Sometime between 1982 and 1984

I don't remember the exact year, but it must have been sometime in the summer between 1982 and 1984: I was cast as "the cat" in a production of Goethe's FAUST, co-produced by The Source Theatre. We were performing behind some abandoned buildings on 14th St., basically in a large alleyway, and we made our entrances and exits through the buildings. One night, i and an actress made our usual exit through an abandoned storefront that led out onto the street. About halfway into the space, we suddenly heard a loud voice say, "Ok, come on out of there!" Both of us were confused and I said something like "what, who is that". The voice said, "Police! Come on out of there, or we're going to send the dogs in!"At this point, the actress i was with literally flew back toward the stage. With images of ravenous police dogs not only attacking me, but running out onto the stage and taking chunks out of the audience, I decided to take my chances and walk toward the voice. Telling them not to "send the dogs in" and holding my "cat" mask high above my head, i crept toward the front of the store. When i get there, i see about 14 cops, plainclothes and uniformed, with guns drawn waiting for little ol' me. Insistent that i just "shut up", they force me facedown onto the sidewalk with no intention of listening to me telling them that i'm an actor in a play.After a few minutes that feel like a few hours, some of the other actors, also in costume, come out, particularly a tall German woman, who yells at the cops to let me up. Eventually, the cops are convinced of what's going on and they quit standing on my neck. I brush myself off, and we go back to resume the play.What i still can't figure out is, what was so valuable in an abandoned building(!) that brought out the entire DC police department (including the K9 squad).
reg metcalf
brooklyn