Adam Bowen

Multimedia Journalist

Rehearsals for Mitch Albom's poignant tale Tuesdays with Morrie began in the artsy hamlet of Rosebud this week, with the play set to open September 7 at the Rosebud Theatre. Based on the true story between Mitch Albom and his former college professor Morrie Schwartz, the story is one of profound insight on the meaning of life and the strength of relationships.

"Tuesdays with Morrie is this beautiful story about this relationship between this student and this professor," said Paul Muir who will be directing the play. "This is a very beautiful piece about how this old man imparts these life lessons to this young guy who is really in this place of need."

Morris Ertman, who is will be starring as Morrie, is also the artistic director at Rosebud Theatre and felt that Morrie had something profound to say about love in the world, and jumped at the chance to play such an inspiring character.

"Morrie gets to make some of the most amazing statements on how we should live our lives," explained

Ertman.

"I look forward to hopefully delivering to the audience the profound and rich and very open love that Mitch shows to love in the story. He's got a huge life force that is very much alive and I look forward to delivering that kind of life and love on the stage so audiences can experience it."

It was the strength of the message as well as the deep insight into love and life that Ertman felt was necessary to relay to audiences.

"I think we live in a world where lots of people can just not believe in love anymore, it feels like we're not about that anymore, the whole culture and then here's a guy who lives out of his love and out of his conviction and his belief in making the world better and that's just plain inspiring," said Ertman.

"To know that people like Morrie exist in the world mean that we can all be that way if we tap into whatever they got."

Stepping from behind the directors stage, this is the first time that Ertman will be on stage as an actor in roughly 13 years, but it was his connection to the role that led him back to the stage.

"The kind of person that Morrie is, meaning somebody that invests in the lives of young people, is what I do in Rosebud, I invest in the lives of young people, that's part of my job as the artistic director of the theatre."

Ertman insists that it was not out of a burning desire to return to the stage that he decided to portray Morrie, but rather as a type of service to the audience.

"I'm doing it out of a sense of service, I just feel like because of my affinity to the role of Morrie and because of the common ground that I share with him that maybe I have something to offer in playing the role that may be of value to the audience."

Ertman credits the uniqueness of the community of Rosebud has striking similarities to the some of the major themes in the play.

"Something that is unique to Rosebud is that we are a community of artists here, and Dave Snider and have spent many late nights and the relation that he and I have parallels the relationship between Mitch and Morrie in the play. I feel that there is something that will run really deep because of the relationships that we have created out here in Rosebud, and that's what makes us special. We are a family out

here."

This commitment to each other between everyone working together in Rosebud is what Ertman believes allows the community to establish a personal connection not only with the plays they perform but with

the audience as well.

"I think that part of our magic on the stage comes from the fact that we are not just a bunch of people working together, we are a bunch of people committed to

each other."

Tuesdays with Morrie opens September 7 and will run until October 20.