Back around 1979, I was invited to join a Christian drama touring company based in Rock Hill, SC. They were a group of actors that rode in a van and did drama in churches, usually Sunday nights. When they asked me to join their band of merry men and women, I wanted to know two things. First, how much does it pay? Second, where would we stay? The answer to the first question was that it was based on how much of a love offering that we would get from the church. The answer to the second question was maybe in church members' homes; maybe in the church itself; maybe in a motel; or maybe in the van. I had been paid to act, which made me a professional actor. I had to have a steady income, and if the income was based on people liking us, then I wasn't too keen on that. As for where we would stay, I had been a hippie in a previous life, but I wasn't interested in a communal atmosphere. Been there, done that. It would be good to get out and ride the rails, so to speak, but I told them no thank you. They did that for a couple of years and then disbanded.
One of our church's Seniors trips was to the Narroway Dinner Theater outside of Rock Hill, SC. I was wondering if this group could be spawned from that group that I had been invited to some 40 years earlier. I have a confession to make here that I have never told anyone before (aren't you special?). I am not a big fan of seeing a religious theatre production that I'm not in. As some of you may know, I am a perfectionist. I know that there are people who do drama just for the love of it without getting paid, and that's fine. I do the same thing from time to time. However, I am very critical of how people perform. I see things that the ordinary person doesn't see. Why did they turn that way? What's up with those gestures? It is a curse.
I expected this group to be no better. I went with the Seniors, because I was curious. I was surprised. Here were a bunch of people from the community who came together to put on a show. AND, they weren't getting paid. There were children and older people. There were college students and middle aged people. There were singers and dancers. They were all great. The script was written by two women and directed by one of the two. They had professional lighting and sets. They even did, what I love to do with my Bible-character monologues. They involved the audience. And, the food was good, too. The actors also served the food. Everybody did everything.
I was so impressed that I wrote a letter to the director after getting back home. I told her of my story of being invited to be in a touring company from Rock Hill. She said she had heard of that group back then, but these people were all volunteers. It just goes to show that one doesn't have to get paid to be a professional. I was so impressed that I went back a couple of years later to experience another show. If you are ever in Rock Hill, which is close to Charlotte, go to Narroway. You won't be disappointed.
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