I love my cast. They think I am a quiet little mouse... quite to the contrary. I just prefer to hear them tell stories.

An endless source of such stories is an infamous director at the Hale Center Theater, which nearly half of the cast has worked with. Marissa brings in the most entertaining tales of him... this man is a legend in his own right; the plummy and boastful type of director that one would expect to meet in New York or in London. His quotes are an endless source of amusement.

For example, a cast member of his once drew him into the hallway and informed this director that he, the actor, was quitting the show. The actor left the building, and the director re-entered the rehearsal area to his waiting cast. Abruptly, he called out, "We have a man flying a kite. Repeat! We have a man... flying... a kite. Top of the scene, people." And rehearsal carried on as usual.

Or there was the time that Marissa and her sisters were at a dress rehearsal, which had run over into the wee hours of the morning. The entire cast was falling asleep in their chairs, hardly listening to the director's notes, when he suddenly bellowed: "I mean, come on, people. Gonorrhea for everybody."

My personal favorite, though, is the one roared at the most random intervals during rehearsals... always near the end, when we all want to go home.

"I don't have to kiss up to anyone! ... except perhaps this sandwich. Man alive, am I hungry!!!"

If only you could hear it.