'Forged in fire': Wayne State University theatre alumni maintain friendship, collaborate 45 years later

Wayne State University alumni George Kappaz ’79 and Richard Gustin ’79 have fond memories of their time as students of the Hilberry Classical Repertory Theatre from 1977 until 1979.

They and the rest of the acting company had a demanding rotating repertory schedule, a schedule so punishing that Gustin described their relationships as friendships that were "forged in fire and continue to this day.”

For the uninitiated, repertory theatre is training that involves a company of actors keeping a repertory of plays always at the ready for performance. The actors perform a different play each night. In the case of the Hilberry Company, they oftentimes pulled off six performances per week, including “two-show days” where one set is switched out between the matinee and evening productions, allowing for two different plays in one day.

Demanding as it was, the experience was also very worthwhile to Kappaz and Gustin.

“The Hilberry tested the mettle of every company member. The program was not for the faint of heart nor for those who weren’t team players,” Gustin said. “Once I got through my two-year program at the Hilberry, I knew that I could handle whatever professional repertory theatre challenge I might encounter. My time at the Hilberry prepared me well for my professional acting career.”

Kappaz, whose parents were also Wayne State Theatre alum, echoed his friend’s sentiments.

“My time in the Hilberry Theatre was challenging, almost every day, and meaningful. Our directors were extraordinarily talented and presented a high bar in their expectations,” Kappaz said. “Our company of 25 actors from around the country knew we were part of something special.”

The arduous training prepared them for successful careers in theatre, television and education. After graduation, Kappaz moved to New York City and worked on shows such as the “Guiding Light,” “One Life to Live” and “Ryan’s Hope.”

He then moved to Los Angeles and was part of a writing team for NBC, working on “Chip and Pepper’s Cartoon Madness.” Thereafter, Kappaz continued to work in theatre and was recently accepted as a member of Theatre West Acting Company.

Gustin, a member of Actor’s Equity Association has held many major roles at a variety of regional theatres and is a professor emeritus of theatre in the University of Wisconsin system.  Gustin, who served as director of theatre at the University of Oshkosh-Fond du Lac campus for 25 years, has written and received awards for many plays such as “Being Seen,” a FringeNYC Fan Favorite and Chicago Equity Joseph Jefferson Award winner for best actor.

Over the years, Kappaz and Gustin had sporadic communication, but the two men kept track of one another’s careers. Social networking helped them to renew their friendship.

“Staying in touch with Richard was infrequent, when I was living in New York and he living in Wisconsin,” Kappaz said. “Computers didn't exist for at least half of that time. With the advent of Facebook, we were able to reconnect and later worked together in planning the Hilberry Reunion a few years ago.”

Their current collaboration came about last summer over a phone conversation.

“I was congratulating George on his great FringeLA reviews that summer and the subject came up about our possible future collaboration on an LA production” said Gustin. “We agreed that would be a good idea and ‘Someone Like Me/In Whose Eyes?’ (playing Oct. 10-27, 2024) was born.”

Kappaz and Gustin invite all WSU alumni in the Los Angeles area to join them on Sunday, Oct. 13, for an Alumni Theatre Night in Hollywood to enjoy performances and meet the writers and actors in an afterglow in the fashion of the Hilberry Theatre.

Carra Yoder of Encompassing Creative Endeavors is producing the shows and is excited about everything that’s come to fruition.

“I first connected with George Kappaz when he reached out to me through a Hollywood Fringe ad, seeking help to market his Fringe show. Once that project wrapped up, George asked if I'd be interested in producing if he finished writing his play. Without hesitation, I said, ‘Yes,’” Yoder said. “Now, a year later, I’m proud to be producing two incredible shows, written by two great playwrights who met over 45 years ago and are now coming together for the world premieres of both their works.”