Rick Gove performed in his first play while a student at the University of Georgia.

Since graduating in 1977, he has moved around the state, living in Brunswick, Milledgeville, St. Simons Island and Monroe, always getting involved in local theater.

He's had roles in about 50 plays.

These days, Gove —- whose paying job is running his own public relations firm, The Gove Network, specializing in commercial real estate clients —- is president of On Stage Inc. in Monroe.

He usually performs in two of the theater's three annual plays.

He likes performing and how actors never quite know what is going to happen next on stage.

Also, he said, plays are written to explore something about the human experience.

"You learn a lot about the characters, the setting, life —- and you learn a lot about yourself."