Highlands Little Theatre

P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525

David Eakin - 328 Citations
By: Roy Riedy

328 Citations is a very impressive number and an indication of how involved Mr. Eakin had been with Highlands Little Theatre the 20 years he had been a member. He left Sebring and HLT in late 1997 for Orlando where he found acting jobs that actually paid a salary. During his association with the Little Theatre, David had been associated with over 60 plays, well over half of the productions that had been offered by the theater, at the time of his departure.

David began his long affiliation with HLT in 1977 when he was first seen as Duane Wilson in Mary Chase's famous comedy Harvey, directed by Delores Masonick. The Little Theatre was just starting its fourth season and Harvey was its tenth production. The play was presented at Sebring High School for four performances and marked the beginning of a long and exceptional relationship between David and drama in Highlands County.

At this time only three plays were presented each season and David appeared, besides Harvey, in the other two as well. The following May, Here's Charlie, A Salute to the Roarin' 20's was directed by Janelou Buck and presented at the Pier Civic Center, which four years later was to become HLT's permanent home and renamed The Lakeside Playhouse. The "Salute" ran for two performances with David playing the part of Al, a gangster. Other familiar names that are still appearing at HLT appeared in that cast list along with David's Al. Beverly Padgett played Beverly, the singer; Tammie Pollard was billed as Lila, the singer; Judy Sutter was a flapper and a bathing beauty, and inevitably, Frank Oberhausen was part of the Production Staff. The third and final production of HLT's Seventh Season was Woody Allen's comedy Don't Drink the Water, directed by Sue Vos with David playing Alex Magee.

The Fifth HLT Season presented four plays and David was involved with three of them. In November, 1978, he was in charge of publicity for the melodrama, Dirty Work At The Crossroads, directed by Janelou Buck. The following March he played Doc in Janelou Buck's production of Mister Roberts; and in August he played Jesse Kiplinger in Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, again directed by Janelou Buck.

The Sixth Season, another season of four performances opened with the musical South Pacific in November, 1979, directed by Frank Oberhausen with David playing the role of Lieutenant Brackett. In March, 1980, David directed Jack Sharkey's nightmare comedy, Who's On First. In June Janelou Buck directed the thriller Laura, with David again handling publicity. Teri Klix directed My Three Angels in September with David playing Jules.

David was involved with two plays of the Seventh Season, he played Colonel Pickering in Frank Oberhausen's first production of My Fair Lady in February, and supplied the special effects for Judy Sutter's comedy Subject to Change in May.

In the Eighth Season David was in charge of publicity for Jim McCollum's melodrama, No Mother to Guide Her, in February, 1982. In April he played a reporter and a Chinaman in Janelou Buck's production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes; and in August he was in charge of the Sound for the first production in HLT's permanent home, The Lakeside Playhouse, Marian Dunham's The Teahouse of the August Moon.

David participated in all five productions of the Ninth Season. In November, 1982 he played King Pellinore in Frank Oberhausen's first Camelot; in January he did the Sound for Peter Pollard's comedy, Auntie Mame; and in April he was in charge of Publicity for Carol Gose's Guys and Dolls. David played the part of Sidney Bruhl in Janelou Buck's production of Ira Levin's Deathtrap in June; and played Lt. Williams in Teri Klix's comedy Heaven Can Wait in September.

David was also associated with all five productions of the Tenth Season. In November, 1983, he worked with the Sound and Publicity teams for Marian Dunham's musical Oliver!; in February, he did the same two jobs for Frank Oberhausen's musical Annie Get Your Gun. Janelou Buck directed Born Yesterday in March with David playing the part of Harry Brock. In April Mr. Eakin was elected to the HLT Board of Directors for the first time and in June he did the Publicity for Carol Gose's musical Can-Can. The Tenth Season ended with Peter Pollard's production of Bill Manhoff's comedy The Owl and the Pussycat, for which David worked on the Sound and Lighting team.

The Lion In Winter, directed by Frank Oberhausen was the opening show of the Eleventh Season in November,1984, and David and Janelou Buck, HLT royalty, played the leads: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The historical drama was followed in January by Carol Gose's musical, Pajama Game, with David handling the Publicity. In April, 1985, David had fun playing Sheridan Whiteside in Janelou Buck's production of Moss Hart and George F. Kaufman's comedy The Man Who Came To Dinner. In June he worked on Publicity for Marian Dunham's musical Brigadoon.

The Twelfth Season opened in November, 1985, with Frank Oberhausen's musical Annie, the first contender of five plays for the first Zenon Awards that would be awarded at the end of the season, David was part of the Annie Publicity Team. In August, 1985, the last play of the Twelfth Season, Vanities, was directed by Sue McCollum, for which David furnished the Sound Effects.

Marian Dunham opened the Thirteenth Season with A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with David playing Senex. At the Second Zenon Awards Ceremony in October, David served as the Master of Ceremonies for HLT's answer to the Tonys.

Marian Dunham also opened the Fourteenth Season with Kander and Ebb's musical Cabaret for which David furnished the Sound and Sound Effects. In June of that season Janelou Buck directed Neil Simon's California Suite with David playing the visitor from Philadelphia, Marvin Michaels. In August, Teri Klix (Mrs. David Eakin) directed Damn Yankees with David, once again, in charge of Sound Effects. At the Third Zenon Awards, David was nominated for the Best Actor award for his role in California Suite as Marvin Michaels.

During the next season David worked on Publicity for Frank Oberhausen's musical The King and I, in April, and in the same month he was re-elected to the Board of Directors. In June he did the Sound for Peter Pollard's production of Sweet Charity and in August he played the Captain in Janelou Buck's second presentation of Mister Roberts, a role that nominated him for a Best Actor Zenon at the Awards Ceremony the following month.

The musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, directed by Marian Dunham, opened the Sixteenth Season, and David did the Video for the show. In January he played the part of Norman Thayer, Jr. in On Golden Pond, directed by Peter Pollard, the role won him his first Zenon for Best Actor at the Zenon Ceremonies at the end of the season. In March he reprised his role as Colonel Pickering that he had played nine years earlier in Frank Oberhausen's revival of My Fair Lady, yet another role that nominated him for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the end-of-the-year Zenon Awards. In June Janelou Buck directed the musical Hello Dolly and David was her Sound person. In August. David played Walter Hollander in Tena Conyer's revival of Woody Allen's Don't Drink The Water, another play he had been in twelve years earlier.

Jet Hansen opened the Seventeenth Season in November,1990, with Oklahoma! with David playing Ike Skidmore. It was followed in January by Peter Pollard's Steel Magnolias, David's name appeared again as a member of the HLT Board of Directors, his second time in that post. In March, 1991, Frank Oberhausen directed the musical The Music Man with David playing Mayor Shinn. In June, Tena Conyer brought The Little Shop of Horrors to the Lakeside Playhouse stage and David and Janelou Buck provided the Publicity and in August Walter Zelenenki directed The Seven Year Itch, and the program now listed David as the Vice President of Highlands Little Theatre. At the Sixth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony David was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his part as Mayor Shinn in The Music Man.

The Eighteenth Season opened with Jet Hansen directing the big musical hit Mame. David is listed in its program as the Vice President of HLT. David and Janelou Buck did the Publicity for the second show of the season, Peter Pollard's They're Playing Our Song. Funny Girl was the third show and David was duly noted as the Vice President in its program. In June, Janelou Buck directed Inherit the Wind with David in the role of Henry Drummond, another role that nominated him for a Best Actor Zenon at the Zenon Awards at the end of the season. The season ended with Marian Dunham's reprise of the show that was the first to be held in The Lakeside Playhouse ten years earlier, The Teahouse of the August Moon.

In April, 1993, the third show of the Nineteenth Season was Frank Oberhausen's reprise of the musical Camelot. David was again in the cast playing the role of King Pellinore for which he won his second Zenon in October for the Best Supporting Actor. In June David played the part of Seth Lord in Marian Dunham's production of The Philadelphia Story; and in August, Captain Andy in Jet Hansen's Show Boat, another role for which he received a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In June, 1994 David played Saunders in Tammie Pollard's production of Lend Me A Tenor, a role that gave him his third Zenon for the Best Supporting Actor of the season at the Awards Ceremony in October. The last show of the Twentieth Season was Marian Dunham's Meet Me in St. Louis in which David played Grandpa Prophater.

David was associated with one play in the Twenty-first Season, the June production of Same Time Next Year, directed by Tena Conyer and Andy Conyer in which David was acknowledged for his help with the production in the program notes.

In the program for the Tenth Zenon Awards, the names of previous winners were listed and David's name appeared three times: once for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading role in the 1989-90 season for playing the role of Norman in On Golden Pond, and twice in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role category for his 1992-93 season role of King Pellinore in Camelot, and the 1993-94 season for his role as Saunders in Lend Me A Tenor.

The Twenty-third Season was the last time David was seen acting in the Lakeside Playhouse. He played the role of Uncle Stanley in Mac Byron's June, 1997, production of Moss Hart and George F. Kaufman's comedy George Washington Slept Here. However, it was not the last time his name appeared in a playbill. In the Twenty-fourth Season Frank Oberhausen reprised his very successful Annie, and in the program notes David Eakin's name is mentioned for special thanks.

During David's twenty year association with HLT he was affiliated with 61 plays, 9 Zenon Ceremonies in which he received three Zenons and was nominated for six others. His name appeared in 191 news articles and 67 HLT Newsletters for a epic total of 328 Citations. David Eakin has left an indelible mark on Highlands Little Theatre and it thanks you for those twenty years of grand theater.

Join us on