Michael Spicer was preparing to declare a college major at the University of Virginia when his number came up in the draft. Spicer spent four years in the United States Navy, where he rekindled his love of the theater. He is now in his 20th year as executive director of the Salina Community Theatre. Spicer is this week’s BANK VI Hero of the Week.
“If it wasn’t for my number coming up, I would probably be a history teacher or an attorney,” Spicer said.
Spicer was active in the theater during primary school, but his involvement dwindled his first two years at the University of Virginia. At UVA, students aren’t allowed to declare a major until their third semester. Going into his third semester, Spicer was leaning towards education. But the Vietnam War took him on a four-year detour.
Spicer said he specifically joined the Navy so he could see the world. He spent the next four years stationed in Washington, D.C., working with the National Security Agency and the recruiting command.
“D.C. was actually a great place in the early 70s,” Spicer said. “There was a lot of excitement, politically, and if you were in the military you could get into a lot of things for free.”
During his last few months in the Navy, a friend encouraged Spicer to audition for a local community college production. “I got cast and I got excited about theater again.” Spicer returned to University, where he performed in a summer production. He went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Virginia.
After college, Spicer directed and performed in theaters across the country. While working in California, he met his wife. “We lived in central California for awhile but we couldn’t buy a house. So, we decided that we were going to find a place where we could live, buy a house and raise our kids.”
Spicer said that an advertisement for the Salina Community Theatre caught his attention. He flew out in August for an interview. Spicer had the job before his plane home landed in San Francisco. He is now in his 20th year with the theater.
