When Bill (referring to  Bill Smith, WBS Newsletter Editor in 1978) asked me to write a brief history of the Whole Backstage I said "Sure," not realizing what it would mean. But after spending hours going through the old scrapbooks I borrowed from Dot, (believe me, that was a real nostalgia kick!) I discovered that there's no way I can compress all that into two or three paragraphs of factual history. So, I'll try to recall some of the highlights.

Almost everyone knows that the Whole Backstage did not begin as the Whole Backstage (a theatre group) but was originally only one of the activities, The Dramatic Drop-Ins, of the Guntersville Teen Club, founded in the summer of 1968 to provide young people something to do after they'd already seen the local movie of the week once or twice. It was decided to put on a play that summer largely because that's what Dot and Elmo Dunn felt they could do after directing the Junior Class play at Guntersville High School for several years. So that was the beginning.

Do you remember those hectic but exhilarating first years? All those
projects for helping others: cleaning and painting the old high school;
cleaning up the town on Clean-Up Day; raising money through bake sales, coffee houses, club programs, fashion shows, etc., etc.? Moving three times in those first two years meant the back-breaking work of moving pool tables and pianos, as well as new painting and decorating. I think anyone who has ever been involved in moving a piano for the Whole Backstage over these last 10 years deserves an honorary life membership! (And probably those who had to move the refrigerator for KNOCK, KNOCK!, and the BRIGADOON bridge this summer of '78 should also qualify!) A safety pin is the medal of valor in the ranks of the Whole Backstage.

Can you remember the early plays the Dramatic Drop-Ins presented, and the people in them? Some of them are still around. (Or their brothers and sisters are.) They still come around to get together and to help on
productions.

Do you remember when the name was changed to the Whole Backstage? And why? If you do, this entitles you to an "Old Timers" button at our next get-together. (Note: the purpose and reason for the name are attached)

Remember the people who've been involved in helping us so much in the past and then moved away, taking a little bit of us with them? Linda and Randy, Angella, Phyllis Brewster, Dave Lauryn, Karla Kizzort, Janet McLaughlin, Bobby McCormick, Amar Beck, Connie Beck, the Allison family are some of the ones who come to mind, but you can name lots of others, can't you? And always, the ones who've gone off every year to school and careers: Candy Rhea, Edwin Weaver, Scot Copeland, James Rives, Katrin Adams, Dot Moore.

And marriage (John Nevins and Susan Tully) and children (John and Martha McClendon's new little boy, Jay) but who are still a part of us and always will be? Look at the names in the old programs sometimes and remember them. Then there are the people who've "dropped in" out of the blue somehow when we've needed them: Bob Larkin, Preston Beck, and Kim Morin are some but not all. What would we have been now if it had not been for the whole Moore family, Ernie, Lynn and Robin? But especially Dot, our founder. Their whole lives are entwined with ours.

Remember the camping trip to Buck's Pocket, the ski trips to Deerhead, the RingSing Things, the trip to New Orleans last Christmas?

The joys we've shared all these years, the contentment of working
together, and drawing closer and closer in spite of fusses and quarrels (like a family, really), the sadness we've had that comes from separations - and deaths? That's what the Whole Backstage has been - or meant - or done (whatever you want to say) these past 10 years. May it go on forever.
 

(Dot, who's now called Founding Mother (proudly, I might add) has lots more to say (still!!)

The Whole Backstage was founded, as Carol Jean has said, to "give
teenagers something to do." But then, about 1975, the grown-ups started wanting "to play" also, and they helped our group grow, organize and become fiscally solvent. They convinced our town to give us a building, and their receptions and parties helped convince the general public that going to plays was an "in thing" to do. They built our audiences, which wasn't easy in an area where very few people had ever seen a play before. We are now a proudly an acknowledged part of our community, and all of us grow because of commitment to one another and our community. We do plays that everyone wants and knows, but we also try some artistic experiments. We teach and we learn while we create. It's wonderful.

We're still so proud of our young people, and know how much they mean to our continuing creativity. Their acting and dancing in this summer's WEST SIDE STORY has everyone wanting them to do more and more. We've had children's theatre and acting classes off and on since 1972, and we also try to do plays where children can perform. We're proud of the 5 - 12 year olds, some of them now the children of original Teen Club members, who've acted in ANNIE, OUR TOWN, WIZARD OF OZ. Several of our children and young people are now technical people, running lights, doing stage and prop work.

My son Robin, who started with us at 8 years old, now is our head lighting person, and Johnny Brewer and Andy Hunter have both been president of our organization, and continue to contribute in uncounted ways. We're growing a new generation of theatre people too. Four of our board members have children under 4 (one of them born during dress rehearsal for INTO THE WOODS, with both of his parents in the play. The father performed opening night, and the mother was back in her role the next weekend.) Two of our board members have grandchildren. Soon we must do OLIVER again - they're all boys.

Recently I was asked by people trying to re-form a theatre group in
another town what's the secret of our success. All I could say was "It's people, people, people." Every board meeting introduces new ideas: how to please and reach the public: which plays are "right" to do next season; how to seat patrons; how to do publicity in the computer age; how to get along with each other; how to foster the growth of creative but difficult people; how to be businesslike and creative at the same time. The people of the board and the general membership come up with the solutions to all the problems, large or mundane. We try to be caring people, allowing all of us to grow.

I can't close my comments in any better way than repeating Carol Jean: The joys we've shared all these years, the contentment of working together, and drawing closer and closer in spite of fusses and quarrels (like a family really), the sadness we've had that comes from separations - and deaths? That's what the Whole Backstage has been - or meant - or done (whatever you want to say) these past 30 years. May it go on forever.