Showtime!

In honor of Ted Walch (1942-2022)

We had one television in my childhood home. It was a big bulky console and functioned more like a piece of furniture than an entertainment hub. Simply adorned it featured two knobs; one to change the channel, one to adjust the volume. Resting precariously atop the faux walnut finish were a set of "rabbit ears," jauntily extended in hopes of capturing the faint signal of some faraway tower. 

Every once in awhile, I would ramble down to our downtown movie theater. It had one screen, stale popcorn, and a sticky floor as I remember it. None of that mattered of course. Rows and rows of peering eyes, all glued to the screen, provided a magical camaraderie. In the darkness, our collective imaginations grew.

It wouldn't be until I was an adult that I would attend my first full-blown theater performance. I went to see Les Miz on a bone-chilling January night in NYC. I was gobsmacked. 

Today I lift my glass to all the artists in my life. And, most importantly, to those who taught them their craft... 

"Movies will make you famous. Television will make you rich. But theater will make you good." - Terrence Mann