He was my favorite, thespian! He was the sweetest, kindest, most genuine person that I actually allowed to boss me around! I never did a production that he wasn’t part of. And who would want to. To me he WAS the theatre. There was a small group of us. Joyce and Rick, Charles, Penny, Vernon and Jerry. This was my pack. And the theatre was my happy place. And I miss them all.But Jerry.... he was my mentor! He was like a big brother to me even though I never really knew how old he was! He was such an important person in my life for years while living in Guymon. He gave me a place I felt like I belonged. Gave me a creative place to go, and he was just .... supportive of me and my silliness. In fact, I have been known to say that when I moved from Guymon, he was the person I missed the most!
He ran my lights and did the sound at every play I was in or directed. He allowed me to be 3rd assistant director for The Sound of Music so I would understand how a musical worked. He allowed me free creativity on all my shows and never questioned me on the crazy things I requested for my plays... like the time I wanted a disco ball in the middle of the stage for my production of beauty and the beast.... he just stopped what he was doing, looked at me and said: 'A What?" Then added, "I can't wait to see what you are going to do with that!"
We spent hours listening to great music like Mannheim Steam Rollers while building sets. He nicknamed me 'Rave', and everyone in the theatre started to call me that. I had never had a nick name before, and that alone was awesome!I remember walking into the the vast opening of the empty theatre... rows of chairs and the huge stage with the heavy curtains in front of me.... and way up high towards the ceiling, I would see two white legs... dangling from the cat walk. I would get on to him for doing things like that when no one was there, but he just swatted at me like I was a gnat.
The first time I met him, I was on stage,... with lights in my face, looking out I could see nothing, He was just a booming voice in the back of the theatre, probably sitting in the last row. "BE STILL!" Over the next 10 years of us in productions together he never had to tell me to be still again! He made THAT impact on me!He also threatened to bring his gun on more the one occasion and shoot me if I walked in front of his sound booth window again, and teased me about my costumes in Divorce Southern Style, saying it was like watching a fashion show at every performance. He loved to talk to me ... LOUDLY, over the headsets and get on to me if I forgot to turn it on. When I had a wreck in the alley hitting the only pole by the theatre, he said... well Rave...that was dumb... but! ... the show must go on!
He cast me as Truvy in Steel magnolias and when he came over to bring me the script I had stuffed two dish towels in my bra and he didn't even notice! He dumped all my costumes in a 5 gallon bucket of blue paint and called me telling me I better hurry and come get them so I had time to clean them before opening night in less than 7 hours!
He spent hours perfecting my sets, building them as close to Penny's designs as possible.
When I directed the play GREASE in El Reno, I called him and asked if I could borrow the head mics, so he drove up to the city and brought them to me. He was just such a sweet person.He butt dialed me a couple months ago and I got so excited to see his name on my phone, but when I answered I heard the background noises. I called him back, but he didn't answer. I wish he would have. I would have loved to have spoken to him one last time.
Guymon lost a great man that cared so much for his community, and I lost a special friend.
"All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players!"
RIP Jerry! You can break the 4th wall now and take your final bow!