Join us for our weekly “Rock Reflections,” a series celebrating Trinity alumni. From all 50 states to countries worldwide, our graduates are making an impact, and we'll share their stories on Trinity's website and social media.
This week's profile is about Jeff Frazier '80
Jeff Frazier ’80 submitted a story about his memories of the early days of Trinity Theater.
Jeff was a teacher for 35 years. He has since dedicated himself to world travel and has been everywhere from Cairo to Singapore. Jeff also has competed in 11 triathlons. He and his wife, Tracey, have been married for 36 years.
When Trinity opened in 1953, there wasn’t much thought put into a theater program. The school improvised in 1971 by making a micro theater out of a converted classroom, a closed-off hallway and an unused storage room. The end of the long hallway on the third floor of Old Trinity Hall (A Building for some alumni) was sealed off and became the backstage area, a classroom was transformed into the main stage, and there were only enough seats for an audience of one hundred ten. Everything in the theater was painted black – walls, flooring, ceiling and even the seats.
At the rear of the improvised theater was a large hole. It had been cut out at the very top of the wall next to the ceiling and a window had been jerry-rigged into it. On the other side of the window was a converted storage room. Then-artistic director Billy Bradford H’03 had a platform constructed about 5 feet off the ground so that he could look out the window to watch the production without disturbing the audience members. One of my favorite memories was to watch Mr. Bradford launch himself up the ladder and then stare intensely out of that window to take notes. He used those notes to instruct the cast and crew on how they could make the performance better. A path had been made from the door to the platform and, aside from that, the storage room was overcrowded with props and costumes.
When the plays were being produced and the cast needed a place to change into their costumes and apply their makeup, the classrooms on the third floor were open for us to use. We also rehearsed and did warm-up exercises in the classrooms. I had to get used to the idea of spending the morning in my science class and the evening getting dressed for my part in the musical, and it all happened in the same room. The improvised theater was too small and completely inadequate for the job, but for the actors and stage crew, it was a magical space.
The reason as to why the students liked the theater so much was that it provided an escape from our ordinary lives. It gave the theater kids a cause and a place to hang out with like-minded people. When I wasn’t cast in a production, I became a member of the stage crew. I thought of the theater as a second home. It was a safe place, like a protective cocoon because if our classmates weren’t involved with the stage production then they would not know who a theater kid was. We could hide in plain sight. I spent my afternoons in the third-story theater and, as opening night came closer, I spent my weekends there as well.
During weekends, when no one else was in the building, the theater kids had the whole school to us. We felt like Trinity belonged to us and to us alone. To add to the mystique of the theater, I had rigged up a little button to a wooden block and lowered it from outside of the third-story window by a wire. When the actors or stage crew wanted to gain access to Old Trinity Hall, they pressed the button and a buzzer went off in the light booth, and I ran down three flights of stairs to let in the actors in. It was such a simple contraption, but it made the theater kids feel like they were in some sort of secret society.
Acting as the producer, Father Ted Sans H’05 organized the fundraising and paid the bills. It was a thankless job, but he did it because he knew that the theater needed him. He raised and spent thousands of dollars and made sure that every penny showed up on the stage. Father Sans had the programs and tickets printed and made a lot of phone calls to get donations. For example, the tuxedos that the ushers wore for the gala production were donated while parents were recruited to sew the costumes.
Another of my favorite memories was of going out to eat with the cast and crew after a production on the weekends. We would walk across Shelbyville Road to eat at Burger King. When we returned after an hour or two to retrieve our cars, we could see the lights were still burning on the third floor. That meant that Mr. Bradford was still hard at work, sewing the costumes or doing one of the other thousands of tiny things that needed to be done so that the show could go on. Mr. Bradford didn’t just talk about being dedicated to the theater, he proved that he was truly committed to it and that is why we admired him so much as our leader.
The new theater was completed in January of my senior year. Trinty had acquired a former VFW post on Sherrin Avenue and converted it into a theater. I was the stage manager for the new theater’s first musical production, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Rev. Thomas Duerr H’92 was the principal, and he helped with the final touches, like hanging the cabinets in the lighting booth. Father Harry Jansing stepped in from time to time to make sure construction was being completed correctly. Father Sans had moved on and Mr. Greg Sysol H’03 took over as producer.
It was very satisfying to see these great men become members of the Trinity Hall of Fame. They helped to make the theater program one for which we can all be proud. For me, the magic began on the third floor of Old Trinity Hall in a converted classroom.
Share an alumni story!
Do you know a Trinity alumnus with a compelling story? Please reach out to Travis Wagoner '90, Alumni Relations & Communications Director, at 502-736-2122 or wagoner@trinityrocks.com.
A History of Greatness
Since 1953, Trinity has benefitted from great teachers, resources, and activities to shape and guide promising boys into great men. The 106 students from our first graduating class have been followed by a legacy of academic, personal and cultural achievement. To learn more about our proud heritage, visit https://www.trinityrocks.com/o/trinityfoundation/page/about-us.
Invest in the ‘Path to Greatness’
Your contribution to the Trinity Annual Fund directly supports financial aid, helping our students on their path to greatness! To make a gift, go to https://trinityrocks.givecloud.co/rockreflections.