The Story Behind the Story w/ Author Jerry Gidner

In honor of #WaybackWednesday, we’re thrilled to share a special interview with former Board president and 2018 Celeste Award winner Jerry Gidner – all about his passion for writing! Jerry generously donated his services as a raffle prize this season, and we’re excited to hear more about the result and his process.

Encore: Welcome back Jerry Gidner! Could you briefly remind our friends of the various roles in which you’ve served at Encore?

Jerry: Sure. I got involved with Encore when my daughter was cast in a show. Over the years, I was a parent volunteer for 13 Encore shows. A couple years after she started, I joined the Board of Directors, and served on the Board for seven years. For three of those, I was the President of the Board.

Encore: When did you fall in love with writing?

Jerry: I have always loved writing. I remember typing out stories on my mom’s typewriter back when I was in elementary school. I had a great imagination. Unfortunately, in a couple instances, teachers read things I had written out loud to the class, to embarrass me. So I became self conscious and lost my writing voice for many years.

Encore: We’re so thankful to have kicked off the season with this one-of-a-kind raffle! Can you tell us more about your services and the kinds of stories you provide?

Jerry: I recently started writing personal short stories for people for wedding gifts. The first one was for a family member. She and her fiancé were both graduating with oceanography degrees. So I wrote them a mermaid love story, called Saltwater. The next was for a friend. He and his fiancé wanted a superhero romance. So I wrote Love Blossoms, set at the tidal basin during cherry blossom time, which is where they took their engagement photos. Then I offered one for the Encore raffle, which is not a wedding story at all. My latest one was for a couple’s 30th Anniversary. Each book ends up being a hard-covered book around 24 pages, which is beautifully illustrated and laid out by a business partner of mine.

Encore: Could you briefly describe the original short story you wrote for the Ohlweiler family and the process of writing it? Can you tell us what you enjoyed the most from the process?

Jerry: This book, The Problem with Dragons, was fun to write. The Ohlweiler’s wanted a story about their kids in their own backyard. So I went to meet them and see the backyard. We had a great conversation. I started asking the kids what kind of story they wanted and we settled on a fight between a good dragon and an evil dragon. All three kids had a role in defeating the bad one, with a special role for their pet bunny Beatrix, who was turned into the good dragon by the kids’ magic.

Encore: Do you think you’ll ever write something for the stage?

Jerry: I would love to! Several years ago, I wrote an ABC book, called If You Were an Aardvark: An ABC Book Starring Mammals (available at www.xlibris.com). I have played around with turning it into a kids’ play, If You Were an Aardvark: The Musical. We’ll see.

Encore: How can others learn more about your writing services?

Jerry: Visit my website at www.jerrygidner.com. There are pages there for short stories and poems that I have written, as well as a page titled “Wedding Stories.” If you go to that page, you can find out how to order a book. They are not inexpensive, but they are a personalized story of the genre of your choosing. They are not limited to weddings. They can be for anniversaries, graduations, any big life event warranting a personalized present. Or just for no reason at all.

Thank you, once again, to Jerry for all of the time and service he’s dedicated to Encore over the years. If you’d like to get in on the chance to win an exciting prize, be sure to check out our Pinocchio raffle in the lobby over the next two weekends! Everyone’s a winner when it comes to seeing a great show. Secure your tickets today for your best seats, either online or by calling our Box Office at 703-548-1154. And make someone’s special day with a one-of-a-kind gift by Mr. Jerry Gidner!

Photos by Reiss Gidner, Larry McClemons and Aileen Pangan. Graphic design by Aimee Pangan. Blog contribution by Shannon McCarthy.