Unless otherwise noted all pictures and text are by and copyright 2004 Mike Strong


By early 1974. After shooting a friend she took the camera and snapped a few of me.

Mike Strong

Photo CV

Post Air Force Years

After the Air Force


"Homestead" in Columbus, NE In early to mid 1973 about five or six months after leaving the Air Force (exit date: 8 Nov 1972). Uniform jacket with Staff Sargeant stripes (e-5) beard and more hair. My active service dates were from 7 November 1968 through 8 November 1972.

Platte County Community College: News, Theater

This was the first place I began going back to school after the Air Force. It was also where I took math again and came out okay. I wrote for the paper here and was drawn into the Children's Theater production after taking some pictures of The Crucible production and to illustrate an article on the director.

The Crucible


Charlotte Rike, director


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took pictures of the set and production, first for the college paper including pictures of director Charlotte Rike for an article on the production of The Crucible March 15 - 17th 1973. Rike was head of social sciences at Platte JUCO. Her attendance at a production of The Crucible staring George C. Scott and his wife had left a lasting impression.


At wrap party for "The Crucible" at Platte County Community College.

Children's Theater and "Alladin and the Magic Lamp"

Above: In the hat and dark costume, I am playing "The Evil Magician from Morroco" in "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" for a children's theater group traveling around to elementary schools. The production played to 4,400 little kiddies in five home and eight road shows from April 26 to May 5, 1973. The director was drama instructor Dick Averett. On the road we had constructed a 12-foot high by 36-foot long proscenium from flats which we set up in school auditoriums.

Left is the couple who played the front and back ends of the camel, Dan Gaskin and Peg Shanahan. This is actually at the wrap party for The Crucible, just before Aladdin.

Moving to New York State - upstate

Charlotte Castro and some of the kids in her special ed class - Auburn, NY. late 1973. Shot using 4x5 Polaroid negative film (PN55, positive/negative produced both print and negative).
Martha, 1973,
apartment
Genesee St.
Auburn, NY


House in Skaneatles, NY - Polaroid PN55 film


Piano on The Cayugans' bandstand.

The Cayugans - park department bandstand in Auburn, NY

Auburn Community College - AA in Lib Arts - Theatre and Loot

Here is where I got my two-year degree before going on to news work on WGVA and then The Geneva Times. During that time I took theater and was in the college production of Loot. I also worked DJ and news shifts at Auburn's WMBO/WRLX radio.

The theater director at Auburn Community College (Now Cayuga County Community College) was Dan French who was raised in theater in the Catskills and in New York City. That year a traveling Julliard company brought Anna Karenina to our stage and gave us all a workshop in stage skills.


Late 1973, just before shaving for Loot. I kept the hair and wore a wig for the production. I don't remember who shot this one, again, on my Mamiya C33 twin-lens reflex.

Camera for the two make-up pictures on the left is one of my Leica M2's on a table-top tripod using the self-timer.

 

At Auburn County Community College, Theater - Shakespeare turns into "Loot"

Making up for my role as McLeavy in a production of Joe Orton's "Loot." Auburn Community College, Auburn, NY, Fall 1973. I had originally read for a role in "Taming of the Shrew." Production problems redirected the production and "Loot" was staged instead.

 

 


During or after the production of "Loot."
 

Both pictures above by Shari Canizzo on my Mamiya C33 while sitting in a cafe in Auburn, NY.

 

 

 


A quarry waterfall in upstate, just one of the many beautiful areas in that part of the state.