So far we’ve heard from directors, teachers, producers, and marketers, but we haven’t heard from any audience members — much less, parents. Jeff Mosser less-than-discretely interviewed his parents about Theatre Pro Rata’s show.

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Jeff Mosser: So you made it up and back to Minneapolis allright? How was the show?

Dad: I liked it. The only thing I didn’t like was that it was so darned hot down there. Luckily they had a few fans or I’da been in trouble.

Mom: I told the director who we were and oh they knew you! She worked with you when you were living in Minneapolis, and she got excited and took us on a tour of where the bathrooms were.

JM: What was your favorite moment of the show?

Mom: Well it probably would have been the death of JFK because people our age all remember where we were when we heard that. We heard it at one o’clock when we were on our way back to work. Terrible, terrible shock. They did a really good job. It was somber.

Dad: I could go back to the exact same spot and tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing. I’m sure you’d have 90% of the people there over 55 able to tell you that. The other one [favorite] would have been Teddy Roosevelt. And then some presidents they just portrayed them as party people. Who basically were squandering it!

JM: How would you describe it to someone who didn’t see it?

Mom: I thought it was very good. It was just enough time for each president, and the older ones, you know, I didn’t know all that stuff about ‘em. They sounded like they were kinda corrupt. Some of them. But you know everyone enjoyed it. They were laughing and it didn’t offend anybody so that was good.

Dad: It was enlightening. You wanted to see what was next. I though it was good, myself. It was the real thing. It wasn’t fictitious. It was a real history of us as the United States. There was some laughter and some spice, but basically they were telling us how it was. It was all factual, right?

JM: Yea, it was based on facts. They weren’t making up any history. Was there anything you were surprised by?

Mom: I didn’t know that FDR had a girlfriend. A mistress. Of course Eleaner stood right by him. I don’t know if anyone realized that. He was so popular and yet he was no saint either. They had some props, but they only had that jacket for whoever was president. I thought that was allright. That was all that was necessary really. They didn’t have to dress up in heavy costumes and have to change all the time. The actors did a good job and you know they made it funny or serious or informative — like Grant was a drinker and everyone was laughing.

JM: Who should see this show?

Mom: Anybody. Everybody! Especially the ones that don’t vote. I think that was the most important thing that they did was pass out the register to vote slips. If you don’t like your president it’s your job to vote for the one you do like. It’s your job as an American citizen.

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August & Romayne Mosser celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary yesterday. They live in Waseca, MN, where Romayne enjoys gardening and providing a layover for migratory birds. August is a problem solver and habitual fixer-upper, and he designed the house that they built together. They are two awesome parents who let me interview them about theatre. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!