said John. “I’d put on makeup, do my hair one way, change costumes, run up, perform, run back down, wash my hair and face, reapply make up, change costumes. It was constant, and it was a blast.”

Later that summer, John played the French Canadian, Dirty Pierre, one of the villains, in The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw. “It was a lot of fun doing a French accent á la Monty Python,” said John, while demonstrating! 

“The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw called for flash pots, and for some reason (maybe she had given me a ride to rehearsal), Shari took me with her to gather the needed material,” John said. “We went somewhere near Pittsburgh and met this guy who took us to his home where he had stage stuff.  She needed old-time photographic flash powder and fuses, the kind with a mica ‘window’ on top. 

“To make the flash pots, she would carefully cut the mica top out of the fuse, put some flash powder inside the fuse, cover the hole with masking tape, and screw the fuse into a porcelain lightbulb fixture that was mounted on a board and wired to a switch some distance away. Flip the switch, and boom! Big flash and smoke, and if overloaded, like the first attempt, a big BOOM. She adjusted the ‘recipe.’”

John was back on the Playhouse stage in 1980, first as a member of the chorus in Oklahoma! “Once again,” said John, “I played a couple of characters. Sometimes I was a rancher. Sometimes a farmer.

“In one scene, there’s an auction going on. The farmers were bidding on the lunch baskets prepared by the women. At some point in the bidding, I was to yell out, ‘14 bits,’ which I did.  Someone was supposed to respond with a higher bid, but no one did, so I followed up my own bid with ‘18 bits!’ I remember bidding against myself more than once during the run of the show!

“I have a very vivid memory of press night for the show.  Champagne was served at the post-show party, and I had never had it before.  At some point, I went to the restroom, threw up, and then passed out on the toilet. Somebody found me and got me back together.  The Playhouse crew members were housed in a dorm at Bethany College that summer, and Erich Zuern, the season’s designer and a very nice guy, took me back to the dorm with him after calling my parents. I spent a miserable night, and when I awoke the next morning, Erich was playing James Taylor’s “Angry Blues” from the Gorilla album. A song with this line welcomed me awake, ‘I can’t help it if I don’t feel so good.’ Nothing could have been more appropriate!”

The second show in the 1980 season was a Music Festival that ran July 5 and 6. The Fourth of July often caused a scheduling problem. We didn’t want to open a new show with just a two-day run, so we asked our Playhouse folks to perform favorites from their repertoire.  John remembers that he played piano to accompany Bill Hossack singing Kermit the Frog’s hit, “The Rainbow Connection.”  John also sang and accompanied himself on guitar, but he can’t remember what he sang!  Bill obviously made quite an impression.

Later in the season, John was cast as the lead, the slave Pseudolus, in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. “The rehearsals for that show were so much fun and so full of energy,” said John. “Shari directed, and she encouraged the cast to try out new comic bits.  It was my first exposure to thinking up business. Some was kept. Some we tried and then moved on. I’d never been in a show before where the cast could contribute to the blocking.  I especially remember driving to and from Forum rehearsals in my VW bus singing those difficult Sondheim songs with the Broadway cast cassette blaring through my speakers.”

Forum was John’s last show at the Playhouse.  That fall he headed to Milligan College in Tennessee.  Semi-retired now, John spent many years working in restaurants and performing with groups or as a solo act with his guitar skills and his outstanding voice. Today, he lives in Dayton, Ohio near his sister Becky and her family.  John’s sister Susie, who sometimes volunteered at the Playhouse, works for Marathon Oil and lives in Findlay, Ohio.  As you can see from the his photo, John is an avid gardener!

John’s inquiring mind wants to know, “When you peel cucumbers, do you think of the smell of scene paint?”  [NOTE: Personally, I’ve never had the cucumber experience!–Shari]

[NOTE: Sadly we have no photos from Oliver! or A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.  If we receive some, we’ll add them.–Shari]

PATTY WELCH REMEMBERS

I located Patty Carpico Welch and wrote to her when the Playhouse was about to celebrate its 50^th season in 2021.  She replied enthusiastically! Next, I asked her to relate her post-Playhouse history.

Hello All,
Time sure does fly.  Wow! I cannot believe that it has been 50 years for Brooke Hills Playhouse. I wish that I was able to attend the anniversary celebration in July.  I will be with you in spirit.

PATTY WELCH TELLS HER “TRUE CINDERELLA STORY”

Many of you may not remember me, however, some may.  I played the wife of Sgt. Fenshaw in Scott Martin’s hilarious melodrama The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw and as Scott’s girlfriend in Neil Simon’s very first play, Come Blow Your Horn, in 1979. Then the following season, I played Ado Annie in Oklahoma. Such fond memories!  In fact, Brooke Hills Playhouse holds a warm spot in my heart because I grew up in Colliers, W. Va., and working acting at the Playhouse was a true inspiration for my career move. 

After Brooke Hills Playhouse, I performed Tuptim in The King and I at Olgebay Park in Wheeling.  The Wheeling Symphony had brought in Yul Bryner’s understudy to play the King in the production. He was very encouraging.

From there I got up the courage to go to New Your City to audition for Broadway.  In my early 20’s, I went on my own to New York with a plane ticket and $1,400 in my pocket. After only four weeks in the city, I was both discouraged and broke.  Discouraged because I did not have my Equity Card and was unable to get into any of the Broadway auditions.  I remember sitting for hours on a cold cement floor outside the audition rooms, frustrated because they would not see and hear me.

After four weeks, I gave up and decided that it might be best to go back to West Virginia. I had my mother wire me money to get my plane ticket home.  Back then in 1979, the best way to collect instant cash was through Western Union.  I walked out of Western Union, smack in the middle of New York City, and as I was walking on the sidewalk someone called my name. I turned around and it was Marcia McIntosh, a friend from the college that we both attended, West Virginia University. 

She asked me what I was doing in Manhattan, and I told her my sad news of giving up hope at pursuing a Broadway career and that I would be flying back to West Virginia. Marcia asked, “Where are you staying? I told her the YWCA.  She said that she lived on the upper West Side with her sister in a 2-bedroom apartment. Marica offered to let me sleep on her sofa to buy me more time. I was so grateful that I told her I would cook, clean, whatever she wanted!!!

Two weeks after living with Marcia and her sister Anne, I saw an Open Call for The King and I, starring Yul Brynner. I was so excited because not only did I know the role of Tuptim, but it was an Open Call, meaning all Actors Equity Members would be seen first then after that, non-Equity actors would be seen. 

I sat again on a cold cement floor for 3 days waiting to get in. Finally, I got my chance and auditioned for The King and I.   I was so excited because I got a call-back. At my call-back I was asked to come back again in two weeks and sing for Yul Brynner when he returned from Japan.

I vividly remember the day when there were 10 beautiful young women waiting in the hall to sing for the Casting Team, Producer Mitch Leigh & Yul Brynner. Out of the 10 women, 4 of us were not Asian and the other 6 were Asian. I remember one young woman in particular. She was “drop dead gorgeous.”  She was tall and thin and had beautiful long shiny black hair. I thought to myself, “If anyone will be picked as Tuptim, if will surely be her.” 

They asked each of us to sing “My Lord And Master.”  Then it was my turn, and when I was finished singing, Yul Brynner came down to the stage and asked me to sing it again. “Before you do,” he instructed. “take off your shoes and sing it again walking the stage as you perform the song.” 

I did exactly as Yul Brynner instructed. and the casting team thanked me. I went back to Marcia’s apartment. Later on in the day, Marcia answered the telephone and said it was for me. It was the casting team saying that I was being offered the role of Tuptim and that I was to go to Mitch Leigh’s office to sign my contract. (FYI, Mitch Leigh was our Producer, but he was also the composer of Man Of La Mancha.)   

I read my contract, I was surprised to see my weekly salary of $1,400.  The exact dollar amount that I went to New Your City with!  The rest is history, I ended up being the last Tuptim with Yul Brynner and performed well over 9,000 performances with Yul Brynner both in the National Tour and the last 6 months of his life on Broadway. Over time, I ended up making $2,000 per week plus per diem which was a good amount back in 1980-1985. Yes, it was a true Cinderella Story, at least for me that is.

Since The King and I, I’ve had the privilege of co-starring with Robert Goulet, have been a featured soloist in the Wayne Newton Show, performed at the 9/11 Memorial, appeared in the HBO production of Happily Ever After Fairy Tales, and created many other wonderful career memories. 

I am still performing but on a much smaller scale. I presently live in La Quinta, California (about 35 minutes from Palm Springs) and perform regularly at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel–not bad for nearly 67 years old.  If you ever end up near Palm Springs, California.  I would love to see you at one of my performances.

I hope that I did not bore you with my long story, but I wanted to share it especially since Brooke Hills Playhouse was the true inspiration for me to pursue my career!

Warm wishes,
Patricia

You can write Patty at patricia@patriciawelch.com  Visit her website at www.patriciawelch.com and hear her sing at https://youtu.be/txkgGOWmhmU  

KAREN KAFTON REMEMBERS

Karen was another one of my talented students at Follansbee Middle School.

“My first show at the Playhouse was Oliver! in 1979,” said Karen Kafton.  I remember a rehearsal during Oliver! when I nearly ended Rick Taylor’s ability to father any children.  We were in a fight scene, and that’s when I first learned about a reflex I never knew I had.  He came at me and my knee automatically raised up toward his groin.  It never made contact, but I was horrified.  He had been my choir director for whom I had great respect.

“Later in life, I participated in martial arts, and the knee-to-the-groin move was always easy for me because it came naturally. I was always reminded of the way I became aware of it!  So, maybe you could say that the Playhouse made me realize I had some very valuable tools that I hope I never have to use! 

 “Also, that summer, I acted and sang in The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw.  I was Blanche, a bit of a female villain.  John Barto was my love interest, and Russ Welch was the real villain, Roger St. Clair. We were known for dastardly deeds! 

“Later, in 1981, I was in Godspell.  The song I sang at the celebration for the Playhouse’s 50^th Season was from that production. If I was in anything else, I don’t remember. 

“I do know that I met some wonderful people at the Playhouse, and I was honored to share the stage with some great talent.”

[NOTE: Sadly, we’ve found no photos from Godspell or Oliver!. If we do, I’ll add them. –Shari]

STEVE DALESIO REMEMBERS

Steve Dalesio was another of my students at Follansbee Middle School where I directed him in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. When he got to Brooke High, he was in shows directed by Playhouse mainstay Norma Stone. It is so funny that Steve, who has always been impeccable in his appearance and attire, played two complete slobs, Pigpen in Charlie Brown and Gutbucket in The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw at the Playhouse. Getting into a character that is so opposite from the real you can be a big challenge. I think the always well-groomed Steve enjoyed playing these alter-egos.  I don’t remember if his mom got a big kick out of it or was horrified, but I know she loved seeing Steve on stage. 

Steve wrote:
Hi, Shari,

So nice to hear from you. We spoke a couple of years ago, and I always meant to get back to you and follow up, but I dropped the ball. So, I’m glad you persisted. I’m pretty sure I have photos of the plays I was in at the Brooke Hills Playhouse, which included Come Blow Your Horn, and The Return of Sgt Fenshaw, as referenced in your letter. You also directed me in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (I was Pig Pen – a role no one ever believes since I am really the complete opposite) at Follansbee Middle School.I’m also fairly certain that I have some Playbills and newspaper articles. If I find them, I’ll send them to you.  [NOTE: He did!]

My dear Mother passed in 2006, exactly one month to the day that my best friend passed. It was a brutal year. I told myself that she left me, but she continues to watch over me. She was my biggest fan when I was on the stage, not only a fan of the plays at the Playhouse, but also of the plays I was in that you worked on at Brooke High School including South Pacific (I was Commander Harbinson), and Babes In Arms (I played Valentine). I feel like I’m missing another play or two. I have not been in any plays since. I guess I never had the desire to act any more although I am a huge fan of the stage and was a season ticket holder for quite some time for the Benedum Theatre here in Pittsburgh.

Personally, I practiced law in PA and WV for over 30 years before starting my own mediation and arbitration company in 2015. I truly believe that my acting and being on the stage in front of audiences made me a better trial lawyer. I always considered my trials as being on stage, and I kind of relished the spotlight. I never lost a case, a record I’m proud of to this day.  

I no longer practice law but conduct mediations every day, which can be quite exhausting. I do that in 5 states – WV, PA, OH, KY and MD. (Check out my website if you want.) All of my clients are lawyers, and they hire me to negotiate settlements of their cases. The Courts and Judges also appoint me to conduct arbitrations and preside over settlement conferences.

I used to be on the road every day, but the pandemic was kind of a blessing for me. I now conduct the hearings remotely via Zoom about 3 days a week, and I’m on the road 2 days a week. Some weeks it’s all remote, which is really nice. My family and I started going to Florida in Jan/Feb and I work remotely from there.

There is a shelf life to this kind of work because it’s very demanding and very stressful. While my health is excellent, I’m starting to feel the stress getting to me, and I promised myself that I would slow down to maybe 3-4 days a week when I turn 65 in 3 years. Hopefully, I’ll retire at age 70, the Good Lord willing.

I have a wonderful, beautiful wife, Angela, of almost 30 years. Angela is a retired real estate agent and helps me out with my business. She also works part time at Crate and Barrell, a job she loves. Our handsome, successful son, Anthony, is a pharmacist here in Pittsburgh.

You asked about my hobbies. I have become a bit of a car collector and built a large 4-bay garage for my “toys” with an attached office/man cave. But I learned that no matter how many cars I have, I can only drive one at a time. I usually keep my cars about 2 years and then sell them and get new ones. I spend a lot of time waxing and doting over them and going to car shows.

I also play pickleball – a lot – probably too much and started to develop some severe tendonitis in my elbows, but I’m hooked. I play in Weirton, WV and also at a rec center about 5 minutes from my house.

Another hobby is my kitties. I’m the male equivalent of a “cat lady”.  I love my kitties, sometimes more than people! I had three of them but my youngest died at only 4 years old this past summer. He just dropped dead. It was a gut punch, but I’m grateful to still have my other two kitties, who are 10 years old.

Finally, I love feeding the wild deer on my property. I have a large piece of property and about 6 years ago, a mommy deer and her 2 children wandered onto my property. The mommy deer had a bad back leg, and it was just dangling there, although she could use it for support. So, I fed her some apples, and she came back the next day. I fed her again and researched that they like kernel corn, so I bought a small bag. Fast forward to today, 6 years later, and I’m still feeding the same deer, and she has invited her friends and family over the years. All told, I feed about 10 deer daily. I buy six 50-pound bags of corn every month! I really love it and look forward to it every day. My son calls me “the deer whisperer” because they let me get pretty close to them without running away while they run from everyone else. Each morning, I sit on my deck to drink my coffee, and they look at me and probably say to themselves “Well, what are you waiting for? Feed us!”

I have a lot of memories of my acting days at the Playhouse, and I hope to talk to you soon. I want to search for the photos and playbills first and then I’ll circle back with you.

Take care,
Steve

A while later, Steve wrote:

“The summer of 1979 was so incredible for me, and I have fond memories of my roles in the productions at the Playhouse. I had just graduated from high school and was looking forward to going to WVU. I was also fresh off my performance of Valentine White in Babes in Arms at Brooke High and had the acting “bug!

“ It was a wonderful carefree time in my life, made so much more enjoyable by playing Gutbucket in The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw and by playing Buddy in Come Blow Your Horn. Gutbucket had to be one of the most enjoyable characters I ever played because of his happy-go-lucky persona and because I was in full costume with a fake beard and no one really knew it was me. Plus, the production was so upbeat and fun and all the actors were so enjoyable to be around every day.

“It was a wonderful carefree time in my life, made so much more enjoyable by playing Gutbucket in The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw and by playing Buddy in Come Blow Your Horn. Gutbucket had to be one of the most enjoyable characters I ever played because of his happy-go-lucky persona and because I was in full costume with a fake beard and no one really knew it was me. Plus, the production was so upbeat and fun and all the actors were so enjoyable to be around every day.

“My role as Buddy in Come Blow Your Horn was the opposite of Gutbucket, where I played a suave (at least I tried to be!) ladies’ man who was still controlled by his mother. Shari (Harper) had a cameo appearance as my mother for one of the performances! [NOTE: Mary Neal from Wheeling was playing the part, but she became ill, and I went on, probably because I could fit into her costume!  Anyway, it was a 9-page scene precipitated by it being Steve’s character’s birthday. Mom drops by, but he was expecting a girl, so he hustles out of the apartment to find his mom a taxi. The ensuing scene with Mom alone onstage involves a very funny soliloquy complicated by her answering several phone calls and having no pencil to write down the messages for her other son, played by Scott Martin, who was out for the evening.  There was no way I could have memorized the scene with short notice, so I probably went on with the script. It’s a very funny scene, and I’m pretty sure the audience had a good time with the understudy who had no time to study!–Shari]

“To work with the likes of Russ Painter, Rich Ferguson, and Charles Calabrese was an honor and a pleasure,” continued Steve. “I was in awe of their talent. And then there was the director/writer/composer/actor, Scott Martin, who was incredibly talented and so understanding and wonderful to work with all the time.

“I vividly remember Scott asking me if I could grow a beard for my role as Gutbucket. Nope—was not happening at that time of my young life! So, they had a nice fake beard waiting in the wings!

“I have fond memories of just the Playhouse itself. Driving down the long road after entering the park, up and down the gentle slopes and then seeing the barn. It was like home to me, better yet, a wonderful place where great friends and smiling faces were waiting. I remember parking in the grass and walking over to the barn so eager to start acting. I also remember telling myself that it just couldn’t get any better than that.

“The barn had a certain woodsy smell to it, musty on some days, but certainly an aroma that made you feel like there was nothing else like it. I also was so impressed by the production crews who made all the sets and seemed to be there non-stop, always working with a smile on their face.

“Another fond memory was heading downstairs to the “lobby” after the performances and waiting for the fans who wanted autographs. That was so cool, and it made me feel like a movie star. I remember it well.

“But the best and fondest memory of all, without a doubt, was Shari Harper (now Shari Coote). Her constant and seemingly never-ending support for me, and all the actors, and for the Playhouse itself was something I will never forget. Shari was the glue that held it all together. Her smile, her laugh, her encouragement, and her upbeat, positive personality made my experience at the Playhouse so enjoyable, and I still cherish those memories of her dedication to the Playhouse 40+ years later. I am humbled to be a part of its history and grateful for all the memories.”

“As I was writing this, I asked myself why I never acted in another play, but I guess I wanted to go out on a good note!  And, Shari, don’t get too teary eyed regarding my comments about you—they are sincere!”

[NOTE: Hint, hint! Steve, maybe you should start auditioning again.  I’m sure there’s a little theatre near you. –Shari]

TERRY STUCK REMEMBERS

In 1979, Terry Stuck, a Brooke High student performed in his first Playhouse show The Return of Sgt. Fenshaw. He was cast as a shepherd, but bigger roles were soon to come as he could sing, act, and play the guitar, and he had great stage presence. He was also a staff member during the 1984 season when we undertook the herculean task of re-siding the barn. Terry was in well over 30 shows and helped to build and strike who knows how many sets in his 31 years at Brooke Hills Playhouse from 1979 to 2010?

One of my fondest memories of Terry happened after he married the love of his life Karen Kemper Stuck. The young couple had bought a house, and Terry was learning about the joys of homeownership. He was acting in some show, and we had a few minutes together during a rehearsal break. In all seriousness, Terry said, “How can anyone who hasn’t worked at least one summer at the Playhouse ever afford to own a home? I’ve fixed toilets, painted walls and trim, done some rewiring, you name it, and I learned it all at the Playhouse.” I loved hearing that resounding endorsement and count it as one of the highest tributes to the experience of working summer stock at the Playhouse.

Terry has some wonderful and some crazy memories of his time on the barn stage.

“I had so many fun times on stage,” said Terry. “I had a habit of ‘going up’ on stage and totally losing my place and forgetting what my next line was, but I was also the victim of others doing the same thing and getting out of the jam became second nature. We would just make it work out.

“One time in The Rainmaker, I was supposed to come on stage and say ‘Hey, File, how’s your poker?’ File was a deputy sheriff played by Rick Call.

“Well, I actually said, ‘Hey, Poker, how’s your file?’ Al Martin, who was playing the part of the sheriff, thought that was just so funny that he took about 2 minutes laughing and then went on with the scene. About 3 lines later, Al went way off script because he couldn’t remember his lines. It all came back together somehow. “When we got backstage, Rick Call, Al Martin and I had the biggest laugh, and Al tried to blame me for the entire fiasco of a scene. Of course, he was joking. Every now and then, for years, Al and Rick would see me and say, ‘Hey, Poker, how’s your file?’ 

“When we got backstage, Rick Call, Al Martin and I had the biggest laugh, and Al tried to blame me for the entire fiasco of a scene. Of course, he was joking. Every now and then, for years, Al and Rick would see me and say, ‘Hey, Poker, how’s your file?’

Karen and Terry have been married for 37 years, and they have two beautiful daughters.  Terry said, “Taylor married Will Vance on my  birthday in 2021, and they live in Hurricane, W. Va. Taylor started a new job in March 2025 as a Communications/Social Media Manager for the Marshall University Hospitals in Huntington. Will is a producer at WOWK in Charleston. Emily works for the Brooke County School System as a Community in Schools Coordinator. Both girls have been on stage a number of times, and they still have the bug to be on stage. They both have done some community theatre in their respective communities. One of my favorite memories about the Playhouse is when all four of us were on stage together in the production of Suessical the Musical.

“Karen was a counselor at Brooke Middle School and is now Assistant Principal at the school. She will retire in the spring of 2025.

“I am the Chief Probation Officer for the 1st Circuit Courts serving Hancock, Brooke and Ohio Counties, and I will be retiring at the end of October 2025 after 39.5 years in law enforcement and the probation department. Typing that brings a huge smile to my face.”

Terry has taken a long break from acting, and for the past 14 years, he, Rick Taylor, and other friends have been entertaining the entire Ohio Valley with the great music of the band 40+ (named because the band members are all 40+!).

In addition, Terry is a firefighter and is currently the Safety Officer of the Franklin Community Volunteer Fire Department which covers Brooke Hills Park and the Playhouse.  Terry said, “I served at the Franklin VFD in many capacities including Assistant Chief. I was the Chief at the Beech Bottom Volunteer Fire Department for about 5 years following in the footsteps of my father, Albert Stuck, until Karen and I moved to Fowler Hill Rd. in 1989.”

One of Terry and Karen’s favorite pastimes is riding their Harley. “Karen and I still ride,” said Terry, “however, we have switched to the 3-wheeled version. We currently have a Harley Davidson Tri-Glide. We love hitting the road, especially with our friends, Dave and Michelle Coulter. Dave appeared on the Playhouse stage as well. The four of us have been to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota on three different occasions, and the last trip there also took us to Pikes Peak, Mt. Evans, and Estes Park (“Here’s Johnny”). [NOTE: Johnny Carson lived in a large mansion in Estes Park, Colorado. —Shari].. We have also ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina. We’ve taken a bike trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and we are looking forward to many more adventures in the future.”

When Terry retires, we wish him well and hope he and Karen have a little time for the Playhouse again!

A SMALL ALBUM FOR TERRY

CLOSING UP THE BARN, EIGHTH EDITION

And so, our eighth season came to an end. It had been a great summer with so much talent both on the stage and behind the scenes.  We had some money in the bank (maybe enough to send out season announcements in the winter and start-up money for the spring). Most importantly, we didn’t owe anyone any money, always a big relief.  John Hennen and Judy Porter Hennen, two of the Playhouse founders, returned for part of the summer, and I feel certain that I watched them spin their magic every night in the two-character show Same Time, Next Year.  Tommy Pasinetti, another Playhouse founder, returned this summer to direct this one show, and Bobby Shreve, a former Playhouse designer/tech director, returned to design Same Time.

Once Come Blow Your Horn opened on August 9, we started the process of packing up and moving out the big tools, cleaning out the refrigerators, and straightening up the prop room and costume storage for the winter.  We struck the set after the final performance on Sunday, Aug. 12, and made a few trips to Bill and my basement in Follansbee to store the stage hardware and hand tools.  On Monday, we took down the big, black curtains, swept the stage and the house, covered the seats with massive sheets of plastic, and moved the pews and wire spools from the lobby into the tool room/kitchen. We locked all the barn doors and said our “goodbyes” or “see-you-next-springs” to each other and went our separate ways.