End of an Era

Right out of high school in 1979, I went to Miami University for two years and studied theater. I’m a little fuzzy on how it worked — it was a B.A. program but they were in the middle of a big transition to a more intensive, studio-based program, which I think was going to be a B.F.A., for the acting/directing students.

I had great teachers across the board, in acting, movement, voice, directing, design, theater history, and some of the closest friendships of my life. It was a remarkable group of hugely talented kids who’ve had long careers in theater, onstage and off, TV, and education. My sophomore year I was feeling antsy and constrained, so I applied to Parsons School of Design—at that point I had decided I wanted to direct and I thought I should study painting to be a better director, but I also just wanted to move to New York, and part of it was that Parsons had long been a sort of ideal of art school and I wanted to know if I was good enough—and to Syracuse University for acting. I thought I’d let fate decide, but I was accepted at both schools. I chose New York.

I had a great year at Parsons, met my friend Joan, my friend in art and life for 40-some years, I had great teachers, my painting teacher Regina Granne, whose class, her words, her work ethic, what she taught me about art and art-making, still a touchstone for me as an artist. But again, I got antsy and felt constrained, and I left Parsons after a year.

I had a bunch of small scholarships and took out two very small loans when I went to Miami. I think I was in debt for like $2-3,000 dollars, and my parents paid it off for me. (Mom said, because they would be paying for my sister’s wedding and since I wasn’t ever going to have a wedding, they wanted to make it up.) I can’t remember how much my loans at Parsons were, I’m sure more because it’s a pricey school, but pricey then wasn’t like pricey now. I made payments on them religiously all through some very tight years until, at around 30, I declared bankruptcy (long story), and started over. The balance of the loans was cleared, along with a $127 emergency room bill from Beth Israel that had been sold to a collection agency, but mostly credit card debt.

Over the next couple decades I never felt a need to have finished school. I was too busy. But, approaching 50 and finding myself in Austin with my life and career either circling the drain or full with possibility, depending on one’s mood (again, too much explaining for this morning), I decided to finish an undergraduate degree at UT. Why not?

I had to borrow some money, but UT is less expensive than a lot of state schools. I was probably the poorest I’ve ever been in those years, so my financial aid covered everything. I know how to live on nothing, so I even stretched it enough to pay for food and housing. I chose American Studies because I like that stuff, and a lot of my theater and fine arts credits applied toward the degree. Still it took 2 1/2 years, but I loved it. Loved being in school, loved those classrooms air-conditioned like refrigerators, and listening to smart people talk about things I’m interested in, reading great books, writing papers. Among the most stress-free years of my life. UT Austin is a great school.

So those loans in Texas are the loans that I’ve just paid off. I think it made my mom happy that I finally finished college. And I don’t think she remembered the loans she’d paid off years ago when Chan and I asked Mom and Dad if they would pay for our rehearsal dinner when we got married.