to meet her and talk about her plans for it ,” he added . “ When I told her about my background in theatre and about the network of actors , crew and talent I have , she asked if I could direct the Texan ’ s opening production , which ended up being the ‘ Odd Couple .’”
Since the Texan ’ s opening , he has directed three plays there , and now leads an improv troupe and hosts its weekly Hump Day Happy Hour arts showcase .
Through his troupe , Salamon met and began collaborating with Greenville director , screenwriter , film editor and actor Michael Lester .
“ When we were starting the improv group , Michael came to the audition . He was really quiet and kept to himself for most of it , but when he got up on stage , all of the sudden he had all this energy and he was funny ,” Salamon said . “ He just blew me away .”
“ After working with him for a while , he talked to me about a film he was working on about an aging actor living in a small town , and asked if I wanted to play the lead ,” he added . “ I told him , ‘ Well , that sounds an awful lot like me ,’ and he told me that he had written it for me .”
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The Film was ' The Actor '
Directed by Lester and Brandon Westbrook , the 26-minute film features Salamon as a 70-year-old actor who ’ s looking back on a lifetime of sacrifices made in the pursuit of his dream and wondering if al ’ the tradeoffs were “ worth it .” It was released in February and had its big screen debut at the Texan in March . “ The Actor ” can also be viewed on Upward Trajectory Films ’ YouTube channel .
As host of Hump Day Happy Hour , Salamon is carrying a torch originally lit by Dennis Strickland , who was an especially ardent advocate for the Hunt County arts scene before he died in November 2020 . From 2015 ( when Strickland moved to Greenville ) until shortly before his death , he created and used the weekly showcase to help build a better-connected arts community in the area .
“ I first met Dennis in the coffee shop at the Texan . He was so friendly , and I would see him at every kind of show in town . The two of us quickly became very good friends ,” Salamon said .
When Salamon took the reins of Hump Day Happy Hour , he made a point of hosting the weekly show with humility , both to allow the featured artists room to shine and out of respect to Strickland .
“ Everyone loved Dennis and how he ’ d play the piano and get everyone singing along with him , but that ’ s something that I could never duplicate , so I didn ’ t want to try to imitate his style ,” Salamon said . “ Also , with the artists we feature , I stay out of their way because I ’ m not about taking control and appeasing my ego . It ’ s just not part of me , at least not anymore .”
In addition to his continued work as an actor and arts advocate , Salamon also recently began compiling a journal .
“ It ’ s titled ‘ At a Theater Near Me ,’ and it follows all the projects I ’ ve done and what was happening in my family life during each one ,” Salamon said . “ It ’ s something I ’ ve never done before , so writing the first 10 pages was really hard , but the process has gradually become easier . I ’ m at 400 pages , now .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s something I ’ m going to try to publish . I ’ m mostly writing it for family , because I ’ m really into genealogy , and boy would I love to have a journal written by a great-great-grandfather .”
Some of the stories shared in Salamon ’ s journal are ones in which his theatre and family life cross .
“ I was hired to be the first Santa at Crossroads Mall ( now the Greenville Promenade ) in 1980 , and my daughters , Carey and Natalie , came to visit Santa but they didn ’ t know it was me ,” Salamon said . “ After talking to them for a bit , I started saying things like , ‘ I know that you like this ’ or ‘ I know your favorite that ,’ and they were looking at me with puzzled looks , wondering how I knew this stuff .”
— Bill Salamon
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SUMMER 2022 23 GREENVILE LIFE