The Story of Me and My Dad
A one-man show based on a real relationship.
The Story of Me and My Dad
Performed by John Mese
On sale July 3rd!
Sunday, November 15th, 2026, 3:00pm
Located in Manship Theatre
Ticket Price: $27.10 (price includes tax and fees)
About the event:
This performance will be filmed.
In 1986 I fell in love with acting when I played Hoss in Tooth of Crime by Sam Shepard, and I’ve been acting and writing ever since. Over the years there’ve been a lot of ups and downs. In 2018 I was lucky enough do a one-man-play entitled, “Wild Son: The Testimony of Christian Brando” written by Champ Clark, who interviewed Christian and wrote the play in his own words. While performing Wild Son, I completely fell in love with acting again. We did that show everywhere, for over 5 years. When we got back from Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland I started wondering if I could take everything that I’d learned from doing Champ’s play and write a true story about me and my own dad. The goal being to make it just as good as Wild Son. Marlon Brando was one of the worst father’s I’d ever heard of and my father was one of the best. After three years of working on it, and with a lot of help from my friends (especially Eddie Jemison) I think we pulled it off. And I know you will too!
"Just left your show. Magnificent. So damn moving and funny and superbly acted. Your mom and dad remind me so much of my own parents. Weren’t we lucky? I’m terribly proud of you, my friend. Sterling work. You’ve got a gift.” — Jim Beaver.
About the performer:
Mese holds an M.F.A. in Acting from Louisiana State University and has lived in Los Angeles or New York as a working actor for the past thirty years. He has had recurring arcs opposite Mariska Harigitay, Ally Walker and Marlee Matlin. Mese has worked under the direction of Tom Hanks and Lili Zanuck on HBO's, "From the Earth to the Moon"... as well as with Steven Soderbergh in "Winston," "Schizopolis" and on the Showtime TV series, "Fallen Angels." Mese has also been working as a writer, director and producer. His screenplay, "Scrum" was picked as one of the TOP 50 out of over 4,000 entries in the very first Project Greenlight contest. He wrote/directed/acted in, "Perfect Day" which premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2007. In 2013 John produced, was 1st A.D., and acted in, "King of Herrings" which premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival and won the coveted Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. John and his wife Dawn Kelsey launched their children's book company, "Flippy and Friends" with family friend and illustrator Chanler Holden nationwide in 2008. John received: "The Young Alumnus of the Year Award" from LSU in 2000. His favorite roles on stage include Brick in, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Hoss in, "The Tooth of Crime" by Sam Shepard, Kim in "Search and Destroy," and now Christian Brando in "Wild Son."
- IMDb mini biography by: Rae Kelsey
Check out our theatre!
Take a 3D tour of Manship Theatre! No matter where you sit, you'll feel close to the action. The first and second mezzanines are positioned over the orchestra ring, so every seat offers an intimate, exciting view of the stage.
Tickets to this event are sold directly by Manship Theatre. Third party tickets purchased outside Manship Theatre’s Website may not be valid. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket to attend performances. Please carefully consider whether a performance is appropriate for children before planning to attend.