1974 Debbie Brown Smith

Ok, here we go. When most of you last saw me, I had left theatre forever and joined the World of the Normals. I became an Administrative Assistant and went to work for the FBI, first in Pgh., and then NYC. I came back to Pgh., worked in a bank and then went to work for my brother-in-law, who owned his own accounting firm (already TMI, I know.) Then he was killed in a helicopter crash in NW PA, so I moved in with my sister and we both tried to find jobs. We eventually did and then through the miracle of 1978 Computer Dating I met my future husband. (The only thing we matched on was that we both lied about making over $100,000 a year--a sure sign of true love. Also, his Jr. High Drama Teacher was none other than the late great David Bird!) Fred (the FH) got a job at Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham and when my father passed away I followed Fred to Birmingham, because living with two crazy Irish widows was a bit too much for me. In 1982 we got married and had two fantastically wonderful kids (Madeline and Charlie). When they were getting ready for college, I went back to UAB to get my degree-- in Theatre, of course, because that's really the only thing I enjoy doing, plus I joined an improv comedy troupe. It was fun for me, but not for my husband who kicked me out of the house and divorced me. About a year later I met a handsome, smooth talker who told me I was Super Sexy (that should have been my first clue something wasn't right) and after five years of promising to pay me back yet never doing so left me penniless and in uber-debt. So now I'm stuck in Birmingham, slowly paying my way out of debt, and hoping one day to move closer to my kids (my daughter lives in DC and my son in NYC). Luckily, there's a lot of theatre here in The Ham and my improv troupe is going to be performing at the Black Box Comedy Festival in Atlanta in September, which is cool.