On Saturday morning everything seemed normal. Jim and I went at to breakfast at Luna in The Castro. It was crowded. The waiter divided a “four top” made up of two small tables, so the two gents next to us were sitting very close indeed. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop a bit, overhearing things like “Oh yeah, San Francisco has lots of theaters” and an occasional “Carey Perloff” or “A.C.T”. I didn’t have any Head Trips cards on me at the time and rather than piping up with “We have a horror theatre, boys!” I figured I’d eat now and face my regrets later. My partner Jim did the same – but not for long.

As fate would have it, we were at The Hypnodrome later that afternoon rehearsing the new play on the Head Trips bill, The Chaos Masquerade, when one of the men we sat next to at Luna knocked on the door and proceeded to buy tickets from Jim for that night’s performance. They made the Luna connection, Jim and I had a laugh and I, admittedly, teared up a bit at the wonder of it all. But there’s more …

That night at the show (where I work the door) the same guy introduces himself to me as “Tom”. I looked again at the will-call list where I saw Tom’s last name – “Derrah”. Well, I instantly recognized the name. Tom Derrah has been an actor in the resident company of American Repertory Theatre for years and well remember his excellent work and reputation all the way back to the mid-80s when I was an acting student at Boston University. I’ll be damned – upgrade that man the center Shock Box! He and his partner, John, had a blast!

Tom opens this week in a “penny dreadful” inspired Oliver Twist at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The production has already played American Rep and Theatre for a New City in New York to great acclaim. This may be one to see!

(Tom is the orphan boy on the far left-hand side of the photo.)