Practice, Practice, Practice

While we talk a lot on this blog about the shows we did all over Nashville, Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, as well as the trips we made to various national conferences, we really spent much more time together practicing the show usually twice a week (Tuesday nights and Saturday afternoons).

That includes a lot of time we spent at the National Guard Armory (seen above) where we practiced at the old Quanset Hut there as well as in the main Armory Auditorium on Sidco Drive as well.

ell.
Most of the very early practices (as seen above) were held at what is now Belmont University. But frankly, from the beginning we held practices all over town. Here's a list of where the original cast practiced from its creation at the end of January, 1966 until the cast left for the ACTION NOW! conference Estes Park Colorado in early June of that same year

Belmont University
Father Ryan Gym (Elliston Place campus)
St. Bernard High Gym
Hillsboro High Auditorium
East High Auditorium
West End High School Auditorium
War Memorial Auditorium
Issac Litton High School
National Guard Armory
David Lipscomb University

Even after the original SOS Cast Director Dan Skuce (seen above) had departed, the tradition of practicing all over Nashville continued when the cast reformed in July, 1966 after the Estes Park conference. It began in the gym at Christ The King Catholic Church grammar school on July 13, 1966. From there the practice sites moved around although in some cases we practiced for several months at a time (and usually stored our stage and our sound equipment there). Those sites included:

St. Thomas School of Nursing Gym & Auditorium
Trevecca Nazarene College
The Boiler Supply Company on Craighead Avenue
First Baptist Church Downtown Activity Building
The National Guard Armory Quanset Hut

Other practice sites included places we had been before along with some new sites:

West End High School
East High School
Main Street Commerce Union Bank in East Nashville
100 Oaks Activity Room
St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church
Apollo Jr. High School
Woodmont Baptist
I doubt that's a complete list but we did do a practice in one very unusual location...Henry Swider's backyard at 50 Vaughn Gap's Road near St. Henry's Catholic Church. I think it was in the late spring or summer of 1967 or '68.

That's Henry Swider pictured above, wearing the football jersey. He was the Director of the Crew and often kept the stage and our audio equipment in the basement of his home with the help of his Dad and other members of the Crew. I guess that's why we once held practice there (maybe we couldn't find anyplace else that Saturday).

At any rate, I don't remember anyone complaining about it, although you know with all the stage and sound equipment being used, it had to be pretty loud. Today, there's no question, someone would have complained and called the police, but it was a very different time back then, as we were learning our craft and enjoying our time together.

Practice on stage at Saint Bernard Academy in the winter of 1966

Practicing "WE VOLUNTEER" for one of the first times during practice at Father Ryan High School in the winter of 1966.

If you have any practice memories to share or if we've missed some sites you remember please leave us a comment or drop me an e-mail at pat.nolan@dvl.com.