Growing up, my grandmother was one of the dearest people in my life. We lived with her for about six years after my parents divorced. I adored her. She was my biggest cheerleader and was always very encouraging in all my endeavors. I spent so much of my childhood with her that it is impossible to remember any stretch of time that she was not there.
She told me stories of her life growing up in Illinois and then later moving to Oklahoma. She told me stories of her marriage. Some good. Some not so good. I loved these stories. I listened to them over and over, and every time I would sit with interest and relive them. I would close my eyes and try to picture all the people involved and what they might have looked like at the time and imagine it all playing out in front of me.
Now she wasn’t always nice and we argued a lot as well. We didn’t see eye to eye on many issues and she was just as stubborn about it as I was. I remember my favorite was when we talked about evolution. She looked at me incredulously and said, “I don’t know how you could possibly have evolved from monkeys if I didn’t. On another occasion when I was at odds with a bunch of girls in the community she stated, “It can’t be the whole world, Carol. Maybe it’s just you.” But she never missed a play or recital I was in. She always wanted me to sing for everyone. She made me feel special.
I guess what I am trying to say is this is a Valentine to my Grandmother. The woman I cherished every day of my life and whom I have missed every day since June 2001. I hope she is watching and I hope she approves.
I would like to thank this wonderful cast and crew for all their hard work and dedication through this entire process. Special thanks to Chris Milone (my producer), to Marilyn Tavoularis (my assistant director), to Michael Smith and Ellyn Essig who designed and provided décor for this wonderful set, to Allan Seward for designing the lights. I could not have done this without each and every one of you.
I hope this production brings back wonderful memories for all of you.
~ Carol Fisher
