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I took a playwriting class during my junior year of college. For our final project, we had to write and present a one-act play.<\/p>\nI took a playwriting class during my junior year of college. For our final project, we had to write and present a one-act play.<\/p>\n
We didn’t have to worry about a set or stage directions. We just had to recruit some people to sit on the stage and read our play.<\/p>\n
So I convinced a quartet of friends \u2013 one of whom is now a well-known weatherman in Pittsburgh<\/a> \u2013 to read the parts in my play. I just had to sit in the back of the room and watch.<\/p>\n Nothing has scared me more in my entire life.<\/p>\n The class took place in the first trimester of the school year, which meant the final readings took place in mid-November in the northwest corner of the state. It was cold.<\/p>\n I distinctly remember wearing a t-shirt underneath a sweater. Normally, that kind of detail would escape my memory, but I sweat so much from nerves during the reading, I could have probably wrung out the shirt when it was finished. You don’t forget things like that.<\/p>\n I really had no reason to worry. The people in my class reacted well to my play, an off-beat comedy. Since that day, I have worked hard to deal better with sharing my art in public.<\/p>\n Which brings us to the predicament I find myself in these days. The fall play at Hanover High School needed some elementary students to fill out the cast of \u201cMiracle on 34th<\/sup> Street<\/a>.\u201d Bridget wanted to take part and director George Matthew asked my wife and I if we wanted to be in some crowd scenes.<\/p>\n Sure, we said. Anything for Mr. George. We always like to help out community events like this.<\/p>\n