Thursday Big Pic Post: Good Things Of The Week!

My Daughter and I ran the Warrior Dash!

(This is us coming out of the final mud pit, where we crawled under barbed wire, and headed for the finish!)

Of course, before the finish came the “jumping over flaming logs” part of the obstacle course…

And at the finish line, they gave us our medals and water!

In other life news, we’re doing very fun research for boom, the next show I’m directing at Williamston Theatre:

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And, because I thought it was fun:  Family and friends recently went to see a couple episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation that were showing on the big screen.  (They’re remastering the series, so there was a big event.)  We had a great time, and were laughing about being nerds when everyone suddenly realized our cell phones were a terrific mix of nerd-dom.  As we were looking at it, my son Max pulled his old-school Gameboy out of his pocket (complete with Iron Man sticker), and added it to the group – it fit perfectly!

Tor.com has a very cool blog post by Irene Gallo, exploring paintings that have books in them.

This is just one of them, it’s a fantastic collection, check it out!

And the last pic of the day: this is The Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids.  I’ll soon be directing a re-mount of Ernie here!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Pic Post: The Season, in Logo Form!

I’m incredibly excited about next season at the Williamston Theatre, and I’m in love with the logos for the upcoming shows! So, I thought I’d share them. I’ve added a blurb for each show, too, just for fun!

boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
Something is about to explode. A grad student’s online personal ad lures a mysterious journalism student to his subterranean research lab for a “casual encounter”, but there’s nothing casual about this particular evening! She discovers that he actually fears the end of the world is at hand… and from there things get weird! Will they survive? Will their casual encounter lead to another big bang? What’s going on in the fishbowl? What’s our place in the universe? And who is that woman playing the timpani!? This epic and intimate comedy spans billions of years and will keep you laughing ‘til the unexpected end!

Ebenezer by Joseph Zettelmaier *World Premiere*
It’s a cold Christmas Eve in London, and Ebenezer Scrooge sits in a hospital room. 15 years have passed since his miraculous transformation by the Ghosts of Christmas. Now renowned for his generosity and selflessness, his spirit still yearns to bring cheer to the world, but his flesh is weak. Such a little thing isn’t likely to stop the old man, though, for he has a plan up his sleeve that he hasn’t shared with his two troubled companions – Miss Poole, the nurse assigned to his care, and Tim Cratchit, recently returned from war in America. Over the course of the evening, these two lost souls bear witness to events they do not fully understand as the spirit of Christmas descends on Ebenezer once again.

End Days by Deborah Zoe Laufer
It’s 2003, and sixteen-year-old Rachel Stein is having a bad year. Her father hasn’t changed out of his pajamas since 9/11. Her mother has begun a close, personal relationship with Jesus. Her new neighbor, a sixteen-year-old Elvis impersonator, has fallen for her hard. And the Apocalypse is coming Wednesday. Her only hope is that Stephen Hawking will save them all. Hilariously funny and achingly poignant, End Days takes us on a wonderful journey exploring love, loss and the healing power of family.

Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell
What can you do when you realize that you’ve hit middle age, and your life has been shaped by choices made by everyone except you? The heroine in this actor’s tour-de-force is an ordinary middle class English housewife. As she prepares chips and egg for dinner, she ruminates on her life and tells the wall about her husband, her children, her past, and an invitation from a girlfriend to join her on holiday in Greece to search for romance and adventure. Ultimately, Shirley begins the process of shaping her life into something wonderful. This one-woman play became an instant classic the minute it premiered!

10:53 by Annie Martin *World Premiere*
The worst part of a hospital waiting room is normally the waiting but, in the midst of a prolonged family medical crisis, Kathryn Fuller regards the waiting room as a welcome refuge from her increasingly chaotic life. However, the real world quickly invades her new home away from home, and she’s surrounded with her over-the-top family life, rebellious, love-struck daughter and a mysterious stranger who, oddly, shows up at the same time every night. What happens when the universe decides our lives need a shaking up, whether we like it or not? Will Kathryn get drawn into the ridiculous comedy, drama, and potential romance swirling around her beloved waiting room, or will she burrow deeper into her seclusion from the world?

Tuna Does Vegas
by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed Howard.
Aral Gribble and Wayne David Parker reunite for the finale of our “Tuna Trilogy” as the lovable and eccentric characters from the ‘third smallest town in Texas’ as they take a rambling romp in Sin City. The hilarity begins when oddball-conservative radio host Arles Struvie announces on air that he and his wife Bertha Bumiller are heading to Vegas to renew their wedding vows…but everyone in Tuna, Texas goes along for the ride! is both an affectionate comment on small-town life as well as a hilarious satire of the same. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two actors, making this send-up on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna — men, women, Vegas showgirls, Elvis impersonators and more!

Monday Night Quotes and Pictures: Service

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
-Mahatma Gandhi

My wife and kids went on a Mission Trip with our church last week. They spent the week in the small town of Middleburgh, NY with about 30 members of our church. They helped with recovery efforts on a neighborhood destroyed by hurricane flooding. I’m so incredibly inspired by them, and proud of them.

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The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
-Proverbs, 11:25

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True leaders understand that leadership is not about them but about those they serve. It is not about exalting themselves but about lifting others up.
-Sheri L. Dew

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I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
-Rabindranath Tagore

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The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.
-Barack Obama

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The most worth-while thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others.
-Robert Baden-Powell

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A beautiful night

It’s gorgeous out. I’m on the back deck, just got back from a terrific night at the theatre – a great show, fabulous audience, good feelings all around.

Sitting out here, 68 degrees, everything’s wet from the rain, the wind blowing gently, the dogs chasing the ball, and each other, playing.

I look at the newest pictures I’ve acquired on my phone, and here’s this one – taken a couple days ago by our friend Teresa.

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What a picture. What a kid. I see the love of life he has in this picture, and his gentleness. And I think of how much I want to do right by him, how much I want to help him be the man he wants to be. Part of me wants to slow that down but, of course, I can’t – all I can do is try to be the best me I can be for him. Is it enough? I don’t know. Do we ever know?

And yet, as I sit here not knowing, I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet – for a lot of reasons, but mostly because he, his sister and his mom are in my life.

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Quotes of the week: Joy

“Joy is the food for human soul. Without it, life is a form of dying.”
– Franz Kafka

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“Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson.”
– Alan Cohen

If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth. — Mitsugi Saotome

A Post of Good Theatre Things!

A quickie post about some Good Theatre Things:

I’m pleased to report that Ernie by Mitch Albom, the show I directed at the City Theatre in Detroit, has been extended again through August 12th!  Ernie, which opened April 28th, is a crowd-pleaser!  I was there this weekend and felt very blessed to sit and watch the sold-out crowd of nearly 400 people love the show from beginning to end.  Very proud of the cast, crew, staff and whole team.

In other Good Theatre Things:
The Williamston Theatre is honored to lead the Wilde Award Nominations this year!

The Wilde Award Nominations have been announced and the Williamston Theatre leads all the Equity theatres in the state of Michigan with a total of 10 nominations!! Our production of The Dead Guy received more nominations than any other production in the state! Here’s a complete listing of the Williamston Theatre’s nominations:

The Dead Guy
Best Comedy (Tony Caselli, Director)
Best Actress – Comedy (Robin Lewis-Betz)
Best Actor – Comedy (Chris Korte)
Best Teamwork (Ian Page, Chris Purchis and Michelle Serje)
Best Lighting Design (Genesis Garza)

Dead Man’s Shoes
Best New Script (Joseph Zettelmaier)
Best Actor – Comedy (Paul Hopper)

And The Creek Don’t Rise
Best New Script (Joseph Zettelmaier)
Best Actress – Comedy (Kate Peckham)

The Usual: A Musical Love Story
Best Set Design (Daniel C. Walker)

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Detroit on August 21.

 

I’ve been honored to work on some wonderful projects with some wonderful people over the past year, and it still amazes me that I’m lucky enough and blessed enough to do what I do for a living.

In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.  –  Ralph Marston