Robert Dudley

Word from my dad down in Austin that Robert 'Bo' Dudley died this past weekend. I know he'd been sick for a long time and it sounds like it was a blessing. Still very sad though.
Bo was known primarily for his set design for the local theater. The very first play I was in, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' had it's set designed by him. It looked like enormous snowflakes that unfolded so that various scenes could be staged differently. My favorite set was placed in the forest with a series of stone pillars. It all looked quite real. Only on closer inspection did you find out that the pillars were made of styrofoam. (One of those found a home in my bedroom for many years.) I'll remember him for his directing. He was very good with small casts. One of the best that I ever worked with. A professional in the best sense of the word.
He was also just plain fun to be around. I remember a Matchbox play that he was directing where we ran into problem after problem. A few nights before opening he called us out to the loading dock. He told us that we needed to sacrifice a virgin to appease whatever evil spirts were haunting us. He then produced a package of veal and we grilled it. A real character.
I haven't seen him in more than ten years but I've thought of him often. He wrote a children's play that I was privileged to be in. Whenever I start writing something new, I wonder what he would have thought of it. I'll miss him.
Rest in peace, Bo.