For #SDA75, we’re looking back on our fondest memories, from alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, donors and friends. This short story was submitted by alumnus Mark Hilliard BFA ’81.
My most embarrassing moment was when Michael T. Weiss and I were running the light board in the Green Room for a junior BFA production. We couldn’t see the stage and had no stage manager with headsets calling cues. It was getting close to the end of the scene, and we were half-listening and chatting. Anthony Edwards was on stage, and Forest Whitaker had also worked on a crew for the show. All of a sudden, there was dead silence on stage…and we panicked. Had we missed the cue for the blackout? What to do…? We decided to go to blackout. Oops! Maybe ten seconds later, the scene began again. Someone had forgotten their lines, and no one picked up the scene. We sheepishly decided to ease the lights back up as if there had been a malfunction on the board. What a mess!
My favorite teachers were Bill White, James Wilson, Janet Bolton, Jeff Koppe (technical director), and Jack AKA “The Wolfman” (stage manager of the Bing). Favorite single class was the senior acting class final. It was a giant party and everyone got smashed. My friend Sid and I did the “L’Chaim” scene from “Fiddler on the Roof.” We did the toasts with real vodka, but it didn’t matter because the audience and professor were drunk already. Every scene performed in that class got a great round of applause.
Share your memories with us!
To help celebrate our 75th anniversary, the School of Dramatic Arts is collecting memories from our community to share during our year-long celebration. Submit your stories from your time at SDA through words, images or videos. #SDA75