.......I was at Valley Studio 1976- 1978. I arrived there one late summer’s day in a Mayflower Moving Van that several of us from Fayetteville Arkansas purchased to move us out of Fayetteville to the next stages of our life. Owning and driving that van was great fun. Eventually Joe Daly purchased it. Last I heard it was a good old dog for several years but mysteriously caught fire with Joe’s belongings in it - sorry to say - and the ashes are buried somewhere between Wisconsin and Michigan.
Prior to VS, I had been a student of Decroux Corporeal Mime with Tom Leabhart at the University of Arkansas and part of the Arkansas Mime Theatre. We had received an invitation from Reid Gilbert to merge with the Wisconsin Mime Theatre and to be a part of the Valley Studio School. Really, Tom did the teaching while we did the rehearsing. Well, tom rehearsed too- Table, Chair and Glass, The Washerwoman, The Carpenter.
My impressions of Reid were that he was a gracious gentleman with big dreams, aspiration and vision. A kind soul with a passion for inclusive theatre - a space where all disciplines and practices were welcome. But in return you had to participate in all communal activities from mess hall to classes to yard work. And then there was Smokey- if he liked you then you were in like Flynn.
Graciousness was a quality that was shared by all members of the Wisconsin Mime Theatre. We Decroux “disciples” were interlopers after all. The company included Doobie, John Aden, Susan Chrietzberg and Tom, Meg Partridge, James Van Eman, Robert Sucher and I joined in for the fun. There were times that we had three different shows in rehearsal plus the daily class work. And I think we were all always available to be an “outside eye” for all student work. Susan was always up for driving into Madison to see a movie and have dinner locally. It was the best medicine for keeping cabin fever away.
The buildings and studios were beautiful. Meg redesigned a fabulous apartment over the Barn Studio. If you were as tall as Meg your arms were not always invited to dynamically vibrate to full extension over head but that was the only draw back. The studios would carry the sound of Tom singing Sur le Pont d'Avignon, Lotte Goslar, Lotte Goslar…
Everyone looked forward to the spring and summer when guest teachers would arrive. If you were fortunate, as I was, perhaps your destiny was altered forever. One summer I met William Burdick and it was at a time when my time at the studio was expiring- a little like a library card. If I were to land in New York, William invited me to be a part of his New York Renaissance Dance Company. And I did land in New York. I always said that William found me a place to live and a job. The only thing he didn’t find for me was a husband. That I did “performing” as a waitress at one of the first outdoor seating restaurant/ cafes in New York. One always had a job besides teaching and performing in New York. And those were the good old days!
I had a wonderful career in New York and teaching at universities from 1978 to 1988. Reid and William were often a part of my jobs outside of New York. In 1991 I joined Tiffany & Co., a global luxury retailer in New York and had a second fabulous career and retired from the organization in June 2010 as the Director- Human Resources, Retail and Canada. I lived in New York and San Francisco and traveled throughout the US opening up new stores. Chances are if a Tiffany store opened between 1997 and 2001 and as late as 2008 in certain markets, I had something to do with it. My theater discipline and performing experience was a definite asset in my work and my progressive career at Tiffany’s. I was there for 18 years.
I remain united in marriage to the man I met at the restaurant in 1978, Paul Persoff. He is the professional webmaster for the Valley Studio website. We spend the best days together sharing interests in history, current politics, fine arts, performing arts, travel, Native American history, friends, wines and are asking the question-what are we going to do next? We share in a love and respect for mentors I have had- William Burdick and Reid Gilbert and the deep friendships that were made from my life in the arts and are still under cultivation.