It was about 1968 -- Rome, Italy -- Loyola University -- open audition for "America Hurrah! -- by Jean-Claude van Itallie -- Dr. Michael Fink (really) directing -- no experience required -- audition at "volkstheatre (sp)" -- performances to be in Rome, at Gregorian College (Vatican), and at a theatre festival. Play was difficult; style was intense, ceremonial, audience-controversial, in-your-face, theatrical; cast mostly came from Loyola students (except for maybe one or two); rehearsals were very, very intense with our director "attacking us" verbally and trying to get us to "break."
My audition consisted of a brief reading of one of the characters (a low-brow, middle class guy known as "the housepainter"). He was to have a processional to his own confession -- and admit to all kinds of things, mostly connected with loving "red." This was from the first section of the play known as: Interview -- A Fugue for 8 Actors.
I did so well in the composure and iron-minded-freeze department that I became the intermission of our production, literally. I was left onstage to be gawked at, harangued and attacked by the audience -- as they wished. That really became a problem at Gregorian College where I was berated, verbally abused, and all but physically attacked by the loving priests-in-training-to-be-more at the Vatican. Just goes to show my strong relationship with my born-in religion.
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