‘Don’t forget the dreams of your youth’

A group of suit and tie-clad students hovered on the steps to Degheri Theater at St. Francis High School in La Cañada on the morning of Sept. 17, eagerly anticipating the arrival of a very special guest speaker: actor Kelsey Grammer.

Grammer, a five-time Emmy Award winner for his work on television shows “Frasier” and “The Simpsons,” visited the campus as part of the school’s Visual and Performing Arts Guest Speaker Series organized by theater teacher Michael Tucci. The day’s presentation, as well as the 2008-2009 school year’s theater season, explored the theme of “Becoming a Renaissance Man.”

“Kelsey has constantly reinvented himself, from actor to producer to director,” Tucci said. “He’s made mistakes, and learned from them.”

Grammer’s life has been marked by personal tragedy; both his father and sister were murdered in two separate incidents. Grammer is in his third marriage and in May, he suffered a heart attack that has hindered his involvement in both television and stage production.

“I’ve made lots of bad choices in my life, but faith has pulled me out of the trenches,” Grammer said. “Renaissance is a rebirth. I think I have been reborn several times.”

Clutching two large volumes, Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” and a collection of poems by W.H. Auden, Grammer answered questions from students about his television roles, inspirations and advice to the young men of today.

“You’ll always have a chance to give up, so why do it today?” Grammer said, quoting a favorite song by Michael McDonald. He also spoke about the idea of destiny, and how the world is being created by each person every day.

During his presentation, Grammer read passages from both books to highlight the importance of the journey over the destination—and to share his love of classic literature, something he says has been a source of ideas and inspiration over the years.

“Melville had a sign at his desk that read ‘don’t forget the dreams of your youth,’” Grammer told the audience. “You have to remember, for every bad day, someone had a worse one. For every good day, someone had a better one.”

Senior Chris Zappia plans to attend college for theater and saw Grammer’s visit as an inspiration.

“We are all victims of some tragedy,” Zappia said. “He is definitely a role model and such a strong presence in comedy.”

Senior Jonathan Torres was impressed by Grammer’s passion for literature.

“He talked about authors and books that young actors wouldn’t know,” he said.

At the end of his presentation, Grammer was presented with a statue of St. Francis by the new high school president, Father Tony Marti.

“We are honored to have Kelsey here with us,” Marti said.

St. Francis High School’s theater department is currently rehearsing for a production of Irwin Shaw’s “Bury the Dead”, which opens Nov. 6.