To My "Family" in the Rogue Valley Theatre Scene

To My "Family" in the Rogue Valley Theatre Scene:

Part of me wishes I could stay with you forever---

Each time I am with you I experience all of our moments in one heartbeat,

The late night rehearsals, the friendship bonds built alongside the stories and characters we created for the stage, the euphoria of the exhilarating high of a strong performance, the heart break of the last show---

Each time I step into that place we forever made sacred, each time my eyes meet yours, I long to stay here with you forever---

But even as my heart yearns for, beckons for you, my body and soul are turning, turning, turning--

I must be off to new adventures, new places to see, new faces to carve out a place in my heart alongside yours, where it will forever remain

New places, new faces

To stand on new stages becoming sacred homes, I am a rolling stone, I gather no moss

I turn to you, my fingers reaching out for your hands to cling to a memory as they slip from your grasp---

I am proud of you, proud for you, proud with you

I love you, am grateful for you, each face, each moment---

I am running to you, as you fade from me.

The Madness of The March Hare!!!!

In my prior life, I was a Butcher's wife in the slums of London in 1855.  After my husband passed, I was left with the business and our 6 little children.  With not a lot of money after the funeral expenses were paid off, I took to hunting down the local stray animals, and sometimes those pets of local families, and slaughtering them to sell.  The rich buyers of my goods always liked the best meats and finest delicacies of that fashion.  I made up names for these deceased pets or rather said they were of different animal origins...but I was being watched.  By a witch, who seeing my evil misdeeds and lying ways, punished me by magically whisking me away to this strange place I would come to know as Wonderland.

Upon arriving, my form changed from human into a sort of animal form, that of a Hare.  It was early March at the time, which prompted being called the "March Hare" by a local hatter, mad as he was, who happened to find me first, when I was wandering in the woods confused on my first day of arrival.  He took me under his guidance, or control, taught me the ways of Wonderland, shared his glue, and helped me along the path to madness.  Finally, all hope lost of ever returning to my former life and sense forgetting there ever was one, I set up house and home, building an abode whose resemblance looked uncannily liked my new physical form.  So, beautiful it was, both inside and out, that I, in my madness, decided it was too perfect to live in so set up my existence in the outside, with a lovely tea table laid out for myself and company, mainly the Mad Hatter.

One day on his walk to my house, he found a little Dormouse, stranded, soaking wet, and afraid.  He brought her to me and I took her in, sort of as a motherly role, although without any degree of affection but more out of duty or a remembrance of past child-raising.

Then, one fateful day while at a concert held in the Red Queen's honour, my madness in full swing, the Hatter made a grave error in angering Father Time while performing a song.  In punishment for this crime, he and I (for I was deemed accomplice) were whisked immediately and without any ability to protest to my tea-table for an eternal 6:00 tea time, never to move forward or even backward.

However, in my duranged mind, the sameness of life seems somehow comforting and I find peace, in some ways, with the routine, my mind doing its best to blank out the negative side-effects of my current life situation.  All seems to be going well with my life neatly arranged, always the same and what I can control until one day, one not so good day, when a little girl shows up...

Find out what happens and see more of my crazy adventures and those of my friends starting next Thursday, 11/20 at the Bellview Grange's Theatre Convivio's production of "Alice in Wonderland".

Alice In Wonderland Event Invite

Lewis Caroll's "Alice In Wonderland" is adapted by Evalyn Hansen.  It is directed by Richard Heller and stars McKenzie Baratta as Alice.  The show runs from November 20th through December 6th at Theatre Convivio in Ashland, Oregon.

Meet Alan Cummings!

Oi!  Its me, Alan, I'm just a regular chap from London, that is until I found myself here in Wonderland.

How did I get here, you ask? Well...that's a rather interesting tale, indeed.  See, I was visiting my Grand Aunt Stella's estate and while hunting with my Grand Uncle and my Pa, one of the beagles ran off, Missy, to be exact.  Always loved that girl the best.  Well, she ran off and I chased her down...down is right, right down this magical rabbit hole, turned out to be quite an adventure after that.

Times being what they were and needed to earn my keep until I could afford a ticket back to London, I took the position as head gardner to the queen, however, I did not know when taking the position all that would entail...such as being flattened and turned into a card, truly, the #2 of Spades, mind you!

Oi!  And, to make matters worse, I'm put in charge of these two schmucks known hereafter as #5 and #7, you can't even imagine the trouble they've caused me!

See more of my crazy adventures and those of my friends starting next Thursday, 11/20 at the Bellview Grange's Theatre Convivio's production of "Alice in Wonderland".

Alice In Wonderland Event Invite

Lewis Caroll's "Alice In Wonderland" is adapted by Evalyn Hansen.  It is directed by Richard Heller and stars McKenzie Baratta as Alice.  The show runs from November 20th through December 6th at Theatre Convivio in Ashland, Oregon.

Meet The Fish!

Hello there, Allow me to introduce myself; my name WAS Sir Edward Lightfoot, from the mystical land of Archelia, where I was the main Lord of the land, for a time, that is, until---

Anyway, the community was a small fishing village, where I made my wealth with the taxing of the townsfolk (perhaps a little too much, I do admit now, regretfully).  With this money, I had myself knighted, even though I never fought any battles.  I lived this life in a sense of pride and entitlement until one fateful day---

On that day, a mysterious, old, traveling woman came through town selling her wares of magic.  I wanting to have that magic for myself, but she, knowing I meant this for evil gain, spirited me away to Wonderland as punishment for my evil deeds.  Upon coming into that land, I was made personal footman to the Red Queen, something that would have caused great pride, if I hadn't been turned into a sort of half-man, half-fish creature as further punishment.

The frog-footman, a distant relative of mine from somewhere, is my counterpart in service to the Duchess.  I do not like him, as this stems from my past life with him in the land of Archelia, however I do not remember this life whatsoever.  I only know that I hate him still but thankfully feel myself superior to him because of who I serve in comparison with his mistress.

See more of my crazy adventures and those of my friends starting next Thursday, 11/20 at the Bellview Grange's Theatre Convivio's production of "Alice in Wonderland".

Alice In Wonderland Event Invite

Lewis Caroll's "Alice In Wonderland" is adapted by Evalyn Hansen.  It is directed by Richard Heller and stars McKenzie Baratta as Alice.  The show runs from November 20th through December 6th at Theatre Convivio in Ashland, Oregon.

The Nature of Community Theatre...

...Or Why I Love It So Much...

I have spoken often about my love for acting in that of the development of character work and study.  But, today I want to reveal the "community" aspect of it, the building of family in the process of birthing the show, this camarederie and friendship that lasts long after the final show, curtain call, and applause---especially if the show is not the best material, for in the case of the a show with a great storyline, plot, character dimension, I get lost in just that and the family dynamic takes a second place, not less important but less of a focus.

But, its in the process of rehearsals where you begin not knowing not only the script and characters but the people you are performing with, (even though sometimes you have worked with a few before its always a different flavor and feeling in a new show, a new cast, etc) are foreign to you until the building of the play begins.  In that time period, an explosion of creativity takes place where cast and crew begin to meld into one and bond in a way very unique to that particular moment and time.

Long story short, community theatre puts the "common unity" back into theatre.

The "Light" Heals the "Sensitive"

I am Edna Miles.  I am a 38 year old woman still living with my parents in New York City, on 85th and Madison.

When I was 12 years old, I came down with polio which left me with a slight limp and other deformities.  Despite these infirmities, I was quite well and socially adjusted, or just buried the psychological trauma and guilt from my father's mental and physical abuse, however, when I was 16 my brother, Andrew, became sicker due to a complication with diabetes.  Due to my guilt for taking away his treatment from him when I was sick, I became his caretaker.  Through this, I learned how to nurse "terminal" patients by his nursing staff.  I graduated high school but did not immediately go into university until my brother passed when I was 20.

At that age, I went back to school, assuming that I would study to be a nurse, as according to my father that's all I could do and what was acceptable for me.  However, I was never very good in my science classes or my pre-reqs because my heart was never in this.

When I was 21, my father set me up with Gary, a son of one of his associate partners at his law firm.  This was seen as an appropriate marriage arrangement for both families.  Gary had a slight learning disability which made him socially awkward but in the time we spent together he began to bloom.  I dropped out of college at 22 to plan for our wedding, however, two weeks before our wedding I found him in bed with another woman.  I assumed that his unfaithfulness was due to the fact that I wasn't pretty enough, due to my deformity.

After that time, I buried into myself, my church, and my familial obligations.  Several family members got sick and I became sole caretaker until their deaths.  I felt as if I had let my family down in so many ways and became more and more downtrodden as I believed the garbage my father threw at me.  However, deep within, there is still a spark of strength and hope....

Choosing to get involved with the "Lighthouse" is my last ditch effort to prove my own self worth and go beyond what others think of me.

My inner desire is to be the object of one's own affection and that of others.  I seek to be truly seen and accepted for who I am, not what I am supposed to be my others' standards.  The goal for all of us in this story is to escape the suffering and madness that is our own reality and strive to be believe in love and hope.

I learn through my time with Tom that I am a bringer of hope and healing as I have found my own strength to heal and persevere with the eternal hope.  Through my own healing, I am able to pass that hope onto others and to allow them to find their own hope and healing.

I am the Wounded Healer.

Theatre Convivio's "Light Sensitive" opens December 5th at 8:00 pm and runs through December 22nd.

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