It's been almost 40 years since Chris Capen and I were whisked off to perform in Europe on scholarship by USC Theater. Our small company performed all over Germany as well as in Cambridge, England under the direction of the late, great professor John Blankenchip. Months later, upon our return to LA, Blankenchip dropped me off at my apartment with one of his typical compliments..."You were a real brick!" At his recent memorial at USC I saw Capen for the first time since then. What was he carrying in his shoulder bag? A brick! It turns out he salvaged it from the ruins of our long-demolished campus theater and just wanted to share the booty at this reunion of sorts. The irony almost knocked me over...like being hit in the head with a brick.
