Gratitude

The blogger for the Oakland Stage at The Oakland Center for the Arts has a tribute here: http://theoaklandstage.blogspot.com/2008/10/gratitude.html and additional links. 

The last Stage was a great time. I mentioned on a myspace bulletin that my heart was just not in this year's Stage Fright because we lost a very important and wonderful part of the past 2 years of Stages. Rick Pirko, whom Oaklanders will remember from Dr. Ray's Sideshow of Science, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Rick was a huge part of this community, and he will be greatly missed by people who didn't even know him. His contributions were great and wide-reaching.

I met Rick through Dr. Ray. Here was this guy who would just show up at the Stage and help. I'd turn around and he'd have rigged up a screen for the projector. He's find a pile of junk and turn it into a makeshift prop. He worked feverishly to get the projector he let us borrow from YSU to work at the last minute. He was forever offering use of items he had altered or improved, like fog machines or lighting equipment. He dug out some new-ish computers from the dirges of YSU so the Oakland could run wireless internet on them. He patiently went through them with me, telling stories of math and physics equations and hurting my little girl brain. He told silly jokes and math riddles at the Stage and made everyone laughingly moan. He was such a nerd, through and through, that you just had to love him. He could never hide his intelligence, creativity, or compassion.

He was just the greatest guy. He was so ever-present that you kind of just expected him to show up and help, and it was easy to discount him. He was quiet and never expected anything in return. I remember hanging out in his office at the Planetarium, going through masses of photos he had taken at the Stage. He did little edits to each one, like adding or arranging light cans overhead -- stuff you'd never normally notice but that made things subconsciously pleasing.

At this time last year, we were preparing for a huge Stage Fright as well as Dr. Ray's China fundraiser rental, which featured the Zou and the Crispy Family Circus. Rick was a major part of preparation, and not having him around this year felt so wrong. It made everything seem empty. But we carried on and Ray and Susie gave a lovely, moving, honest tribute to him that brought many of us to tears. I loved Susie's description of the things that will keep his memory alive: farm-fresh eggs, sunflowers, small planes flying low in the sky, the stars at night. Her phrasing was much better.

The next Stage, November 20, will feature a tribute to Rick. Anyone who knew Rick is welcome to dedicate a performance to his honor or just get up and tell a story about him or a joke he would have liked. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the memorial that will be permanently erected in his honor. His memorial will be this Saturday, Oct. 25, at 10 am at the YSU Planetarium. Please attend if you can. Rick's wife, Victoria, who he talked about constantly, would like to install a sundial in memoriam to him. Below is a pretty cool picture he took of a sunrise where you can see Venus crossing:

In the wake of this loss, my sense of appreciation and awareness of all that we have to be grateful for is much keener. I want to thank everyone who has ever supported the Oakland in the past, and especially those who help so selflessly with the Stage. Thank you for believing in the power of arts and performance. Thank you for sharing your gifts. Thank you for all the littlest things, like showing up early or staying late to clean up. As Dr. Ray said, that is one thing we can all learn from Rick, one thing we can replicate and offer in his honor. To be helpful to those around without expecting much in return except maybe a smile and the sense of knowing you've made a difference.

Here's a lovely tribute from someone in the blogosphere. I always heard the story of how he took bible from hotels, but I forgot. This is a great description: http://lydumsroygbiv.blogspot.com/2008/10/so-long-scarecrow.html  also a year later from the same writer: http://lydumsroygbiv.blogspot.com/2009/10/saving-scarecrow.html
Here's Kris' blog from the last Stage with mention of Ray and Susie's tribute:
http://yoments.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/stage-fright-a-classic-a-tribute-and-lots-of-fun-in-between/     **Yoments blog was removed.