Hours of Daylight – 15:12

The days continue to shrink, the moon is waxing, and i’m filled with the spirit of Thespis. Last night Annette and I attended “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Suffice to say it ranked right up there with all the previous times i’d seen or worked a production. The standing O was deserved, the bows well choreographed and the overall feeling was right on the money. I can always tell when i’ve seen a good rendition of “Forum” by whether or not i’m whistling “Comedy Tonight” upon leaving the venue.

However i’m also feeling connected to a particular episode of “Sports Night.” Specificially the episode “Cliff Gardner.” In that episode, among other things, William H. Macy gives a spectacular monologue led, in one take i believe, by a steadicam as he leads a group of network execs through the studio and out a back door. He talks first about Philo Farnsworth (a name everybody should know), but that leads to Cliff Gardner, Philo’s brother-in-law. See, Cliff knew Philo was on to something big, but he lacked Philo’s keen scientific mind. Still, Cliff wanted to be involved, to help. Philo was in the process of inventing the cathode ray receptor, what would become the CRT and, eventually, television. However the CRT had not been invented yet, so, in what might be a complete work of fiction from the mind of Aaron Sorkin, Cliff says he’ll teach himself to blow the glass tubes which Philo needed. If nothing else the scene is an excellent example of very tight writing and even tighter acting and production.

And that’s how i feel. I can’t act, i can’t write for the theatre, i can’t raise money for the theatre, but i can help. I can’t invent the CRT, but, as Macy says to the execs who wonder what the future of the show’s management will be, “I can help. I can make glass tubes.” The problem remains convincing others of the value of such “non immediate” help.