The other day, Steve Ruchefsky and Rondi Charleston took their daughter Emma to Berklee College of Music. The former Staples Players star is a 1st-year voice/ piano major, with a songwriting and theater minor.
As they sat in a meeting with the president for new parents, Steve noticed a familiar face: film and TV star Christopher Lloyd (“Back to the Future,” “Addams Family,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”). His stepson is studying guitar at Berklee.
Steve and Rondi introduced themselves as more than fans. They knew he’d gone to Staples High School — where, as a student in 1958, he convinced English teacher Craig Matheson to found an acting troupe. The group soon became Staples Players.
They had a lot to talk about. Steve and Rondi were proud to tell Chris that Players has evolved into a first-rate company, with productions rivaling Broadway. He was thrilled.
Perhaps the rest of Westport will see the founding student/Emmy Award winner soon too — back in the audience, watching the group he helped found.
Rondi Charleston and Chris Lloyd.
How great… and Staples Players ARE FIRST RATE, and have been since my high school days.
It is indeed a small world!
Nice piece Dan. I’d forgotten that Christopher Lloyd had a major hand in the founding of Staples Players. And hats off to Mr. Matheson too!
That is an amazing story. Seeing the Staples Players perform is like seeing a Broadway show for less than $50 dollars! They are fantastic.
So cool to read this story. I hope Christopher Lloyd was nice to them. Wouldn’t it be great if he showed up at one of the Staples Players productions!
Happy to report that he couldn’t have been nicer. He was genuinely interested in the current level of Players productions. We’ll invite him! You never know!!
It is October 21, 2015 today, and so it is fascinating to think Mr. Lloyd was a Staples student, and that Michael J Fox was a regular patron at my Burnaby library. Great Scot!