"We are born astride a grave - WaynesWorldStage.com

Chapter 15Between the IRS audit and my absence,Box One was in bad shape. The outcome of theaudit from the IRS' point of view was nil. Outsideof disclaiming my exemptions for the boat andthe condo, they came up with nothing. A largecorporation can purchase a fleet of boats andclaim that they are used for business, but if asmall corporation that is owned by one persontries to deduct expenses for a boat, the IRSlaughs in your face. When they wanted to see thecondo, which I had claimed as office space, I hadto run out and buy a desk. It was to no avail. Thedamage that a one-year audit did, in terms oftime taken away from Box One and the theatre,was devastating. But Box One would survive,largely due to the efforts of Alex Vadell. Alex,however, had no appreciation for the theatre. Hecould not grasp why I would risk a successfulbusiness in order to put on a play. He never evencame to see it.One of Box One's longtime employees hadmoved to Milan, Italy. Milan had become a worldcenter for fashion photography, and he wanted togive it a try. I saw an ad in the paper fromEastern Airlines with ridiculously low fares toEurope. You had to book six months in advance,and surely Box One would be back on its feet in321