Remember Tom & Janet Holliday?

Back in March of 1984 Jackson Civic Theatre presented Neil Simon's Star Spangled Girl starring Kathy Shaw, Tim Fowler, and newcomer Tom Holliday. The review in the Jackson Citizen Patriot was enthusiastic about the entire production but saved the highest compliments for Tom. "He's absolutely the best thing to happen to comedy theater in Jackson in a long time."

Unfortuately Tom and his wife Janet got lured away to Ohio shortly after that and have been in Columbus ever since. Although there hasn't always been time for theater in their lives, both have been active over the years appearing together in the female version of The Odd Couple and Love, Sex and the IRS, I Hate Hamlet, Rumors, and Chapter Two (Tom claims they are working their way through the entire Neil Simon canon). Janet also appeared in the musical Chicago, Lend Me at Tenor and Talking With. . .

After taking some acting classes through Columbus' professional theater group -- Contemporary American Theater Company (CATCo) -- Tom was invited to audition for one of their productions which started a relationship with our professional theater that's still going strong. He has appeared in their productions of Marvin's Room, All in the Timing, Table Manners and Mere Mortals in the late '90s. Mostly recently Tom again has worked with CATCo appearing in a play featuring six new original short pieces written by Ohioans. It's part of a Shorts Festival they do every couple of years or so. Tom was in both the 2004 and 2006 Festivals and managed to sneak in a bit part in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof in 2006 as well.

In 1995 Janet won a special award for "Most Outstanding Performance" during the '95 Ohio AACT Fest competition! It was especially meaningful for her because she was performing a piece written by an old college friend that had won a national playwriting award for new authors.