Another One Bites the Dust - Dracula

As a disclaimer, I was originally slated to write and direct "Dracula" for LCP - I wanted to like this show, because I respect Kerry Waters and I know how hard she worked on the play - particularly at the last minute - however she succumbed to a crucial problem that people have with this show as a community theatre piece; being TOO faithful to Stoker's book.

For those of you who are not familiar with Stoker's book, it's written as letters and journals; it's not actually a straight narrative. The story needed to be adapted and severely cut so that the action found in the letters was extracted and put into the storyline; Ms. Waters didn't seem to be able to decide what was important to focus on and what wasn't. Unfortunately the night I saw it the sound effects were rather off their mark, and so the carriage ride she begins her story with was confusing as the clippety-clop of horses interrupted dialogue on stage. I recognize that it is the first time that Ms. Waters has written a script and directed for LCP, and I think it's a good thing for community theatre to give people the opportunity to try original pieces - however three hours of lights up, lights down, lights up, lights down and very little connective dialogue made for a confusing and rather dull show.

The allure of Dracula is fear itself in the form of seduction; there was nothing sexy, seducing or scary about this production. We are often titillated by what we fear the most - hence why Dracula is often associated with our own excesses and vices...wanting to indulge in what we know to be either profane or sinful, and suffering the consequences for pleasure goes hand-in-hand with this plotline. What is frightening isn't the obvious; what is frightening is often the beautiful, the lie that sounds completely sane and tempts us to do what we intuitively know we shouldn't, and to be drawn towards the darker parts of ourselves where we aren't sure we are necessarily in control. Renfield's insanity should be frightening because he makes more sense than anyone on stage at certain points in the show, as it is written in the book - he has a more intimate understanding of their reality except for Van Helsing and Dracula themselves.

Another profound disappointment was the nonexistent confrontation between Van Helsing and Dracula. Harker sleeps through most of the fights, Dracula's vixens mostly fight for him and enter far too soon on their cues to be a surprise to the audience, and Dracula himself dies not with a bang, but a whimper.

There is so much meat to explore here; the nature of being, of good and evil, of sacrifice, friendship, love and endurance...would you give your soul to save your lover? How can you curse the vampire for being true to his nature? He hunts, just as humans hunt deer - why is he wrong? Or why is Van Helsing's quest to annhiliate Dracula heroic - and is it, ultimately?

For Stoker, love is the highest of all virtues and because Dracula does not have a heart that can beat of it's own will, he must steal life from the blood of others; he is an abomination, a being cursed by God to feast upon men but never experience for himself his own blood to run hot with passion and cold with fear. This is why Van Helsing pities his enemy as much as he desires to destroy him - only the heartless can kill without remorse or regret...

And it's regretful I can't give a better review for all of the hard work Ms. Waters put into her show; I give her great admiration for finishing her script and getting it on stage - it's only through doing that you actually learn. I realize I am biased, but the show was nearly three hours long, and the original movie from 1931 ran about 76 minutes. The story is so familiar that it doesn't need to ponderously extrapolate the meaningless details of the book - audiences want action for this kind of show, and unfortunately there isn't much action happening except for the lighting guy.

Born Yesterday Delights

Although "Born Yesterday" has a slow start, I found that I was sucked into the story a little at a time and by the end of the show I understand Chmurynsky's observation that it's absolutely true that politics haven't changed since 1946 - except of course, that congressmen and women are bought most likely in less obvious ways. After the first part of the first act especially, the show sailed on by and was slick and well-directed. I enjoy shows where there isn't needless blocking created just to have movement on stage. There was obviously thought put into everything the characters do, and it's the little details that often make or break a play.

The gist of the show is that self-proclaimed "junk man" Harry Brock, played by Doak Bloss, wants to clean up on the iron and steel left over in Europe after WWII and doesn't want to deal with foreign policy and taxes cutting into his net profit. He "buys" a politician, in the sufficiently sleazy form of Jayke Pell, for around the sum of $80,000 - but his Jersey girlfriend doesn't exactly fit into Washington DC society and he hires a young man, Paul Verall, to educate her so she doesn't embarrass him.

Unfortunately Doak Bloss was terribly miscast in this role; the young man cast to 'educate' Billie Jean is played by Joseph Baumann, and he's quite a tall young man. Mr. Bloss just didn't have the physique nor the bluster to carry off the role of such a tyrannical business man. In fact, he was rather too reminiscent of Archie Bunker and not believable at all as someone who should demand respect. The first act felt slow in part because Mr. Bloss carried a great deal of the dialogue and he was incredibly difficult to understand. I give credit to Mr. Bloss for portraying Harry Brock as obnoxious - but he amounted to very little more than that.

As Mr. Baumann interacts with Billie Dawn, played by Emily Alaskon Himebaugh, the show really picks up and the fun starts. Both are newcomers to the Riverwalk stage and breathe energy and humor into the storyline. Mr. Baumann was able to mix the right amount of confusion into his relationship with Mrs. Alaskon Himebaugh on stage, and his condescending confidence towards the character of Harry Brock was amusing to watch.

Mrs. Alaskon Himebaugh as Billie Dawn, however, was the gem of the show. She commanded the stage in every scene and matured from being whiney and spoiled to becoming her own person. She made the transition believable; the dumb-woman-turned-intuitive-and-suddenly-intelligent has been done on stage and screen so many times so unrealistically...Mrs. Alaskon Himebaugh never allows her character to suddenly become something she isn't - she acknowledges her flaws, makes no apology for them, and her decisions become something believable rather than contrived.

There are several other treats that come in the show - Merrill Wyble and Marilyn Steegstra are on stage for only a very short time, but their appearance is something to look forward to. Philip Himebaugh appears on stage only twice, but he makes his stage time count.

Susan Chmurynksy has a delightful show, and though slow to start has a powerhouse ending. And by the way - this is one of the most elegant sets I've seen on Riverwalk's stage in some time - Craig Mitchell Smith's scenography is glorious. It's well-built and well-suited for the needs of the storyline. The costumes were lovely and the tech all-around was well done.

The show plays for one more weekend - call 482-5700 for reservations for visit www.riverwalktheatre.com

Drinking in Milk Wood

In Elizabethan England it was said that people went to go “hear” a play – auditoriums were crammed so closely together with patrons that the stage often could not be entirely seen. There were also groundlings that stood in front of the stage because it was cheaper than a seat at theatres like the Globe, the Swan and the Rose, and roamed about while eating nuts and oranges, somewhat blocking the view for some of the other patrons. Many of these theatres were built in the round – and so to sit nearly behind the stage also provided constraints on what one could see. Though the theatres were about three stories high, the poorer people needed to depend on their sense of hearing to get the gist of the show, typically. And sometimes if you had a seat, the view was completely blocked by the architecture of the theatre itself– this is why Shakespeare’s plays were performed out in the open on a thrust stage, without a set. People listened to the story as it unfolded, and that is also why iambic pentameter, the soliloquy and prose were so important to the audiences to recognize – they indicated a change in mood, in action or setting. One had to listen in order to understand the exposition, arc and dénouement of the play…

And the art of listening is something that became compromised with the ever-advancing intrigues of technology; we use our eyes so much more than any other sense for entertainment. Perhaps the current equivalent of a groundling could be considered a mosh pit for rock concerts. We are constantly visually stimulated in this world – there is so much to see, and so much for our eyes to focus on. We even text rather than call, email instead of hand write a letter. You’re on the internet right now reading, in fact, instead of talking to me about my thoughts of theatre and art…

Under Milk Wood was a joy to listen to because even when I got lost with some of the storylines, I could still take great pleasure by closing my eyes and simply listening to the beautiful voices on stage – eager to tell a story, crisply connecting the words of Dylan Thomas’ world together in an art form that is vastly unappreciated today. We have things to do, people to see and places to go and just don’t take the time to stop and really listen. People are pushed in this ADD society for constant stimulus – and they get bored easily if not given more than one thing to focus on at a time.

It was a delectable treat for my ears to retreat for awhile from the stimulation of having to watch for a sight gag or be annoyed by an actor’s tics, costumes or set. Time slowed down for a little while, and I could focus on the beauty of the words, and the beauty of the voices I was listening to. I was able to let go of everything else and simply slow down and let my other senses rest while I got caught up in the eloquence of language, the different voices, the fantastic characterizations, and the streaming thoughts of another person from another time and place.

Joe Dickson was notably expressive – I can’t imagine this is easy reading, and he was also able to use his face to convey more to the meaning of the words he spoke. I was listening to the difference in tambour of the voices on stage – James Houska falling into distinctly separate characters both funny and sad, Brenda McKenzie bringing up visions of a town gossip, Linda Gras as a cantankerous neighbor, Bob Gras as the narrator for the most part, though split as the observer’s voice with Joe Dickson, LeAnn Dethlefsen as a forlorn lover – and Rick Dethlefsen delivered my absolute favorite line of the show with a perfection of texture and richness that I still smile to recall it. This short list really does dis-service to all of the characters these fine voices brought life to – there was just too much for me to keep up and describe…

This show certainly isn’t for everyone; in fact, it’s probably something very few people would enjoy at all. There is no visual stimulation, really – the actors focus on the story and in telling it; that is what is unique about this production. There are no costumes to judge, no set to bother with, no action to critique…the charm of the show lies in the voices Mr. Gras chose to tell Dylan Thomas’ story.

But – if you want to slow down, if you want to rest your eyes and open up your imagination, then Under Milk Wood may be something for you to try. At least for me I found it soothing, and a bit sad at times, humorous at others – and absolutely human. If nothing else, I was able to take two hours, let my other senses rest, and listened to the popping combination of consonance and alliterative dancing ~ and I left thoroughly relaxed.

Under Milkwood runs again this weekend at the Creole Gallery. For more information go to www.riverwalktheatre.org

Under Milk Wood

UNDER MILK WOOD

A Play for Voices
By Dylan Thomas

Directed by Bob Gras

Here is Dylan Thomas’s sense of the magnificent flavor and variety of life. Moving, hilarious — a spring day in a Welsh coast town dawns with dreams and ghosts, moves through the brilliant, noisy day of the townspeople, and closes as the “rain of dusk brings on the bawdy night.”

Performansces run Octover 17-19 & 14-26

Tickets are $12



Black Box shows perform at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St. in Lansing's Old Town
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Additional information about Dylan Thomas:

Often considered his greatest single work is Under Milk Wood, a radio play featuring the characters of Llareggub, a fictional Welsh fishing village (humorously named; note that 'Llareggub' is 'Bugger All' backwards, implying that there is absolutely nothing to do there). Richard Burton starred in the first broadcast; he was joined by Elizabeth Taylor in a subsequent film.

Dylan Thomas was born in Wales in 1914. He was a neurotic, sickly child who shied away from school and preferred reading on his own; he read all of D. H. Lawrence's poetry, impressed by Lawrence's descriptions of a vivid natural world. Fascinated by language, he excelled in English and reading, but neglected other subjects and dropped out of school at sixteen. His first book, Eighteen Poems, was published to great acclaim when he was twenty. Thomas did not sympathize with T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden's thematic concerns with social and intellectual issues, and his writing, with its intense lyricism and highly charged emotion, has more in common with the Romantic tradition.

Thomas first visited America in January 1950, at the age of thirty-five. His reading tours of the United States, which did much to popularize the poetry reading as new medium for the art, are famous and notorious, for Thomas was the archetypal Romantic poet of the popular American imagination: he was flamboyantly theatrical, a heavy drinker, engaged in roaring disputes in public, and read his work aloud with tremendous depth of feeling.

May 1953 saw the world premiere of Thomas's play Under Milk Wood, with Thomas himself playing the part of the narrator. The assistant director was one Liz Reitell—it was Reitell's task to help put the play on the stage, including finding a suitable cast. Thomas engaged in a love affair with Reitell though, to her, their initial meeting was a disappointment. The play itself was a great triumph, even though the final draft for the ending of Under Milk Wood was completed just before the actors went on stage, with the help of Reitell herself. It was because of this performance that Thomas was asked to work on the libretto of an opera for the composer, Igor Stravinsky. Thomas's health rapidly began to deteriorate as a result of excessive drinking; he was warned by his doctor to give up alcohol but carried on regardless.

On 3 November 1953, Thomas and Reitell celebrated his 39th birthday and the success of 18 Poems. On 5 November, at the White Horse Tavern, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Thomas began to feel ill. He decided go back to his room at the Hotel Chelsea, where he later collapsed and slipped into a coma. An ambulance was called, which took him to St Vincent's Hospital. Thomas died four days later on 9 November 1953 at around 1 pm.

Recorded causes of death included pneumonia, a result of the coma, and pressure upon the brain. Emphysema was also noted, due to Thomas's smoking habit and possibly his intake of morphine. His liver, according to the pathologist, was surprisingly healthier than one would have imagined. "Chronic alcohol poisoning" was eventually ruled as the official cause of death.


His last words, according to Jack Heliker, were: "After 40 years, this is all I've done." However, various sources state that Thomas's last words were to Reitell: "Yes, I believe you," after she tried to reassure him about his sudden illness. Others say his last words were, "I love you, but I am alone," again said to Liz Reitell. A popular myth is that Thomas's last words were, "I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that is a record."

It has also been said that the only person to be in the room with Dylan Thomas when he died was the poet John Berryman.

According to Walford Davies, after he went into a coma he was accidentally injected with an overdose of morphine.[15]


Following his death, his body was brought back to Wales for his burial in the village churchyard at Laugharne on 25 November. One of the last people to stay at his graveside after the funeral was his mother, Florence. His wife, Caitlin, died in 1994 and was buried alongside him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_Thomas

"For Kathe"

I'd like to put some promo out there for “The Kathe” show - It will be performed at the Grand Ledge Opera house on Oct 26th at 3:00PM.

As you might remember Kathe was stricken by a stoke 3 months ago. Since then she has made a steady recovery but medical bills have also been steadily increasing. The theme for the event is people who performed with Kathe performing "For Kathe."

Seven different performance venues where Kathe has performed will provide musical entertainment in our beautiful Grand Ledge Opera House.

For more information call 627-1443 or 626-5170 - tickets are $25/person.

Not Wanting to Leave, "Leaving Iowa"

Before I get to "Leaving Iowa," I'd like to preface my review with a few words about another show.

I'd seen "Art" quite a few years back and found it utterly pretentious and absolutely dull. I was bored the entire way through the play, so when I heard "Art" was making a comeback and Bruce was cast in it, I was worried. I wanted to like it for him, of course - but I had such a bad taste in my mouth from the first time I saw it that I really dreaded opening night.

Last season it was The Williamston Theatre who presented "Art" - and I was completely blown away. I was thoroughly engaged in the cerebral humor, and quickly found out that Tony Caselli was able to bring out the meaty emotions in the show easily - it was fierce and fast-moving. That show was a totally different production in every way possible, except for the white painting, than the show I'd seen before.

Caselli had this innate talent to extract from the script the intricacies of friendship, and his show was just as funny as it was frenetic. In fact, there was constant movement and constant contention amongst this group of three intellectuals that was incisive and intense, and left me wanting more..."Art" went from a show that I absolutely abhorred to my gaining my admiration and respect. Caselli was not afraid to let these men become vicious, venal and victimized. He pulled out the heart of friendship, dissected it, and put it back together - as best as a friendship can be sewn back together after betrayals occur - for the audience to absorb as they left the theatre.

"Leaving Iowa" is just as passionate - though this time director Caselli chose a play that focuses on family. It's much more gentle, though just as quick-witted and moves at the same breakneck speed as "Art," with all of the insights now tuned into the intricacies of time, and the memories of childhood that hook back into the business of today. The particular business of today involves the Browning family, a distant son, an urn of his father's ashes, and a "damned adventure."

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of "Leaving Iowa" is the ability of John Lepard and Teri Clark Linden to revert to children and back to adults with subtly but absolute accuracy. As children, they reincarnate all of the emotions and antics you could observe in any backseat, in any family, taking a road trip and making stops on the way for their yearly vacation. It's as if Mr. Lepard and Ms. Linden open up and invite the inner children in themselves to take over, playing these parts with uninhibited energy. Mr. Lepard had the more difficult role of needing to transition more often on stage while telling the audience about memories of his family - and with a simple slump of the shoulders and bent head, the transformation was made. And yet, there were other times he threw himself to the floor with with wild abandon as a frustrated child throwing a tantrum.

The energy of Ms. Linden was magnetic; she channels a bratty, conniving older sister without being over the top or making it 'feel' like she's acting. It's totally natural to watch her tease Mr. Lepard with obnoxious gloating, and laugh at her antics as she does so.

Hugh Maguire and Ann Miranda also channel very real parents who just want to have fun on their family vacation, and fall victim to the traps and frustrations inherent in trying to please everyone. Mr. Maguire is heartbreaking at times as the father doing his best to make his children happy - he is the salt of the earth, earning him the respect of his children as they become adults, but for his son, a bit too late. Ms. Miranda played the loving wife, giving an intimate look into a woman who is loyal to her husband, tries to keep the peace with her kids, and yet has her own quirks and worries made known as the show progresses.

The last actor of "Leaving Iowa" plays just about every person Mr. Lepard meets as he tries to find a respectable place to leave his father's ashes. Bruce Bennett played so many roles I lost count because I was so enthralled with the movement of the show. He was easily able play everything from a mullet-owning-skillet-wielding fry cook to a cynical professor playing darts and drinking beer. But his best performance was that of Mr. Peneplain, the owner of the hog farm that sits in the exact center of the United States. His scene with Ms. Miranda and Mr. Lepard is gentle, moving, and so very sweet. Mr. Bennett purrs with the understanding of what Mr. Lepard needs to do for his father, and helped to set the mood for the end of the show, beautifully fulfilled by Mr. Lepard, by leading the audience into a more somber scene at a slower pace.

I do believe that professional productions should be held to a higher standard of criticism because the people involved are paid for what they do, they make their living at it, and they compete - sometimes fiercely - for these roles. Caselli has a gift in casting the right people in the right parts - just because a theatre is professional doesn't necessarily mean that all of the shows are going to be better than what you might see in a community theatre. I've seen many shows at LCP and Riverwalk that have blown me away - so getting paid doesn't necessarily make you a better actor. It's the director's job to cast the right people to carry out the intent of the show - Caselli is a master with this talent. He understands the art of humor, poignancy, and the complexities of getting an author's point across without trampling it, changing it, or falling into the trap of losing the audience with lachrymose endings.

There was not a weak link in this cast - staged on a mostly bare set, "Leaving Iowa" hits you where you live - it's as intense as "Art" but infinitely more gentle. I'm not sure as many people could really relate to the core of "Art," however "Leaving Iowa" will pluck upon the chords of memory to everyone who sees it.









October 2 - November 9, 2008
A warm, nostalgic and moving comedy about a man who returns to his childhood home in the Midwest following the death of his father. On his quest for the perfect place to scatter his father's ashes, he relives the family vacations he spent trapped in the backseat of their station wagon.

"4 out of Fordyce... you want to get your tickets to this show RIGHT NOW."~ Jim Fordyce, MIEntertainment.com Click here to read entire review.


Performances are Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Please note there is no 3pm matinee on Saturday, October 4.

Tickets Prices: Pay-What-You-Can ~ Thursday, October 2
Preview performances ~ $15, October 3 - 9
Thursday evenings ~ $18
Friday and Saturday evenings ~ $24
Saturday and Sunday matinees ~ $20

Taking Kerry Waters' Pulse on Writing Dracula

1. First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up in Marshall where I began acting in television commercials in front of the bathroom mirror at around the age of 2. I finally got on stage in middle school and then in high school I met the most inspirational person of my life Max Bush, my theatre teacher. It would fills pages to discribe all he did for me, let's just say he gave me most of the theatre tools (and many life tools) I still use today. I have been in Lansing since 1984 and active in theatre here since 1994.

2. You wrote this script for Dracula - how did you decide what the first sentence of the show should be, given there have been many versions of Bram Stoker's book written? Did you try to stay faithful to the book?
The beginning was the hardest part. I knew I was going to have to condense the story alot. In re-reading the novel, Jonathan's voice spoke to me the loudest and I knew I had to start with him and his journey. Many of the plays I've seen start after Dracula comes to London so they can play all the 'effects' without the history. I love history. Yes. I believe I stayed completely faithful to the book with most of it's melodrama intact.

3. How does it feel to have the words you've written acted out in front of you?
Bizarre and wonderful. The cast is truly excellent and I find myself getting lost in the story and thinking damn this is good.... I wrote this?! .... Wow.

4. Is this the first time you've written a play?
Full length, yes. I have written many teleplays that were filmed at church; one-acts; and many skits.

5. What are you particularly proud of about this show?
My cast, have I mentioned they are excellent? And within that, I'm most proud of my casting choices, casting against anything most people have seen them in. For example, Jay Hansor (who is playing Renfield) has always been cast as the doctor, lawyer, sheriff, the stalwart guy, not allowing him to show his full talent. Having been in Actors Workshop with Jay I knew his talent ran very deep and I believe the audience that has seen him in other roles will be blown away by how talented he is.

6. Do you have any advice for anyone writing a play of their own?
Only do it if you are passionate about it. You must invest so much of yourself, not to mention the hours and hours, that what you are writing must be able to sustain you.

7. Why do you think people should come to see theatre? Why is it important?
Because it's live and it's life. I feel you see truer dipictions of life and more well rounded characters on the stage. The story is more immediate because it is being performed for you not the camera.

8. You're an actress as well - can you name some of the parts you've enjoyed playing the most over the years?
There have been many, I feel truly blessed but to name a few: Jeanette in The Full Monty; The Reader in Far East; Claire in A Delicate Balance; and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Quick Questions

1. Would you write another version of a classic if you had the opportunity to do so? And what would it be?
I've been thinking of that, currently on my mind are Frankenstein, A Cask of Amantillado, and Jane Eyre.

2. What is your favorite play/musical?
Play: Three Tall Women

Musical: Les Miserables

3. Do you have any theatre superstitions?
Nope

4. Favorite line of any show?
Miss Lucy. I know I ain't good enough to regulate the fixin' of your dainty little shoes but, well, won't you just hitch up along-side of me and let us go down the long road together, driving in double harness?

5. Would you like to write a haiku for the end of your interview about how you're feeling right now?

Theatre is my life
It is what helps me to breathe
Without it I die

Dracula

Written and Directed by Kerry Waters

October 24-26 & November 2, 2008 Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm
Performances are at the Hannah Community Center819 Abbott Rd., East Lansing, MI
Call: 517-484-9191 for reservations

Truly You - Enter the Center

Since we have broached the subject of self-awareness, I want to write a little bit about what that path to self-awareness is like, and how the journey begins.

It's not easy, and takes courage - but it's liberating if you can learn to get out of your own way and allow what is meant to be yours to come to you, and learn to live in the moment. If you believe everything is perfect just as it is - no matter what your situation - then you become absolved of worry, of fear, and begin live in faith and love.

As with all journeys, though, it begins with a step, and a desire to go someplace new. When the place you're at isn't serving you anymore, and you're finally motivated to try something different, anything, then you know you're ready.

A very dear and respected associate of mine is beginning classes to help people discover parts of themselves they never realized existed - her tools are metaphysical, and are geared towards those who know that there is something more to life but don't really know what or where to look.

I consider Shey to be a mentor to me, and I would be happy to answer any questions, or send them on to Shey, about the workshop she will start this fall. Her hard-gained wisdom has come through a great many experiences which have shown her how to be the observer of her world, instead of falling prey to the pain of it. There is always hope, always light, always compassion, always beauty - it's just a matter of perspective.

Hope to see you there -

“Truly You-Enter the Center”

A Guided Mini-Series Event

November 9 &16 and December 7 & 14, 2008
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

only at

The Mountain Books & Gifts

Your personal truth is as individual as your facial features, your fingerprints, and your dreams…and as specific as the color of your skin, your eyes, your hair.

Your physical framework was given to you at birth - but you were also provided a personality framework – a foundation at your center that is “truly you.”

You have the key to enter the center, access the foundation and discover the treasures hidden there.

So our adventure begins with a treasure hunt. We seek the juicy center of your authentic self – the “truly you” that vibrates, yearns, strains to be liberated from old habits, beliefs and lessons that do not speak to who you really are…and the part that longs for the destiny you were meant to fulfill.

But we must start at the beginning and examine your personal owner’s manual. Our tools are numbers, Chinese astrology and intuitive insight.

Join us at our premiere session where you will receive a personal numerology review. The entry fee for the first of our four sessions is simply your birth date and your name as it appears on your birth certificate. There will be a $10 charge each for sessions two through four.

Call The Mountain at 321-1906 or Shey at 449-1495 to register.
Or visit The Mountain at 1208 Turner Street, Lansing.

Shey is the facilitator on our journey. She is a numerologist and intuitive consultant who has provided hundreds of personal sessions in mid-Michigan over the past ten years, as well as phone consultations across the country. Shey’s own personal journey required a total restructuring of her identity which opened access to new skills, guides and channeling, and, in short, blasted a giant hole in the middle of her own foundation (for those familiar with the tarot, just think “Tower”). From the chaos, however, has emerged a metaphysical philosophy that has worked again and again to change people’s lives. It is offered now for this exclusive four session series. Enjoy.

Permanent Collection, and Kristine Thatcher

Although BoarsHead is moving on to "All Childish Things," I was able to catch up with Kristine Thatcher and ask her a few questions about "Permanent Collection."

I'd like to start by mentioning that Tom Ferris directed "To Kill a Mockingbird," and it was intensely moving. While I was watching the scene in which the prosecutor called Tom Robinson "Boy" repeatedly, I could visibly see the audience shift nervously in their seats from the acrid tension acted out on stage.

It was very uncomfortable to watch, but it was also amazing to be a part of the audience and feel this collective anger towards the prosecution's table for Tom, the unfairly arrested black man. The show brought people together as a group, and close to outrage at times. Part of the genius of Harper Lee's play is that it shows people as flawed - and that not everyone has the capacity for compassion for all people, regardless of skin color. But it also gave the audience hope, in the form of Scout most specifically, that the rising generations would be able to understand each other without having to impose one's sense of righteousness based on race over another.

"Permanent Collection" is a bit more complicated, but the audience reaction was similar. In this case, both lead men, Sterling North and Paul Barrows, played by Alan Bomar Jones and Michael Joseph Mitchell respectively, aren't bad people - but they do have serious flaws and are both racist (from my perspective). Again, the audience as a collective group felt the tension on stage and reacted to it. Although I felt Mr. Jones was more aggressive in his acting style, both men betrayed their feelings of fear and dominance in myriad ways. They were both sexist, in part, elitist, afraid of change, and unwilling to compromise. Mr. Jones played the part as more of a racist, in my opinion, while Mr. Mitchell played the part of a racist who didn't realize he was one - a bit more subtly, but just as damaging - ignorance can be brutal. Both actors got their points across very well - their characters were so much alike but couldn't or wouldn't be willing to compromise. Through their own stubbornness they brought about their own demise. The voices of reason in this show came in the form of the women. They were tolerant and sensitive, and ultimately were able to put their egos aside to do the right thing for the art museum.

I would think staging a show with race at the heart of the material could be potentially volatile - and so I asked Kristine Thatcher, director of "Permanent Collection," why she chose this play and what impact she hoped it had on the patrons who saw it.

KRISTINE THATCHER

1. What appeals to you about this show?
I love this show because it never takes the easy way out. It is also written with sharp clarity and presents both Sterling’s point of view and Paul’s with equanimity. For a long time I did not want to know whether Thomas Gibbons, the playwright was black or white, because he presented both side so specifically.

2. Do you believe that the lead characters in the show are racist?
I know the actors playing the parts have suggested the characters are both racist in their own ways. I guess I’d like to leave it up to audience, to the people who come to see the show to make that call.

3. Why is this show relevant to Lansing Theatre?
I think the show is relevant everywhere in the United States. When you take a look at current national politics there is a direct parallel.

4. How much are these two characters, Sterling and Paul, alike?
I think they are very much alike, which is why they can’t hear each other. Whether we like to think so or not, there is a streak of racism in everyone.

5. What is the point the author is trying to make in Permanent Collection?
I think Thomas Gibbons is trying open up the dialogue regarding race in this country. We can’t get past our racial tensions until we’ve been absolutely honest with ourselves and each other.

6. Do either of the lead characters change at the end?
They don’t change as much as the character of Kanika who strikes out on her own at the end of the play. She goes back to what she is meant to do: teach.

7. The play seems quite unresolved – what is it that you hope the audience will take from the show as they leave the theatre?
It goes back to what I think Thomas Gibbons is trying to do with the play. Get people talking about the issues, about race in this country. Gibbons says it’s encoded. It’s a question of trying to read the intentions on a civilized face. I would ask your readers to go to youtube to see AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka’s speech on race in the current Obama-McCain campaign. That’s a good place to start our discussion.

Thank you, Kristine, for your time and for bringing to Lansing a show that definitely left the audience thinking about a very important issue - particularly in this election year.

If you have any thoughts about using theatre as a medium to raise the topic of race in a show as a tool to be honest with each other about our prejudices and fears, please feel free to leave your comments...

A Fun Drive with Susan Chmurynsky

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm a retired school librarian. Grew up in Grand Rapids. Taught for a couple of years in Denver and came "home" to get a library degree at Western Michigan U., then got a job in Lansing. Early on I found the Barn in Okemos which became my second home. Moved to GR in '87 to be close to my Mom and did no theater for 14 years. Came back to Lansing when I retired because my support system is here - my theater family. I have a brother who does movie and TV makeup. He's currently working with Tina Fey on "30 Rock"

2. Why did you choose "Born Yesterday?"

I chose "Born Yesterday" because I costumed it for LCP in the 80's (won a Players' Award). Reread the show to see how it held up and was startled to note how nothing has really changed in Washington DC. It's just a matter of scale. Besides it's a funny show.

3. What was the first show you acted in, and what was the first you directed?

I was an angel in a Christmas show in elementary school. I had to climb up a ladder and peep out of a fake cloud. The first show I directed was "The Wonderful Tang", a children's show, for the Barn in Okemos. That show has definitely NOT held up well over the years.

4. What made you decide you wanted to take that step from acting to directing?
I'm not really sure why I decided to direct. Maybe it's the teacher in me. I do enjoy talking about character and discussing why people in a play do what they do. Shaping a whole production, while all the details drive me insane, is kind of neat.

5. Why is Theatre important to you?
Theater is very important to me because it gives me an outlet for the goofy side of me as well as the creative side. It's also important because I truly love the people I get to work with.

6. Why is Theatre important period?
Theater is important period because it sheds light on people and events. If a show is good it will send the audience home thinking and talking about it. "Side Man" which I directed last year was a show people either loved or hated for a variety of reasons - lots of "language". They didn't just walk out the door and forget it. Theater can make people laugh which is really important in tough times. It can also make them cry and empathize with a character. When I was teaching reading plays was a good, painless way for kids to polish reading skills. It also helped them think creatively.

Quick Questions

1. What is your favorite show (musical or non)?
Mercy this one is hard. I once had a student say "Ms. C. EVERY book is your favorite book". I love comedies and musicals the most. "Avenue Q." has to be a favorite but then so is "Wonderful Town" - complete opposites on the goofy spectrum. I love to watch shows with great dancing.

2. Favorite line of any show?
One of my favorite lines comes from "The Little Foxes". Ben is talking about taking a train ride. He loves dining on trains because "the celery is so crisp." Don't ask me why that one stuck in my head.

3. Dream role, male or female, that you wish you could play?
I've always wanted to do the Mom in "Barefoot in the Park."

4. Share with us something that many people don't know about you...
Believe it or not I watch NASCAR racing.

5. Favorite word?
Right now my favorite word is citizen. Maybe freedom goes along with it because if we're not careful we'll lose what we treasure most. This is probably because I'm directing "Born Yesterday" right now and I don't know if we've learned anything since the show was produced in 1946.

Sue is directing "Born Yesterday" at the Riverwalk Theatre, slated to open October 23, 2008. Details to the production are below. Thanks for your time, Susan, and break a leg with your show!

BORN YESTERDAY

Oct 23-26 & Oct 30-Nov 2, 2008
Comedy by Garson Kanin Directed by Susan Chmurynsky

Harry Brock brings his ex-chorus-girl girlfriend to Washington where he’s making crooked deals with government big-wigs. Embarrassed by her lack of social graces, he hires an investigative reporter to educate her. What she learns about history, politics, and Harry’s true nature changes everything.

Call the Riverwalk Theatre at 482-5700 for Reservations!