A lasting lesson from a beloved teacher

By ZAC STUART-PONTIER
Posted 1/15/25

The last message I received from William Doherty on Facebook was, “I still brag about your accomplishments.” It’s from October 2024, just about exactly 25 years since he cast me as …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

A lasting lesson from a beloved teacher

Posted

The last message I received from William Doherty on Facebook was, “I still brag about your accomplishments.” It’s from October 2024, just about exactly 25 years since he cast me as the villain in the Honesdale High School production of “Carousel.” I was a sophomore at the time, and looking back, it is a moment that I still consider. Mr. Doherty was among the first people in my new school to see me. 

I enrolled at Honesdale High School as a freshman because my parents wanted me to have a more robust education than was offered in Narrowsburg at the time. Even though Honesdale was close by, the idea of leaving my friends and small community rocked my world, and a year later, I was still adjusting to the large red locker-covered hallways of HHS. 

I was a bit of a theater kid, but I was too nervous to audition for the play that first year (“The Miracle Worker”). Eventually, Mr. Doherty convinced me to try out for the musical the next year—“Carousel.” I was nervous, but the audition went well, and he gave me the meaty part of Jigger Craigin (the villain!). The part came with my very own song and a flamboyant death scene. I was well received in the show and became more involved. 

Mr. Doherty taught AP English and acting and ran the drama club. He took directing the high school shows seriously, and he was good at it. The rehearsals were fun but rigorous, and the shows were solid. I ended up performing in several. Junior year was “The Night of January 16th”—a courtroom drama where I played a gangster who was a suspect in a murder mystery. It was another juicy part, and I made a grand entrance out of the audience. I remember him pushing me to go bigger. And I loved the moment the audience would turn around and see me emerging.

During my senior year, I begged Mr. Doherty to do “Guys and Dolls,” my favorite show. I was a senior now, and my confidence was high. The show had so many wonderful parts, and I would be happy to be in any number of roles. I just wanted to be in the ensemble for “Luck Be a Lady.” 

Auditions had gone well, but when I saw the roles, my heart sank. I was the only guy not cast as a gangster. He cast me as the grandfather. When I protested, he just said, “You played a gangster last year. You’ve only been my villains. I want to see you play a good guy.” He urged me to watch “Mary Poppins” and go older if I wanted a challenge. I greyed my hair and did it. 

I was taking TV production then and cut one of my first little video promos for the show. Mr. Doherty loved it.

My senior year, I was branching out. I was cast in a community production of “The Miracle Worker” for the Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop. Mr. Doherty trekked out to see me. By then, I had gotten into New York University film school and embraced the other side of the camera. 

Facebook brought us back in touch. He would write to me occasionally with a kind word when he came across my work. 

I hadn’t seen Mr. Doherty in years. We had a brief, confusing exchange when I got a friend request from a second account. “Is this real?” I wrote to him, “Have you been hacked?” Minutes later, he wrote back, “The Night of January 16th. Believe me now?” I accepted the friend request.

Months later, late at night, I got a Facebook message from an old high school friend sending me a link to a story about a fire in Honesdale. Odd. I click. The page loads and a few paragraphs in I learn that Mr. Doherty had died tragically in a house fire. I heard, “Oh, noooo,” come out of my mouth. 

It’s been long since I’ve learned lines or stood in the wings waiting to go on. But I will always appreciate and remember what my old teacher taught me: ‘Keep challenging yourself.’ Conquering the stage of HHS gave me more confidence as a skinny kid at NYU, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Zac Stuart-Pontier, a 2002 Honesdale High School graduate, grew up in the newsroom of the River Reporter. For more about his work, visit www.zacstuartpontier.com.

william doherty, honesdale high school, freshman, narrowsburg,