European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cover Story a amps John Millar from left Terrance Cook Tom Gibbons and David Flom work out details backstage. From Page 5 lends the prayer. And Don t let anyone fall Down on stage  a wok places a Flom tells them. A now i get to see if my Crew is together a he says and walks to the cafeteria. Flom realizes hat few of his students actually aspire to be actors. A and i done to approach the class that Way. The Way i choose to look at it is that the purpose of the class is to get them Intro Ducco to what this thing called acting is All about what this thing called theater is All about. And what i want them to come out of the class with is an appreciation of it. So they Are a better audience a More appreciative audience a More educated  that a not to say he has t had students who had the potential to make the big time. A but i done to think you can realistically say at a High school level that you arc preparing professionals a he said. Quot that would be a disservice to the students. For one its just a horrendous Job and Job Market. I think its better to prepare them to do what they re going to do most of their lives and that is be an  one of the first lessons Flom teaches is How horrible an acting career can be. A from the very beginning. I give them the statistics what its like going through the cattle Calls trying to get a part How its up and Down. Its a Tough Tough profession to be in. Its much More fun to be on the receiving end. And they can always take part throughout their lives in the various Amateur productions Levels or  Gibbons said that he a thinking of a career in theater and planning to major in English and theater in College. Lamond had never planned for drama in any part of his education but took a Flom a class to overcome his self consciousness before an audience. He said it has worked. That said Flom is one of the main goals of his class. A it s a great Confidence builder Quot Flom said about drama. Performing in front of a live audience a is Good for their own self esteem a their own self Worth. If they done to become actors  Flom said he is Only concerned that students a become the Best they can be and More importantly enjoy  the same holds True for the teacher who never really planned to become involved with theatrical productions. After earning a bachelors degree in English from Concordia College in Minnesota Flom planned to teach Only English. He had been involved with drama productions in High school and College but never considered doing it instead of English. He started assisting with drama at his first teaching Job and in his second drama was tagged onto English. Quot i enjoyed it Quot he said. He took drama related courses that led to his completion of a masters degree in theater arts. A it was something i never intended on getting involved in. In fact i intended to get More into the journalism aspects of English but found out i enjoyed the dramatic much much More and the creativity and the fun. Its a lot of work but As Long As it continues to be fun ill keep doing  with the nights performance Over and the House lights Hack on Flom is no longer in the shadows and is Tot Busy shaking hands to be tugging at his Beard. A German High school teacher who brought 25 of his students to the play stops Flom in a hallway. 7 enjoyed it thoroughly a the German says. Flom smiles. He looks tired but Happy. There is one More performance of a rumours Quot but there will be no rest for the Dir cd it a and his student actors. Its Only eight Vav weeks until the next curtain  the heat is on it could be real stage fright for an actor on a stage or director behind the scenes things that go bump in the night can be a Nightmare. And with More than 16 years experience in theatrical productions David Flom has seen More than a few bad dreams almost come to life. Flom 42, has taught English speech and drama the past 12 years at Wurzburg High school. He spent two years teaching English and drama to american students in Subic Bay Philippines and another six in schools in Minnesota and Colorado. After countless school productions he has come to expect the unexpected when his students take the stage. A of course there Are All kinds of potential or disastrous things that occur and most of them have to do with sets or actors and sets Quot Flom  Are always doorknobs falling off doors that wont open things that fall Down and go bump in the  even in the worst situations Flom said the show must go on. A things can to come to a Stop when a disaster happens you have to keep going find some Way around it out of it  to help get actors ready for the worst rom drills into students the importance of a knowing the play knowing what they re supposed to do knowing where they re supposed to be so that if something does no to go right they can pick it up they can somehow pull it off so the audience is not aware that this is not supposed to  sometimes Flom watches his actors get into difficult situations a and i done to know How they re going to get out of them. But they  one such Case was during a production of the musical Joseph and the amazing technicolor dream coat. Flom said the play called for a grand appearance of an Elvis like pharaoh. This was accomplished by having the actor appear on stage from beneath a papier mache Sphinx rigged with a Flash Box that would produce a Cloud of smoke when set off. A it worked Fine a Flom said but one night after the Flash and smoke Entrance of the pharaoh Elvis students were dancing and singing away a and i notice there a this Little flame right next to this Little Flash Box a Flom said. A a it a burning. In a thinking if that s burning the Sphinx is made out of papier mache it could be luckily one of the chorus members a had the presence of mind while they were dancing in their �?T50s style to dance Over put it out and dance Back Over again Quot Flom said. In another play a Madcap comedy in which a fall sorts of disasters Are supposed to happen Quot a student literally got tied up on the phone Flom said. One character was supposed to Cany a phone All the Way across the stage and throw it off. Members of the stage Crew were then supposed to take the phone around the Back of the set and throw it Back on. A when he threw it off this night it looped around his leg Quot Flom said. A so As he tries to walk away not Only is he caught but they re Back there tugging at it. They almost Cut his foot off and he a trying to continue with the play while fighting not to be dragged off stage. Finally he managed to undo his foot and continue. I did no to think he was going to get out of that  then there was the time a Young actress came face to face with a bump in the night. The play involved a two floor stage. The Way it was constructed by the students the backstage floor was half Way up the door where actors exited the set to wait for their next appearance. A so they had to Crouch Down and go through to get off Quot Flom said. A everything is painted Black Back there and this girl was making a Quick exit. She forgot and ran smack into the Concrete Wall almost knocked herself out. She made it Back for the next scene but we weren to sure she  John Millar a sunday january 12, 1992