the dreamer and the devil quickens

I have, at long last, indulged in this tale of two men, both in Chicago in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition.
It had actually arrived at the tail end of November last year - a time of year extraordinarily busy for those of us who grade papers and write tests and coax students for that one last push before semester's end. Then the holidays arrived and piles of received mail and graded papers and unopened magazines all found their way into a different room... and were promptly forgotten until just recently.
Seriously. That is my excuse for not diving into this kickstarter-born fruit prior to now. I have had the disk by the computer, patiently waiting to regale me with the tale woven by Jenny Seidelman and Jonathan Wagner.
The wait ended today!
While I listened to the soaring music, the emotional lyrics, the fabulous vocabulary, I was struck by one thought: I know a theaterical troupe here, right here in my Hostess City of the South, who could bring to life this chiaroscuro musical set in the history of Chicago. Oh, if only they could!!
In my town of ghosts, this cast of characters could truly be released from the page and live once more! The beleaguered, but charming, architect, whose creative partner dies, leaving him the monumental task of creating the White City to celebrate Christopher Columbus' voyage to this country. The psychopathic, but charming, doctor, hellbent on creating his own monstrous monument of gas chambers and murderous chutes, which would pose as a hotel for those coming to the Fair. Add a desperate man who helps the mayor get elected, dreaming a job in his own future, instead becoming a devil and killing the very man he put in office.
Oh, my, yes! Can't you just see it? Can't you hear it?

sweet dreams, rip van winkle

This is how the conversation went on fb,
Monday, 24 Feb 2014:

me: Wow! Thanks, Bryan!
What a treat to find it here,
sleeping soundly in my mailbox,
cuddled in the latest issue of "Time"!
Coincidence??? :D

Only later did I find that he had
actually placed the dvd in the mailbox
two days earlier (Saturday evening),
but I had misread his fb nessage
to me at that time.
What dvd, you ask?

Well, the kickstarter reward I wrote of last summer, of course! Savannah Stage Company has been quite busy, with new productions, improv, and fundraising since their project launched in 2012.
I've attended several events they've hosted, but those were improv shows and a fabulously fun fundraiser. Sadly, though, my schedule had not yet allowed me the distinct pleasure of seeing them enact a cohesive performance.
That has now been rectified, as I have watched the troupe perform "Rip Van Winkle: A New Musical", on my own schedule, and will doubtless watch it again and again. You see, it is not quite the same old anti-sloth story we know from reading the works of Washington Irving in our grade-school days.
Oh, no.
For starters, it's been reinvented as a musical. The multi-talented men - and women - of Savannah Stage Company use the musical lyrics to move your toes, as well as the story, along a merry path from the village, up the mountain, and back down again. With only four players, and minimal costume changes, they bring to life more than double that number of distinctive characters.
There are no bowling dwarfs in this version, either. Instead, enter the trickster Diedrich Knickerbocker, the one who will make all of your dreams - whether good or bad - come true. We see the villagers recoil from the mere utterance of his name, as if he is the devil incarnate.
Well, not so to Rip van Winkle, nor to his son, who is growing up listening to his dad weave tales instead of tapestries. In fact, we see that Rip doesn't do much in the way of work, and what little he does is done so poorly that it would have been better left undone. That's just the way he likes it, too. If he had his druthers, he would tell tales in the village square all day, every day.
Washington Irving was quite a tale-teller, too. As a matter of record, he even used several pseudonyms, allowing him to write in different styles, different voices. This musical pays homage to two personae of the prolific writer. Take the trickster, Diedrich Knickerbocker - he was "a Dutch historian", famous for having written "A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty". The "historian" was also credited with the narration of the story of Rip van Winkle as one of 34 pieces collected in "The Sketchbook", by Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Neither Knickerbocker nor Crayon were any more real than van Winkle was - all products of a fertile imagination.
Pretty clever of Irving!
And very clever of the Savannah Stage Company! Thanks for making sure I did my literature research and homework!
Kindly take note, any teachers of the English language.

bewitched love

more soon...

rock (and a hard place) opera

more soon...
Savannah touches: Bird Girl pose on cover, Paula Deen, Miley Cyrus

hallelujah for family

more soon...

Grover's Corners

The Asbury Memorial Theatre first made an imprint on me near year's end in 2003, with their production of "West Side Story". Incredibly talented cast, fabulous use of space (the very active play was performed in the social center at the church on East Henry Street and Waters Avenue), and beautifully rendered songs. The play was one of Mama's favorites, so I knew it well.
In 2008, they reprised portions of that play in the not-yet renovated sanctuary. That was done as part of the church's annual "God on Broadway" series, a fundraiser that brings in a good number of visitors.

This is the 75th Anniversary of performances of "Our Town". Performed in the now-beautiful sanctuary, with the flexible seating arrangements afforded therein, the audience was allowed to, literally, be part of the townsfolk of the fictional Grover's Corners. Some of the cast members even sat amongst the audience between their performances. Newspaper and milk deliveries were made using the wide "lanes" through the segmented seating areas. Children walked to and from "school" on those same lanes, the wedding party came down "Main Street", the police officer made his rounds through the paths laid out on the sanctuary floor.
All in all, a very memorable evening for all in attendance.
This was my first experience with Wilder's play; I'm very glad to have seen this group's performance. I don't know that the play would have had such an emotional impact on me if it were held in a regular theatre setting, with the audience separate from the cast.
I proudly will continue to support them in their endeavors.
I encourage you to do the same.

the dreamer and the devil meet on stage

Photo 1: "We're Gonna Show 'Em"; full cast; the citizens of Chicago are eager to have their city be chosen as the site of the new World's Fair.
(Please note: photo by Rich Seidelman)

I was not one of the fortunate few who were physically present at this reading of the new musical, "The Dreamer And The Devil" - but I was certainly there in spirit! Here's the report from the website of Jenny Seidelman:
May 23, 2012
Reading of The Dreamer and the Devil a Success

An enthusiastic audience of supporters and theater-industry professionals attended a reading of the new, full-length musical The Dreamer and the Devil on May 21, 2012 at Stage 773 in Chicago. The show features book and additional lyrics by Jenny Seidelman and music, lyrics and additional book by Jonathan Wagner. Richard Shavzin served as director and Claire Shavzin was stage manager/assistant director.

The cast featured an outstanding array of talent including: Larry Adams (Daniel Burnham); Michael Mahler (H.H. Holmes); George Keating (John Root); Doug Pawlik (Sol Bloom); Kevin Gudahl (Carter Harrison); Marc Pera (Patrick Prendergast); Charissa Armon (Julia Conner); Karl Hamilton (Detective Geyer); Erin Myover-Piotrowski (Annie Howard); Andrew Roy Ritter (Ned Conner); Dave Nadolski (Ben Pietzel); Sharriese Hamilton (ensemble); Mandy Modic (ensemble); Jeny Wasilewski (ensemble); Chris Gorton (ensemble); Dave Carmona (ensemble); Ed Rutherford (ensemble).

The reading of The Dreamer and the Devil was supported through a major fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, which also helped to pay for a forthcoming cast recording.

The Dreamer and the Devil's artistic team are currently determining the next steps for the show.

Wow!!!
And here's the news from that artistic team:
Update #6
May 23 2012
"The Dreamer and the Devil" Reading is a Smashing Success!

We’re so excited to tell you that we finally had the official reading of The Dreamer and the Devil this past Monday and it was quite a success!

Approximately 100 supporters and theater industry professionals joined us at Stage 773 (1225 W. Belmont Ave.) in Chicago for this amazing event. The audience response was incredibly positive and we’re very excited for what the future holds for The Dreamer and the Devil.

Thanks to the support of our Kickstarter donors, we were able to have the show professionally recorded so that we can send c.d.s. to investors/producers/artistic directors in the Chicago area who were unable to attend the reading. (Donors of $25 and above will also receive a c.d. in a month or two.)

We were also able to hire a top-notch stage manager/assistant director, Claire Shavzin, and a truly outstanding cast of both Equity and non-Equity professionals, including: Larry Adams (Daniel Burnham); Michael Mahler (H.H. Holmes); George Keating (John Root); Doug Pawlik (Sol Bloom); Kevin Gudahl (Carter Harrison); Marc Pera (Patrick Prendergast); Charissa Armon (Julia Conner); Karl Hamilton (Detective Geyer); Erin Myover-Piotrowski (Annie Howard); Andrew Roy Ritter (Ned Conner); Dave Nadolski (Ben Pietzel); Sharriese Hamilton (Miss Halifax); Mandy Modic (Myrta Holmes); Jeny Wasilewski (Minnie Williams); Chris Gorton (O'Hara); Dave Carmona (Lyman Gage); Ed Rutherford (Angry Republican).

And, of course, the Kickstarter campaign helped us pay for the all-important copies of scripts and music, programs for the event, water and coffee for the cast, and rental of Stage 773 for rehearsals and the performance.

Now that the big event is over, we are taking a much-needed “breather” for a week or two – but we look forward to reconvening to discuss audience feedback, responses from potential producers/investors, and figuring out the next steps to take in pursuit of a full production.

As a generous Kickstarter donor, we will keep you apprised of major developments with the show – future readings, productions, etc.

Thank you again for your truly generous support. We couldn’t have done it without you!

~ Jenny Seidelman, Jonathan Wagner and Richard Shavzin ~

Wowzie wow WOW!!! I am so excited about this - just in time for my birthday, too.
Thanks, y'all!

spotlight players are flappers!

Ah! Again, my only lament is my living too far away to see this show!
Just two scant months ago, the third - and charmed - kickstarter plea went out for funding. I responded, as did eighteen others, almost tripling the funding goal! Bravo for the Spotlight "Still Got It" Players of Michigan and for Debbie Lannen!
Even though I won't be able to see the show itself, I have been treated to two previews. In the first, back in the first week of April, we see a featured player touting the joys of being a flapper. Then, in the second video, we have an ensemble singing about dancing the Charleston!
Tonight is opening night for the musical, Flapper!, and I have one thing to say: Break a leg, y'all!
But not really, okay?
(Smile!)

waddie welcome and nikki booker

When I arrived home today, awaiting me in the mailbox was my reward.
In January, I had thrown my bit of funds into backing a play by a young physically disabled woman in Ohio.
Her play was about a physically disabled Savannah, Georgia, man.
Pretty incredible coincidences at work there, wouldn't you agree?
Her play is to be performed this coming Saturday at Emery Theatre in Cincinnati.
I wish I could be there, but I leave the next day for a Study Abroad trip to Italy with the nursing students.
I had not been sure of the date her play was to be performed, but her Thank-you note, which was postmarked 4 May 2012, told me.

Dear Faustina,

Thank you so much for donating to my kickstarter project. I hope that you'll enjoy the play on May 12th.

Sincerely,
Nikki Booker

I wish her much continued success and thank her for bringing a bright light to the world.
Saying "thank you" is important, y'all.

true flappers never give up!

The third time is the charm, right?
Debbie Lannen doesn't give up. Her theatrical troupe, composed of seniors, want to put on the musical "Flappers!" - and by golly, she is going to keep at these kickstarter campaigns until it happens!
Good for her!
And good for the Spotlight "Still Got It" Players! Sporting actors aged fifty to eighty years old, this musical, in particular, seems especially appropriate. I don't know if they'll still be able to have a Red Garter band for the music, but I'm sure it will be a fabulous show. I just wish it were closer to me.
Hey! Maybe it will be so successful that they will take the show on the road!
A girl can dream...
So, in response to Ms. Lannen and her plea, and in memory of Mother Pat Landers, I am again casting my support into this venture.
This time, I'm pledging on the very first day, too.
Here's hoping my fifty-three buckaroos, one for each year I've been on this dear blue-green orb, will help make this dream reality. A musical full of life - what a birthday gift that will be for me!

Baby One More Time!

Shaking Spears!!! Erika's goodies from her first-ever musical (first-ever play, too, I think) have landed on my doorstep, safe and sound.
Apparently, the musical was a great success in Hapesville, even winning over those inclined to disagree with its mash-up of Spears and 'Speare. It debuted on February 10, 2012, to raucous applause. Here's a review from a convert to its theme, posted on 29 Feburary. In it, the reviewer mentions having seen it twice - lucky duck!
I'm with Britney when I say "baby one more time"! Perhaps here in Savannah! I'm sure one of the theatrical groups here could bring it to life for us.
But I do have in hand my unique T-Shirt, which perhaps pays homage to yet another of the Bard's tragedies, "Antony and Cleopatra". I don't know why this play was selected, as it was not one of the four in the original project. But I do like the rich, dark purple - yum!
The Thank-you card from the writer is lemony orange, as you can see, and is autographed by three of the cast members (Lorrisa "Juliet" Julianus, Jackie "Ophelia" Lehnertz, and some indecipherable, manly, scrawl that may be David Lichty or Adam Krause or Craig Engel). Here's what the card says:
Dear Faustina,
Thank you so much for your pledge to Shaking Spears. With your help, we are sure to have the best Britney/Bard mashup to grace this particular stage on this particular weekend. (It's our first production. We aim low.)
Flip this card over for some love from the cast.
Erika Grotto
writer, director
The card was evidently written prior to the play's debut, but that's fine. I know she was a busy woman in February!
Now, to wait for all of them to hit it big so i can cash in on their autographs. I aim high!
(Smile!)

the dreamer and the devil: a new musical

Chicago! There's a place I really enjoyed! Of, course, it was summer then, summer of 1977. I was stationed at Great Lakes, Illinois, attending a "C" school in electronics. That place was a great, hairy armpit, surrounded by fast food joints, pawn shops, and jewelry stores - you know, as usual for military stations.
Even at the tender age of 19 I knew I needed culture and variety in my life, not the static status on the edge of Lake Michigan. Fortunately, the train went south to Chicago frequently and nearly every Saturday, I was on it. The Playboy Club, the sidewalk arts festivals, Buckingham Fountain, the statues and parks and trees - ah, almost like being home in Savannah!
Jenny Seidelman and Jonathan Wagner ask us to step back in time to the Chicago of 1893 in this musical kickstarter project, "The Dreamer and The Devil". That's right, I said it: musical. This makes the seventh musical I've backed! That should bode well for it! And it's the third musical I've chosen today!
So, let's just take a little look at these three of today, shall we?
None of them are local. Not a single one. So I am certainly not backing these musicals because I think I'll get to see them during their performances. I have no current travel plans to Michigan, Oregon, or Illinois.
None of them are promising videos of the productions, either. You know how much I enjoy film - but nary a one of these is going to deliver those. For the first two I backed, I suspect a lack of film rights is the reason the troupes aren't offering those as rewards. Those rights can be very expensive, so I completely understand. For this project, an original musical, the completion of the play and staging of a reading, rather than a live performance, is the goal. (One step at a time!)
The project featuring the aging stage actors is set to end today and needs quite a few more dollars. The "Spider Baby" bunch is already set for funding, so my little bit, as I said, is just to brag on to a friend. Both are definitely for fun purposes!
This project, though, has a very different feel to it. It's a piece of history, featuring an architect (Daniel Burnham) with high hopes, a serial killer (H.H. Holmes) with aspirations of his own, and a 400-year anniversary of Columbus' discovery of North America, as marked by the 1893 World's Fair: Columbian Exposition. "The Dreamer and The Devil" appears to have the makings of an incredible theatrical masterpiece, doesn't it? And it'll be educational, too, and probably useful for history, art, and criminal justice classes. Yes, even though it's a musical.
I'm not much on history, science nerd that I am. But I'm very much willing to add money to the pot if it means I'll have a cd of a brand-new musical to listen to on long drives. Especially as I know that to be a sure bet, as the funding goal was reached a week ago. My little bit, as well as those that follow, will just provide a little more cushion for these dreamers...

spider baby, the musical

Two things you should know about my reason for backing this kickstarter project. First, of course, is this: it's a musical. Actually, that one point would most likely have been enough, but there's something about the title, too. You see, I've actually seen the movie, "Spider Baby", billed as "The Maddest Story Ever Told." I even possess the soundtrack for it, all thanks to the Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah and Jim Reed's Wednesday night screenings at the Sentient Bean, a local coffeehouse.
Apparently, the Epiphany Theatre Co. in Oregon likes its stories off-center, too. Their goal is to bring "uniquely nerdy theatre experiences" to those who enter their spaces. This show promises to be a doozy!
"Spider Baby, the Musical" is based on the work of Jack Hill (the man who brought us the film in 1968) and Enrique Acostas, the musical madman, who published the score in 2010. Why musical madman? Click the link and you can have a free download of the songs - all of them.
So... if I can get the music for free and have no shot of going to see the play performed, why am I pushing money in their direction? And, if they have not only made goal, but surpassed it, then why add my funds to their haul?
Simple: I'll get bragging rights to tell Jim I was part of this because of him. As much as the man gives pleasure to so many so often, I know he will be pleased that he had an impact here, too.
Also, I'l get an email hug from one of the cast members.
That's got to be worth a few bucks, right?
You bet!

aging flappers need diamonds and pearls!

Debbie Lannen and the Spotlight "Still Got It" Players want to put on a musical!!!
Sure, sure, the troupe is in Canton, Michigan, so the likelihood of me actually seeing the show is pretty much nil.
However, in memory of my dear mother-in-law, Pat Landers, I am supporting this kickstarter venture. If she were still alive, I just know she would be part of this production, too. And she would definitely be there in the audience of "Flapper!"!
I'm joining this party late - the funding goal deadline is today - but I'm hoping for the best. This is the second run at funding this show. I've kicked in $69 to help make their show happen.
Fingers crossed!

waddie welcome & the beloved community

I cannot recall how I found this project on kickstarter. However, as soon as I saw the title, I knew I wanted to be a backer.
Why? It isn't a local project, or even a project somewhere in Georgia. So, why?
The answer is in two parts.
My first attraction was the title, as I said. The university at which I teach has a Common Read book each academic year, a book which every freshman will read as part of their English core classes. Sometimes the book chosen is also incorporated into other disciplines, such as history, biology, chemistry, economics, criminal justice, education...you catch my drift.
The Fall semester of 2010 was my first as a full-time teacher at the university and I was immersing myself in the experience, including attendance at the seminars on the Common Read book for that year. Written by two local authors about a Savannah man with cerebral palsy, Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community appealed to me on many levels. So much so, that I even spoke about the book to the publisher and authors after the first seminar.
Then I saw the title on kickstarter and the first thing I noticed was: the young woman involved with sharing this story is physically disabled. Nikki Booker had chosen, for her senior project, to bring this book to others in the form of a play, to share its message of community and inclusion.
Wow.
How could I not back it?
And share that project with others to also back?
And so I have.

trek: a spoof musical

Yeah, you read that right. A musical. Oh, yeah!
About Star Trek. I can dig it, man!
I really can!
Written by Lauren Field and Gaetano Rodriguez in the spring and summer of last year, the play is ready for action and Accio Actors have the right stuff to do it!
So... why did they turn to kickstarter?
Well, they needed a place in which the musical could be brought to life.
That costs serious money.
A few props would be nice, too, and maybe sound equipment?
More money.
And seats for the audience...
Hold it! Those come with the venue!
Oh, yeah.
Okay, so money needed for props and mikes and the venue.
Check!
I've joined the party far after their funding goal was met and surpassed.
Surpassed by almost 33%!!!!
So I am not alone in wanting to be part of this, regardless of their not really needing my backing, regardless of their being in Florida, regardless of the distinct possibility - nay, probability - that I will never revel in the antics of this Starship Enterprise.
Regardless.
I still get the program to drool and dream over. I still get the soundtrack to sing along with. And I still get a prop for my hot little hand to hold.
You better believe I'm backing them!

shaking spears

Shaking up the Shakespeare with ... Britney Spears????
Wow!
Thsi could be either really, really good... or bone-crushingly bad.
Either way, I'm supporting the madness! You bet!
In the introductory trailer (check it here), we learn that Hamlet has only one question: to dance or not to dance - woohoo!
So here is the premise for this kickstarter venture: take four of the tragedies penned by the British Bard, mix liberally with the music of the tragic Britney, stir frantically, and BOOM! Comedy ensues!
The plays are all fairly common in high school literature classes: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Julius Ceasar. I don't know which tunes of Ms. Spears will be used.
Apparently, Erika Grotto was sharing her script with some theatre friends, just to feel them out on it... and they wanted to know when would they be doing the show for real! Serendipity, pure serendipidity.
Sadly, no vidoe or soundtrack will be available as rewards. Dratted copyright laws... mumble, mumble... but I will get a T-shirt, so that's good. And I know that I will because I've joined this party late, meaning the funding goal has already been met. Still, I joined in for moral support! Yeah, and the T-shirt. (Smile!)
Sure wish I could be there for the show. It's to be performed in a 75-seat venue, much like that of Muse Arts Warehouse, one of my favorite places here. Nice intimate space like that will make for quite a memorable theatre experience for all!

road to rehabilitation: dramatic monologues by ex-offenders

The good folks at Venturing Out have taken on "The Castle", to perform live on December 8 at the Sorenson Center for the Arts.
Why did I choose to be a backer of this kickstarter project from Massachusetts?
Especially since it had already reached its funding goal, meaning the show would go on?
Well, the theatrical work they are performing was written by four ex-convicts about trying to regain a life in American society, after doing time in New York prisons.
The group which is performing the theatrical work teaches entrepreneurship and business skills to soon-to-be ex-convicts, so they can be self-employed owners of micro-businesses when they leave the prison walls.
The off-Broadway play will be performed at a college which has the #1 MBA program for entrepreneurship in the United States.
All of that is quite impressive, but why did I join in?
My youngest brother is in prison, and has been since 2007. One day in 2020, if not before, he will be released on parole and will need to find employment.
I am concerned about his ability to do so.
This project gives me hope that his future will be brighter than his past.