The Story of
Deshnoke: The Theatre Rat

Back in the Spring of 2004 I got cast in my first show. Ever. Including highschool where I was in drama classes all four years and crewed tons of shows. Okay, I did get cast in a community theater production of "Oklahoma" once, but we never made it past like the 3rd rehearsal because we only had 4 guys. You can't do Oklahoma with only 4 guys. Aaaaannnnnyway... So I was cast in my first show, the dressing room/greenroom also had some left over props etc from other shows. There was a foam filled latex rat from when they had done Macbeth. I have an affinity for the slightly odd and inanimate objects with faces (really? me? never!?!) so I grabbed it and put it at my makeup station. It was great I leaned my mirror up against it's stomach and put my glasses in one of the curled claws and my mascara in the other. It was kind of like a macabre makeup caddy. Anyway, so that show ended. Later that summer after filming as an extra in a couple of local films I got cast in my second show with a different theatre. Then I did crew work for six more shows at the second theatre and costume crewing for a national touring company, and another local film. In the fall of 2005 I was again cast in a show! As I was walking through a store filled with Halloween decorations I spotted several duplicates of the same latex rat from my first show. I literally squealed (again, really? never!?1) and knew I had to get one. I decided the my new rat had to be backstage at every show I did. Soon after, a friend of mine asked if it had a name. I said it didn't but that it was a "he" (most of my stuffed animals were male when I was little, unless it was evident that they were otherwise). She said that he looked like he was meditating. So I looked up "meditating rat india" online and found out that there is a temple in Deshnok India that worships rats. So that became his name Deshnoke. (the common American spelling with an 'e')

So that is the story of Deshnoke my Theatre Rat, and while some think it's creepy, it's actually very sappy and sentimental at it's core. I'm a dork. I know this, and I'm okay with it.  :)

Here is what Deshnoke looks like when he's 'working'

Here is a pic of him backstage during 'The Shape of Things' since I wasn't in the show he didn't have anything to do except guard the monitor. He seems a bit frustrated with that job.

Playing on the set of 'Glengarry Glen Ross' at Ghostlight Theatre Club.

"I'm the king of the wooooorllddd!!!" Or at least the costumes. Backstage at 'Glengarry Glen Ross.'

"Prop Table = Smorgasboard!"