‘The Open Road’ leads alum back to Playhouse

When Jay Oney ’78 first saw “The Ingles Open Road,” he knew he had seen the series’s host before.

“I don’t remember every student from 25 years ago,” said the professor of theatre arts, who joined the Furman faculty in 1996 and plans to retire this spring. “But it was easy to recall Chris.”

From left: Chris Bainbridge ’02, Karl Feierabend ’01 and Megan Prewitt Koon ’02 in the Furman Theatre production of “Our Town” in November 1999.

Long before he started appearing seemingly everywhere in the Southeast, taking viewers on dozens of day trips to locations served by the Ingles Markets chain, Chris Bainbridge ’02 was seemingly everywhere on Furman’s campus. A double major in communication studies and political science (now known as politics and international affairs), he hosted a popular FurmanTV segment, competed in Mock Trial, and was a member of FUSAB and the Pauper Players musical theater group. He also played what Oney described as “major roles” in Furman Theatre productions of “Antigone” and “Our Town” in 1999.

“Like so many other interesting Furman students, Chris was a busy guy,” said Oney, who directed “Our Town.” “He had a lot of stuff that he was doing, and he made time for us.”

‘A little bit of magic’

Chris Bainbridge ’02 (right) visits with Jay Oney ’78, a professor of theatre arts, at the Furman Playhouse. / Credit: Chris Bainbridge

“The students involved in theater at Furman are doing it because they really love it,” said Bainbridge, whose “long-term love affair” with the stage began in high school. “You really end up forming a bond with the other students who are there working with you. There’s always a little bit of magic that happens when you do that.”

“I wasn’t surprised to see that he had done well,” said Oney. “I just thought, ‘This is a great fellow. I wish we could have had him over here more.’”

And so, the professor emailed Bainbridge, asking, “Why not visit your old friends at the Furman Playhouse?”

Within 20 minutes of hitting “send,” Oney had Bainbridge’s response.

“It takes a brilliant mind like Jay’s to come up with an idea like this,” Bainbridge said. “A day at Furman is really a special outing for anyone in the region. We wanted to show what it would be like to live like a Paladin for a few hours – take an Ingles picnic out to the lake and take in the beauty of nature, and then head over to the Playhouse and take in some amazing theater.”

Old friends, fresh energy

On a sunny afternoon in late March, Bainbridge came back to film “all the quintessential beautiful Furman places,” including the lake, the Bell Tower, the Rose Garden, the quad outside Johns Hall and Paladin Stadium. The highlight of the visit was the small theater building tucked between McAlister Auditorium and North Village.

“When I walked back in the doors of the Playhouse, having not been in there for many years, all the memories came flooding back,” Bainbridge said. “The smells, the creak of the floor under your feet, the feel of the handle on the door when you’re opening it up – it’s all right there. All those spirits of the theater are still floating around, and they’re old friends.”

Rehearsal for “Our Tempest” at the Furman Playhouse

“The Ingles Open Road” crew visited the Playhouse during rehearsals for “Our Tempest,” which runs April 11-16. The play, by Jake Brasch in partnership with The Farm Theater College Collaboration Project and sponsored in part by the Furman Humanities Center, is directed by another alum, Caroline Davis ’13, a visiting lecturer in theatre arts and education. Bainbridge plans to have the segment running on local TV stations concurrently with the run of “Our Tempest.”

Even though more than 20 years have passed since “Our Town,” the Playhouse “feels very much the same,” Bainbridge said.

“That energy on stage, and the attitude of having fun but still being serious about it and attempting to do your best work,” he said. “For me, that’s what Furman is all about – you’re doing the absolute best that you can, you’re trying to grow, you’re trying to get better. I very much see that happening on stage for these kids just like it did for me a long time ago.”