E.R. Haire, Jr. performing his one-man show of “A Christmas Memory”

E.R. Haire, Jr. was, by his own account, a less than stellar student during his time at NC State University when a professor’s challenge opened a new and very rewarding chapter of his life. It was a pivotal moment that proved to be the genesis of E.R.’s upcoming one-man performance of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” at St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in Flat Rock.

Nearly 40 years later, E.R.’s captivating performance of A Christmas Memory has become one of Flat Rock’s most beloved Christmas traditions. This year marks the sixth consecutive year that E.R. will be offering free performances of Capote’s timeless classic as his gift to the community.

—

A Christmas Memory is an autobiographical story about Capote’s time living with a family of distant and elderly cousins in a small town in rural Alabama during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The story, which focuses on his relationship with one of the cousins, Miss Sook Faulk, first appeared in Mademoiselle magazine in the late 1950s. The story was written when he was 27 years old and is considered his most beloved work by many readers. It is a poignant story of friendship and joy which also touches on the loneliness and loss faced by so many in this life.

It is, in many ways, the perfect story for this time of year. And E.R. Haire is the perfect person to bring Capote’s classic work to life.

—

Earle Ross Haire, Jr. (E.R.) is the son of Pat and Earle Haire – Earle being very well known in the community for his service as a minister at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville. E.R.’s life journey has followed a long, winding, and very interesting path that has combined his strong personal faith with a penchant for acting.

E.R. as a cheerleader at NC State University

Following graduation from NC State where he earned a degree in Communications, E.R. spent seven years in Los Angeles pursuing his dream of an acting career. In Los Angeles, he worked at Paramount Studios and his theater credits in Los Angeles include The Foreigner, You Can’t Take It With You, Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III, and The Importance of Being Earnest. E.R. is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and had small roles in a handful of movies and TV series. His career, however, never fully took off. “I appeared in some truly forgettable films,” he recalls with a laugh.

It was his strong personal faith, however, that helped lure him away from L.A. and he enrolled in Duke University Divinity School where he received his M.Div. in 1997. He served as an ordained Methodist minister in the years following before moving on to earn a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale Divinity School in 2000. He then served as a deacon for an Episcopal Church in Connecticut and later taught at Episcopal High School in Greenville, SC.

Not finished with his academic pursuits, E.R. later went on to earn his Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics with a concentration in religion, media and culture at the University of Edinburgh in 2017. Now, at age 62, Dr. E.R. Haire, Jr. is in the midst of the process of discernment on his journey to realizing his goal of becoming a priest in the Episcopal Church.

And throughout this long process of self-discovery and academic challenges, there has been a constant in E.R.’s life – his passion for performing A Christmas Memory. Indeed, the origin of E.R. Haire’s attachment to Capote’s short story is a worthy story of its own.

A Christmas Memory

During his years at NC State, E.R. admits he was more engaged with his fraternity and his stint as a cheerleader for the University, and less so with his studies. There was one class in particular that received precious little of E.R.’s time or attention. As fate would have it, it was that class that would be one of the most influential of his life.

In his own words:

“I was taking a course where you were required to memorize sonnets, poems, or parts of a play. I thought it would be an easy course and that's why I took it. You would have to get up and recite in front of the whole class and you were graded on how well you presented.

So, I went to the first class, and I didn’t go back until the last day right before the final exam. I had thought the professor was pretty laid back, but she said to me in front of everybody in class, “Mr. Haire, you realize you are flunking this class.” My face turned red, and I asked if there was anything I could do to correct that.

Well, she says, “Yes, there is”, and she slams Capote’s A Christmas Memory on my desk. When I asked her which parts of the book I needed to memorize, she said, “The whole thing.”

As it turns out, Capote’s story is over 8000 words long. But E.R. was game to give it a try.

“This was a fall semester, so it was getting close to the Christmas break. I took that book home, went to my room, closed the door, and started reading it. I laughed out loud, and I wept. I thought, “This is brilliant.”

So, I memorized it. And I got an A in the course.”

More than just an A grade, E.R. ended up with a uniquely interesting theatrical credential that would become an integral part of his life. He repeated his performance for his college girlfriend, and she was so impressed that she arranged for E.R. to reprise his presentation for a Christmas party arranged by her school friends. “There I was in this old parlor at St. Mary’s College, and all the girls had on pajamas and funny slippers, and they were drinking hot cocoa. That was the first real audience I ever did it for.”

E.R. during his days as an actor in Los Angeles

While in Los Angeles, E.R. and some acting friends pooled their meager resources to rent a space on Sunset Blvd which they converted into a small theater. Capote’s story was never far from E.R.’s mind and he decided to present A Christmas Memory in the little theater. He paid a royalty fee to Random House for the rights to the story. The stage was festooned with real Christmas trees shipped in from North Carolina. There was the façade of the front of a house on stage and E.R. covered the floor with dry leaves that crunched underfoot as walked back and forth across stage. E.R. Haire was determined to take his performance to the next level.

Then, just a single person showed up on opening night.

As fate would have it, however, that one person was writing a review of the performance for a local publication, and he was very impressed by E.R.’s presentation. As word got out, the audience grew. E.R. even invited a lawyer from the firm that handled the Capote Trust (and thus the rights to Capote’s publications). The lawyer was so impressed by E.R. that he offered the young actor a deal. E.R. could perform A Christmas Memory royalty-free for the rest of his life … as long as he did not charge admission for his performances.

Through the intervening years, E.R. would perform for small audiences from time to time. Then in 2018, after he had moved back to Hendersonville to care for his aging parents, E.R. found himself discussing a possible special event for St. John in the Wilderness with Father Bill McCleary. Not surprisingly, E.R. had a suggestion. “I told him, ‘I don't know if this is an event, but I got a little something in my pocket.’”

The show was a hit from the beginning and now E.R. is preparing for his sixth consecutive year of performances at St. John. “The members of St. John's have just packed the room. It’s very humbling. But I love it and I feel like it's my gift to the community.”

After four decades of performances, E.R. clearly has a special attachment to Capote’s story. “I think it's the best-written short story in American literature because there's not one word that's wasted. It's so tightly woven that if I were to change an adjective, or skip a sentence, or accidentally miss a paragraph, it's like a house of cards, it would just fall apart.” Then he adds with a grin, “So I have to hit the books every year to make sure I have it down pat!”

The story also has a very personal resonance with E.R. “I think it reflects my faith because it's about unconditional love. It's about unconditional giving.” He also admires the character Sook, a middle-aged woman who is considered mentally handicapped. “She has deep spiritual insight. She is a simple person who does simple things that are really beautiful for other people.”

Ultimately, E.R. hopes that his performances will stimulate special Christmas memories and reflect the true meaning of the season for his audiences. “I'd like them to come away from the show with a sense that Christmas is about love, and it is about giving.”

—-

Author’s Note:

It was my privilege to attend E.R.’s performance last year and I can confidently report that both the story and the performance are truly remarkable. It is difficult to imagine a better way to celebrate the spirit of the season. The fact that every show on the original schedule is “sold out” after a six-year run may be the most powerful testament to the magic of E.R.’s performances.

Fortunately, for the readers of Flat Rock Together, E.R. has added one more show on Saturday, December 21st at 2:30 in the Wilderness Room of the Parish House at 1905 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock, across Rutledge Drive from the Episcopal Church. But hurry, there are only 60 seats per performance, and they tend to go quickly. Admission is free but reservations are required to secure your seat.

Reserve Your Seat Here

E.R. Haire’s presentation of A Christmas Memory is sure to create a beautiful Christmas memory for all who attend. I hope to see you there. - bh