Denise Nicholas, perhaps best known as the actress from Room 222 and In the Heat of the Night, began her acting career with the Free Southern Theater (FST). Nicholas married Gilbert Moses in 1964 and soon left her studies at Tulane University to tour with the FST. She toured for two years before moving to New York City to join the Negro Ensemble Company. Here, Nicholas writes about memorable performances in Jonesboro and Bogalusa, Louisiana, as well as the financial struggles which plagued the FST.