"Anothr openin', anther show'

It starts with the germ of an idea. Double Nickel Players can’t decide what to perform next: a murder mystery, or a group of skits called “Sunday Funnies.” Somebody comes up with an idea: “How about two one-act plays?” says Leslie Pipan. I second the motion: “A great idea!” I say. And it happens.

When the Clarksville Fine Arts Center is booked solid with kids’ shows in the summer, our seniors group practices at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Our director, Monica Walter, pushes back chairs and tables for what you could hardly call a stage.

There is gunplay and skirmishing in this play, “The Potman Spoke Sooth.” Old people falling on the floor. They fall very gently. Or they pretend.

Finally, the theater stage is available. Two days a week in the mercilessly hot days of summer. Then three in the last month. A 20-mile drive each way for me. Juggling doctor’s appointments, exercise classes and social gatherings to be able to get there. Whatever for? What’s the payoff?

I come up with an illness and Holly Barden becomes my understudy, but somehow I recover. As showtime gets closer in September, it gets a little more intense. People with 130 lines are still struggling to remember them. Tempers flare a little. But the most fun of all is the group trying to fake its way out of missed lines with their own ad-libs.

Finally it is opening night for your show, and “Frankenstein Slept Here.” Stomachs churn a little. Friends are coming.

You have 14 people staying at your bed & breakfast, most of them friends from long ago, most who didn’t even know about the play.

At the theater, there’s camaraderie backstage as you get makeup and people get into costumes. The stage crew is friendly and wonderful! You don’t fear forgetting lines as much as your microphone falling off because it isn’t taped on tight enough. Sound check is always a thrill—just like they do it on Broadway.

You look out at the theater and there are maybe 150 people there! Holly’s publicity worked! Your 37 lines come back to you automatically after that drilling over all those months. There are a few slips, but your stagemates chip in and help you recover.

You already know when to pause your lines for laughter. And it comes at the right times. It worked! Stage bows afterward are such a thrill. The audience responds wonderfully, and your friends are supportive.

The second performance goes through much more easily. And there’s a cast party. It’s always the same. You want the fun to go on. You don’t want to lose these people. But in our case, we won’t. Double Nickel Players will do another show of some kind in the spring.