Unexpectedly recruited by his English teacher in 1961, Dow soon found himself with lead roles in Liliom, Rebel Without a Cause, and Pygmalion at New York’s Peekskill High School where schoolmates would soon vote him “Best Actor” and President of his 1962 graduating class. Next it was on to four years in Austin majoring in history and studying theater at The University of Texas with such noted scholars as Shakespearean authority, B. Iden Payne. Following graduation Dow was accepted by audition at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where he studied from 1966-67 before entering a long career as a teacher at Brooklyn’s Isaac Remsen School. There, he served many years as the school’s UFT representative, delegate to the NYSUT and AFT conventions, and was also known for the large musical productions he staged with his young students. His theatrical interests soon found him writing occasional performing arts reviews for his hometown’s Peekskill Herald, and even becoming an “angel” for the Off-Broadway musical, The Heebie Jeebies, celebrating the famed Boswell Sisters trio of the 1930’s.
After retiring as a teacher, Dow’s work as a critic took off in Texas during the late 1990’s when he wrote a well-received review of Houston Grand Opera’s production of Carmen while visiting his second home in the Lone Star State. A member of the American Theatre Critics Association, his continuing columns for ThePeoplesCritic.com have been frequently featured in various newspapers, including publications of the Houston Community Newspaper group, as well as the BroadwayStars website here in New York. Now in his second decade as a Lamb, Dow is proud of his six years of service as the Editor of The Lambs’ Script. He has served on The Lambs’ Foundation, and proudly continues to serve on the Council of the Lambs. – DDB