~MY OWN WORDS~
It all started in the Summer of 1997 when I got a flyer from Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) with events for its year-long 175th anniversary celebration. I saw that there would be 8 performances
at the WEST T. HILL COMMUNITY THEATRE in Danville, KY in November and the title of the play caught my eye...
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD. I thought WOW thats neat...but it went out of my mind as quickly as I read the flyer.
Early September, my mom, CAROLYN GULLEY was telling me about the play...saying they were doing auditions sometime soon and were looking for actors/actresses. She said she had seen a flyer at KSD and would give it to me. In fact, I knew nothing about when the auditions would be and that there was a flyer about it either. At that time, I was too obsessed with creating my homepage (which was born into the WWW on September 20, 1997!) **chuckles** that other things were kinda blocked out of my mind at that moment. Finally one day, mom gave me the flyer about the auditions. There were going to be auditions on Thursday, September 11 & Friday, September 12 that anyone could show up and read a script or two.
That was when mom started to ask me if I would be interested in auditioning. My first reaction was nah....ME?...do I really want to?...can I really do this?...lots of thoughts went through my head...Mom started to tell me about some friends of ours asking if I would audition. She named this one particular friend that really hit home! That friend actually thought I could do it...that was when I realized there might be something hiding inside me "simmering" to get OUT!
Thursday, September 11 came and went...I did not show up at the audition...THEN...Friday, September 12 came!
MY DEAR MOM & ME! =)
It was late in the afternoon when mom came and asked me if I went "yesterday". I said nope. She started the big PUSH on me...saying I should go, give it a try, see how I do & that it would not hurt to try...all the works! I was still not sure BUT close to 7 p.m. I DECIDED to go right at the last minute! Mom delightedly kept my kids for me as my hubby was working.
As soon as I walked in the theatre for the very first time (I had never set foot inside it before), I was surprised to see many familiar faces there! Friends of mine along with new faces! That settled the butterflies in my tummy down a bit! =) BUT they decided to fly around in my tummy again WHEN...
The Stage Manager, DAVE MORRISON handed me a script book and told me the pages to read for the role of SARAH...THEN the Director, SHANNON CHRISTY said it was my turn to read my part of the script on stage! ACKKKKK....BUT I went up there and did my BEST! =) Shannon and Dave surprised me big time when I found out that they were actually HEARING not DEAF like I thought when I first met them as I got in the theatre!!!! They are fluent in ASL and just blends among the Deafies so smoothly!
SHANNON & ME! 
DAVE & ME!
THE WAIT....Yeah, I wondered if I would get the role of Sarah but I was also preoccupied with creating my homepage and get it done as soon as possible as I was so excited with my creation that I could not wait to share it with the whole world! =) In fact, I was online a lot that poor Shannon and Dave could not get through to me! They had to call my parents to tell them that I got the role and for them to please tell me the news! Sheesh, you are thinking, "What an addict!". Yeah, is there "Internet Anonymous" nearby? **chuckles**
I shall never forget Wednesday, September 17, 1997! I was punching the HTML codes into my notepad when my parents stopped by. Mom handed me a piece of paper...I read and my reaction was nothing at that moment...yeah nothing! I guess I was very surprised and preoccupied at the same time! Then soon I realized I got the role of SARAH! ACKKKK! I was excited, anxious, nervous, whatever! Many more things went through my head! Butterflies flew happily around inside my tummy! =)
From that day on to the first preview of the play and the grand opening night, I immersed myself in the play! I learned a lot new terms associated with theater, made many new friends, had fun, loved every moment of it, loved going to the theatre 4 nights a week, got to know myself better, saw my own talent of acting emerge, & the thing simmering inside me was boiling out! Shannon and Dave really had the knack of making me see that I had "this & that" talent that I did not realize I had! (IN FACT, I AM GOING TO AUDITION SOON FOR A ROLE IN A PLAY THAT WILL BE DONE THIS SPRING 1998! WISH ME LUCK!)
This particular play had a huge IMPACT on the whole community! We, Deafies showed the community that we can act and enjoy theater while They, Hearies learned that we can act and enjoy theater as well! =) We felt the bond there!
None of this would have happened if it was not for the Producer, TIM CULHAN! He is actually the one who had the play in mind for several years but held back until the right time & opportunity came to him. The year of 1997 and the 175th anniversary of KSD was just the right timing for him to present the idea and ask for a grant! He got it! We really owe it all to him for making this all happen!
TIM & ME!
HUGE THANKS & HUGS TO....
MY DEAR MOM, CAROLYN GULLEY--FOR PUSHING ME TO GO TO THE AUDITION! YOU SUCCEEDED AND YOU SAW THE FRUITS OF MY HIDDEN TALENT! I LOVE YOU! =)
MY DEAR FAMILY--FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT ALL THROUGHOUT THE REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES! LOVE YA ALL! =)
SHANNON & DAVE--FOR HELPING ME SEE & KNOW MYSELF BETTER AND GROW FROM THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE....AND FOR YOUR GREAT FRIENDSHIP! =)
TIM--FOR NOT GIVING UP YOUR DREAM TO SEE THIS HAPPEN! THANKS FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE!
MY CO-ACTORS/ACTRESSES--FOR EVERYTHING WE HAVE GONE THROUGH WITH THIS PLAY! I ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU ALL AND SHALL NEVER FORGET ALL THE FUN TIMES WE HAD! =)
TO THOSE WHO SAW THE PLAY & TO THE COMMUNITY--THANKS FOR HELPING US HELP YOU CONNECT!!!! =)
WE SHALL CONNECT!!!!
