First Impressions: Andy Propst

Andy Propst had the wrong impression of me from the very beginning. Why? Because my fellow critic fellows filled him with tall tales about a budding romance between myself and another playwright that was there.

There was no romance, only a fauxmance.

We met in the cafeteria (I miss you terribly, crispy bacon) during lunchtime at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

Wait, back up.

Andy was later kind enough to remind me that we had actually seen each other before in New York. We were both there to review a marginally entertaining but wholly misguided play. I wish I remembered which one it was. All I remember is skits, ice skating, and vaudeville.

Later, Andy sat in on my humbling session with Mark Charney, but didn't lead it. He had plenty of opportunity later though to lead three sessions about blogging.

Andy was funny as heck, although some of the jokes that he told were at my love life's expense. He made sure that he ran with the fauxmance story. But I had to laugh. Of all the mentors that were there, he was the most relaxed and really knew how to have fun.

He was also the mentor that taught us the most about the future. He taught us about blogging, and where that was headed. Coincidentally, those sessions are probably what lit a fire under my tush to start blogging again, so I thank him for that.

Apart from Dominic Papatola, he was also the mentor that I stretched the limit with...in a good way. The review that I turned into him was probably the snarkiest, but at least it was clever. I shall always remember "I'da left by now if I was sitting by the exit."

Sometimes, I just can't resist!