Arsenic Rehearsal

I really like working with Paul Bruce. He is directing Arsenic and Old Lace for The Players Guild of Dearborn. Paul is good. Before each rehearsal he tells you what he wants to accomplish and that's what we do.

Paul is a teacher for the Dearborn Public Schools. He teaches at Salinas Intermediate School. That school servers a mostly Middle Eastern populations. Fifty-two years ago I was the Coordinator of Federal Programs for the Wyandotte Public Schools. We had a country-wide coordinators organization. I remember going to one of the meetings at Salinas which, at that time, had the largest concentration of kids from low-income families. I still think it's true today and Paul says 98% of the kids come from families with incomes below the poverty level. Paul is loved at that school. It's probably because he's a good teacher.

Rehearsal last night was a bit bumpy because some of the players are still struggling with lines. It's hard to be correct when you're getting strange cues or no cues at all. I have very few lines, easily the least number of lines in the show. I know mine, but I struggle with the wrong cues or no cues at all.

The set is going to be beautiful.

The balcony stretches most of the way across the stage. Behind it are faux stained glass windows that will be beautiful when lit from behind. That oak chair in the top picture was mine. I bought it one day from a guy who bought a bunch of them from a sale at one of Michigan's small colleges. 

We go at it again tonight. This coming Sunday is Tech Sunday. We'll be in great shape by then. It's because Paul is good.