NB native returns to his roots with new play

Jim Toth returns to his roots in his latest play. "Blood Moon Memories," a Second Stage Production that makes its world premiere Aug. 12 at the Fort Findlay Playhouse, was written by Toth with his hometown in mind. A native of North Baltimore, he lived in the Wood County village from 1947-1961. "I'm originally from North Baltimore, and that's what this play's about," he said. "The play's about a little boy growing up in North Baltimore." A free performance will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday for North Baltimore residents. Five additional performances for the general public will hit the stage in Findlay Aug. 12-14 and Aug. 20 and 21. While the setting and characters of Blood Moon Memories are autobiographical, the theme is purely fictional, he said. Set in 1958, the play centers on Little Tim Janney and his family. On the eve of Tim's 11th birthday, a horrific event takes place that tragically alters his future and everyone in the town of New Barnsville. "I was going to do this happy story about this little boy growing up and all the good memories that he has. It kind of took an ugly turn and got dark in the play, but that's how it started," Toth said. "I wanted to pay tribute to my upbringing in a small town in Ohio." He said older residents of the village may recognize some of the people represented in the play. "It's a different play. I'm known for comedies and this is very, very serious," said Toth. "I think people will be surprised." As he was working on the project, Toth took a trip to North Baltimore and traced his roots there. He said the site of his first home on Bates Street is now an empty field. The school he attended is also gone. "So I went around and saw all the old landmarks," said Toth. "There's a place called grassy hill over there that we kids played on a lot, and I went over there and saw that. And it was all overgrown. It wasn't like it used to be. Nothing was like it used to be except the main street of North Baltimore looks remarkable, the same as it did 50 years ago. That surprised me." Toth, 75, was a just a youngster when he began acting. He recalled in an earlier article that appeared in The Courier that he and his friends would open the garage door at his home and perform shows for the neighborhood, charging a penny a ticket. "We would write them ourselves and perform them, usually about pirates or cowboys and Indians," he said. The family moved to Findlay when Toth was in eighth grade. He "officially" discovered theater while attending Glenwood Junior High School where the ninth grade production was "Arsenic and Old Lace." There weren't enough males for all of the roles, so they asked eighth-graders if anybody wanted to be in the play. "I was the only eighth grader cast and I got the part of Teddy, which is a fun, fun part. And I've been hooked on theater ever since," he said. After graduating from Findlay High School in 1965, Toth spent a year at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh as a theater major, but found the schedule was too intense. Instead, he transferred to Bowling Green State University where he graduated with a degree in theater and a minor in psychology. He returned to Findlay after graduation and got a job at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. He also found the Fort Findlay Playhouse, where his first part was the offstage voice of a parrot. "Community theater, it's very family-oriented. This is my home away from home," he said of the playhouse. "And the people down here become your brothers and sisters, and it's very close-knit. It's amazing, like no other organization." Since retiring from Cooper Tire, Toth said theater has become more than a hobby. He has been involved in well over 200 productions at the playhouse since 1963, including more than 60 times as an actor, more than 70 times as a director and eight times as a producer. He still acts occasionally but said directing is his passion. He directs "Blood Moon Memories," but will also play the grown version of Tim. "It was kind of fun to have myself as a kid and myself as an adult. And we couldn't get anybody to play the part of me, so I ended it doing it myself which I didn't want to do, but I'm having fun doing it," he said. Other actors include: Dean Cameron as Little Tim; Kedryn Roether as Ellen Janney; David Wright as Big Brad Janney; Pat Courtney as Old Granny Blackmore; Samantha Henry as Beverly Kirkendall; Jeff Ashley as Vernon Kirkendall; Tom Miller as Juke Thompson; Annie Quickle as Juanita Thompson; Jordan Gottschalk as Toby Thompson; and Ray Munoz as Hunky Charlie. The play is produced by Barb Pace. "This play is about memories. That's kind of the whole premise of the show," said Toth. "In fact, at the very beginning of the show, my character talks about everybody has memories, good memories and bad memories. And the memories that I remember most are my childhood. That's how the play starts." Toth has published numerous plays including "The Pair-A-Dice Canteen," which was presented in 2015. It was an original script written for The Carnegie Arts Foundation Playwriting competition and received an honorable mention, one of only 15 awarded after being submitted with scripts from over 256 writers. The play has been produced at over 100 regional and professional theaters across the United States and Canada. He's also written 11 dinner theater murder mysteries. Toth is a past president of the playhouse and has served several times as a member of the board of trustees. He's won performance awards, called Golden Gizmos, and was bestowed the highest honor the playhouse offers as Member Emeritus for lifetime service. Next year will mark Toth's 60th anniversary with the organization. For more information about the play and for tickets, visit https://www.fortfindlayplayhouse.org/