Wilderness Wanderings: PREMIERE chapter 227

The day finally arrived and our special quests were picked up at the airport and taken to their hotel. After both couples arrived and were settled they were brought to the college for supper and a tour of the campus. The front row was reserved for them, the Rambo’s and my family. Bob and Mary with their spouses came back to the choir room before the show where the cast was getting into costume and makeup and were introduced to the cast and the characters they would play. I was hoping that might make the cast a little less nervous, but it might have actually increased the tension.

It was still very much a Regina winter for the premiere. It might have even been snowing. All the area churches had been invited. There would be two shows that night, one with each of the cast arrangements. For both shows the auditorium was packed. Dale Dirksen played the sound track live. There was little doubt that this was the most exciting opening the Portrait Players had ever had. The biggest mistake of the evening was that no one, including me, even thought to invite the area media. I couldn’t believe the error. We missed TV and newspaper coverage and missed out on the free publicity the production would have brought.

Both shows went off without a hitch. Our guests were introduced to the audience after each show. We had photos taken with the Bells and Whitbecks and naturally anticipated with excitement their reactions to having their lives portrayed on stage. They loved it. Mary loved the dialogue as they longed for certain foods and the kids focused on ice cream. The play triggered memories they had long forgotten. They had forgotten the moodiness of the Bos’un and the food being stolen at night even though they told me about both. The captain was even more distant than portrayed. It was like his mind went into a different place. Certainly he was crushed that his ship was sunk. They were broken by the death of one of the sailors and remembered the pain of those loses, and knowing the sharks attack the discarded body. No one watched. It felt like the sharks sensed impending death and just waited patiently for the coming meal. They may have also expected some one to fall overboard, but that never happened. The storms they encountered were frightening and Mary commented that she felt the fear again during that scene.

They were very complementary and felt like we captured the emotion of their ordeal. The cast was walking on air. We enjoyed the success of the evening and the interaction with our guests.

We made plans right then to be in each of their hometowns while on tour. Bob told us more about the Stoneybrook, where he was principle. It was made up predominately of Jewish families and while he wanted the play to come, he had no idea their reaction. They did not know of his time on the raft. They might not take kindly to a “Christian” story being told. but he wanted them to see his story to know more about his background. Lincoln, Nebraska would receive us with open arms. The whole of Back to the Bible staff would show and for me it would also be the first time any of my family would see anything I had ever done. My brother David, his family and my mother lived in Beatrice, Nebraska 22 miles south of Lincoln.

Top L-R to Bottom: 1. Cast with Dale at a reception being introduced. 2. Grant as the captain 3. Mary (Bell) Whitbeck. 4. Grant McDowell, Ron Freeman ('79 PP) Ruth Mitchell ('79 PP) Dave Thompson. 5. Della at reception with students. 6. Garry, Grant, and Gary in the play. 7 Mary Whitbeck with Gary and Rhonda.

1. Carolyn at Mary. 2. Cast in make-up. 3. Dale performing the score. 4. Cast at curtain call. 5. Rhonda (as Mary) Mary Whitbeck, Bob Bell and Lori (as Bob). 6. Garry (back) David, Gary, Grant and Duncan (why Grant has hand over Duncans face I do not know)