THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502160121
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Jack Parrish is used to seeing eyes when he performs. But now Parrish's audience is all ears. He has transferred his talents from the live theater to theater of the mind: radio.
Parrish is the new afternoon personality at WVOD, 99.1 in Manteo.
His resume includes two seasons as a principal in ``The Lost Colony.'' Parrish played the Historian in 1993 and Sir Walter Raleigh in 1994.
Before moving to the Outer Banks, the Richmond, Va., native worked as an actor in New York, Chicago and New Orleans.
During Parrish's 10 years in New York, he acted in two soap operas. He played Brad Garrick in NBC's ``Another World'' for two years and spent another year as a ``day-player'' on ABC's ``All My Children.''
Day-players are actors called on to play different bit characters, although Parrish did play a semi-regular character named Brian Collier for a couple of months. Collier was the friend of Gil, who was good guy Tom Cuddahy's best friend. Gil later tried to seduce Cuddahy's wife, Brooke.
It was a tangled web to leave, but Parrish left to act in Shakespearean drama.
Along the way from New York to Manteo, Parrish acted in an NBC mini-series with Lloyd Bridges, did ``tons'' of TV commercials, and played opposite Lana Turner in a New Orleans playhouse production of ``Murder Among Friends.''
He also found the time to earn a master's degree in theater and is working toward a Ph.D. in theater from Florida State University.
Parrish lives on Roanoke Island with his wife, Kathy, and son, Clay. Kathy, Clay and the family dog joined Parrish onstage in 1994's ``The Lost Colony.'' Kathy played a colonist; Clay took his first stretch as an actor by playing the baby, Virginia Dare. The dog, in a less demanding role, played a dog.
Parrish is still learning his radio role. What's been his biggest adjustment?
``I'm used to using my face in acting,'' Parrish says. ``Now I have to use just my voice.''
Parrish works weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m.
Another transplanted Richmonder, Jessica Brown, is the new weekend/swing announcer at WVOD. Brown is from a family of broadcasters and most recently did production-commercial work at WRVA radio in Richmond.
In other broadcasting news, longtime Outer Banks broadcaster/newsman Greg Clark is Ken Mann's new partner on WNHW's ``Carolina Morning Show.''
Clark, an award-winning journalist, spent 14 years at WOBR in Wanchese before leaving the station in December. His reporting on Hurricane Gloria in 1985 earned him the Associated Press award for ``best continuous coverage.''
Clark and Mann worked together at WOBR from 1980 to 1984.
How is the reunion working?
``It's good,'' says Mann. ``He's a top-notch newsman. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback.'' by CNB