When I was in high school in the mid-70s, our local community theatre, (the Village Players in Oak Park, IL, where the late Lauren Cronin and others did work before going pro) did a production of "Veronica's Room." I remember finding it nasty, though well-done. The same company did a production of "The Boys in the Band" around the same time, which was pretty gutsy for a suburban community theatre even then. I did some children's theatre with them. I think they are no longer in existence, which is a shame, though perhaps other similar companies exist in the near-West suburbs. It was a heady time, even at the high school level--I was in shows with Mary Elizabeth Mastranotnio, Dan Castellaneta, the ballerina Helene Alexopoulos, Kathy Griffin, and the novelist Jane Hamilton at our local, but excellent public school.
As a junior, I directed "Oh Dad Poor Dad" in our studio theatre--it caused a bit of a scandal! |
