Humbert Allen Astredo, backstage, with ShadeOPale

It was a cold, blustery, November evening, and there we were---all bundled up. Mr. Astredo, known to most "DS" fans as "Nicholas Blair", had just come from performing his Dr. Van Helsing in the stage play, "Dracula", with Martin Landau in the title role. A real, live play!--the first I had seen since childhood. Oh, it was thrilling: all that running around the stage, snidely snarling dialog, booming voices, costumes, makeup, thunder and lightning, the orchestra, the black-outs, candles flickering--the threat of garlic, Holy water, and wafers! I believe that I was more enthused than he, by this chance meeting, as you can tell by my giddy grin. Actually, he was extremely patient with those of us who came with cameras flashing and inane fan questions. ("Twila")