Since far too often we only publicly say nice things about people when they are dead I’ve decided to randomly pick a Facebook friend every day and say something nice about them.
May 6, 2019
Today’s person: Meryl Shaw!
I met Meryl well before she was doing casting or coaching. She was stage manager for San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and I was doing Merry Wives of Windsor and Marriage of Figaro (In those days we did two shows each weekend day, same casts, alternating the order of the shows daily.)
She was one of the first real professional stage managers I’d worked with, and because of that I thought she was going to be coldly efficient. I was right about the efficient part, but she was never cold. She was always bouncy and vibrant, funny, and whatever her job a passionate advocate for actors.
One day, while sitting on the edge of the stage, I managed to get a rather long splinter under my fingernail. It was just as painful as it sounds, and people kinda freaked out. Not Meryl. Over my objections she drove me to the hospital, and waited with me until the doctor and nurses examined me. I was a grown-ass man, but Meryl was so concerned and caring that I was embarrassed. She really cared, and I felt important to this wonderful professional. (Side note: the doctors wanted to pull my nail off to get the splinter. I said no, and spent the next few days cutting a trough through the nail with a leather sewing needle so I could lift the splinter out and save the nail. Leather sewing needles have a cutting edge.)
Anyway that’s my story about Meryl Shaw who, as I’ve gotten to know her over the years, has always been a thoughtful, considerate, smart, and actually wildly caring and just plain wild woman masquerading as rule follower.