The Cahill Archives
The Katrina Chronicles:
KATRINA - THEATER PEOPLE UPDATE #3
Friday September 2, 2005
K+4A
Michael P. Cahill
September 3, 2010
The Katrina Updates continued and, by this time, a lot more information was coming in. Narratives also began arriving - this Update features one from Martin Covert. Having a large e-mailing list of the New Orleans Theater Community due to producing plays with Beefield Productions and serving on the Storer Boone Awards committee, I would send out mailings to Our Crowd and glean responses for information to include in the Updates. I was using Janet Shea’s AOL account which, in those days of yore, had specific rules of conduct. Several times we were thrown off-line by AOL on suspicion of Spamming. It was very frustrating and Janet was upset to have to deal with computer people, as always. I would explain the extraordinary circumstances of my labors but either Janet & I had not yet perfected the "Katrina Excuse" or others had not gotten used to accepting it.
This is Michael Cahill at 8:40 p.m., CDT, [Friday September 2, 2005] from Keller, TX.
This is the third full Theater People Update I’ve sent. If anyone hasn’t received the first two, let me know and I’ll get them to you. I’m trying not to repeat information.
I have received an e-mail from Barret O’Brien forwarding a message from someone inside the Times-Picayune. I’ll try to forward that to all.
I have received an informative...and comforting...e-mail from Rick Bologna (father of wunderkind David) about how banks, credit companies, insurance are to be handling the disaster. I’ll try to forward that too.
SAG has informed members that they can seek Financial Assistance at the Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund: 305-670-7677.
Actors Fund Of America: 800-221-7303.
SAG Foundation: 323-549-6708.
I don’t know about AEA and AFTRA.
Justin Scalise and family are in, I believe, Austin. He is also trying to provide info through nopa@ yahoogroups.com.
Roberts Batson got out on the last flight from New Orleans on Southwest, after the other carriers had quit. He is in Sarasota.
Trish & Jim McLain got to a Red Cross shelter in Brookhaven, MS. Soline is flying to Nashville and will drive to retrieve them and go on to New York.
Jeff Martorell is in Birmingham. He doesn’t know the fate of his house on Pine near Claiborne & Broadway. He - and others - are concerned about Pauline & Leonard Prelutsky.
Leon Contavesprie was in Mississippi at the time of the storm.
Ann Mahoney got to Texas on her way to New York.
Leslie Bell was heading to Austin.
Jason Smith is in Houston.
Lauren Rabin is in Houston.
Alex Pomes and Jenny Collins are in Baton Rouge.
J Hammons is in Gramercy.
Nancy & John Hammons are "safe."
Maggie Eldred & Stacey Arton are in Natchez.
Claire Hassig is in Charlotte, NC, but is concerned about her mother Eve’s Mystic Blue Sign Shop at Magazine & Jackson.
Michael Martin is "safe."
Matt "Foster" Johns is back in Boston.
Melissa Pittari, when last heard of, was trying to get out of town with her cats.
Vanessa Neiman is in Brandon, MS.
Karel Sloane is "safe."
At last report, Veronica Russell was "safe," but also believed to be in the French Quarter.
Anthony Faure was on vacation in New York.
Morgan Alrich is "safe," though whereabouts unknown.
Arvilla & Jeff Riddick are believed to have ridden out the storm in Metairie. They are thought to be with Stocker Fontelieu in Port Gibson, MS, with Mary Ellis & Beth Hudson. At last report, they had no electricity.
Brandt Blocker & Kristina were in Arkadelphia, AR. His family was able to return to Covington.
Cliff Stromeyer is in Atlanta.
Chase Waites is in Baton Rouge. Amanda Norman with Sawyer is in Dothan, AL.
George Patterson and Mickey Gil are in Monroe, LA. They heard that Becky Allen and mother Myrtis were headed to Jackson and hope to learn that they actually made it.
Liz Argus and the whole Argus clan are in Lake Charles. The Argus house in Bay St. Louis is gone. It is believed that all the Argus family homes are gone with the possible exception of Liz’ in Bucktown. If it’s gone, she notes, she needed new headshots anyway. She asks for info on Michael Howard, Wanda Rouzan, Chris Carey, Richard Hutton.
Dana Cusimano Farley, who lives in Texas, also asks for info on the Prelutskys.
Dane Rhodes is in North Carolina with his mother.
Lyla Hay Owen made it to Alexandria and is now with Cynthia in New York.
Linda Fried is in Atlanta.
Karen Hebert & Denise [Sullivan] are in Orlando.
Janice Mau is in Houston.
Eva Earls and mother are in Houston.
Ann Casey (in Texas) asks for into on Sonny & Derek, Carol Sutton, Karen Kaia Livers, Jessica Podewell, and Kris Lamorte.
Mikko is in Houston.
Troy Poplous was heading out on Saturday night.
Jonathan and Mat Foucheaux are in Houston.
Lindsey Price and the Romig family are in Baton Rouge.
Janet Shea asks for info on Julie Winn, Dan Zimmer, Davis Baron, Ron Bermingham, Donald Lewis, Brigham Hall, Patrick McNamara of NOCCA. Where is Gary Alan Wood?
Kerry, Kelsey, Gary Vogt are in Alexandria.
Kenneth Thompson is in Houston.
Sean Patterson and Cammie are in Lafayette. They don’t know the fate of their house. He’s thinking of moving to Albuquerque...or Charlotte, Orlando, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York....He can be reached by e-mail via the public library. His cell is 504-555-9778.
Lara Grice, with mother and brother are in St. Francisville. Her cell text is 504-555-5272.
Janet’s son Shannon Shea is a Los Angeles-based film special effects makeup artist. He was working on the Hilary Swank film in Baton Rouge (The Reaping). They were all evacuated to Austin...but were then sent back to Baton Rouge. He thinks its crazy.
Nancy Ross & Dennis Assaf, two daughters, beagle Elvis, 86-year-old Dad, and sister & husband made it to Rockwall, near Dallas. They intend to head to Baton Rouge. He says the schools will be flooded with students and needs teachers - they can teach music, theater, Spanish, Italian. Dennis says: "I fear it may be a long road before we produce any more shows."
Michael Sullivan is in Covington.
Sheila & Jim Chimento are in Arkansas.
Jaime & Greg Havard are "safe."
Fats Domino has been found.
Casey Leigh Thompson & Mat Grau are in Houston.
Mat’s dad Mat II is in Orlando.
It is believed Jesuit High in MidCity was flooded.
Randy Juneau was in Houston, heading to Ville Platte.
Eric Porter is in San Antonio.
Bill Walker is in Houston.
Bryan Wagar is "okay."
Gary Rucker is "okay."
Gabrielle Porter is "okay," but is concerned about her father.
Jessie Terrebonne and family are "okay."
Leslie Taylor is in Hammond, heading to school in Chicago.
David Hoover and Scott Hutcheson went to Longview, TX, where Scott’s parents are. David then went on to his parents’ in Springfield, MO, to bring their dog. His house in Algiers Point survived the storm...but he doesn’t know about the looting.
Yvette Sirker is in Austin. She thinks her house is okay.
Jack Gurley is "safe."
Tim Baker and Carl Walker are in Lafayette.
Steve Rizzo and Ricky Graham are in Alexandria.
Yvette Hargis and dog are at her aunt’s horse farm in Franklinton. Her mother had to be moved from Kenner Regional hospital to a hospital in Gonzalez.
When last heard of, Maureen Brennan and children went to St. Francisville. Our own Spud McConnell led us out of town on WWL-AM. We hope he is alright.
Still no word on the fate of Perry Martin. The source has been Roch Eshleman.
PLEASE DO NOT construe this to mean that there is any suspicion that these may not be safe, but has anyone heard from: Charlotte Schully, Gavin Mahlie, Kris Shaw, Dalt Wonk, Lynne Lawrence, Michael Arata, Susan Barrett Smith, Kelly Hirling & Marc Fouchi, Peter Gabb, Bert Pigg, Adriana Bate, Walter Bost, David Dahlgren, Glen Gomez, Lary Hesdorffer, Robert MacDowell, Aimee Michel, Alton Geno, Brett & Charlie Ward, Linda Hubchen, Giselle Chatelain, Georgia Gresham, and so many others?
Some have asked about the sources Janet & I had about the fate of our homes. Janet was in touch with neighbors who stayed. My mother’s sitter was - and may still be - in my house.
No word on Janet’s Hamlet at my 1204 Smith Dr., or Barret O’Brien’s dog Fletch in the Garden District, or Abby Lake’s cats uptown. Are any veterinarians open between New Orleans to Shreveport, Houston, Dallas, asks Janet.
Janet & I intend to return to Jefferson Parish as soon as allowed to retrieve what we can. Then, we may be at a lake house in Granbury, TX, for the foreseeable future. Janet had been offered shelter by Joe Warfield in NJ, Kimberly Greiger in NY, her sons Scott and Shannon, and Lou Cutell in Los Angeles, but she prefers to stay here.
Cecile Casey Covert missed the storm by taking her daughter to Baltimore.
Martin Covert: "We stayed in our Milan Street house during the storm with my parents....Also with us were Ann Casey and Karl Lengel, their daughter Gretchen, his brother Kemper, their dog Gizmo, and my cat Filumena....Things went fine, got hairy as the winds got stronger and then blew out three of the boarded windows on the second floor of the north side of the house....House was shaking but we huddled together on the first floor away from glass and doors. House (built 1910) survived it all, with us in it. Monday afternoon everything calmed down. No power, but we had running water and gas on the stovetop. Darkness Monday night. Tuesday morning got water in the streets. David Cuthbert and I walked together toward the Times-Picayune, up Napoleon, as we crossed Claiborne, we were seeing downed trees and power lines, EMS, fire, and police. Getting closer to the end of Napoleon toward Washington and Broad, a gentleman in a truck asked us where we were headed. We showed our TP badges, and he suggested we put away our cameras, take off our rings and watches, and get back home. The TP area was flooded, he said. We did. Reports of water rising and criminal activity continued on the battery radios. We decided to get out after I heard from an aunt who had also stayed with her daughter at a house on Rosa Park. Her own house on Versailles was starting was starting to flood. By 2 p.m. Tuesday, the seven of us and two pets left in three vehicles, over the CC Connection, through West Bank and Boutte, over I-310 back to I-10 West. Left the keys to my parents’ care with David & Linda Cuthbert, who had given their own care to their son and grandchildren to get out before the storm. Have not heard if they took it and left. We drove to Beaumont, got a hotel for two nights. Put my parents on a plane to Miami....Waiting for word from the TP which is publishing online at nola.com and print edition out of Houma and Baton Rouge. May go where they tell me, to do what they want me to."
Martin & CeCe were reunited in Texas and are headed to Austin, where Suzy Casey Gallagher lives.
Ann Casey & Karl Lengel are in Corpus Christi, where Karl’s brother Kemper lives.
Also check wwltv.com for info.
By the way, I was in the process of assembling, sorting, and cataloging my extensive collection of theater programs and memorabilia (some obtained through working on the Storer Boone Awards committee) so as to donate them to various libraries and university collections so that all our work will live on beyond when the applause...and we ourselves...die. I think I got the majority of it high enough to be safe but some is no doubt damaged.
I will try to forward the e-mails from Barret’s friend and from Rick Bologna’s friend.
More tomorrow.
MIKE CAHILL
{copyright 2005, 2010}
******
The next update is due tomorrow.
Links of interest:
The Katrina Chronicles: http://stageclick.com/topic/4132.aspx
Katrina - Theater People Update #1 - 9/1/2005: http://stageclick.com/topic/4140.aspx
Katrina - Theater People Update #2 - 9/2/2005: http://stageclick.com/topic/4143.aspx
Post-Diluvian: http://stageclick.com/topic/4136.aspx