Sandi At The Zoo

Here is another one of those instances wherein I have forgotten to include an event until it is many years late in the chronology of the blog. Three years before I left Image International, I answered an advertisement in the Orlando Sentinal. The Central Florida Zoo was mounting a touring ecological fairy tale, and needed actors. I called, was invited for an interview, and was cast in the title role of "The Last Remaining Bird." I'm pretty sure that there was no competition.

Sandi was delighted to learn that in addition to acting, I knew a thing or two about scenery, props and such. As Education Person at the zoo, she didn't have a lot of time or resources for making such things. I volunteered to make my own bird head (of course), I supplied the multi-colored shimmery rain curtain for my wings, and I made the trees that, when spun 180 degrees, became statues of the King.


All of this, plus Sandi and her (then) husband and lighting tech Jeff plus Paul (the King) and I could all fit in a Zoo van and go to elementary schools all over Central Florida. We rehearsed at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando, where I was a new member and Paul soon became one.

Oh yes, and I also did the layout and paste-up for the brochure that was sent out to the schools and such.

Having so much to do with so much of the production, I had a lot of messages on my answering machine that began: "This is Sandi...at the Zoo."

For about six months, we toured, doing a grand total of maybe twenty performances, paying each of us twenty five bucks per show before interest petered out and we gave it up.

Several times I missed work at Image International to do a show or two. My favorite day, however, was the day my boss advised me not to punch out, but to stay on the Image clock while I went to a school and did three shows! Talk about double dipping!

The last time I talked to Sandi, about twelve years ago, she told me she still had the bird costume and the trees in her office, ready to do another show at the drop of a check. Paul went to New York sixteen years ago, so I don't think he's available. I, of course, am in western Pennsylvania.

Sandi is at the Zoo.