My Daughter's Graduation Present, Meeting the Beautiful and Amazing Kate Walsh

Kate Walsh, star of ABC's Private Practice, spent her summer vacation in New York City starring in Dusk Rings a Bell, an Off Broadway play written by Stephen Belber and directed by Sam Gold. Broadway veteran, Paul Sparks, co-starred with Walsh in this two person play about two adults reconnecting after a brief summer fling as teenagers. The chemistry between Kate and Paul was truly amazing as they communicated with each other and reflected their thoughts back to the audience.

Being avid Kate Walsh fans, I thought this would be a great opportunity to take my daughter to New York City for the weekend to see Kate's play as a graduation present. We arrived in the city on a hot and muggy morning of June 12. After spending the morning shopping in Chinatown, we jumped on the subway with plans to arrive early at the play. We leisurely walked to the Atlantic Theater Company only to find out that there were two Atlantic Theater Companies and we were at the wrong one. With 20 minutes before curtain time, we literally ran seven blocks to the theater. We finally found the Atlantic Stage 2 Theater and took our seats in the second row of the 99-seat theater and anxiously waited for the play to begin. The theater went dark and silent and then a spotlight appeared on Kate Walsh standing just a few feet in front of us delivering a six-minute opening monologue. We sat mesmerized for 90 minutes watching the incredible acting skills of Kate and Walsh. It felt like they were looking right at us each time they spoke to the audience. Of course, the ladies behind us said the same thing.

Seeing Kate Walsh up close and personal on stage was an amazing experience for my daughter and we were both thrilled at the opportunity. And, then it got even better. With playbills and Sharpie in hand, we waited outside of the theater with about 25 other fans in the hopes that Kate might come through the door. I knew that she performed two shows on Saturdays so I wasn't sure if she would have time to talk to fans after the matinee performance. Suddenly, my daughter gasped, "There she is. There's Kate." Kate walked outside and graciously signed every playbill and even posed for pictures. She talked to us and thanked us for coming. She is even more beautiful in person and I was most impressed with her genuine kindness to her fans. Needless to say, thanks to Kate Walsh, my daughter received the best graduation present that she will remember for a lifetime.