Theme Thursday: FOOD

I cannot wait to eat off the buffet of blog posts about food.  It's EVERYWHERE!  I mean, I love food.  I eat it every day.  And, so much is being written about it nowadays.  Everyone seems to be heading toward the locovore, slow-food, grass-fed movement.  I try, I really do but have you seen the prices lately?  And, I'm not just talking about arugula.  So please, don't yell at me that my ground beef isn't always from cows that have been grass-fed and put to bed each night with a story.  And, okay, I'll admit it, I have bleach in my house!  I need to whiten my tablecloths for Thanksgiving.  I know it's bad, I'm sorry.  Oh, oops, got carried away there for a moment, Catholic guilt and all.  But can I just mention, real quick, that I mostly clean with vinegar?

Vinegar reminds me of one of my sisters because she can't stand it.  When we were young, if she had to pass the salad dressing, she would wrap it in a napkin so she wouldn't get any on her.  To this day she eats her salad without any dressing.  And if you think that's odd, you have not met my family - home of the pickiest eaters on the planet.  Several family members do not eat cheese of any type.  My brother never has and never will eat pizza.  Who doesn't eat pizza?

This same brother though, only ate one type of peanut butter growing up.  Grand Union brand peanut butter in the five gallon buckets.  But they had to be red buckets.  Side note:  the empty peanut butter buckets came in handy as holders of large amounts of spaghetti sauce or as personal puke buckets, you know, whatever.  One day, my mother brought home Grand Union peanut butter in a yellow bucket and my brother said it tasted bad.  So now you know what my poor mother had to deal with.

7 kids and 1 husband: all picky.  It's no wonder that we had the same meals every week.  One time my mother made pea soup and none of us liked it so she sent all of us to bed without supper.  Go mom!  She did some odd things though as well.  On spaghetti night, we all had half a grapefruit, don't ask me why.  To this day, I always associate grapefruit and spaghetti.

I'm surprised I'm not as picky as I once was but I attribute that to Brian, who likes food and will try anything, even jelly fish.  And to Clara, my daughter.  When Clara was born, I wasn't one of those overly busy, frantic parents.  I mean, she slept all the time, what was I going to do?  I didn't have a car which was probably lucky because I didn't go out and spend lots of money.  The closest store to me was a grocery store so I'd stroller Clara over and buy food and make dinner.

I almost raise a picky eater though.  For some reason, and I can't fathom why, I started, all of a sudden, making Clara a separate dinner from what Brian and I ate.  As we all know, this is stupid because it creates picky eaters.  We had a time changing that pattern but eventually we did.  Now, both our kids eat a lot or at least try a lot of different food.  Even sushi.  Sushi was difficult at first but they both started to like it after they spent the day making it with dad.  They say the way to get kids to like food is to have them make it.  So I guess, They were right.

The first time I had sushi was in Baltimore on a date.  I was living there in a previous life and went out with this guy from work who told a friend of mine he was smitten with me.  I can't remember his name.  He took me to sushi because I had never had it and he insisted that I would love it.  I don't know if I did love it or not.  I think it was an acquired taste for me.  After dinner, we went back to his apartment and smoked pot and listened to the Grateful Dead.  We sat there and over a long interval he explained how awesome the Dead were at playing their own thing for a while (listen, listen, listen) and then coming back together at the same time.  We didn't have a second date.

Oh, in case you were wondering, I didn't inhale.  But I hear that pot causes munchies which is so funny because weren't we just talking about food?  Happy Theme Thursday Everyone!

Theme Thursday: Pink

I'm tickled pink to be returning to Theme Thursday after a bit of a hiatus. And, per my m.o., I'm going to bring you some pleasantly precious pfacts about Pink.

So, a quick aside: yeah, I do a lot of trivia on my TT posts but it's because I adore Trivia! Actually, I think it runs in the family. Growing up, we never got cable; my mother was NOT going to PAY for television! But we did watch Jeopardy! Rather regularly. I learned how to do the crossword puzzle from my mom and my entire family is font of useless bits of knowledge. I wonder if it's because my mother was a reference librarian so we always had to "look things up." Of course, we do like to share what we know.

Yepper, dinner at our house...always a blast. Oh, and don't play any of us in Trivia Pursuit. My mother, I swear, would win the game on the first roll of the die.

But I digress and I know you're all patiently waiting for these pfascinating pfacts!

The word Pink was first used as a noun to describe a color in the late 17th Century. It described a yellowish pigment which was mixed with blue colors to yield a greenish color.

Assigning Pink to gender began in the 1920's. Pink, though, was associated with boys because Pink is related to red, thought of to be a masculine color. Blue was associated with girls because it was deemed a more delicate color and related to the Virgin Mary.

In Japan, the color Cherry Blossom Pink is associated with the vagina so soft core porn movies there are called Pink Movies.

Most flamingo species are pink in color due to the pink pigments in their diet.

Seeing pink elephants is a euphemism for hallucinations caused by the DTs. This concept was used in Disney's Dumbo when he becomes drunk and see a parade of Pink Elephants.

In Thailand, Pink is associated with Tuesdays on the Thai Solar Calendar. Anyone may wear pink on Tuesdays.

Pink triangles were re-claimed by the LGBT community as a positive symbol. Originally, it was the color of the patch that gays wore in concentration camps during World War II.

Alecia Beth Moore, better known as Pink, was born in Doylestown, PA, just up the road from where I live. I don't know her though.

In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio says: I am the very pink of courtesy. Meaning, he is the perfect embodiment of courtesy. Oh, and yeah, Shakespeare was the first to use pink as a metaphor.

Must end with a video. This one is especially for my sister, who is not only another treasure trove of trivia but who also reads my blog, is a Bruce Springsteen fanatic, and blogs at http://www.janeandgeridishthemovies@blogspot.com

Theme Thursday: Felt and Impression

Impression Felt: A Haiku

Eyes meet in the room

Hellos, small talk, butterflies

An impression felt

Theme Thursday: Bread

I make a lot of bread.

And, I'm not talking money....c'mon I'm in theater!

Seriously though, I do make a lot of bread. Between shows last season (November to late April), I made so much bread that we had homemade bread every night for dinner PLUS I put about 20 loaves in the freezer for the summer.

Growing up my mom made bread all the time. When I think of her during my childhood, I picture her kneading dough on the square marble slab she used for that purpose. We had homemade bread every night for dinner back then and I guess I'm just carrying on the tradition. My grandmother, my mom's mom, was French so perhaps that's where she got it from. To me, it's just not dinner without bread. Good bread. Good homemade bread.

I'm not a hand-kneader, I use my handy Kitchenaid for that:

Voila!

And yes, it does match the kitchen:

So what kind of bread do I make? Well, a few different types:

• A Tuscan one-rise bread which was the first bread I ever made. It's easy and quick (kneads in the food processor!). My mom gave me the recipe and I make it often, especially if I don't have a lot of time. Sometimes I add soy flour or whole wheat flour.
• Rustic Potato Bread from Baking with Julia. This is pretty quick as well and it makes 2 loaves so one for dinner and one for the freezer. I've made this for neighbors and they all rave about it.
• Cloverleaf Rolls from The Joy of Cooking. My mom made these growing up and they bring back such memories.
• Various others: I've experimented with sandwhich bread recipes trying to find the best one. I just discovered a sponge bread recipe in Baking with Julia that shows promise. I've only made it once so I have to do it a few times in order to make sure I've mastered it.

Here's a quick tip: If you want crusty bread, throw some ice cubes into the hot oven and shut the door for a minute before adding the dough to be baked. The steam from the cubes will make the dough form a nice, crispy, crust.

I just love bread. I love the way the house smells when it's baking, I love the warmth of just-finished bread, I love eating. Best of all, I love it when my kids say, "Oh yum, mommy bread. it's the best."

Happy Theme Thursday!

Theme Thursday: The Surface of Things

On the surface we are all smiles and hugs as we greet old friends and introduce ourselves to (hopefully) new ones. Inside, we hide the angst as the first day of rehearsal brings so many questions: *Am I prepared? Will I get along with these people? What if the director is a dork? What if they find out that I'm a fraud?*

The surface of the rehearsal hall has been swept and neon-colored spike tape marks off rooms, stairs, doors, and windows of a set that up to now has only been rendered in 2 dimensions. Actors will negotiate flat stairs and non-existent doors (*Dude, that's actually a wall you just walked through*) as the real ones are built downstairs on the surface of the stage. *Really, they want a wall there?*

The play itself has only been discussed, it has not yet had life off the surface of the page. As rehearsal hours tick away, actors animate the playwright's words trying to fit their interpretation with the director's vision. *You know, I never thought of Joe as a Buddhist nymphomaniac, interesting choice.*

Costumes, at first only patterns and drawings on the surface of paper soon add extra texture to the characters struggling to be defined. Meanwhile, in the theater, from a flat, non-descript surface springs the world of the play, built carefully by the technical director and crew. Soon the actors, directors, and designers invade and add more nuance and feeling to the story that only a few weeks ago was just a vision and some words. *Oh, so that actually is a wall there. You know in this costume, Joe feels more like a gay Irishman.*

Soon, the final element arrives, the audience. Their response spurs the actors to find new meaning in the words and encourages them to crystallize the emotional arc of the play. *Wow, that audience was great - no one texted, no cell phones went off, no one fell asleep, no one left!*

And all too soon it is over. Sets are torn down, costumed stores, and actors and directors (and stage managers) move on to other plays. But the memory of the story we told lives on, just below the surface.

*Note: None of the comments in asterisks has ever, EVER been heard by this Stage Manager.*

Theme Thursday: Polka Dots

When all else fails, turn to trivia!

(and yes, I know I'm a day early but I need to get ready for a weekend in Chicago with Brian and sans les enfants!)

Positively Poignant Points about Polka Dots

Polka Dots on clothing first became popular in England in the mid 19th Century

The Polka Dance because popular in the US after it's introduction in 1835. At the height of the Polka craze (1840 to 1890), manufacturers named a wide range of products after the dance -- hats, gauze, ties, and fabrics. Only the polka dot pattern has endured.



Blues guitarist, Buddy Guy plays a Fender Stratocaster that is black with white polka dots. I'll be going to Buddy Guy's bar in Chicago on Sunday night, by the way.







In the Tour de France, the leader in the mountain competition wears not the maillot jaune (or yellow jersey) but a maillot a pois rouge or polka dot jersey.




Frank Sinatra sang of Polka Dots before the Yellow Bikini hit the airways. The song Polka Dots and Moonbeams was written in 1940, and was Mr. Sinatra's first hit with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

The term "Polka Dot" was first used in the New York Times on 21 September 1866.



The Hypoestes, also known as the Polka Dot plant is a popular outdoor annual.






Polka Dot Door was a long running children's television show (1971 to 1993) produced by TVOntario.

And now, to leave you with a song. Oh no, don't worry, it's not that one. Here's John Denver:

Theme Thursday: History

The University of Vermont where I went to school was not known (and still isn't known) as a theater school but hey, I'm working in my field so I can't complain. Theater majors had to take several History of Theater classes with Dr. Bryan (or Dr. B. as we called him). He was a tough professor who expected a lot from his students. He assigned a paper in all his classes but he would not tell us how long the paper should be: "Cover the subject," He would say. Students regularly turned in papers that were 50-100 pages in length. I only took one class from him (because I minored in theater) and wrote a paper on Women in Theater in the Middle Ages. There weren't many women in theater in the Middle Ages so my paper was only 7 pages long (got an A though!) Anyway, in honor of Dr. B. who passed away years ago but is someone I will always remember, I give you:

Tasty Tidbits from Theater History

La Comedie-Francaise, (known as the House of Moliere) was actually established 7 years after the death of Moliere by Louis XIV. His decree merged the two theater companies in Paris at that time: Hotel Guenegaud and Hotel de Bourgogne.

In 1673, Moliere died shortly after the 4th performance of his final play, Le malade imaginaire in which he played Argan. The chair he used during the performances is on display in the lobby of La Comedie-Francaise.

From 500 A.D. to 800 A.D., theater was all but extinct in the Roman Empires because Christians were opposed to it. Ironically, in 900 A.D. the Catholic Church began adding dramatic performances to its Easter services. Theater was re-born by the very institution that shut it down.

The earliest extant drama (complete with stage directions) dates from about circa 925 is Quem Quaeritis, a 4 line dramatization of the resurrection:

Whom seek ye in the sepulchre, O Christians?
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified O Angel
He is not here. He is arisen. As He foretold
Go, announce that He is arisen from the grave.

It is considered bad luck to whistle in a theater. Before walkie-talkies or headsets, flying cues (to fly scenery in or out sight) were signaled in a performance by whistling. Whistling in a theater therefore, could cause a cue to be set in motion too early and lead to all sorts of disasters.

There are 2 hypothesis for the "curse of MacBeth." No one in theater actually uses the name of Shakespeare's play, calling it instead "The Scottish Play." In the 1600s, many believed the witches incantations in the play were real and therefore the cause for many coincidental catastrophes. The other theory states that failing theaters often produced "The Scottish Play" in order to boost revenue from the box office. The play then became associated with failing theaters.

The position of Director in theater is a relatively new phenomenon, first appearing in the late 1800s. The position rose to prominence in the early 1900s with the appearance of several strong personalities such as Stanislavsky. Prior to the 1900s, plays were coordinated by the writer or an actor-manager.

The position of Stage Manager (well, you knew that was coming) descends directly from the Actor-Manager of pre-1900s theater. The actor-manager would be responsible for finances and coordinating all aspects of a production. With the rise of visionary directors and the use of increasingly elaborate sets in the 1900s, a separate position was needed to coordinate the non-artistic aspects of the production.

And, to close, this isn't theater history but it's interesting to think about. I heard this at a seminar once and I'm paraphrasing:

Theater started when someone stood up around a campfire and told a
story. Drama started with words. The first movies were silent.
Film started with images.

Theme Thursday: Snow

I grew up in Vermont where winters lasted 6 months out of the year, mud season lasted 4 months and summer came and went on a Tuesday.

But oh, what a Tuesday it was!

We'd wait all year to attend the Champlain Valley Fair in late August. I'd go with my friends on bracelet day when we could go on the rides all day for one price. In-between rides, we'd treat ourselves to a:

SNO-CONE

The sugary syrup would drip down our arms in colors not found in nature. The first bite into the icy coolness would cause a brain freeze as the sweltering sun (ok, this was Vermont, sweltering is relative compared to the winters) caused drops of sweat to bead on our necks.

And then Wednesday came and we had to return to school.

Happy TT Everyone!

Theme Thursday: Friend

There is nothing like a visit from an old friend. Last night, a college buddy of Brian's spent the night because he had been Philly that day on business. It was great watching the two of them fall right back into their easy going banter.

That happened to me this summer when I was up in Vermont visiting my mother. I told my friend, Mo, that I would be in Burlington but I probably wouldn't get a chance to see her. She lives 3 hours away in Brattleboro. So Mo got in her car with her daughter and they came up to spend the afternoon and have dinner. Although we don't talk a lot during our regular lives, I never ran our of things to say or talk with her about. Our daughters got along as well which really made me smile.

Another good college friend, Traci, flew up from LA to see me in San Francisco when I was there for my birthday last year. What a wonderful thing for her to do! We spent the day touring wineries in Napa valley with Brian and some other friends of ours who flew out to help me celebrate my birthday as well. Now, these other friends are buddies of Brian's from college so it was rather a mixed up college reunion you might say. As a result, Traci, my college friend is dating Steve, Brian's college friend which I find rather cool.

And lastly, I have this terrific friend Joe whom I met my junior year of high school. We met at a summer drama camp at Yale university and discovered we both lived in Vermont. Both of us ended up at the University of Vermont and we were almost inseparable our freshman year. He had to take a French class and I wrote his papers for him. Now, he comes down from New York City to see all my shows that stage manage and he even makes mixed CDs for me and my daughter.

When I went to college my mother said, "These are the friends you will have for the rest of your life." And, truer words were never spoken. Mo, Joe, and Traci have put up with me for over 20 years and the affection I feel for them cannot be put into words. So here's a video which I think says it all. For those of you who don't know, I LOVE The Supremes and in college, Mo, Traci and I would dress up and lip synch to The Supremes at theater events.

Late: Theme Thursday

When I was a little girl, six or so, my oldest brother, Matt would call me Kate Late. No one else did and no one has since. I've never been one to collect nicknames. It was his name for me.

I'd call him, Matt Fat (in my head I would spell it with 2 "t's" so it was just like Matt: Matt Fatt.) He'd say, "Kate Late." and I'd answer, "Matt Fatt."

There was neither rhyme nor reason to these nicknames. My brother, a runner for over 30 years, is not and has never been fat.

And I, well, I'm never late. Ever.

Okay, yes, I'm late every once in a while but it's rare and it usually is because of outside forces...traffic, plague, tornadoes, etc.

It might be the Stage Manager in me as I spend most of my time at work worrying about time: When is the next break? How long is the break? When does rehearsal start? How close are we to show time? How long does the show run? How far into intermission are we?

Late for me is planning to arrive at work 45 minutes before rehearsal begins in order to complete 20 minutes of work; but then arriving 40 minutes before rehearsal, ending up in a conversation, and having only 25 minutes to complete my 20 minutes of work. Yep, I'm that anal.

And, part of my job is to call people who are late. I'm all about time. Just give me a stopwatch and a clipboard and watch me go.

Brian and I used to pretend that we were late people because there seemed such a prestige associated with that trait. "Oh we are so busy we can't possibly arrive on time, our lives are so full." But truly, we are the most on-time couple I know. We've been known to go out for a drink before a dinner or a party in order not to show up exactly on time.

I might as well confess it here: I'm intolerant of late people. Perhaps that makes me an anti-late-tite but there it is. While I used to believe that late people led such full, exciting lives, now I just think, "why isn't my time important to you?"

Of course, I understand sick kids or traffic or End of Days. But just to be late...and without calling...in this day and age. Not for me. And, it's the perpetually late people that annoy me. Not the ones who say, "Hey, we're always late so start without us." That's nice. It's the ones who are always late but believe that the event--whether it's dinner or whatever--should not begin without their presence.

On the other hand, maybe their lives are just really that exciting and I'm jealous. And I should be more tolerant because I manage time well--I have to, it's my job and it's why I'm good at it. Many people do overbook themselves because time management isn't one of their strongest characteristics. Another thing I'm good at is being lazy which also makes me good with time because I never overbook myself. Someone once told me that laziness often leads to efficiency, I'm not sure how but I'm going with that one.

Well, break's over and I'm back to the real world, so I'll just leave you with this video in honor of time:

Hanging on the Telephone: Theme Thursday

Random Fun Facts about All Things Telephonic:

Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone invention in 1876, just hours before Elisha Grey patented his device to transmit speech electronically.

Yes, indeed, the first words spoken over the telephone were by Mr. Bell and they were: "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

The first telephone at the White House was installed in 1877, under President Hayes. The telephone number: 1.

Operator, well, could you help me place this call?

See, the number on the matchbook is old and faded

In 1888, a coin operated telephone was patented by William Gray.

In 1892, long distance service opened between New York and Chicago.

The first song about the telephone was "Hello My Baby" in 1899.

Ev'ry single morning you will hear me yell

Hey central, fix me up along the line

He connects me with my honey and I ring the bell

"Hello Frisco, Hello New York", was written in 1915, to commemorate the first phone call between....you guessed it: San Francisco and New York City.

One of the earliest fake numbers used in movies was: 555-2106, used in Panic in the Year Zero, 1962.

867-5309/Jenny was released in 1981, and created the fad of calling that number and asking for....Do I really need to tell you? Jenny.

Jenny, I got your number, I need to make you mine

In 1958, Wichita Falls, Texas was the first American city to institute true number calling: 7 digits without letters or names.

In 1935, the first automatic answering machine was invented by Willy Muller. The 3 feet tall machine was popular with Orthodox Jews forbidden from answering the phone on the Sabbath.

The first cell phone call was made on April 3, 1973, by Martin Cooper.

Operator, can you help me please

Give me the area code and the number that I need

Bells Are Ringing began life as a Broadway musical in 1956. The story revolved around Ella who works at an answering service.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the first whisper in the current record holding Telephone Game as "They inherited the earth and then the army came and scorched it."

Early touch-tone phones had only 10 buttons. The * and # buttons were added circa 1968, for advanced functions.

Tick, tick, tock it's a quarter to 2

And I'm done, I'm hanging up on you

Theme Thursday: Castle

When Robert Altman garnered an honorary Oscar at the 2005 Academy Awards, he compared movie making to building a sand castle:

"I've always said that making a film is like making a sand castle at a beach. You invite your friends, and you get them down there, and you build this beautiful structure, several of you. Then you sit back and watch the tide come in. Have a drink, watch the tide come in, and the ocean just takes it away. And that sand castle remains in your mind."

When I first heard this, I thought, yeah, but with a movie, you at least have the film - that doesn't go away. I've always thought this metaphor was better suited to a play where it actually does go away -- the set, the props, the costumes, the actors.

But as I re-visit this idea I realize that he is talking about the actual building of the sand castle. A film is just a photograph of the sand castle, it does not convey the joy or the camaraderie or even the agony of making the perfect sand castle.

So many memories are like this: they are built with friends and then washed away by the tide only to remain in your mind.

And this idea of memories really struck me the other day when I saw another picture of a castle. I was in New York City with my kids for an audition for my daughter (she didn't get it). We were walking by a slew of posters when I noticed one of them was for The Unforgettable Fire, the re-mastered version by U2. Immediately, I was in high school in 1984, having just returned from France where I had heard U2 for the first time. U2 was just starting to get popular in the states with this album and I'm in the lunch room discussing the band with friends, thinking I know more about U2 having heard them in France.

That sand castle is long gone but it's still vivid to me. So in honor of The Unforgettable Fire and all the memories U2 has given me, here's a link to their performance at LiveAid (remember that sand castle?):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHnXOSxka1Q

Here's to your sand castles!

Theme Thursday: Halloween

I'm so excited about this week's theme. My daughter wrote a Halloween poem for school which I love. (Of course I love it, in fact, I can't believe the Pulitzer committee hasn't called yet) I've been meaning to share it on the blog and here's the perfect opportunity.

So without further ado:

What You Don't Know About Halloween
By Clara

Witches come and witches go,
The pale white ghosts begin to glow.
The scared children begin to shake,
Goblins gather at every gate.

The monster's evil, the light is poor,
Vampires enter at every door.
Darkness looms within the air,
Not an hour it can spare.

Jack-o-lanterns begin to eye,
Everything wih no surprise.
Then dawn breaks and begins to pry,
Open the darkness, and blue comes alive.

And every ghost just fades away.
And every ghoul rests their play.
As a bright blue guard begins to build,
And all the children, no longer chilled.

Traffic, A Theme Thursday Ramble

With (slight) apologies to Dodgers Fans.

Traffic is:
Another drink celebrating opening night because it's going to be a mess out there anyway.

Traffic is:
Wet, sleeting rain that barrels down from they sky and delays game 5.

Traffic is:
Relief at not having to be in Center City when Brad Lidge throws that last strike out.

Traffic is:
Pajama-clad faithful wandering dazed through the blocked off street of my sleepy hamlet.

Did we just win?

Traffic is:
Daddy stuck and missing trick-or-treating as the city tries to cope with the millions of fans attending the parade.

But he does make it home in time to test out the Butterfingers.

Traffic is:
Another beer after a different show because it's going to be a mess out there.

Haven't we done this before?

Traffic is:
Actors insisting on walking to Broad Street to join in the city's joy.

It all seems so familiar.

Traffic is:
Circuitous routes around the city, knowing what streets to avoid.

Traffic is:
All right with me because.....

WE'RE GONNA DO IT AGAIN!

A Collection of Thoughts on Collections

At first, I wasn't going to do a Collections post because like Baino, I don't collect anything. I'm the anti-collector; my favorite thing to do is to throw things out.

Children must instinctively know what drives their parents to insanity and then practice it to excess. My kids collect everything from toy cars to empty candy wrappers. And I'm not allowed to throw anything out. Of course, I do throw things out. And then all hell breaks loose.

I did have a small collection of pens from around the United States. When I worked at the Kennedy Center in DC, I was in charge of a children's tour. They would tour the country and send me pens from wherever they were. I didn't start the collection, the tours would just send them to me.

Eventually, they broke and we moved and I got to practice my favorite pastime and throw them out.

Then Megan's post inspired me because she talked about Church collections. I never collected money for Church but I have collected it for Theater. When I worked at the Saratoga Shakespeare Company, we performed outdoors in a park. After the performance the actors would wander through the audience collecting donations. At the end of the night, I counted all the money.

Finally, Kimy's post reminded me of a museum near me in Dolyestown, PA. The Mercer Museum was built to house Henry Mercer's collection of pre-industrial age Americana. What's amazing to me is that he knew, somehow, that life was changing and that if he didn't collect these instruments, furniture, boats, etc., they would be gone forever. It's a great museum, overflowing with items and a great place to take kids. The picture at the right is only a small representation of it. Lucky for us, he was the total opposite of me in terms of collecting.

So, thanks to all who inspired me to contribute. I think that's the best part of Theme Thursday: reading the collection of various thoughts, ideas, and stories on a single subject.

Theme Thursday: Festival, A Memory

How perfect that this week's theme is Festival, right at the 40th anniversary of Woodstock! I was 1, when Woodstock took place so I have no memory of it. But I'm sure I'm in good company with some people who actually attended the event and may have smoked something other than cigarettes.

I'm not making any accusations.

But I do have memories, many memories about another festival: The Champlain Shakespeare Festival, which ran in Burlington, VT during the summer for 18 years. (The poster below is for a festival before my time).

As a child, I attended several of the productions. Often, I would arrive early (usually with my mother or perhaps my Godmother) and watch the free performance that took place outside of the theater. We would read the summary of the play so we would know what was going on. I remember attending a production of Measure of Measure and not understanding it even after reading the summary. I'm still not sure if I know what's going on in that one.

In high school, I ushered at CSF during the summer and got to see the shows over and over again for free. One summer, they mounted Henry VI with both parts sort of mushed together. I'll never forget the battle scenes which seem to take place all over the stage and in audience. One night, I was closing my eyes in the lobby during the show, when an actor suggested that I go home and let the other ushers clean up. I couldn't leave, I didn't want to leave, how could I leave? I loved it there. Of course, now, I look back, after spending many, many late nights in theater and I wonder why I didn't leave.

Royall Tyler Theater:

The summer of my freshman year, I worked at the Festival as an intern. I attended UVM, studying theater, and CSF took place right there at Royall Tyler Theater. Up until that summer, I wanted to be the next Katharine Hepburn, not understanding that there can only be one Katharine Hepburn. But during that summer, I was assigned to assistant stage manage Romeo and Juliet. I never looked back. I kept thinking, I want to be the Stage Manager, I want to sit at the desk and call breaks, and be the director's right hand person, and know everything that's going on.

The rest I guess is history, as I fulfilled that dream of being the director's right hand person (although I'm still not sure that I know everything that's going on). Next Spring, The Arden is mounting a production of Romeo and Juliet and I get to be the stage manager this time. I'm tickled pink to be revisiting that play as the stage manager this time.

Sadly, the Champlain Shakespeare Festival came to end as all festivals do. But, like everyone else who attended a favorite festival, we all have our memories. Unless of course you were smoking something; again, I'm not making any accusations.

Theme Thursday: SHOE

These shoes are made for running,

and that's just what they'll do.

One of these days, these shoes are

gonna run 26.2.

All The World: Random Thoughts on Stage, Theme Thursday

Now, wasn't there a famous playwright who wrote, All the world's a stage and the men and women merely players? As I approached this theme Thursday I had no idea what to write about because my career has been so closely associated with theatrical stages. Do I write about different types of stages or the stages of a theatrical production or maybe just stages of life?

Then, my sister wrote to me about her idea about the theme and I realized how intricately linked the stages of life are to theater. Yeah, I know probably quite obvious to most people but sometimes I need a slap to the head. Mr. Shakespeare designates seven stages of life but what's left out or perhaps implied is how we get from one stage to another; that's where the drama of life lies and the drama of theater as well.

When we attend theater, we are seeing characters at a certain stage of their life. We're introduced to them "in medias life" so to speak. The characters we encounter have lived through several stages already; the mewling puking baby, the whining schoolboy, perhaps ever the lover if we are to use Mr. Shakespeare's descriptions. The backstory of the character is shaped by these stages as determined by the actor. And, the play we watch presents us with these characters dealing with yet another stage of their life.

My sister's description of her stage of life really clarified this idea for me: widow with a 20-year old son, should be getting ready for retirement. But, much to her dismay, she has discovered that her current job may not last and she may have to find another position in this troubling economy. There's a character right there: at a stage in life where one thing is expected (retirement) when suddenly, a wrench is thrown into the works and mucks it up. Curtain up!

Of course, in theater she'd have to have perhaps another serious conflict to deal with and everything would be resolved in a couple of hours. Unfortunately, life is not like that. I have had those days, those really bad days, when I wish I could take an intermission, have someone sweep the stage, set out new props, and I could join the action 10 minutes later but in the world of the play (and thus my world) it would be the next day.

Yet, the actor on stage is subject to the words of the playwright, the direction of the director, and is allowed only one part of that collaborative process (and they often don't have a say in who their co-cast members are). We, in strutting and fretting our hour upon the stage are at once the playwright, the director, and the actor rolled into one. It is up to us to decide if our tale will be told by an idiot or if our "stage" is truly a kingdom and we the princes.

Theme Thursday: Ghosts, Three Viewings

Three Viewings is the name of a Jeffery Hatcher play that I worked on many years ago. The play is essentially 3 monologues given by 3 different characters at a funeral parlor. It doesn't contain any ghosts but I liked the title as my theme Thursday will consist of 3 viewings of ghosts.

Kids and Ghosts:

When I was young, I totally believed in ghosts. I wanted one to contact me in the worst way and yet I didn't because I didn't want to be scared out of my mind. Basically, I wanted to see a ghost and yet have the presence of mind to remain calm which was too oxymoronic for my personality. But that never stopped me from trying. My friends and I spent hours deciphering messages from the Ouija board. We held seances, swearing we could feel the spirit in the room.

My children have not yet been introduced to the Ouija board, I'm not even sure if they still make them. They do however have a healthy, childlike belief in ghosts. My 7-year old son brought a book home from the library about ghosts in the White House (he's a bit obsessed with Abraham Lincoln) and quizzed me on ghosts, what they do, how they haunt, etc. My 10-year old daughter has a slightly more creative approach to ghosts. According to her, a family of vampires lives under her bed. When I pointed out that there is no "under" her bed because it sits on the floor, she replied, "Oh, they're ghosts, they vanish into air." These vampires tell her to do things. Unfortunately, they don't tell her to clean her room.

My Dad:

As an adult, I'm not sure I believe in ghosts but something happened at my Dad's interment that gave me pause. My father died in 2000. He was cremated and his ashes hung around for 3 years while my mother figured out what to do with them. Finally, she decided to bury the ashes in Gates of Heaven cemetery where many members of both my parents families are buried (and quite a few of the New York Yankees, I might add). The date was set for June of 2003, and we all made our way to the ceremony. I knew he had died, had come to terms with it and never had any deep sense of "I can't believe he's gone." But, when I arrived at the cemetery, I had the strongest feeling that my father was there, in person. Every time a car pulled up, I thought, "Oh, that must be my dad now." Even though, I knew his remains were in the little box by the grave! I can't explain this absolute, positive belief that he was there in person. I'm not sure I'll ever explain but I've never felt it since.

Ghost Light:

In theater, we leave a light on after a show is over which is called a ghost light. Most often this is a bare bulb in center stage although at the Arden, it's some of the work lights (overhead fluorescents). This tradition dates back to Shakespeare's time when, it is said, a candle was left burning to ward off the ghosts of previous productions. Of course most of the theaters in his day were made of wood hence the numerous fires from the candles being left lit. In actuality, a light is left on to prevent anyone stumbling around in the theater after-hours from getting hurt. But I prefer the first explanation because really, what is a theater without a ghost?

Of Summer I Sing

School may be out but I thought a fun quiz about summer songs might just be the ticket for this theme Thursday. I've chosen lyrics to 7 songs that all have the word "summer" in the title. Have fun and no worries, everyone gets an A+.

I'll post answers this weekend.


1: Oh, your daddy's rich and your momma's good lookin'


2: Well, she got friendly, down in the sand.


3: Stranger voices are sayin'
What did they say?
Things I can't understand


4: I got my first real six string. Bought it at the five and dime.


5: Son you gotta make some money if you wanna use the car to go a ridin' next Sunday


6: Blowing through the jasmine in my mind


7: Cool town. Evening in the city. Dressing so fine and looking so pretty.