October Night's Dream

I Have a Song to Sing, O!

Magic happened last night at Sunset HS. Maybe Oberon & Titania decided to take pity on the theatre department as it struggled against weather and construction to put on "Midsummer Night's Dream." The tech rehearsal sucked big time, and they hadn't run the entire show as a continuous production; when we began, we had no idea how long it would run! Worse, we had no idea if we'd have an audience: SHS Bison had a football game, and the Rangers played Game 7 in the World Series.

The weather felt chilly on bare legs & arms, so we moved the stage into the back atrium. Then, we blew the circuit in the back wall -- and the portable light board (an ancient device). We grabbed extension cords and started stringing them to every available outlet ... The director said not to worry, but our "Thisbe" (in his tiny tunic) persevered. We got work lights on the stage. The sound system worked ... and people started to arrive. All told, I think about 40-50 people came to the play. One teacher sourly commented that they came to see their kids ... well, duh. However, I'd done plays at Sunset before, and we didn't have that many people.

Once started, the actors hit their stride, although they never quite mastered Shakespeare's poetry. In other words, they forgot lines ... One flat almost fell on Demetrius when he lay down. As the audience gasped, he caught it, and Oberon pushed it back into place -- and theatrically shushed the audience so the play could continue. (Well played, King!) Lines echoed, and it was hard to hear at times. (No mikes -- the space had too much reverb.) Still, the audience laughed at the right places -- and was quiet. Of course, the clown scene stole the show, thus proving that in low comedy there is no such thing as going "over the top."

After the show, cast and crew -- and parents! -- helped strike the set, roll up cords, and get almost everything into place. Monday morning, they'll have to finish moving tables & Bo Bison into their usual places.

Then we get to do it all over again Monday night ... and, hopefully, the fairies will persuade Mother Nature to grant us clement weather, so "Shakespeare in the Parking Lot" can appear in its natural environ -- before a stone wall with a grassy knoll covered with trees.

Falling into October

Savoyards, Unite!

When I studied at the Dallas Theatre Center, I encountered the marvelous operas of Gilbert & Sullivan. True, they gently satirize British attitudes as the Victorian age grew into the Edwardian years and approached the new century ... The songs still show both men's talents -- and I wish a G&S Society existed here in the DFW area; I enjoyed playing stage manager for the summer productions. The singers might be amateurs (Perhaps they were nonpaid professionals -- I know that some principals wanted to use the experience to move into the opera world.) Last year, a lyric opera company performed The Mikado. At the moment, Dallas Opera will perform Die Zauberflote by Mozart. (Another composer whom I encountered whilst studying at DTC -- my friend Cheryl Duval dedicated 1/2 of a zine to Wolfie -- the other universes were BatB and Phantom of the Opera (the musical not the Lon Chaney original).

At the moment, things aren't quite as joyful as the music might imply. A dear friend from my DTC graduate days is recuperating from chemotherapy, and I just got news that another friend injured herself in a car accident. Both performers, they won't be on the boards as performers for quite some time ... and we have a Christmas performance in early December! As stage manager, I get to schedule our "dance moms" to utilize their talents without crowding the backstage areas. For this I went to grad school? Well, yes -- DTC utilized our abilities backstage and onstage and front of stage. In those pre-Equity days, everyone pitched in to put on the show ... I'm not sure where the stage crews and front of house people come from. (I did see some Junior League ladies working as ushers at "Christmas Carol." However, I don't see their husbands shoving around the set pieces ...) A third friend, hopefully, is doing well after major back surgery last week -- yet another prepares cast & crew for our production of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot -- Midsummer Night's Dream. (I get to do makeup and managing for that one, too.)

A wandering minstrel I,

A thing of shreds & patches ...

I'll close for now. Marc Decascos may appear on tonight's show ... We shall see.

Solemn Thoughts & Silly Season

This says it all --

The debate continues -- have we passed into "little old lady land" or not? I confess that, yes, I'm solidly in the middle ages; however, Joy & Karen insist that they are LOLs ... though most of the time we can't take advantage of senior discounts. Ah, well, I guess I have a day pass (or perhaps it's a night pass) since my students DO believe I'm younger than the age courtesy of my birth certificate. I just don't let them know how long I've been teaching; they can do the math after I tell them how many years I've taught in DISD.

Unfortunately, being a LOL isn't all it's cut out to be. My mom has all sorts of health issues as she grows older -- and, if memory serves me correctly, the issues won't go away -- and her parents lived well into their 90s. A friend at school nearly ruined her health taking care of her elderly mother ... and the list goes on. The "golden years" turn out to be plated, not 14K solid gold.

On an even more serious note, one of my oldest friends is being treated for Stage 4 lymphomic cancer ... After Karyl moved back to Alabama, we became long distance e-mail and letter friends; this summer, she dropped out of sight after she and her mom moved out of the family house in Birmingham. Thanks to e-mail, her sister could update us -- and her last message was to my Gmail account in September. I missed it then ... and Joy got the update before I did since I seldom check my Gmail. Many prayers will wing their way to St. Peregrin & St. Luke for strength (for her recovery) and inspiration (for her physicians) as she battles for her life.

But on the flip-side, it was Rally Day at St. Lawrence's Church today. Has a NASCAR flavor, doesn't it? Let me tell you, these people know how to have fun ... oh, yes, we had coffee and cookies at some of the booths that were out to recruit new blood into the various organizations. I now belong to two: the St. Lawrence Chorale [choir] and the Ladies of Mary of Walsingham [very Olde Schoole -- founded in 1061 in Norfolk, England! The choir offered sushi (at 10 AM!) and mimosas (yes, I imbibed). Another group had chocolate martinis (yum! they had me at chocolate), the ubiquitous Swedish meatballs (Bab 5 creator J. Michael Strazinski implied that all cultures in the galaxies had a similar dish.), and much more. I mixed and mingled -- as per orders of our choir master -- and met a few more people. With 241 families, I now have a few strands into this larger church. THEY say they're small; but my old parish had less than 1/10 as many people. It may be small compared with the mega-church down the road (also seen from Cherry Court), but it's mighty ... As I recall, I'm going to persuade the girls to do something for the GRACE outreach center. A little charity is good for the soul.

Randomizer Thoughts

The Best Doctor Ever?

For the 21st century, a definite yes~ though you're always remember your first with fond memories. Tom Baker, Doctor 4, brought me into the Doctor Who universe -- and I bet he made fans out of many of the people who now produce (and act) in the show. Still, after Eccleston brought the show back from its long dormancy, Tennant was simply brilliant (to use his own catch phrase). Russell T. Davies resurrected some of the best of the old monsters, a tradition that Steven Moffatt has continued ... though he's added his own twists to the DW mythos that some older fans take umbrage to. (Don't get Joy started on the River Song storyline ... I liked it, but she did not. Spoilers!)

So far, after 8 weeks of school, classes have settled into a routine (more or less). Although we teach more classes, most classes are smaller than last year ... unless you teach English III or IV, where the classes hit 30+. The 10th grade team offered to take up the slack -- even if it's only in one class -- but the powers-that-be declined to consider our offer. Ah, well, we tried. Speaking of which, I must remember to write out the lesson plan & copy it -- It's not a complicated plan (except for the cursed TEKS numbers), but it must be done ... People are counting coup this year; we suspect that the interim administrators need to justify their jobs.

However, I neglected to comment about our last 2 weekends at Four Winds Faire. If Joy took pix, I'll post them ... The Celtic Music Festival, alas, was sparsely attended -- and I suspect did not earn the performers' fees. Last year, we had less than 20 folks come; luckily, one was my friend Marcia who drove in from Flint. Where's Flint? You're asking little old me from DFW? All I can say is that it's a small town in East Texas off Highway 110. Tyler is the largest town near it ... Marcia came to visit both weekends; we talked dolls and enjoyed good music -- although I hadn't quite expected a South rock jam session at the end of CMF. That's all right -- it just shows the connection from Celtic music to folk to "Southern rock" to current country. Besides, all of us rocked right along with the performers.

The following weekend brought the first Wild West Steampunk Exhibition at Four Winds. The belly dancers became "Desi D. Mona and her slightly soiled doves;" the cavaliers became gunfighters and the sheriffs. (Yes, we had shootouts at the tavern -- I mean, the saloon. (Ye Olde Tavern has gotten a massive facelift, with a complete sound stage, raised performance area, and an upstairs. Right now it plays the role of a haunted house.) We had more people this weekend, including part of the Court (dressed as Edwardian ladies & gentlemen), although still more were needed. For Owl Moon Studios, they were rather successful weekends; we made some new contacts and some cash. Dustin says the WWSE will continue in 2012. Yeehaw!!

Beauty & the Beast -- BJD style

Colette & Jurgis

Joy-Joy and I have dolls playing the roles of Beauty & the Beast ... more to follow.

Falling into October

Quetzalquatl Rising

Another season passed between blogging entries. As an update, we moved from Lancaster to Southlake -- about 50 miles as the owl flies, but drastically different in cultural attitudes. Folks from South Dallas and Wilmer-Hutchins have continued the western migration, and most of the southern Dallas County has a minority slant ... whereas Southlake remains unremittingly Anglo in contrast. Plus, I suspect that there aren't any LEP or SED students in the area. Believe me, if you glimpse a person of color around this town, he or she either works for someone or earns twice my salary.

Also, the school year brings its own new stresses as we move from TAKS to EOC ... The new test looks like a pre-AP test; I wonder how long it will take before the powers-that-be notice that the "learning curve" to pass the test for graduation will take longer than 4 years ... and they claim that LEP kids won't get an exemption once they're in regular classes.

Enough boring stuff -- Joy and I went out to Four Winds for the Celtic Music Festival. They had a small crowd; as usual, the advertising came out at the last minute. Worse, there were 2 state fairs, Canton First Monday, TJC football game, and who knows what else competing for people. Two friends of ours showed up, which improved the day -- and we did sell a little jewelry. Of course, we spent some on a new hat for a BJD and a new CD by Jed Marum, the "Yankee in Texas." Unfortunately, the Southern rockers took over the final set, so Jed put away the sound system and didn't sing. A disappointment because I hadn't had a chance to listen to him perform this year -- and he was one reason why we chose to go.

This weekend brings the first Wild West/Steampunk Weekend at Four Winds. I don't know how it will go -- for all of social media's claims to put you in contact with other people, I haven't seen impressive results. As Hope says, until you see the people in the audience, you can't count on their online promises to attend. My only concern comes from teaching on Monday ... though, if it's an A-Day, I'll only have 3 classes ... that might not be too bad. Ah, corsets and clockwork (to quote a book title) promise to create a memorable weekend.