Rick Swanson:  

Here I am in the Spring of 1971 struggling to hit a note during my audition for the big H-F Spring musical production of Hello Dolly! Here I am again, on the right with the straw hat, 25 years later, for opening night of Hello Dolly! with the Ross Valley Players. Between then and now lies a wonderful story. I didn't get the role of Horace Vanderglder in 1971. It seemed like I earned the role, but the director, David Boettcher had a different idea. I was a pain in the neck teenager who made a mess of Mr. Boettcher's fall play. He decided I needed to learn a life lesson rather than win a part in Dolly. When the cast list was posted on the wall outside the theater, my name was missing. No Horace, or any other role, not even the chorus. It was a devastating moment in the life of a young person. But wait, the story doesn't end in 1971. 25 years later, in 1996, once again I auditioned for a production of Hello Dolly!, this time with the Ross Valley Players in Marin County California. Hard to believe, but they cast me as Cornelius Hackl. Here I am with the every-loyal Barnaby in our Sunday clothes opening night. The night before ...Expand for more