Judy had a hard time as a child; her brothers were sports kids. Her mom and her dad had treated the boys like princes and Judy like a poor, confused, loser. While the boys and the parents were out at some ball game of how many god knows what exercises and runs around a track, Judy would hide in the sling room and read. Her parents had both grown up in Detroit and in Detroit that pretty much meant football.
She loved books that carried her away to Broadway. As soon as she hit high school she had her joy destroyed. She didn’t realize that not all high schools had acting classes. When she found that out she went looking for a school with better teachers and eager students. She was determined to learn more, try out acting, and be absolutely focused.
When she learned that the next school play was The Diary of Anne Frank she read, re-read, and re-read again the part that she knew she could handle. When the cast was read, she nearly cried when she didn’t get the part of Anne. She was given a simple, darn little part.
Back home she looked up local theaters. She found one that appealed to her. On Friday she got out of school early and she headed downtown on a bus. She knew where she wanted to go. She had spent the last week looking at local theaters and the one that called to her was The Attic Theatre. S
he was disappointed when she walked a block and a-half to the theatre only to find the door locked. She just stood and looked in the window and when the door opened and a women came out she stepped forward and said “Do you know when they will open the door? The lady said “Not until six-thirty for ticket sales. Why do you ask?” Judy was straight forward and explained how much she loved acting and was anxious to learn more and more about acting. The lady said, Nothing really is going on for another couple of hours, but I think I can get you in and you can look around a bit. The woman introduced herself as Lavinia. For the next two hours they chatted. A little later the actors started arriving. One appologized and said she wasn’t feeling too well. Lavinia frowned and then approached Judy. Lavinia explained the actress problem and then just looked at Judy. There was silence for about fifteen seconds before Judy smiled and said,”Who do I have to kill?”
Judy made it home before the family got in from the latest football game. No one asked a question about where she had been. Lavinia said, “You need to get real permission from your parents and handed Judy a twenty dollar bill. She added “We don’t always have this much money flowing here, but what the heck. You did well.”
When Judy told her parents they were aghast, but, my god, were they proud! $20 a show was HIGH pay! What she didn’t say was the reality Lavinia whispered in her ear: Shared baloney sandwiches purchased with food stamps!
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