A Letter to BLT From the Playwright ....
BLT received a letter from Fred Carmichael, author of Exit the Body and 35 other stage
plays published by Samuel French, Inc., of New York City. An additional ten of his
plays are published by Baker Plays, Inc. He has also done film scripts and written
comedy sketches for The Tonight Show, Merv Griffin, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas,
etc. It's unusual for a community theater group to be contacted like this by the author of
the show they're doing, but Mr. Carmichael had a friend who lived in the area and told
him that this play of his was being staged by BLT. Below is the text of the letter he sent
to the BLT Director:
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Dear Director, Producer, Cast, Crew, etc.,
I found out that Brevard Little Theatre is doing Exit the Body when a friend of mine
read about it in the Winter, 1993, issue of your "Thespian Times." We authors rarely
learn of our productions being staged until we later get the royalty statements, so I
thought, since I know about this, I would send along my best wishes to you and tell you
a few things about the show.
I wrote the play while my wife and I were doing summer stock theatre here in Dorset,
Vermont, in the early sixties. Since then it has been produced by amateur groups all
over the U.S., by the Armed Forces Theatre in Europe and in the Orient, and in
professional summer stock and dinner theaters all around the country.
It is probably my most-produced play. I just saw an "anniversary revival" of it in
Hudson Falls, New York, and our community theater group here in Dorset did the show
just this past winter. My newest play, Don't Mention My Name, has just been
accepted for publication by French, Inc., and should be available by next fall.
I'd certainly like to know how your production of Exit the Body goes, and I'd appreciate
having copies of any reviews of it. As I said, I usually don't know when my shows are
being done until I later get ads, etc., from around the country.
So, a hearty "break a leg" to all concerned!
(signed) Fred Carmichael Dorset, Vermont March 24, 1993
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BLT Director Joe Carvajal responded to this letter, thanking Mr. Carmichael and telling
him that his letter would be printed in the Thespian Times playbill for the show. He
later sent Fred copies of that, and other published materials related to this BLT
production. BLT has (before and since) staged a number of comedies written by
Fred Carmichael.