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.