BY KATIE WOODZICK
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
Dec. 9, 2015
On Friday, Dec.4, we opened “The Addams Family: A Musical” at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. During tech week, I snapped some photos backstage and in the dressing rooms.
We arrive at the theatre at 10:30 on Sunday morning. First order of business is the cue to cue, where we walk through the show with no costumes or makeup. We jump around in the show to hit the parts that have technical cues: shifts in lighting, sound effects and pulling the grand curtain open or shut. Our cue to cue went from 11 to 4 p.m.
It’s time for a break! Cast members bring dishes for a potluck, which is set up in Zech Hall.
After eating, we go back to the dressing room and get into full hair, makeup and costumes. I took some time to review my lines and music.
At 5:30, we do a full run of the show. This is the first time we’ve incorporated lights, sound, costumes, makeup, all together. We’ll keep doing full dress rehearsals Monday through Wednesday.
On Thursday evening, we have an invited dress rehearsal. Yay! Our first audience members! The show is a comedy and it’s extremely helpful to start learning where the laughs will come so we can adjust our timing. We warm our voices up together 40 minutes before each performance.
We had a packed opening night house on Friday! They were very warm and enthusiastic. Most of the women in the show are wigged, and there is a great feeling of relief each evening when we can release our hair from beneath our wig caps.
Oh, the joys of live theatre—during the final performance of the weekend, I slammed the chalice prop down so hard on the dining table that it cracked! I almost forgot the lyrics to my song because I was so surprised! Luckily, I was able to recover and the prop is salvageable!
One of my favorite theatrical traditions is the ghost light. It’s a light that stands alone and gets placed on the stage after everyone has left. The purpose is mainly practical—if someone comes into the darkened theatre, the ghost light offers them light by which they can see.
There’s something emotional about the ghost light as well—I like to think of it as a benevolent guardian of the theatre. It watches over the space while the actors go home to rest between performances. During performances, it stands in a backstage corner and quietly observes the actors, the musicians and the audience.
And, because it’s The Addams Family, perhaps it even acts as a beacon for ancestors who want to come and watch the show from the wings.
We hope you’ll join us for the remaining two weekends of “The Addams Family: A Musical.” We’ll keep the ghost light on for you!
Katie Woodzick works at Hedgebrook as an External Relations Manager. She is also an actor and director who can be seen on local stages and the host of the Theatrical Mustang podcast: theatricalmustang.podbean.com.
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BY KATIE WOODZICK Whidbey Life Magazine contributor December 2, 2015
“They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Addams Family.”
The Addams Family first appeared in 1938 as a single-panel cartoon in The New Yorker. Over 100 more cartoons appeared in The New Yorker and other publications until creator Charles Addams’ death in 1988.
The cartoons focused primarily on the glamorous matriarch, Morticia, and her husband, Gomez, and featured their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, as well as Uncle Fester, Grandma and their butler, Lurch. What distinguished the family was their love of the macabre.
Whidbey’s “Addams Family” – Left to right: Erica Major (Wednesday), Austin Morehouse (Pugsley), Jennifer Bondelid (Morticia), Kevin Lynch (Lurch), Jim Castaneda (Gomez), Kent Junge (Fester) and Melanie Bacon (Grandma) recreate the iconic Addams Family portrait. (photo by David Welton)
In 1964, The Addams Family was developed into a live-action television series for ABC, shot in black and white. Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson wrote a feature-length film in 1991 that featured Angelica Huston as Morticia, Raúl Juliá as Gomez and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester.
Composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa began developing a musical inspired by The Addams Family in 2007. It premiered on Broadway in 2010, starring Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia and Nathan Lane as Gomez. The plot of the musical centers on Wednesday, who has just turned 18 and has fallen in love with a “normal” young man. The ensemble is comprised of ghosts of the Addams Family’s ancestors, who are banned from returning to their crypt unless they help Wednesday and her new boyfriend.
When the rights became available for non-professional performance, Lani Brockman, the Founding Artistic Director of Studio East in Kirkland, secured them for her students. She directed the musical at Studio East in March of this year.
Lani Brockman directs Austin Morehouse (Pugsley) in a scene while Kevin Lynch (Lurch) looks on. (photo by David Welton)
Starting with one theater program for teens in 1992, Studio East has become one of the largest children’s theater training programs in the Seattle area. Today, between the Studio’s camps and classes and its professional, adult touring arm, StoryBook Theater, Studio East serves over 70,000 people annually.
Brockman said she was drawn to the dark, silly humor of the musical. When she was younger, she enjoyed the television series, particularly Cousin It and Morticia’s dry sense of humor.
Finding a passion for storytelling at an early age, Brockman wrote, directed and acted in fractured versions of fairy tales, inviting neighbors to be the audience. Her talents blossomed into a life-long passion for training youth actors, which inspired her to found Studio East.
“I believe that youth are capable of doing just about anything if given support, parameters, tools and constructive criticism,” she said emphatically. “I had that experience as a teen and became passionate about creating a place where other young people might have that opportunity.”
Jennifer Bondelid (Morticia) gets ready in the dressing room. (photo by David Welton)
No stranger to Whidbey Island, Brockman has directed four shows at Whidbey Children’s Theater over the last 10 years: two productions of “Quilters,” “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” and “Last Exit.” She was presented with the opportunity to direct “The Addams Family” again this December at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts.
Some of her students who played leading roles in the Studio East production have joined the cast of the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts production. The young actors often carpool with Brockman, running lines and singing music from the show in her car.
Erica Major, who played Grandma at Studio East, portrays Wednesday Addams in this production. She has worked with Brockman for three years.
“Lani is absolutely wonderful to work with, “ Major said. “She is incredibly encouraging and gives you space to learn your character, but provides enough support so that you challenge yourself.”
Jennifer Bondelid (Morticia) and Jim Castaneda (Gomez) prepare to rehearse the tango. (photo by David Welton)
Brockman’s students go on to work with Seattle theatres. John Han, who played Uncle Fester in the Studio East production, is a soldier in the ensemble and is slated to play Mr. Twimble and Wally Womper in 5th Avenue’s upcoming Rising Star production of “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.”
“Lani encourages you to go out and pursue your passions professionally,” Han said. “Studio East not only provides a safe environment for students to learn, but also to express yourself creatively without judgment.”
Brockman is excited to share this show with Whidbey audiences. She believes that audiences will delight in the fun, feel-good nature of the musical.
Wednesday (Erica Major) gives her fiance Lucas (Marshall Link) an ultimatum accompanied by her crossbow. (photo by David Welton)
“This is a really complex show with moving walls that represent different locations, both inside the Addams mansion as well as outside in Central Park. The ancestors move them from location to location and these actors need to know their stuff!” Brockman said, giving praise. “I am amazed at the professionalism this cast has shown.”
Katie Woodzick works at Hedgebrook as an External Relations Manager. She is also an actor and director who can be seen on local stages and the host of the Theatrical Mustang podcast: theatricalmustang.podbean.com. Next up: Alice in “The Addams Family: A Musical.”
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.
Nancy Pearl’s “Book Lust” (photo courtesy of the author)
BY KATE POSS
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
November 11, 2015
America’s most beloved librarian and author of “Book Lust” held a rapt audience in the palm of her hand in Langley last week.
Nancy Pearl returned to the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts for the 18th year in a row, courtesy of the Friends of the Langley Library.
“This is a gift the Friends give to the island each year,” said Clare Creighton, president of the Langley Library Friends group, by way of introducing the much-loved diva of booklists.
Pearl addressed the large crowd of bibliophiles as comfortably as if they were all close friends in a living room. Dressed in a red cardigan and charcoal gray dress, she spoke first about author Judy Bloom’s latest book, even though it wasn’t on her list. “In the Unlikely Event” is a story told from the perspective of a 15-year-old girl whose life is forever affected by the crash of three airliners in her New Jersey town.
Nancy Pearl’s “official” booklist
for 2015
1. “American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity” by Chistopher Appy, is Pearl’s number one choice in nonfiction for 2015. “This is a relevant read for high school and college students,” she said. “It puts present events in context and asks the question: ‘does America occupy the moral high ground in terms of war from the 1940’s to the present?’ It’s a very accessible book.” (By the way, Nancy Pearl has master’s degrees in both library science and history. She mentioned that she likes reading historical fiction mysteries.)
2. Hard to read, according to Pearl, but her favorite novel for the year is “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen. “It’s the best satire since ‘Catch 22,’” Pearl said, telling the audience that the story is centered on a seemingly South Vietnam sympathizer who is rescued by Americans in 1973. It turns out the young man is actually a North Vietnamese spy and the story uncovers how he confronts his past while living as an immigrant in the USA.
3. “Best Friends” by Mary Bard, one of the children’s books in Pearl’s “Book Crush” series, has been returned to print by Amazon. Its audience is girls aged nine to 12. The story centers on two girls whose widowed parents fall for each other, with the girls eventually becoming best friends. Mary Bard is the sister of the famous Seattle writer Betty MacDonald of “Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle” and “The Egg and I” fame.
4. “The Oregon Trail: a New American Journey” by Rinker Buck is a non-fiction title that, according to Pearl, Bill Bryson fans would enjoy. The author, in modern times, constructed a covered wagon and hitched it to a team of mules that he had to train, with comic results; he then set off to revisit the Oregon Trail, with hilarious relief added by the author’s slightly crazy younger brother. “After reading this,” Pearl said, “I wanted to go on the Oregon Trail myself, but only with my Toyota.”
5. “Highly Trained Dogs of Professor Petit” by Carol Ryrie Brink is a slim book for seven- to nine-year-olds. Another ‘rediscovery’ book published by Amazon from Pearl’s “Book Crush” reviews, “Highly Trained Dogs” takes place in 1873 and features one of the professor’s highly trained dogs who helps solve a crime.
6. “Heap House” by Edward Carey is Pearl’s third-favorite novel of the year. This young adult tale is “not Harry Potter…more Philip Pullman—strange and dark.” The story takes place in a parallel universe of London that is filled with garbage. “Something’s off and evil,” in this story, Pearl said.
7. “Strangler Vine” by M. J. Carter. The mystery is the first in a series set in 1839 India. A soldier is tasked with finding a missing author and forced to work with an unfriendly Foreign Service officer. Pearl notes that the “M” in “M. J. Carter” is for “Miranda.” The author used her initials to encourage more male readers to read her novel. “Men tend to read [only] stories by male authors,” Pearl commented drily.
8. “Tabula Rasa” by Ruth Downie is a mystery set during the Roman occupation of Great Britain in the early decades of A.D. The eighth book in the “Medicus Investigation” series, this title concerns the challenge of British acceptance of Roman rule, centering on a Roman official married to a British woman.
9. “Crooked Heart” by Lissa Evans is a novel about the odd relationships that can occur during war. In this case, it’s WWII and a young London boy is shipped to the countryside where he stays with a strange woman.
10. “Good Son” by Michael Gruber is, Pearl said, “hands down, an old favorite, a terrific thriller. The pages turn and I forget the grayness outside.” The story concerns a neglected American son whose mother marries a Pakistani and then is kidnapped while on a peacekeeping mission in Asia.
11. “Single, Carefree, Mellow” by Katherine Heiny is not, Pearl noted, typical of her usual reads. “But I loved this book,” she added. Readers who like Laura Colwin’s “Home Cooking” and “More Home Cooking” will enjoy Heiny’s novel, which has “splendid writing, is funny, pointed and about relationships.”
12. Two books, “Slow Horses” and “Nobody Walks,” each by Mick Herron, made Pearl’s list of 2015 good reads. “Slow Horses” is a satire about disgraced British spies who are relegated to solving cold crimes and “Nobody Walks” is a dark thriller about a father who learns his estranged son has been murdered.
13. “Hold Still” by Sally Mann is a memoir by a woman who was once criticized for publishing photos she took of her children, which some viewers deemed inappropriate. Pearl says this is her second-favorite non-fiction book. The book covers ancestors, Mann’s long marriage and what photography means to her.
14. “Vanessa and Her Sister” by Priya Parma tells the story of Vanessa Stephens, the “merely intelligent,” caretaking sister of writer Virginia Woolf, who was considered brilliant. This is Pearl’s “second- or third-favorite novel” that details Vanessa’s caretaking of her mentally ill sister until Virginia’s suicide in 1949. Pearl said she relates with Vanessa in terms of the fact that both Pearl and Vanessa are older sisters who must care-take younger sisters considered more brilliant than they are. That kind of comparison, Pearl said, felt “like a knife to my heart.”
15. “Murdstone Trilogy” by Mal Peet (who died after it was published this year) is his first adult novel and a “terrific satire that casts doubt on the world of books and publishing.”
16. “The Prize: Who’s In Charge of America’s Schools” by Dale Russakoff. This Washington Post education reporter writes about the state of education in America today and whether or not the reforms, such as charter schools, are working. “The book expands your mind and illuminates the issue about this endemic problem,” Pearl said. She added that merely throwing money at fixing education in our country doesn’t work because rarely does the money actually go to benefit the students.
17. “Unbecoming” by Rebecca Scherm is, Pearl said, an excellent book for discussion by book groups. Near the top of her list for favorite fiction of the year, the book explores what it means to ‘unbecome’ who you once were.
Bonus Books
Bonus books mentioned by Pearl, when asked about the best reads to take on a plane: “The Distance: a Thriller” by Helen Giltrow, “Altered Carbon” by Richard K. Morgan, “The Swimmer: a Novel” by Joakim Zander and “The Last Supper” by Charles McCarry.
While Pearl is clear in her likes and dislikes of the many books she reads, she answered one question about “what to read?” by saying: “Never finish a book you’re not enjoying. Life is too short.”
She added that she is not pressured by publishers to give a favorable review when she doesn’t like the read. It is this refreshingly honest quality, many people said afterward, that endears Pearl to them.
Speaking of books, Pearl said she won’t be reading Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman: A Novel.” “It rankles me—the cynical way [the book’s publisher] published it,” Pearl said, in response to a question on whether she had read the book. “They marketed it to make a ton of money. It should have been said it was Harper Lee’s unedited and unpublished novel. Its publishing left me with a bad taste.”
After the talk, library patron Nicole Luce said she has listened to Pearl’s book talks for the past 25 years. “I had a ‘driveway moment’ once,” Luce recalled. “I was listening to Nancy talk about the mystery author Laurie King on NPR. I had to sit in the parking lot at a store and wait until Nancy finished talking before I could get out.” A quarter century later and, Luce said, Pearl has a passion for reading that still resonates.
Want to see the more of the books Pearl reads? She donates books that she’s read but doesn’t keep to Bryant Corner Cafe at 65th and 32nd in Seattle. She insisted the books be part of a free library and they are. Drop by and get a $2 latte on a Wednesday or a half-price cookie on Tuesdays.
Kate Poss works as a library assistant at the Langley Library. She was thrilled to work for three summers as a chef aboard a small Alaskan tour boat from 2008 to 2010. She was a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles for many years before moving to Whidbey Island where she likes ‘talking story’ best of all.
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.
This article is reprinted from the Spring, 2015 print issue of Whidbey Life Magazine, content added for this posting.
BY ARRYN DAVIS
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
October 14, 2015
Whidbey Island Arts Council (WIAC) is gaining momentum in its mission to develop, promote and sustain the arts in our island community.
Since 1980, WIAC has assisted emerging arts organizations by providing nonprofit benefits, sponsoring arts events, and offering scholarships and grants. In the past, WIAC has fostered Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, Whidbey Children’s Theatre, Choochokam Festival, Island Shakespeare Festival and many others. Board President Don Wodjenski believes that keeping Whidbey Island artists informed is on a par with supporting emerging arts groups. “Take a look at our renovated website and Facebook page to see how we promote our partner programs,” he said.
This year has brought with it an expanded portfolio of partnerships. Island Consort, a classical music group, became a partner in November 2014. More recently, Whidbey Working Artists joined WIAC and they have organized an all-island studio tour. Whidbey Art Trail, Whidbey Island Music Festival and the Poetry Slam with Jim Freeman fuel Whidbey’s economic development in the creative arts industry. Through these collaborations, WIAC hopes to cultivate regional curiosity about the impressive variety of arts that Whidbey has to offer.
The new WIAC also aims to broaden the reach of the Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs in Whidbey’s public schools. Through community donations, the AiR program has sponsored over 25 artist/teacher partnerships to date, making the arts accessible to young islanders. The goal continues to be expanding the program in the Coupeville School District. Superintendent Jim Shank is enthusiastic about the possibilities: “I have seen how successful art programs such as WIAC’s AiR can be in bringing quality arts instruction into classrooms. Students, teachers and artists all benefit.” AiR programs culminate in the annual Whidbey Festival of the Arts, held during the last weekend in May to celebrate the artistic achievements of students.
South Whidbey resident Betsy Gmerek works on behalf of the AiR program and helps plan the Whidbey Festival of the Arts. “The arts are a vital part of this community, and I love helping the AiR artists, teachers and students experience the joys of creativity.”
WIAC’s efforts to foster a flourishing cultural experience can continue to grow with your help. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise funds for the AiR program; you can find out more and support the program here. To get involved in WIAC or offer your artistic skills to the AiR program, go to www.islandartscouncil.org and follow WIAC on Facebook.
Image at top: The Whidbey Festival of the Arts, an annual event celebrating arts in the schools, happens every May. (photo by Don Wodjenski)
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BY RUSSELL CLEPPER
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
September 16, 2015
Whidbey Island’s gypsy jazz ensemble, the Hot Club of Troy, has a few subtexts to their mission statement. First subtext; “No amps? No problem!” Second: Gypzy jazz all year long. Third: Coffeehouses make great music venues.
As for their mission statement itself, just three words, one for each subtext; Django, Django, Django.
Hot Club of Troy (Troy Chapman, Kristi O’Donnell and Keith Bowers (l to r)) play in front of the DJangoFest mural at WICA (photo by David Welton)
Working exclusively with Django Reinhardt’s body of work, the trio strives to present his music with the purest expression possible, eschewing any amplification except a single microphone placed in front of them as they perform. Although band leader and guitarist Troy Chapman, guitarist Keith Bowers and bassist Kristi O’Donnell each have long resumés in music-making, the Hot Club of Troy is just one year old. However, this nearly nascent act will open this year’s prestigious DjangoFest Northwest at WICA in Langley at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Lance Cercel and the Roma String Ensemble will also perform that night. The headliner for this year’s festival is Bireli Lagrene, the “undisputed top guitarist in the gypsy jazz genre” according to the festival’s website, and according to Chapman and O’Donnell as well.
Chapman himself is no stranger to the DjangoFest stage. One of North America’s premier interpreters of the genre, the Whidbey Island resident has been a member of the influential Seattle gypsy jazz group Pearl Django since 2010. Along with the Robin Nolan trio, Pearl Django starred in the first DjangoFest Northwest in 2001, and they have appeared every year since that highly successful beginning. On Saturday, Sept. 26, Chapman will perform with Pearl Django once again, sharing the bill that night with the Hot Club of Detroit.
Hot Club of Troy in an impromptu performance in downtown Langley (photo by David Welton)
The Hot Club of Troy’s debut at DjangoFest caps a year of advanced musical exploration of Reinhardt’s music by the group. “One thing we do is play not only strictly gypsy jazz, but we only do Django’s compositions. He wrote 84 songs and some of them are rarely heard,” said Chapman. “We want to do stuff that people haven’t heard, to dig deeper into his repertoire and learn about his influences. We don’t want to present great guitar playing so much as his songs as great compositions.”
Of course, Chapman and Bowers are highly regarded guitar players and their shows certainly feature expert picking. O’Donnell explained the group has labored to meld Bower’s chordal style of playing with Chapman’s straight ahead approach as they have explored ways of performing Reinhardt’s music. “We work at weaving the two styles together,” she said. “We’ve worked really hard to make that happen,” Chapman added. “You have to learn first how Django did it, then you can put your own style in it.”
Another reason they formed a gypsy jazz trio was to create opportunities to play that style all year long, not just during the time of DjangoFest. Their home base venue has been Useless Bay Coffee Company (UBCC), which is where the three musicians first jammed together on Tuesday nights for awhile. That collaboration resulted in the formation of one of Whidbey Island’s finest bands, Trio Nouveau, whose repertoire is mined from the swinging jazz of the Great American Songbook.
“When we’re playing there, we joke that we’re fueled by UBCC coffee,” said O’Donnell. “Lots of eighth notes!”
Even the local canines appreciate the outdoor concerts and smooth sounds (photo by David Welton)
UBCC owner and head roaster Des Rock has been a stedfast supporter of the group, as well as of local live music in general. “He told us that ‘the quality of the atmosphere goes up every time you play!” said O’Donnell. We’re really lucky to have Des. He rocks!”
The popular Langley hangout is the only coffee house on the island currently offering a steady program of live music. Historically, coffee houses have often provided a place for musicians to perform in public and sometimes become important incubators of musical talent and generators of vibrant musical “scenes,” such as one that is happening right now in Paris. In fact, a coffee house in Montreal was instrumental in the musical path of a young Troy Chapman where he spent countless hours at a place called the Yellow Door, one of the longest-lived contemporary live music venues in North America, and one well known among the folk and singer songwriter crowd on the East Coast.
His mother worked there in the late 1960s and 70s. “I spent every summer, for years, spending my days there,” he said. “until I began living full time with my mom in ’73,” he said. “I sat in the Yellow Door after school, day after day, and watched great guitar player after great guitar player and decided that was for me!”
The label for UBCC’s new “Django Blend” was created as a celebration of the Hot Club of Troy’s beginnings at the lively local gathering place. It was created by author, artist and gypsy jazz guitarist Irene Ypenburg.
The Yellow Door was the site of his first public performance. “I played ‘Goodbye Porkpie Hat’ with my new Electro Harmonix Small Stone Phaser plugged into the PA. Probably in ’78!”
If that truly was a hootenanny, Chapman must have caught some of the banjo players off guard with that one. It wouldn’t be the first time he has surprised people.
For example, The Hot Club of Troy’s association with UBCC has inspired the creation of a special offering for coffee lovers and music fans. “We are going to have a brand of coffee,” said O’Donnell, “the Hot Club of Troy ‘Django Blend,’ roasted by Des, in time for DjangoFest. UBCC will be selling the coffee that week and it will be online, too.”
That development was not part of their original mission statement, but the organic aspect of the coffee that Rock brews at his establishment does compliment their desire to nix amplification of guitars at the group’s performances. Chapman said, “There’s nothing like the beauty of the un-amplified instrument. There’s a great simplicity when playing with no amps.”
Hot Club of Troy’s bandleader, Troy Chapman, got his inspiration to play guitar from countless hours spent at the famous Montreal coffeehouse, the Yellow Door (photo by David Welton)
In some music circles that approach would be described as “organic,” meaning natural and unaltered by electronic amplification. Even though the guitar itself is a mechanical sound wave amplifier, the sound it produces is the result of the type and quality of the wood, the kind of strings, the skill of the luthier, and the expertise and soul of the musician. Any kind of electric amplification alters that “natural” sound. Even though the altered sound may be pleasing to the ear, it’s not the same as the un-amplified sound of a guitar.
Chapman has played plenty of loud music throughout his long career in music, but to get at the heart of Django Reinhardt’s sound he and his bandmates are taking this organic path to get there. Their show at DjangoFest will provide an excellent opportunity for local gypsy jazz addicts and music lovers to hear the Hot Club of Troy fulfilling their mission.
________________________________
Django’s Hand
________________________________
Langley resident Drew Christie has created an animated short film for DjangoFest Northwest. Christie’s work has appeared or been featured in numerous publications including the Atlantic and the New York Times. Hot Club of Troy’s bandleader Troy Chapman performs the soundtrack for the short which is titled “Django’s Hand” and tells the story of how Django Reinhardt turned a terrible injury sustained in a fire into the creation of a new style of guitar playing.
To see the 68 second-long film, visit this link on the DjangoFest Northwest website: http://www.djangofestnw.com.
Russell Clepper is a singer-songwriter who plies his trade locally and around the country. He is also a substitute teacher for the Oak Harbor School District.
Please check the following links for more information about the Hot Club of Troy and/or DjangoFest Northwest 2015:
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If you’ve ever wanted to hear “auctionese” spoken fluently, Saturday night at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) was the place to be. It was the place to be for other reasons, too, judging by the enthusiasm of the attendees at WICA’s annual gala designed to fund a 20th season of performances.
Around lushly-adorned tables in colors of pink and silver, 120 guests congregated for a gourmet dinner prepared by Orchard Kitchen and served by waiters, many of whom were actually actors playing waiters. These folks—the same folks we see often on our local stages—were lending a hand (well, two hands) as part of a group of volunteers working behind the scenes to make the evening seem like a well-rehearsed production.
In a wonderful reversal of things-as-usual, the tables were placed under the bright lights of the stage, overlooked by the empty seats of the darkened theatre. For one night, the audience was indeed the main event, and what a show they provided.
Indeed, “Passion” lived up to its name. The skill of the auctioneer was matched by the fervor of those bidding for the 50 or so auction items…even after they had already placed silent bids on the 100 items displayed in adjoining Zech Hall. The widespread support for WICA was evidenced by the number and variety of the items donated by local painters, woodworkers, authors, chefs, yogis, weavers, photographers, jewelry makers, potters and more. And there’s no doubt that a large part of the fundraising success of the gala was due to those who, wishing to express their esteem for the late Paul Schell, opened their wallets to join the producers circle named in his honor.
No postcard description of the event would be complete without mention of the Dessert Desire. A dozen gorgeous confections were on display in the lobby before dinner, priming the collective sweet tooth. I was one of two Dessert Desire “debutantes,” (“guards” might be more apt, although, honestly, I almost required a guard myself). Our disappointment at being denied a taste of the apple tart with pine nut ice cream, the blueberry custard pie, the Kahlua-poppy seed bundt cake was almost—almost— exceeded by our pleasure at watching folks trying to select their favorite. One dessert per table, high-bid table has first pick. Nothing motivates quite like sugar—a fact clearly understood by the four committee co-chairs.
As glamorous and entertaining as the gala proved to be, it became clear that what really bound together those in the room—servers and served, volunteers and ticket holders, artists and patrons—was a mutual passion for live theatre, music, dance and storytelling in all its varied forms. This past season, 11,000 tickets were sold to more than 100 performances at WICA. How would we experience the wonder and worth of live performance without a venue in which to do it?
WICA’s logo—realized in metal by artist Tim Leonard—makes a promise. Deliberately off center, larger than life, gleaming flashily yet made of enduring stuff, it is a proclamation on the outside of the building about what to expect on the inside. Big, bold passion.
The success of Saturday night’s gala—over $200,000 in revenues—shows that WICA’s 20th season is off to a passionate start.
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.
BY DIANNA MacLEOD
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
June 3, 2015
On Wednesday, May 27, writer Chris Spencer, wearing his signature gold sequined shoes, teamed up with actor Shelley Hartle to present, to an audience at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 55 little masterpieces in the short, short story genre. In this, the eighth such contest, island writers tackled subjects both serious and funny. Spencer and Hartle brought their thespian talents and impeccable sense of timing to each and every one, reading the texts aloud, as imaginative “book covers” were projected on a screen behind them.
Judges were briefly introduced and then sequestered in order to avoid the temptation to offer, or accept, bribes. Cash prizes were awarded to the three winning stories, although Spencer did not cross the stage to present them to the recipients because “my shoes hurt too much to walk in.”
Volumes one and two of Spencer’s own short stories were on sale in the lobby, providing writers with inspiration in plenty of time for next year’s contest. Spencer warned against plagiarizing stories out of his books and submitting them under another name. “My memory is not as bad as people think,” he said. “Well, you might get away with it if you lifted a story from volume one. I wrote that a while ago.”
The winners of the 2015 Short Story Smash, along with their winning stories, are:
First Place:
Book cover for The Singers (image courtesy of Short Story Smash artists)
The Singers by Natalie Olsen
I should have known better. My daughter and her choir friend were ten when I took them to see the movie “Look Who’s Talking.”
The theater was packed, but we managed to find three seats together and I quickly understood the reasoning behind the PG-13 rating. When Kirstie Alley’s character confided about her failed birth-control, I heard my daughter’s loud whisper, “What’s a diaphragm?” then muffled laughter in the rows behind.
“You know. We use them all the time.” It was suddenly quiet.
I held my breath until I heard, “You dummy, it’s what we breathe with when we sing!”
Second Place:
Book cover for How Much Is a Penny Worth? (image courtesy of Short Story Smash artists)
How Much is a Penny Worth? by Elizabeth Booth
I found a penny once as a child. Daddy laughed and said, “Put it in your shoe for good luck.” When I was older, he told me to throw it into the fountain. “Make a wish!” When I was older still, he advised me to put it into the bank. “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Last year, I tiptoed into his room and pressed a penny into his still, paper-thin hand. With our fingers entwined, wrapped around that insignificant piece of copper, he smiled and whispered, “This is me, watching over you.” How much is a penny worth?
Third Place:
Book cover for Adventures in Laundry (image courtesy of Short Story Smash artists)
Adventures in Laundry by Linda Russell
“Four seconds,” my sister shouted as our cat landed on a pile of sheets at the bottom of the laundry chute. My father had given us a stopwatch, and we began timing everything: in this case, how long it took a cat to descend to the basement via the laundry chute.
My little brother observed this activity with interest. “I wonder,” my sister mused as we headed upstairs again—brother in tow.
“Would you like to take a trip?” I asked opening the laundry chute.
“Lunch time! Get your brother!” my mother called.
“He’ll be right down!” my sister answered.
Honorable Mention:
The Ferry Mouse by David Anderson
OK, I was just minding my own business 120 miles east of here. Last July, this terrifying hay machine rips me away from my extensive family, bundles me up, trucks me over here, rolls on this boat. I wiggled out and jumped off.
It’s not a bad life, lots of nibble bits. No cats. But now I’m living on a boat that never seems to get anywhere; back and forth all day. Cars roll on, cars roll off. I don‘t get the point. It’s a real existential dilemma. Damn. Time to get to my bolt hole. Here they come again.
Honorable Mention:
Cops and Joggers by Shelly Miller
Blue lights and a bullhorn pierced the pre-dawn peace. “Jogger, pull over and stop.”
Plucking out my ear-buds, I asked. “You talkin’ to me?”
Out of his cruiser he gave me his best grizzled, tough-guy look. “Jogger, between dusk and dawn it’s the law you run opposite traffic flow.”
“Huh?”
“Jogger,” he started, then stopped. “What’s that?”
“It’s a Craftsman flathead screwdriver. Why?”
Officer Self-Important studied me like an undiagnosed mental disease.
“Why the shop-tool while running?”
“Protection. I’m scared of the dark.”
“If you’re so afraid, why the headphones?”
Duh, “I don’t wanna hear someone sneaking up on me!”
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org
By DIANNA MACLEOD Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
May 20, 2015
A man of few words…but all of them carefully chosen.
Meet Chris Spencer, creator of the upcoming Short Story Smash.
Every year Spencer challenges the storytellers of Whidbey Island—that is, all of us—to submit a story of exactly 100 words in length (sans title). The entries are read aloud by “well-dressed rhetoricians” while a pseudo/suitable book cover is projected on a screen behind them. Authors, see your name writ large!
If you’d like to get an idea of how tough it is to tell a story in 100 words, well, you are coming up on my hundredth word…right…now.
* * *
Chris Spencer and his dog Fred (original photo by Michael Stadler, modified by Chris Spencer)
Dianna MacLeod: What draws you to the short story form?
Chris Spencer: I am drawn to the short story because my interests in literature lean toward brevity and variety.
DM: Why 100 words?
CS: The choice of 100 words was arbitrary. I wrestled with 204 and 79 for a while.
Professional counseling helped me choose a random number.
DM: Why did you decide to launch a contest?
CS: I was curious to see who on the island would want to, and could, write.
DM: When was the first contest and has it changed much over the years? How many entries did you have for the first contest? Now?
CS: I started five years ago. This May is the eighth extravaganza. The only major change is the audience has grown and suffered more traumas.
DM: Have you ever been to or heard of a contest anything like this? Was yours modeled on something, somewhere?
CS: This idea for a contest grew only from my fevered head.
2015 Event Poster
DM: Have you ever sought corporate sponsorship?
CS: Grovel at the feet of corporate America? Absolutely! The trouble is I’m an artiste, not a marketer.
DM: What’s your own writing background?
CS: I am a thwarted closet writer with the proverbial novel in the slow-bake oven. I’ve written short stories for years, which are neatly stored in a bottom drawer. I do have two books published now: “100 Quickies; One hundred, one hundred-word short stories (vol. 1)” and the same title, (Vol. 2) available at Moonraker and on Amazon.
DM: What are the most common problems writers have when they tackle the short short story?
CS: The power of good writing is to communicate effectively. Authors of these stories tend to forget this and become esoteric, vague, tangled and muddled. It is not easy to effectively create an image or elicit an emotion in just 100 words.
DM: What qualities do you seek in the judges? Are bribes accepted? What kinds of bribes are most likely to be effective?
CS: Someone who can speak English helps. I try for three to seven judges. Bribes are simple: sex, drugs and rock and roll. (Nowadays that consists of glucosamine, a romance novel, a beach pebble and a poppy seed bagel.)
DM: What’s your method for choosing the book covers to go with the stories?
CS: Covers are whatever sort of fits my stock of photoshop artwork. I can’t get too fancy; this is volunteer work, for chrissake.
DM: Do you and your fellow actor(s) rehearse much?
CS: Yes, briefly. We pre-read the works, decide whose voice is appropriate (male, female, or both as dialogue). Racy stories I let Shelley (Hartle) read; I’m too sensitive.
DM: What does the well-dressed rhetorician of today wear?
CS: Gold shoes; it’s all about the shoes.
Winners of the 2014 Short Story Smash
First prize
The Way These Things Happen by Judi Nyerges
I didn’t turn around, when you whistled into the kitchen, trailed by our dog. Your warm flannelled arms wrapped ’round my waist and you nuzzled my neck with a playful, bearded kiss. I leaned back and laughed, but I didn’t turn around.
“Sun’s out. We’re going up to get a few shots. I’ll be home early.”
I felt your happiness. It made me smile. But I was busy washing up, and I didn’t turn around. You grabbed your cameras, singing, and out you went.
I didn’t turn around. And now you’re gone. Now you’re gone.
And I didn’t turn around.
Second prize
Ima Goen by Les McCarthy
You’d think my mama and daddy were humorous folks. Not so.
Contrarily, my name defies their stern nature. My name is Ima Goen. And that’s what I plan on doin’.
I’m sick of saying Ima Goen, ’cuz I know someone’s gonna ask me, “Where?”
It ain’t funny. So, I’m a goin’. I don’t know where and I don’t know when but I’m a goin’ somewhere where I can breathe air so fresh my lungs will laugh.
Today’s not the day. But one day I’ll just go. And when I do, I’ll no longer be Ima Goen,
I’ll be Ima Gone.
Third prize
The Switching Hour by Dianna MacLeod
Cincinnati Zoo. The last passenger pigeon, Martha by name, dies in captivity.
Rural Ohio natural history museum. Beneath a dusty glass case, microscopic mites make a slow-motion meal of Martha.
God said to all, Let birds fly across the heavens.
God said to me, save Martha.
Hatch a plan.
Trap, kill, and mount a pigeon.
Dye feathers. Alter markings.
Smuggle counterfeit into museum.
Hide in second-floor janitor’s closet.
Await the switching hour.
Swap out pigeons.
Rappel to the ground.
Resurrect the body.
Revere the species.
Remember the extinction.
Who am I to quarrel?
Me, a humble taxidermist.
Attend Chris Spencer’s 100 Word Short Story Smash at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley. And mark your calendar for next year’s contest deadline. Click here for tickets.
Dianna MacLeod also has a novel in the slow-bake oven and wonders if it’s time to turn up the temperature.
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.
BY KATIE WOODZICK Whidbey Life Magazine contributor
February 11, 2015
Andrew Grenier never thought he’d be directing and acting in a play written by a promising student he taught over thirty years ago. But that’s just what he’s doing in Whidbey Island Center for the Arts’ upcoming production of “Other Desert Cities.”
The cast of “Other Desert Cities”: Left to Right, Heather Ogilvy, Andrew Grenier, Deana Duncan, Shelley Hartle and David Mayer. (photo courtesy of WICA)
His voice exudes an infectious warmth and wisdom that comes from years of teaching in classrooms. His mellow baritone makes it easy to believe that he spent some of his early twenties in a radio booth.
Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, Grenier’s earliest performance memory comes from junior high school, where he played a cat in the operetta “The White Gypsy.” He was supposed to stand on his head and say his lines backwards. Unable to execute that acrobatic maneuver, he delivered his lines standing upright, head hung between his legs.
In high school, Grenier was cast in the role of Moondoggie in “Gidget.” Overcome by stage fright and terrified by the prospect of performing in a bathing suit in front of an audience, he bowed out of the production two weeks before opening night. Encouraged by a teacher, he returned to theatre as an associate director later in his high school career.
Grenier studied history and political science in college and taught these subjects before moving to New York in his mid-twenties. As an aspiring actor, he sometimes wandered through the furniture department at Bloomingdales to decide what pieces he would buy once he was a star.
After a stint as Gower the dog (costumed in a rubber dog suit) for Hanna-Barbera, he met his wife-to-be in an acting class. A month later, he traveled to California as a newlywed. His first job in California was selling records across the street from The Whisky on Sunset Boulevard. It didn’t take long for him to find a position in educational theatre at a local middle school.
Street dancer at solstice celebration, (photo by Andrew Grenier)
“Teaching, exploring,” Grenier reflected, “that’s what appeals the most to me and why I love directing.”
He taught literature, public speaking and theatre classes, expanding enrollment before being recruited to teach at Beverly Hills High School. His new school had a 2,000 seat proscenium stage, an additional 240-seat theatre space and a three-camera television studio. General Hospital actor John Ingle mentored Grenier in his teaching.
At Beverly Hills High School, Grenier taught David Schwimmer, Nicholas Cage, Gina Gershon and other now familiar faces. Among his students was Jon Robin Baitz, whom he referred to as “Robbie.” Baitz went on to become a prolific, award-winning playwright and screenwriter, eventually penning “Other Desert Cities.” Grenier remembers reading a review of one of Baitz’s plays in The New York Times: “If Noel Coward and Arthur Miller were to have a baby, it would be Jon Robin Baitz.”
When Grenier wrote Baitz a congratulatory note to celebrate the opening of his play, “Substance of Fire,” Baitz replied with a short note signed “Robbie.” The two met in New York in the spring of 2014 to catch up, 35 years after their shared experience at Beverly Hills High School.
Grenier credits Richard Schechner, Jerry Gratowski and primarily Uta Haugen as the acting philosophies that have influenced him the most as a theatre artist. He observed Haugen teach and was compelled by the no-nonsense framework in which she worked. He recalls a particularly memorable class where a student urinated into an upstage trash basket. Haugen whispered to her teaching assistant and shortly after, two policemen escorted the student out of the acting studio. After reigniting her cigarette, Haugen looked at the rest of the class and calmly asked “Next?”
Grenier moved to Whidbey Island in 2010 and quickly formed an artistic relationship with Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA). His directorial debut was “God of Carnage” followed by “Doubt” and “The Norman Conquests.”
In casting his productions, Grenier is attracted to the dedication of actors: “I look for that personal discipline, personal courage and an openness.”
“Other Desert Cities,” written by his former student Baitz, opens at WICA on Friday, February 13. The cast includes Deana Duncan, Shelly Hartle, David Mayer and Heather Ogilvy.
“Andy’s greatest goal is to create an environment that allows each audience member to experience her/his own play,” said Mayer. “He’s passionate about finding the simple truths with which we all can identify, grounding ourselves in the specifics of character and allowing the conversation to create powerful relationships to person, place and time. The process drives him even more than the result, allowing us to collaborate and continue growing throughout the entire run of the play.”
Grenier has directed the production with the assistance of Associate Director Lucy Pearce. This marks the first time he has worked with an associate director. Pearce’s artistic support has helped to realize the vision of the play, as Grenier also performs the part of Lyman Wyeth.
“Working with Andy is like receiving a masterclass in generosity,” Pearce said. “He effortlessly balances confident leadership with encouragement of each individual’s creative input. He inspires each actor and crew member to expand into the best that they can be.”
Grenier has warmly embraced Whidbey Island in the third act of his life.
“I really enjoy learning to live on Whidbey,” Grenier reflected, “I’m learning how to be my age.”
Grenier officiates Kathryn Lynn Morgen and Michael Morgen’s wedding, Summer, 2014, (photo credit Jim Carroll)
Outside of theatre, Grenier enjoys practicing the art of photography. His images often feature his dog, Bokie, and his travels back to New York. Grenier has also officiated two weddings and will also officiate the wedding of former South Whidbey Commons AmeriCorps volunteer Tracie Fowler.
He extends an invitation to the Whidbey community to come and see Other Desert Cities: “I’m hoping that people emerge from the play energized in discussion, really looking at what we do and what we hold up as our identity.”
Get tickets and find out more about “Other Desert Cities” here.
Photo at the top: Andrew Grenier’s headshot, (photo credit Jim Carroll)
Katie Woodzick works at Hedgebrook as an External Relations Manager. She is also an actor and director who can be seen on local stages. Learn more at katiewoodzick.squarespace.com.
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WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.
New this year, WOW! Stories spans two days, two different shows to meet demand
Back for its fourth year, the annual WOW! Stories has become one of Whidbey Island’s most popular and well-loved benefit shows at WICA, featuring riveting talks and moving performances from Whidbey’s most interesting and inspiring women. New this year, WOW! Stories is offering a choice of Friday evening, March 13th; or Saturday March 14th; with a different slate of speakers and performers weaving a web of intimacy and delight at each show.
“We keep selling out each year before we even get the posters up, so we’re trying something new in 2015. We’ve split it into two shows to allow more people to come to the event,” said Lynn Willeford, one of the original founding producers of the event and a speaker coach for participants.
Presenters span six decades in age, and their interests are just as varied. Among the presenters you’ll find adventurers, artists, professors, inventors, entrepreneurs, singers, musicians, students, a farmer, a restauranteur, a “green” funeral director, a poet, a storyteller, a bodyworker, a theologian, a physical anthropologist and even an NCIS Special Agent. They will talk about their passions in life — and they won’t always be what you expect!
Two Days, Two Different Shows at WICA
Friday, March 13 @ 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Saturday, March 14 @ 11:00 am- 2:00 pm
(Doors open 30 minutes prior to each show.)
Friday’s event features talks and performances by Sharon Betcher, Sharon Daloz Parks, Kathy Fox, Lucinda Herring, Annie Jesperson, Joanne Keefe, Deborah Koff-Chapin, Haley McConnaughey, Rainey, Shannon Stalpaert and Debora Valis.
Saturday’s event features Judith Adams, Sarah Boin, The Carolina Parrots, Julie Gersten, Marion Henny, Jill Johnson, Jenn Jurriaans, Hannah McConnaughey, Mary K. Sandford, Jean Shaw, Aleah Stacey and jazz musicians from South Whidbey High School.
Tickets are $25 for each show and available through the WICA box office at 221-8268 or www.wicaonline.org.You can buy for one show or both. Tickets include light fare and reception on Friday night, and a locally-made box lunch on Saturday. Snacks and refreshments will be offered for sale by Whidbey Island Nourishes (W.I.N.)
Langley Businesses Celebrate WOW!
Some Langley shops, restaurants and businesses will offer specials for the WOW audience on Friday & Saturday, March 13-14. Look for the red WOW signs in participating store windows to find amazing offers. Find more information about participating businesses from Langley Main Street Association at 221-6686.
The story behind WOW! Stories
What started off as an idea by Diana Lindsay that “within every Whidbey Woman there’s a TED Talk,” evolved to be become a uniquely Whidbey version of the famed TED conference. Hundreds of Islanders and visitors – women and men, young and old— continue to gather for this annual benefit for WICA.
The event is produced by a volunteer team of friends who call themselves Seriously Fun Productions: Diana Lindsay, Rene Neff, Lynn Willeford, Debora Valis, Shannon Arndt and Heather Racicot. They take their name very seriously, and can be heard laughing at production meetings reciting the team motto: “We don’t do it if it isn’t fun!”
For many, the WOW! Stories promise of “stories worth sharing” calls them to attend the event year after year.Last year, it was one the fastest-selling performances in WICA’s history, selling out more than a month before the show.
WICA’s executive director Stacie Burgua adds, “Today’s society needs real-life heroes — heroes who inspire us to do more and be more, and who we can relate to. I think the success of WOW! stems from discovering the heroes who are living in our own community. They are people we might know and we’d love to learn a bit more about them.”
Don’t delay, get your tickets
A limited number of tickets is still available through the WICA box office at 221-8268 or www.wicaonline.org.
More information is available at: www.wowstories.net or at www.facebook.com/WowStories. Thanks to WhidbeyTV, videos of past presentations are available online at the WOW!Stories website.
Featured photo: Amy Wheeler, executive director of Hedgebrook, talked at WOW! Stories 2014 about her passion for theater (image credit: WhidbeyTV).
On Friday, Dec.4, we opened “The Addams Family: A Musical” at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. During tech week, I snapped some photos backstage and in the dressing rooms.
Oh, the joys of live theatre—during the final performance of the weekend, I slammed the chalice prop down so hard on the dining table that it cracked! I almost forgot the lyrics to my song because I was so surprised! Luckily, I was able to recover and the prop is salvageable!
