Something to Celebrate!!

I'm on the road again!!! Albany Civic Theatre, where I virtually started my career, is celebrating it's 6oth Anniversay February 28th-March 1st at the converted firehouse on Second Avenue in Albany where it all began.  I started performing with them right out of college and it became my second home for the next 30 years while I married; raised kids; spent two years shooting commercials in New York City, and all too soon lost my beloved Barry.  He and I spoke of how blessed we were all through those years as we sang and danced (at least I did) and laughed our hearts out with the gang at ACT.  The group there who made it all work were so close to us that we couldn't imagine life without them. The wit they all possessed, especially the gays which most of the fellas were, could not be beaten.  But sadly most of those original talents are not with us anymore....it's hard getting older.

We would get up from the dinner table every night and get in the car and head down to the theatre for rehearsal or performance. There were some plays, but for the most part (and this is where I always could be found) it was all musicals. And I was either the first or second lead in every one of them!!  If you can remember all the classic Broadway musicals, we did them all (well, most of them anyway).

We always had a  'college girl'  (the name for what is now called a 'nanny') who lived with us and took care of the kids. (That's how dinner got cleaned up---I did prepare it however.) We all brought the kids with us to final dress rehearsals, and before you knew it they were working on sets, costumes and often performing in the shows as well. Karen, my daughter, was in several, while Jeffrey was busy performing his magic all around town. And the adults loved to have them around as they could pass on all their stories to the kids. A lot of those stories were passed on right at our dinner table as a few very special guys from 'the theatre' became like family and as such they had many a dinner with us...two names---Nicky and Bob---come right to mind.  Unfortunately they are now gone as well.

As I mentioned, Barry and I felt blessed that our kids were able to grow up with so much laughter and music.  I really didn't 'play' piano, but it never sat there quietly.  We entertained weekly it seemed.  I remember one Halloween when I made 'pumpkin soup' and several of them dressed up, and yet somehow at midnight everyone left abruptly having argued with one another. When we closed the door Barry and I stood there looking at each other and just shrugged.  The gang were truly a 'family' with the love and the 'hate' (fights,etc.) that were certainly the qualities of families.

And they were all alcoholics!! (Not me however).  Religiously after each show we would go across the street to the Garden Grill and celebrate.  It was basically a haunt of 'hard hats' but normally they all dealt with us taking it over.  While Barry sat at the bar, I was standing by the juke box nightly singing and dancing.

And the theatre itself which we are celebrating in two weeks was simply charming.  It sat something like 90 and the circular staircase remained after conversion as the backstage entrance and exit...I remember runninng down them one night, sure that I was late for an entrance and finding myself onstage with a cast that just looked askance at me as I was not supposed to be there!!

There is not enough room here to enumerate all the happenings over the years that made our time there so very special. But what I just wanted to get across was just how lucky Barry and I, as well as Karen and Jeff, were to have ACT as such a special part of our world for so many years.  So it is with a great deal of pleasure I will be performing "Adelaide's Lament" from Guys and Dolls (which was perhaps my favorite role) onstage at ACT for their 60th anniversary.  Any and all of you who may be interested in coming to this occasion please call me at 212 721-2979 or 917 846-2449 and I'll give you all the details.

Hope you enjoyed this session

Respectfully yours
Mimi Scott, Ph.D
212 721-2979
www.sessionswithdrmimiscott.blogspot.com