“I’m Proud of You” — Penfold Theatre in Round Rock Texas, 10/10/2024

Play by: Tim Madigan, and Harry Parker
Dir: Steven Pounders
Tim Madigan: Nathan Jerkins
Fred Rodgers: Rick Roemer
Actor #1: Zac Carr
Actor #2: Jill Klopp Turner

A small disclaimer before you read this: I am not a professional writer, but I have been told I am okay at reviews so this is a best case thing 🙂 and after I finished seeing this play I said I would write something up because I want to help my friends get the world out as best as possible.
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On a quiet, and rather uneventful Thursday while checking my e-mail, and social media, I found myself once again greeted by the smiling face of a good friend of mine for many years. As Nathan Jerkins, who plays the vulnerable and center of the unfolding of this play Tim Madigan, his theatre troop Penfold (https://www.Penfoldtheatre.org) was having another evening of their newest play. Being as that was all of the convincing I needed, I purchased a ticket on their website and to be honest absolutely missed the name of it. To be frank, having known Nathan for more than half of my life at this point I simply needed to see it was a performance and that it was happening that evening to convince me to purchase a ticket, but I hope this small bit of writing afterwards can convince you it might also be worth your time to make the chance for the next two weeks as it continues to play (Till October 26th, 2024!).

(Photo from their website!)

That evening I drove across town to find the new Penfold Theatre that had just recently opened to the public in the suburb of Round Rock just outside of the city of Austin. Between multiple restaurants, and businesses an elegant and simple sign “PENFOLD THEATRE” is seen. Walking into the entrance area I was greeted almost immediately by Alexandria who was handling tickets.


Giving my name, and confirming I was on the list of the show, she told me to find my seat that would be marked by last name in the theater. Grabbing some snacks, I walked in and found my seat waiting. I took the time to finally read the program of the show. On the front, “I’m Proud of You” and the greetings from the director, Steven, just inside of the first page of the program, takes the time to introduce someone most of us know, or have dearly loved for many years of our lives: Fred Rogers. Of the long running show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS, he continues to tell a bit about Rogers’ mission, and how he approached children’s programming. After giving the context he went on to explaining the story this evening would be told from the point of view of Tim Madigan. Tim was a journalist for the Fort Worth Star Telegra for many years, and famously in 1995 did a piece about meeting Fred Rogers. This meeting, and subsequent years that went by, Fred and Tim were close friends. This play was a celebration of that friendship, but more importantly the lessons and power of being real with each other can lead to healing and accepting of our shortcomings.

Lights came down, and the same woman who helped with the tickets at the front of the theater came out to do the customary introductions, and thanking of sponsors, but quickly lead into the next ninety minutes. Story starts on Tim (Nathan Jerkins), and him working on a piece about violence in children’s programming that had plagued television. He was a bit older and never really got into Mister Rogers’ television show himself, calling himself a ‘Captain Kangaroo kid’, but got called by Fred (Rick Roemer) and started talking to him. Fred asked him some personal questions that made Tim question if Rogers’ was truly as giving of himself and caring as he seemed to be, but he wrote the article and went on to receive much praise and adulation for its impressive work.

On the set at this time as well were two other thespians who would play various characters throughout the story played by Zac Carr, and Jill Klopp Turner. They are credited as Actor #1, and Actor #2 for good reason in the story. Boomeranging between sorrowful, joyful, angry, and embarrassed characters throughout the performance they create microcosms of people important to both Tim and Fred. If the depth of these two was not evident by that description let me explain a bit further: During the performance Jill would play not only Tim Madigan’s son Patrick, but also Joanne Rogers along with many others in between. Zac would bounce between the foul mouthed stage manager of Mister Rogers Neighborhood to Tim’s dying younger brother Steve and Tim’s father. All of these characters felt distinct, vibrant, and well felt through the story in the delivery of lines and conveying the feelings of those characters at the time. Truly these two cannot get enough credit for their immense talent in this production being able to embody each of their characters dutifully.

The story continues shortly after the article went around that Rogers’ assistant calls Tim to Pittsburgh to do a piece specifically on Fred. Being a consummate journalist, he finds himself there talking to Fred, and meeting the folks in Fred’s orbit, finding out quickly that Fred really was just as benevolent with his time and focus as he appeared on television because in Fred’s eyes nothing was more important than the person or thing he was doing at that very moment. Getting into one of Fred’s main ways of looking at people and the world the “Essential Invisibles” as he borrowed a phrase from the famous French book The Little Prince (by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry), he challenged Tim in talking about what made him … well him. These types of conversations and rawness with each other would become the basis of their friendship all the way to Rogers’ passing in 2003.

Being a child of the 80s, and 90s I remember Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood well. If I could tell you that Rogers’ spoke directly to the children he ministered, as he would put it from his Christian background, through the power of his television show I would not be doing it justice. During these exchanges I can only tell you that Rick Roemer embodied this thoughtful, pensive sometimes, always tenderhearted individual in the most graceful way. Rick stepped into the shoes of Fred in a way that I doubt I could ever do justice to. His warm smile, and great voice, gave the impression this might
have just been just another form that Rogers walked his physical life through. Seemingly eternal Fred truly made the idea of being Christian come alive in our hurt world. To see someone able to give breath to a gentleman that really did live that way says so much to Rick’s strength of acting credibility. A strong showing to say the least.

These interactions in Tim’s opinion actually saving his life from his lifelong crippling depression that Nathan conveyed wonderfully throughout the story as Tim battled it and many of the other of life’s joys and sorrows. To see this brought to life by Nathan was a wonderful treat. Through of course the ups and downs that comes with life, and of course the daily living of it, I can say Nathan brings that level of pain and despair forward as if he lived Tim’s life himself. While we all struggle through pain, Nathan’s light also shines through the days of Tim’s life that were joyful and content. Even the mundane felt special as Jerkins put himself out in front of this production. Having weight like that on his shoulders he never shied away from bringing us to the human Tim and how his life changed for the better because of this friendship.

I could get into the minutiae of the story from here but you do also need to go see the story for yourself. I.P.O.Y. will be an acronym you will carry with you as you continue beyond it. I cannot express how enjoyable this was, and I highly suggest you see it before it is done with its run (https://www.penfoldtheatre.org/on-stage/event-calendar/ for ticketing). If you cannot make it but still wish to support the work of these wonderful people at Penfold you can also directly donate on their website. But don’t let the opportunity to take in this piece of art for yourself.

Thanks for reading, I. P. O. Y. Too,
Phil