(I am starting this entry on August 19, 2001. This morning I learned That Robert Scrafford, the founder of TGP, died August 17. Every Guilderland Player is indebted to Bob for the wonderful opportunities his work made possible.)

1972-1973 - Damn Yankees was selected to be TGP’s fourth musical, and once again there were several staff changes. Frank Pidgeon became the stage manager with assistance from Ted Vickery, who designed the production. Aggie Armstrong became the vocal director and shared her rehearsal piano duties with Carol Ann Elze, a sophomore. Lesa Tariello, a senior, choreographed the show.

One of the major concerns in staging Damn Yankees was the illusion that Mr. Applegate, the devil, had extraordinary powers. To make his ability to transform Joe Boyd into Joe Hardy more believable, the script calls for him to produce lighted cigarettes out of thin air. At this time GHS had on its teaching staff a magician, Forrest Cummings, who doubled as a History teacher. (Or was it the other way around?) One Friday in the early Autumn, I found myself seated next to Forrest at a TGIF party. I described the problem to him and asked if there was a way he could assist us in producing the needed effect, There was a short pause in the conversation followed by Forrest saying, “Would something like this be OK?.” He moved his right arm, flames shot out of his hand and a lighted cigarette appeared. I was truly amazed at both the magic and our good fortune at solving a major problem so easily. When the show was cast, Harold Iselin (Applegate) and Forrest met and agreed to the terms under which Harold would be taught the trick. Harold learned the trick very quickly. The effect on rehearsals and the performances was indeed magical. [It should be noted that another Suburban Council school was also staging Damn Yankees that year, and their approach to the problem (matches attached to the fingers of Applegate’s gloves and a striker attached to the palm) was lacking.] Another area in which the effects created by TGP surpassed those of the “competition” was in the transformation of Joe Boyd into Joe Hardy. We used a transition involving lighting and a hiding place on stage. The “competition” had one Joe walk off while the other walked on. It was reported that in their dress rehearsal, the two actually greeted each other.

Sue Hennessy, the student director, had as one of her duties the writing of a journal to record the progress of the production and any other items she found interesting. Her journal was invaluable in stirring my memory. (The custom of writing production journals has died out, but it would be well worth reviving. I’m very sorry I let it lapse.) Sue’s journal reminded me of several of those incidents which sometimes send rehearsals in unexpected directions. For example, Peggy Bookey (one of our Glorias) was rehearsing the part of the “Shoeless Joe” dance where she had to jump into the arms of one of the ball players. The ball player was apparently rehearsing something else. She jumped; He didn’t catch her. For several days we were afraid that Peggy had injuries which would keep her from continuing. Another incident, much less serious, involved the rehearsing of a romantic scene between Dave Perlee (Joe Hardy) and Tammy Reed (one of our Lolas). Somehow during their hug, their belt buckles became locked together. Their attempts to continue the scene while trying to free themselves provided one of those moments of levity which are much needed in the long winter months.

Men’s hair styles in the 1970’s were long. It was a given that the baseball players were going to have to get haircuts before opening night. No one was in a hurry to do so, and when it came time to take photos of Joe Hardy for scenic purposes, Dave Perlee chose to wear his hair in a French twist to hide its length. The style did NOT catch on.

The stage crew was kept very busy during Damn Yankees. Both side stages were used, and several set pieces (bleachers, locker unit, porch) were quite large. Applegate’s fiery red room, side stage right, was a real eye catcher.

The production of Damn Yankees was smoother in many ways than the previous year. The unexpected problems which we encountered, while very serious, were managed, and the learning experience of the staff continued.

Costuming remained problematic, and this was the last year when costuming was done entirely by students, parents and faculty. Damn Yankees was also the last show which was double cast. The original idea of double casting was to provide more opportunities for students and to insure that illness would not stop a performance. While having merit, double casting proved to have many bad features in that it created competition within the cast of each production in which it was used, extended rehearsals and reduced the performance opportunities for those who were double cast.

The Saturday cast party was held at the Colonie Pizza Hut for the last time. The size and exuberance of the group attending was far beyond the limits of the building and its staff.

It should be remembered that during the early years of TGP, the drinking age in New York was 18. This created many problems for cast parties when many of the seniors were of age. The handling of this problem was a major headache for both the staff of TGP and the parents of the students involved. The effect on TGP of raising the drinking age to 21 was positive.

Bill James became the first senior to have participated in TGP for four years. Another senior, Michael Cusick, who graduated with just one year of participation, is still involved, albeit indirectly, in GP musicals. A few years after graduating from SUNY, Mike became the owner of Specialized Audio House, now known as SAVI. SAVI still provides audio assistance for TGP. During the 1972-73 season, TGP began purchasing lighting instruments to improve our production values. These purchases were indicative of the feeling that TGP were here to stay.

The program for Damn Yankees was 20 pages.

There were 59 cast members and an orchestra of 26, 2 of whom were adults.

The Albany Times-Union referred to TGP production of Damn Yankees as a “professional rendition”, and all performances, including the dress rehearsal, received standing ovations. (It was the custom then to invite other high school theatre groups to dress rehearsals, a custom since terminated due to legal restraints.)

After the Sunday performance I was given an autographed director’s chair. I am sitting in it as I write this. Sue ended her journal with a note to future members of TGP. “Please don’t let the spirit of The Guilderland Players die next year. I’m looking forward to the day when I can return and see a show as good as, if not better than, Damn Yankees.” How many seniors have had similar thoughts during the past 32 years?