Chuck Williams: I didn't know I had a career on stage

I am going to have to think about this one for a little while.

For years, I have been threatening to attend No Shame Theatre at the Springer Opera House. But its 10:30 p.m. start time is a little past my bedtime.Sorry, when you can see 55 and it’s just around the corner, if you are going to go out at 10:30 there better be a great reason — not that an improv show is not a great reason.

Ok, it’s not.

Sorry, again.

Anyway, back to No Shame Theatre. The Springer’s website claims: “No Censors, No Discrimination, No Shame!”

The three ground rules for the performances are (1) it is has to be original, (2) it has to be less than five minutes, and (3) you can’t break any laws.

Sounds reasonable to me.

Plus, you have to be 18 or older and have five bucks to get in. Check on the 18 thing, got that covered a few times over. I think I can swing the 5 spot.

I really should go. Really should.

I wish I had been there last week because I have had a couple of people tell me about it.

Some folks were doing this brilliant skit, “The Good, The Bad and The Ledger.” I wish I had thought of that first.

My hat goes off to the originator for the creativity — no joke.

Well, they toss questions from the crowd and the folks on stage answer them. The Ledger answers come from our online comments — talk about fertile soil.

One of the questions was not really original — “Why is Chuck Williams such an a--hole?”

That’s not nice, not nice at all. But I guess the truth is an absolute defense, after all.

And I understand the best way to a laugh is to degrade someone else. Sounds like we have a junior Don Rickles in town.

I sure wish I knew how that question was answered. I might be the one laughing.

Whoever said that is probably not the first one to think that about me — and I suspect he won’t be the last before I reach retirement age a decade from now. When you report for a living, sometimes you are perceived in such a manner.

It is what it is. And I knew that when I started doing this 30-something years ago.

As I often say, sometimes you just have to consider the source.

But one thing is clear: Before this summer is over and the heat is replaced by football, I am going to have to try to stay awake late enough to make No Shame. It is on my to-do list.

Because if you don’t show up, apparently they call you really bad names.

Keep it classy, Columbus.

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 10:33 PM.