"We are born astride a grave - WaynesWorldStage.com

members whom I thought would be faithful to mymanagement.By now, the playhouse was so far in debtthat the electric company was trying to turn offthe electricity. They needed access to the buildingand we kept the doors locked. During rehearsals,the electric company would be banging on thedoors trying to get in, but we managed to keepthem out. A regular patron of the old WorldStage, Lillian Jackson Braun, purchased seasontickets to The Vanguard Playhouse. She was veryupset to discover that her check, with which shehad purchased the tickets, had been cashed atThe Brass Rail. She had difficulty believing myexplanation that I had not eaten for some time,and I did not think that she would mind. Ms.Braun became a best-selling author but she neverforgave me.Bill Gregory had cast his brother John asthe lead in Peer Gynt. I did not think that he wasvery good, but I chose to keep my mouth shut.The second production was Anouilh’s RingAround the Moon. John Gregory was again castin the lead. The friction between Bill Gregory andmyself was beginning to surface. When John wascast as the lead in the third production, TheBoyfriend, I was beginning to realize that eitherJohn Gregory or I had to go.61