Tonka Times Magazine July 2010 : Page 15
never shown that audiences are much excited by an evening of one-act plays. The Torchbearers, a legendary comedy about amateur theater as practiced by high society of Philadelphia, was funny for everyone but the audience. One of the newspaper critics told me “Just keep on giving it until they start coming out and laughing.” Our ninth offering of the 1950 season was Winterset, set atop a mountain peak. How we performed it on our small stage, I am not quite sure. In our employ we had a teenager who would dedicate his life to theater. His name: Tommy Millott. Tommy was put in charge of gathering props and even making arrangements with a local trucker to pick up the furniture that had been selected to be in the next show. To do all this, Tommy traveled by bus and streetcar. He was also to be on book backstage and, on occasion, was given a small role to play. One summer night, Millott became aware that on stage something was wrong; somebody had forgotten what to do or more importantly an actor had failed to make an entrance. Tommy was frantic. The problem had to be immediately corrected. He picked up the master script (which he should never have put down) to find out whose entrance it was. He found the place and uttered in a voice that could be heard in the front row—”Oh, God—it’s me!” and rushed on stage. The last play of the 1950 summer season was Born Yesterday and I mention it not just because Ken Senn was absolutely terrific in the lead, but also because it was the only play we have ever presented in which my wife, Joan, played a role. Joan was the manicurist; the manicurist had but one line. Every night—every night—just as she was about to give her line, Senn would say “Oh, I know what you’re about to say—” and then give the line. We have never been able to get Joan back on stage again. Don Stolz lives in Excelsior, Minnesota. Joan, his wife, died in 2007. His five sons have all worked at the Old Log and four still do. Stolz has written two books, four plays, and innumerable scripts for industrial theater. www.oldlog.com July 2010 TonkaTimes.com 15
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