in support of community theater

Just to set the record straight: I don't usually buy raffle tickets.

Part of the reason is that I don't have that kind of luck.

Better that someone else should try for, and win, whatever the prize.

However, during intermission at the show tonight, something clicked.

I didn't need to win the prize for me, but for my brother, Smitty.

And just what was the prize?

Well, there were three possibilities.

Each was an artwork crafted from a book, and there would be three drawings for these donated items.

My photos don't really show them well, but the first was of several candles, the second was a reindeer, and the third is a mysterious woman in a hat.

My thought was this: if I won, my brother would be able to figure out how to craft these for his grandkids for Christmas.

He's retired now and needs something as a creative outlet.

So, I bought five raffle tickets, spending $20 in the process.

Even if I didn't win, I knew the money would benefit the troupe... but I did win, not once, but twice!!!

I chose the "reindeer" art-book, then had them draw again so someone else could receive a prize that night.

One was all I needed. 

(smile!) 

love in the mail from Scotland!

"Oh, my! JinHi did get to go to the Festival Fringe after all??"

Yes, she did! Indomitable as ever, not even a recent round of chemo treatments could stop her! She is a force of nature, she is! This is her, on the stage for her last performance of her one-woman show. I'm so glad she has had a great run there, and I am so proud to have been a kickstarter supporter for that travel.

"Oh, my! Is that the postcard from the Fringe???"

Yes, yes it is! Some of those sites have been posted on fb by her and her entourage, but others have not. What a perfect choice to share a bit of the trip with me! I've already sent her a message to let her know it's arrived, but I have a big hug waiting for the next time I see her!!!

"Oh, my! And she even wrote you a personal message???"

Yes, yes, she did! "We couldn't be here without you!" Isn't that marvelous? All I can say is: Thank you, JinHi!  (smile!)

fundraiser down at tybee!

What a wonderful evening I've had at Tybee Post Theater!

I'm so glad I finally decided to go there.

Tonight, the Coastal Cohorts held a 40th anniversary reprisal of their classic storytelling concert, "King Mackerel & The Blues Are Running", and every dollar went to the theatre.

It was a sold-out show, too!

That means the $26 ticket fee I paid, and that the majority of the patrons paid, went to help this venue bring more such shows here.

I'm all in favor of that!

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite places for films, concerts, musicals, and plays.

Keep up the good work!

unchained ear candy

I recently contacted Samita concerning the kickstarter project she created in 2011 for the Bluebird to again take wing.
At the time, when I tossed my fifty bucks into the passing hat, I had selected the lower reward bracket: I wanted to make sure I got a T-shirt, you see.
I didn't want to miss out on that!
And I did not.
In April of 2012, the T-shirt arrived, with the Bluebird coming into view from the back and rounding that righthanded turn!
Woohoo!
It also arrived with rewards from the lower levels. That gave me pause. What if I would have received the T-shirt anyway if I had marked the higher reward level? What if I could be listening to the stories on a cd while I was wearing my new garment?
Well, I would just wait and go to one of the shows and ask.
Only problem was I wasn't able to make my schedule coincide with theirs.
Well, that's okay, I'll see them some other time, right? But time traveled ever farther afield and I let the matter slip my mind.
Until recently.
As I said earlier this month, I've been going through my "Backer history" on kickstarter. When I came to the box for this project, I didn't know whether to check it as fulfilled or not. Maybe I should have chosen the higher reward level...but wasn't it too late to make a change? For almost all of the other projects, the higher reward level includes those rewards at the lower levels. So, maybe...
So I asked, explaining to her that I had really wanted to make sure I received the T-shirt, but now I was wishing I could also have the cd, and was that possible at this time? She had gladly responded that she would make sure my dropbox received them posthaste! Woohoo!
I transferred the five "Front Porch Stories" from the site to a compact disk (cd, y'all!), intending to listen in my car.
That never happened.
I haven't gone anywhere of late that would be far enough that I would be able to listen to all of the tales. So, I brought the disk back into the house and put it into a stack for later perusal.
That finally did happen! Thank God! And I realized, as I listened to the first story, that I was supposed to have this cd, that I was supposed to back this project.
You see, the very first story, titled simply "One In A Million" features the Special Olympics - a project dear to Mama. Since funds from her estate are being used for backing these projects, it's incredible that I stumbled upon one which she would have so loved. Coincidence? No, more likely her hand guided me, wanting me to hear this story in particular, told by Dawn Fraser about her twin brother, Dwight, born with Down Syndrome. The chance of twins being born with one having Down Symdrome is one in a million; this story is about her brother showing her the path of recovery from a sports injury. You should go to her website and listen to it; awesome and funny and definitely uplifting.
In fact, almost all of these tales from a front porch have those attributes.
Edgar Oliver, an odd-voiced man, regales us with his story of misplaced responsibility - and misplaced priorities - as a youth at a local military school for boys. His tale, "Major Oliver", is very funny as it follows an important bookbag. (You can purchase the "Unchained" cd on his personal site, too.)
George Dawes Green, the founder of The Moth, gives a plug to Unchained, as well as all those who make a living from traveling the back roads, sharing songs and tales with small town communities.
Neil Gaiman's tale of fathers and sons, "Hockey Dad", is full of unconditional love. I don't know if that particular story in on his website, but a lot of other "cool stuff" is. (By the way, Neil is an avid kickstarter supporter and is featured here.)
Bringing up the rear, so to speak, and commanding the last track on this cd, is Peter Aguero. "The Keeper", the perfect bookend for this collection, tells the story of the very moment when he knew the woman by his side was meant to be his wife. Trust me, this is no sappy tale of love. Aguero is the frontman of The BTK Band, which bills itself as "NYC's hardest-drinking improvised rock & roll storytelling band". 'Nuff said.
My many thanks to Samita Wolfe - many, many thanks.
May the Bluebird travel happily along!

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.

trek: a spoof musical beamed into a galaxy far, far away

As far as I know, my headline could be the truth!
Last month, I contacted the creators of the kickstarter project, Accio Actors, to inquire about the reward delivery schedule.
You see, it's been just over two years since I gave financial backing to the production of their musical. I was to receive the soundtrack, the playbook, and a prop from "Trek: A Spoof Musical".
Sadly, none of the items promised had yet materialized.
Today, I received this message from the group.

"12:09 AM, 27 Jan 2014
Accio Actors commented on a link you shared on facebook.
Accio Actors wrote: "Unfortunately due to disagreements with the writers of the show, it has been taken down and is now out of Accio's hands and in the hands of the writer of the musical. We tried our hardest last year but it never was able to resolve. Our apologies and thank you so much for your past support." "

How very sad that Lauren Field and Gaetano Rodriguez have opted to not fulfill their obligations toward their financial supporters. Shame on them. Actions such as theirs cast dispersions upon honest creators of crowd-sourced projects, making it more difficult for those creations to become realities.
Again I say: Shame on you, Lauren Field and Gaetano Rodriguez.

So, I boldly went in search of whatever did still exist.
Here's what I found!


This is all of the information which would have appeared on the program.
"TREK: An Intergalactic Spoof Musical

An Accio Actors Production

Story by Lauren Field and Gaetano Rodriguez
Script by Lauren Field
Music and Lyrics by Gaetano Rodriguez

Director: Lauren Field
Music Director: Gaetano Rodriguez
Producer: Katie Wilcox
Stage Manager: Emily MacAgy
Choreography: Lindsay Ingram & Anastasia Cobb


Cast:

Kirk: Jeremy Moranski
Scotty: Joe Southall
Bones: Devon Motte
Mr. Spock: Jacob Zdan
Janice: Alicia Carrillo
Uhura: Nina Brooks
Sulu: Justin Gonzalez
Chekov: Rachel Andelman
Andorian General: Tobi Easterman
Red Shirt Bob: Alex Windisch
Red Shirt Ashley: Anastasia Cobb
Flamboyant Red Shirt: Zachary Wilson
Stephanie Butts: Stephanie Pavluk
Richard Richardson: Bernie Marger
Villian/ Chorus: Geoffrey Richardson
Andorian/ Chorus: Chris Kinney
Andorian/ Chorus: Sasa Ilic
Cheerleader/ Chorus: Lindsay Ingram
Cheerleader/ Chorus: Samantha Kendall
Starfleet Officer/ Chorus: Abby Carlen
Alien/ Chorus: Katie Wilcox
Mortimer: Ian Muentener
Eugene: Jonathan Foster

Band:

Guitars: Gaetano Rodriguez
Piano: Nick Hughes
Drums: Mitchell Clark
Bass: Charlie Foti
Violin: Kathryn Hope

Crew:
Emily MacAgy
Janine Field
Todd Kozlowski
Michael Brown
Jeremy Rineheart"

I even located a bunch of stills from the show! My many thanks to Pedro Carillo Photography for graciously sharing these photos of the actors! Here they are!
If I can ever locate the lyrics of the songs, that will be posted here, too.
Meanwhile, I shall continue to hope the writers will one day live up to their promises.
As for the rest of the cast: Live long and prosper, y'all!

the scots went to the fringe of scotland!

The Scots
of Highland Park High School
in Kansas
are back
from their trip to Scotland!

Actually, they've been back
since the end of the festival
in August of 2012.
The students all had a wonderful time, as evidenced in this "Thank You" video.
I was sure they would!
I know firsthand how rewarding it is to travel to a new place and have strangers appreciate your work.

It is especially rewarding
when that play is
an original,
a piece
never
before
enacted.
Pretty heady stuff, indeed!

Such excitement to have
your work
included on a display
for the whole world to see!!!
Well,
the part of the world
there in Scotland
for the Fringe Festival!!!
Such a thrilling adventure!


However, there is a responsibility which has not yet been met.
The "Rewards Survey" was sent to me in June of 2013. I responded quickly, knowing how precious those summer days are to teachers. The creator of the kickstarter project, Scott Kickhaefer, is a teacher in the Fine Arts department at the Scots' high school in Kansas.
I'm a teacher, too, here in Savannah.
And I have patiently waited for the reply to that survey.
As a supporter at the level I selected, I was to have received a video of their performance at the theatre festival. I also was to receive a note and an autographed company picture.
I have received nothing, as of this date.

Today, I sent another message to the creator.
I do hope he will soon respond.

rock (and a hard place) opera

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

hallelujah for family

more soon...

Rip Van Winkle sleeps no more!

When I first backed this musical by the Savannah Stage Company, I didn't know how well it would succeed. Please do not misunstand me: I had hoped it would. But their dream was so lofty, and so different, and I honestly did not know how well the school system would accept it.
But "Rip Van Winkle: A New Musical" has done quite well!

In an update posted on October 30th of last year, we backers were told:
On November 5th, Savannah Stage Company opens Rip Van Winkle: A New Musical at the Moses Jackson Center in Savannah. Our first performance will be for a group of senior citizens from West Savannah that the Moses Jackson serves, as a 'thank you' to them for providing us a home to rehearse in. They have been extremely welcoming to us and very accommodating.
Later this month we'll perform the show 2 more times for elementary school aged children and, since we've decided to extend this tour until the end of the school year, we're continuing to book shows for next year. If you haven't been keeping up with our progress on Facebook, we encourage you to take a look at some of our rehearsal photos and be on the lookout for production photos once we open.
This tour is coming to life daily and we're doing our best to share our progress with you. Without you guys this thing would never have been possible and we're reminded everyday of how lucky we are. Thank you for your continued support. Be on the lookout for our website launching mid-November. Have a Happy Halloween!

Since then, there have been shows at an art gallery and at several libraries! I have not yet managed to catch any of these shows, but you can see my name here, on the troupe's website.
I'll keep my eye out for the postman to bring my video soon!

ol' devil sherman and the mint juleps

Again that magic word: burlesque - how wonderfully exotic!
This time, I most assuredly would be able to attend the show, as it is quite local! Not all the way off in Texas, like that last one with kickstarter!
My friend, Megan Jones, is the woman in charge of this project. She does a lot of photography and encourages her clients to dress in lavish styles for their glamour shots. Of course, it doesn't hurt that many of the folks she photographs are local theatre people!
One of the categories on her page is for "Pin Ups".
Yep, you read that right.
For gals - and guys! - wanting to get their smooth on, they can book with her and have their hair styled especially for the 1930's, '40's, and 50's, with clothes to match, 'natch. Look here if you're wanting to get some ideas for your day in the sun!
When she sent out the word on facebook that she was trying to fund a burlesque show, I gave serious consideration to becoming a backer. My funds are not what they once were, especially as the summer is upon me (no pay for professors for those three months) and my status as full-time parlayer of knowledge has ended. Unless I find some other job, I will return to adjunct status, at one-fifth pay, in August.
Hell's belles, darlin', that's why God made credit cards!
You know what, you are absolutely right.
Plus, you can declare it part of your 55th birthday celebration this year!
By Golly, Miss Molly! That sounds like a winner, indeedy it do!
So, that's what I've done: added a Benjamin to the top hat, plus a dollar for every year I've been on this planet.
Happy birthday to me!
Hope you can make it to the party - it's gonna be a beaut!

boom bats in the house of z

I wish I could say I understood this show.
I do not.
Or is it, I donut?
Here's what I do know: that Z is one odd fellow and "Cthulhu's House of Z" is one odd show.

As Cthulhu, Z has endeavored to look the part, with misshapen face and with straggly hair and beard giving a tentacle-like appearance.

The neon-green sunglasses (just like mine!!!) keep him from being too creepy.

The neon-pink underwear below the trenchcoat and above the high-heeled shoes add that creep factor right back in, a la Dr. Frank N. Furter.
His show features three skits, or, as he calls them "scenarios." All feature donuts.
You heard me correctly: donuts.
Donuts being cut by saws.
Donuts being fresh and warm.
Donuts being smashed.
Donuts being eaten.
Interspersed between the skits are jokes and dances.
Overall, a rather entertaining show in the dark, emceed with a halting tongue and a soothing voice that encourages you to stay, enjoy, make yourself comfortable.
It's all PG, too, so your middle-schoolers could titter about it afterward.
(smile)
But understand it?
Not I.
Even though I was glad to support this kickstarter project.
BOOM BAT GESTURE pushed my comfort zone a bit... and that is good.

savannah stage company fall educational tour

They're local! They're talented!! And they want to educate children!!!
Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
The schools gain some much-needed artistic input, disguised as free-lance show-and-tell, and the children gain education, disguised as entertainment.
Their first work will be an original play, titled "Rip Van Winkle: The Musical". You already know my fondness for musicals, as I have backed not one, not two, or even three - no, keep counting!
But this is, I believe, the first musical geared toward children.
So, sure, that warrants a Benjamin for the kitty.
Me? No, I don't have any children of my own to benefit from this endeavor.
No, I sure don't.
But I do have nieces and nephews who are still in school. I also have great-nieces and great-nephews who will be blessed by this talented troupe.
With any luck, my schedule will even allow me to see the live performance of the show!
However, at the very least, I'll have a dvd of "Rip Van Winkle" to enjoy at my leisure.
And my name will be associated with the show as a backer.
Woohoo!

cthulhu's house of z

How did I find myself involved in this project?
The same way I became a supporter of this one: as I have discovered, I have several friends who are fans of that mythology.
You know, the mythology of Cthulhu.
For me, my interest was kindled by a fundraiser last year. Two dear friends had opened a new venue for artists of all types to display their creative talents. After that two-night event, Cthulhu was definitely on my radar.
Or should that be "on my sonar"?
(smile)
In either case, whenever I see the name, I read on.
This kickstarter project sounds like something that would be right at home at Muse Arts Warehouse. If it were, I would certainly be there to see it!
As it is not local, I will do the next best thing. I will support it financially, along with a few other folks. BOOM BAT GESTURE is so close to their goal!
My thirty-three bucks will help push them toward that goal... and gain me a DVD of their show! Sah-weet! It'll be as close as I will be able to get to a performance art show in New York City.
Break a leg, y'all!

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!)