Art is absolutely fascinating in its many shapes and forms. To be a part of this creative community of artists is a joy for a multitude of reasons. The mosaic - the result of our work together - can be something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, weird, challenging, thought-provoking. Our focus tends to be emphasized upon the end result - critics and the like judge our work. What tends to be missed is the process which often times is a swirl of moments in our lives that come together - sometimes making sense, mostly not…until later.
Monday, May 17, 2010, around 3:30 pm, the final piece of a particular mosaic was put into place. Here are a few of the pieces of this particular art.
In 1987, through an acting class, I became fast-friends with Brian Richardson. Brian is a talented fellow and like all of us dreamed of making his mark in the industry. One of his passions is animals and eventually he found his way into an important staff position at Studio City Animal Hospital. Brian is well-respected and has a large heart, filled with intense compassion. We have stayed in touch but as in most of our lives, our paths don’t often cross as much as we would like.
Hugo Armstrong, adorned with more accolades than most of us could imagine plus our highest honors, including the LA Stage Alliance’s Ovation Award, is who I would describe as “intriguing.” Hugo, as anyone who knows our theatre community, grasps on to the most challenging of roles and captures our attention with his laser focus and creativity. He can be surrounded by star actors, he can be in the supporting role in whatever production (theatre or film) and there isn’t one moment when you aren’t impressed by what he does. And yet with all of the weirdness of the roles on which he latches, Hugo’s DNA is one of kindness, care, support and love. When Hugo isn’t creating art, he works with children at a preschool. How do I know this? Well…
In the Ovation season of 2009-2010, I was chosen by the leaders of LA Stage Alliance to mentor a college graduate, Ben Rodriguez, who is interested in pursuing a career in the creative arts. One of my responsibilities is to share insight with Ben when we see a production together as well as help him network with some of the fantastic artists in our community. Ben is enthusiastic and soaking it in. One of our arranged interviews was after the performance of Medea with none other than Hugo Armstrong. Hugo and I knew each other by our work in theatre but we never spent time together. It was a moment of “I know you but I don’t know you.” The interview was a hit and Ben was thrilled in meeting Hugo, who mentioned he was a part-time teacher at a preschool. As with most people in our line of work, we said our good-byes and hoped to see each other again.
May 17, 2010. The final piece is placed. I’ve been working long hours, long days at my regular job as business administrator at Hollywood United Methodist Church. Rev. Kathy Cooper-Ledesma, in her most loving way, told me I was taking this day off to recoup some energy. I decided to acquiesce, rest and handle necessary chores which included doing laundry.
Around 3:30 pm, I was carrying my final load of clothes back into my apartment when I heard a sickening thud and a yelp from the street. If anyone knows anything about Riverside Drive in Valley Village, way too many morons with drivers licenses think it’s the Indy 500. It’s a stretch of road that is prone to accidents. Hidden behind the overgrown bushes of the neighbor’s yard, I peeked around to see what I knew would be bad news. There in the busy roadway lay a border collie hit by a vehicle.
I dropped my laundry basket and ran over to the scene. The male driver was visibly shaken as the owner of the dog wailed nearby. She held another dog in her care. Idiots behind wheels kept whizzing by without regard for human life. I quickly shouted out some directions while trying to calm the pet owner, Sydney. The director of The Neighborhood School assisted in slowing down the traffic. Another person from the school ran over to care for the dog while I ran back to my apartment for my car so we could rush the dog to a veterinarian. It was at that moment I realized who that person was - Hugo Armstrong. Neighbors in the community showed their care and support while Hugo held this injured dog in his arms and I drove us toward medical attention. And where might that medical attention be? Studio City Animal Hospital - where Brian Richardson was.
I wish I could conclude this story with a happy ending but unfortunately, I can’t. Floyd, the courageous border collie who was so brave in my car and in Hugo’s arms, couldn’t beat the odds once he arrived at the vet’s. The physical damage was too extensive. But that dog was all heart and through it all, never winced once. Floyd was a beautiful creature who broke loose from his owner and met his match in steel along Riverside Drive. Yet it was the humanity within the tragedy that stood out to me…and the process that led up to this moment.
Brian Richardson and I met long ago and he heads Studio City Animal Hospital; Hugo Armstrong, an extraordinary actor - interviewed by an artist who I am mentoring and who works at a preschool that happens to be across the street from where I live; Rev. Kathy giving me the day off on a Monday; I happen to be outside my apartment when the accident occurs.
My sincere thanks and gratitude to all those in the neighborhood who helped, and especially to Hugo who stepped up to the plate and willingly helped without hesitation, and to Brian and his staff who did their best to save Floyd’s life. Brian, in his loving care and compassion, found out Sydney had little money and no insurance. He chose to cover the costs so the pet owner wouldn’t have to bear even more pain. I saw Sydney later that evening and shared with her how Floyd lived in his final moments - showing Hugo, Brian and me there was no blame, only love. It’s crazy to even explain. Floyd’s eyes said so much during this tragedy and we each experienced it.
Happenstance? Coincidence? Maybe. But I prefer to think this was a mosaic in our everyday lives, pieced together through a process that took 23 years and through our theatre community, where during a 40-minute span of time in one day, the goodness of humankind shined through the pain.
