Tom Frye was a senior in high school when he took part in his first theatrical production — a Christmas show — at the suggestion of a teacher.
“That very first show, I wrote, starred and directed,” he recalls. “I don’t recommend it.”
Luckily for audiences here and elsewhere, Frye didn’t follow his own advice. This December will mark his 60the year doing just about everything possible in the theatre world. While Wichita is his base, he’s taken part in more than 400 productions in 35 states.
Frye recounts that creative work and much more in “Stages: The Life & Times of a Kansas Actor,” which is to be published this month.
The book is a breezy collection of 86 short chapters. In an interview, Frye said he initially doubted he could complete a long-term project such as a book because “when I do a project, the problem is I want it done now.”
About 15 months later, it was done. “I wrote 95 percent of it at Coffee Daze,” he said, referring to a coffee shop in College Hill. “It’s a great place to sit and work. And I didn’t miss a day. It was like an addiction.”
Frye has a prodigious memory and likes to tally up totals. He says he’s written 51 show for Mosley Street Melodrama and directed many more — not to mention casting, lighting, producing and acting in the light-hearted fare.
“Backstage is just hilarious and we do horrible things to each other,” he said. “It’s great.”
One career highlight was starring around the country in the one-man play Tru, about Truman Capote, under the direction of its Oscar-nominated playwright. “Tru was like a vacation,” he said — albeit one with a whole lot of lines to memorize.
While about half the book is devoted to theatre, Frye also writes about family, friends and his career as a teacher, and even throws in a little poetry. He taught theatre at Southeast, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Independent high schools and Wichita State University and special education at several other schools.
Frye has book signing set for 7-9 p.m. Oct. 7 and 14 at Coffee Daze, 3236 E. Douglas, and from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 7 at Watermark Books, 4701 E. Douglas.
