Get your theater tickets while they last

Basketball is ending in a few days just like it did back in the 60s. We had other winter and early spring events that kept us busy and happy in those days. Fine Arts was a big deal, and the world of Nevada was played out on the stage at Nevada High School.

Our thespian activities were really something back then. In the fall of every year, we had the famous Anti-Van Follies. I took time to look back in my old Nevamo copies, and there were some great skits in those follies. In my junior year, there was a special set which was called the "Goldfinger Dancers," based on the recently released James Bond movie of that title. Paula Stafford, Karen Svetlecic, and Peggy Nelson were the dancers. We did not commonly use the term "hot" back then, but in those outfits and in that dance, these girls were definitely "hot." When it came to the actual theater productions, there are some facts that need to be remembered. There were quite often three plays during the school year besides the follies. The Junior Class Play, the Senior Class Play, and sometimes the All School Play.

The proceeds from the Junior Class Play were used to pay for that year's high school prom. The Senior Class Play receipts were used for the Senior Skip Day during the last week of school. These theatrical productions always ran for three nights and generally were host to a full houses. Each class member went out and sold enough tickets to make sure the auditorium was full for each performance.

One year when I was in sixth or seventh grade, my sister Shirley Conley and her best friend Kathy Vieth took me along on a ticket selling expedition. Kathy had this neat 1959 convertible (it was either a Pontiac or an Olds, my memory is cloudy). I was thrilled to get to go with them. In reality they were just having me go to all my friends houses to sell tickets so they could sell out their class play. I didn't care, after visiting several friends houses, they cruised the White Grill and it was packed just like "Mels" in "American Graffiti" I felt just like Richey Cunningham.

By the way, it was considered dress up time when you went to a high school theater production back then.

Men would wear a suit and tie, while women wore their finest evening attire. There was always a sense of excitement as the crowd began to file in, fill the seats, and then the house lights would dim. There is just something about a live stage production.

I don't have room to list all the plays and players, but I do have a few special memories. In 1962, the Junior Class Play was a family comedy titled "Life With Father." In this family, most of the members had red hair, and I can still remember seeing some of my friends on the stage in that hair makeup. A future Nevada Mayor, Terry Jadlot, played the lead part of the father in this NHS version. The script called for a large family, including a younger son.

One of my first friends from our neighborhood when I moved to Nevada was Jack Payne. Jack was drafted as a seventh grader to play the younger son in this play. In the Nevamo, he is called Jackie instead of Jack. That was probably his real name, but he always went by Jack to his friends.

In my Junior year, the thespians of NHS had a new leader, Miss Sondra Gehrs. I've been waiting to write those words for a while. We all knew her as Sandy, but the Nevamo has I am sure the correct version.

Our Junior Class Play that year was "My Three Angels." Several of my oldest friends were leading actors in this production. The three angels were portrayed by, Mark Nicholas, Jim Cox, and Gregg Sterett. Cast in one of the main female parts was Tim McCann. Brent Mendenhall, our local impersonator of President George Bush, was the father (Felix). Even in those days he was refining talents he never likely thought he would use in later years. Sometimes I get the feeling that we are not involving as many of our students of today in fine arts as much as we used to. Sure we have a lot of activities of all kinds in our local schools, but there is something special about the singers, the dancers, the instrumentalists, and the actors, that needs promoting.

I played mostly sports when I was in school. I had a brief but uneventful couple of years in band, but mostly I did not take advantage of the great fine arts departments we had in our school. I did, however, never miss one of those great shows.

When was the last time you took time to go to a live play at the school? When did you last go to hear the band or chorus in concert? I know we are all busy, and there is so much else to do these days. Still, a night out, dressed up for a good play, is something worth the time and effort. Education is about more than just classes and sports. When we have good entertainment available, it should cause us to worry, if there are going to be enough tickets left! Broadway of West Hickory, now that's a great thought.