Talk soon!

So please:

1. Write a letter to everyone involved who you can.

2. Make sure to keep Assemblyman Mike Gatto on our stupidity watch list (here is how to sign up for his updates. Notice what is not on his website yet. http://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/NewsletterPopup.php?district=AD43&

He is on Facebook too, but doesn’t seem to answer anything that isn’t positive. https://www.facebook.com/mikegatto?ref=notif&notif_t=friend_confirmed

By all means feel free to use my comments.

I just want to say “ditto” and add that thinking about what was waiting for me at the theatre– acceptance, friendship, a challenge– helped me get through the day, and inspired me to work a lot harder in school so I’d be able to keep participating in what I loved.

I also feel like theatre gave me discipline. The children were held to the same standards as adults in terms of being on time, being prepared, and working hard, and that’s stuck with me throughout my life.

I grew up as a Girl Scout – I’m talking K-12 – and it had a huge part in shaping who I am today: a tolerant, loving, respectful person. No, I’m not a self-proclaimed saint, but these are ideals that I still strive to achieve as an adult. I was taught that there are a lot of different types of people and cultures all over the world, that we should always be considerate to our environment, and that no matter how much we learn, there is always something else fascinating to discover around the corner that continually makes us a richer, well-rounded person.

Here’s the Girl Scout Promise:

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

And the Girl Scout Law:

I will do my best to be
Honest and Fair,
Friendly and Helpful,
Considerate and Caring,
Courageous and Strong, and
Responsible for what I say and do,
And to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

It’s only about living in a positive manner and the fact that such a great organization would be attacked by such negativity makes me very sad.

Apologies for the long post, but I obviously feel very strongly about this. And I will proudly continue to buy cookies every year!

I loved your piece on working with Neighborhood Councils. I agree that the arts community could benefit greatly by connecting with NCs and vice versa. Please call me so we can talk more about how we can help make those connections happen! I recently connected with Make Music LA folks who are reaching out to NCs to create music in neighborhoods!

bhk

For the projects that did speak to you, how did they appeal to you? What have been some “boosts” that compelled you to press “Donate”?

Also, it has a lot to do with the time of year. Early summer, and sometimes fall, are usually good times to ask me for money. Novemberish-tax time, not so much. And that just differs from person to person and when they have the ability (schedule wise) to donate.

I saw an RSC production in 2001 that I really liked… but it was so long ago now that I don’t recall the specifics.

I do enjoy the film version with Ben Kingsley as Feste, but again it’s been a few years since I’ve seen it.

And as a teenager, I played Orsino in a production that I’ll always remember fondly.

But it’s hard for me to pick out a particular live production that I feel really captures the fullness of the play. I guess I’m still waiting.

I haven’t seen She’s the Man so I don’t know where it went wrong, but I wasn’t inherently opposed to the idea. Hey, if it got any teenagers interested in reading 12th Night, I’m all for it.

It starts with death, but I’ve never felt the danger of Viola’s position . Maybe if we saw more of the port where she lands, maybe if there was any visual context placed into that first scene. Has anyone seen a Twelfth Night that did that?

And I think that an examination of the sadness that runs through life, interwoven with even the most joyous of occasions, is always relevant. Exploration of the tenuousness and beauty of the human condition: it’s what theatre is for.

I pondered this question while typing the word “relevant,” but couldn’t afford any further tangents in one article. I’m glad you brought up this question.

By “relevant,”I personally mean that the story (not necessarily the plot) is in the hearts and minds of people. In 2000 there were multiple productions of Hamlet all across the country, MacBeth & Julius Caesar in the late Bush era and we’ve discussed the rash of Measure For Measures lately. Those trends imply a communal need to explore certain stories, character traits, themes.

I ran into Mike McShane, who played Sir John for a couple of nights when Gregory Itzin wasn’t available, and he brought to my attention more of Sir John’s story, specifically his relationship with Olivia. What IS the theme of Twelfth Night? That may be why I never fully enjoyed it, because I never actually got a sense of the theme or meaning behind any of the merriment. Thinking further about talking to McShane, it could be deceit and when does joshing go too far? Maybe, but I would love to hear from others.

I didn’t see Noises Off, but I don’t think it will ever grow old for the theatre-making and theatre-going population: theatre-makers like to laugh at their own antics and theatre-goers like to feel they get a peek behind the scenes. Just like seeing Twelfth Night with excellent actors for an audience of classical theatre-lovers maybe doesn’t need relevance, if we are ever to attract the general public back to our seats, we should figure out What is Relevance and Is it Always Necessary?