Lives of the (everyday) Saints

Lives of the (*everyday) Saints
*or that's what I would of called it...
by David Ives

First produced in Aug of 1999 - I continue to wonder what was I doing/where was I living & How Did I Miss This?!

This was presented here by special arrangement w/Dramatists Play Serv Inc NY

Acting Unlimited, Inc (AUI) presents...

Act I
Enigma Variations

(note: I thought they should surely play 'Enigma' here to start/stop the sketch - but really whomever chose the music as is did a really interesting job of it & perhaps that too was a part of the whole play...I wouldn't know unless I ask the Director...one day - or on Twitter, where people will answer you that you'd never dream would?!)

The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage

Babel's in Arms

Intermission (Yes, this is from the Program)

Act II

Soap Opera

(note: the Star a washing machine--which I'd never seen done before & I Liked It?!)

Lives of the Saints

Arabian Nights

Captive Audience


Production Credits:
Director/Set Designer - Cara Hayden
Assist Dir/Stage Mgr - Nick Dooley
House Mgr - Shannon Kenast
Tech Dir - Walter Brown
Light Designer - Joseph Diaz (note: I think this is the only 1 I've met before?!)
Box Office - Patricia D. Sidman
Special Project Artisans - Nancy Dere, Gudrun Schubert (note: now I'm wondering just what they made on stage to be given this credit - curious...)

Under each Sketch in each Act they listed the actors, which often repeated - so will just list them all alphabetically...

Cast List:
Arceneaux, Catharine
Barras, Vincent P.
Dere, Kaan
Dere, Nancy
Diaz, Joseph
Diaz, Martha (note: her I've seen in 2 or 3 productions before & know she can sing)
Dronet, Annie
Ducharme, Gerard
Dunstan, Cody
Hebert, Cindy
Kibodeaux, Elaine (note: I think I've met her on Twitter, yet to in person)
Segura, Erin
Snyder, John
Spear, Phillip


Play run...
January 12, 13, 19, 20, 21 at 7:30 pm
January 14 at 8:00 pm
January 15 & 22 at 3:00 pm

I went Thursday the 19th at 7:30 pm (before I left for the w/e to Houston, TX)
And of course went directly next door for a Gelato at Carpe Diem Gelato-Espresso Bar during Intermission  having earlier had my espresso there too while putting up posters as Super Awesome AcA Volunteer (a new title, was given Awesome--added Super...because of course we 'all' want to be, if not Saints, then Super Heroes?!)



From the postcard handout...

"AUI will kick off the 2012 performance calendar at Theatre 810 with Lives of the Saints, an evening of riotously funny one-act comedies by one of the contemporary theatre's brightest comic playwrights, David Ives.

Lives of Saints is an evening of  7 quirky, funny & wildly imaginative one-acts by Ives.
In Saints, Ives' comic imagination takes audiences to ancient Mesopotamia for the construction of the Tower of Babel...

Babel's in Arms

...to a wee British vicarage for a twisted "Masterpiece Theatre" murder mystery...

The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage

...to a quirky souvenir shop where a wildly exotic love blooms...

Arabian Nights

...and into a TV set where a couple finds themselves lost in a blur of channels...

Captive Audience

And that's just half the evening.

Local audiences have experienced Ives' work in his other one-act evening All in the Timing & in his revisionist take on Don Juan, Don Juan in Chicago.

In Lives of the Saints, audiences can expect a playful evening of broad physical comedy, whip-smart jokes & ceaselessly imaginative riffs on contemporary culture.
There's something for everyone in Lives of the Saints.

Lives of the Saints is directed by Cara Hayden, who co-directed AUI's summer production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. (Wait I saw that, maybe I have seen Cara before & didn't even know it - I'm bad like that?!)

The production features performances by..." (note: see my list of Cast above alphabetically)


Two one-acts that I've been calling sketches or shorts weren't mentioned in the postcard/handout -

Enigma Variations - which was at first confusing, but fun to figure out as you went along - this interesting De-ja-vu twist w/a troubled girl visiting the Dr's office...
I've since asked Elaine via Twitter how they all/she managed to keep in body/motion synch throughout the one-act without being directly across from each other - I would of found that difficult, as well as the parts without speaking as you mimed what the other 'you' was doing...also liked the unexpected part of patients exchanging doctors parts...but all in all have to wonder why this was chosen as the first bit, if any of the one-acts do fit together one to the other?!

(photo credit: maytag.com - traditional top loader - the Centennial Trademark edition...haven't a clue what they really used in the play The Lives of Saints - one act - Soap Opera...but it was deff a top loader, or how else would washing machine Goddess White pop out of the Maypole washing machine?!)

Soap Opera - OK, just hands down my fav one-act...I adore the play on a 'Maytag' & the proverbial bored Repairman because of the perfect repair record of such a washing machine (as portrayed in many an advertisement/commercial on TV) - in this play/this one-act they call the washing machine a Maypole & there's a real girl/to be girl friend who's a Mabel (if I followed this naming thing correctly--plus that sounds alot like Maypole too...) But the "Goddess in the Machine" was perfect & what fun, all the further play on words or objects that have to do with said washing machine or repairman...I mean it starts off with him trying to take his washing machine on a date to a fancy restaurant?!

Lives of Saints - confusing as it's the overall name of the play & also one of the one-acts in Act II...
two lovely old friends/old ladies who organize the church food for the funerals - it was odd enough to hear the sounds of their kitchen movements, as it was when they were revealed in the middle of the act (now how they coordinated that with keywords in the dialog I guess was something else--I would of missed those cues for sure, to make those sounds of opening cupboards or drawers or mixers or running water, etc...)

After that one-act & in thinking back on it being the overall name, it's when I felt like it was really the Lives of Everyday Saints instead he was talking about...but that's my opinion of course, must read more of what's behind this combination of one-acts...

Link to AUI - Acting Unlimted Inc - to read more about the play: The Lives of the Saints...
http://actingunlimitedinc.org/

From their "We're in the News!" section...

"Acting Unlimited and Theatre 810 have been in the news today! The Baton Rouge Advocate ran a feature on the theatre space and our show LIVES OF THE SAINTS in the Monday, January 2nd edition, and KLFY, Channel 10, filmed a feature this afternoon at the space. There will be a link to that video posted as soon as it becomes available. Keep an eye on AUI and Theatre 810! 2012 has started with a bang!"

Link to one review & prob better description than I managed...
"Leave Room for Jell-O - A brilliant trip through Ives Country, with an unexpected detour"
by Cary M. Mazer of CityPaper.Net after watching the performance I'm guessing with the Philadelphia Theatre Co. at Plays & Players Theatre
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/lives.html
(note: the reviewer leaned toward the Lives of the Saints rather than Soap Opera for their memorable one-act...it's curious how that works huh?!)

Link to where you can buy an Acting Edition on Amazon.com--for only $8.00...
http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Saints-Acting-David-Ives/dp/0822217465

Link to read more about the playwright on Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ives

Link to a rare interview of sorts as the playwright answers questions during the plays world premiere - on Playbill.com "David Ives Discusses His Lives in Rare Philadelphia Q&A" Feb 1999...
http://www.playbill.com/features/article/64862-David-Ives-Discusses-His-Lives-in-Rare-Philadelphia-QA (note: my fav line... "...Soap Opera recounts the love affair between a repairman and his washing machine -- a hot-and-cold relationship, you might say."

photo credit: from playbill.com

(note: think he's looking better here in black & white than in his color photo below...)

Link to Zoetrope All-Story blurb about the playwright - David Ives - & a link to his article "Why Write for Theatre?" in Vol 4 No 4...
http://www.all-story.com/search.cgi?action=show_author&author_id=79
(note: is it me, but I like to know Why People Write...so of course I like to read...)

photo credit: from GoodReads.com

an exerpt by David Ives...

"So much for the high road. There are a million other, more mundane reasons to write for the theater. Because your spouse keeps telling you that your life as a podiatrist would make a terrific play. Because you want to commemorate a parent or an uncle or a sibling or a friend. Because you want to resuscitate a failed marriage or affair and make your lost spouse or lover speak again. Because you want to send a letter to the dead by way of the living. Because you're an idiot and you think Hollywood's going to buy your play about you and your hamster and make you rich. Because you saw The Star-Spangled Girl at your community theater and think you can do better. Because you want to see your name in the paper, and crave the admiration of our perceptive, tasteful, well-informed, and ever-encouraging "critics." Because you think the theater provides endless opportunities for getting laid. Because you find actors smart, perceptive, and unimaginably gallant and you want to hang out and have drinks with them on a regular basis. Because you glimpsed two tramps waiting beside a road, or an old man raging on a heath, or saw a man and woman arguing outside the bus window--and you want to imagine out loud what was going on and why and who those vanished people were. Because you have some voices in your head that won't be still. Because you want to do something really difficult--to chase down the elusive element that makes a very, very few plays good or even great and immortal, yet somehow escapes all those many other plays.
Or because you feel like it.
Or because you don't have any choice.
Because you have to. "

Link to The Ind article "Lives of the Saints Coming in January" by Anna Purdy...
http://www.theind.com/arts-a-entertainment/86-aae/9651-lives-of-the-saints-performance-in-january
(note: it was here that it was mentioned - there would be an Opening Night Dinner & Theatre with Bonnie Bell, as the restaurant sponsor & at Closing Night there would be Dessert & Theatre with Carpe Diem Gelato-Espresso Bar as another sponsor...my goodness such Yummy sponsors & neighbors downtown to have too?!)

Link to our local The Advertiser article about the play...
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20120119/ACADIANA/120119003/Acting-Unlimited-Inc-presents-David-Ives-Lives-of-the-Saints

Link to where it was available on EventBrite.com...
http://lives.eventbrite.com/
Link to where it was also availabe on Zvents.com...
http://www.zvents.com/z/lafayette_la/aui-presents-david-ives-lives-of-the-saints--events--233302465
(note: Now I'm torn on which online event/'vent place to go for tickets if I just don't drive down there...It looks as if they both just copied the postcard/handout - except someone at EventBrite & also at Zvents - curious that - mispelled 'wee' as 'twee' so that was kinda of comic to go along with all the rest of the fun...best go back & check my spelling now or I'll be adding to even more besides the point fun...And I just went to buy a ticket during the day as I was running downtown for AcA volunteering & just happened by next door for an espresso at Carpe Diem Gelato-Espresso Bar...yeah--just happened, that's right...)

Link to a May of last year review, now that was obvious--by the month alone...after the Feb review above...succinctly just called "Theatre Review" by Roy Giles...
http://www.arcadiamagazine.org/lives-of-the-saints-by-david-ives-ghostlight-theatre.html
(note: here he's repeated some of the fun lines in the one-act Soap Opera, between the washing machine goddess or 'White' - I didn't catch her name in the play - & the repairman...)

Link to article in Uncovering Oklahoma - Lives of the Saints Q&A - only this time with a director from Ghostlight Theatre Club's production of  The Lives of the Saints...
http://www.uncoveringoklahoma.com/2011/05/lives-of-the-saints-qa/
(note: I especially liked the photos included--it was interesting to see the 'boulder' for Babel's in Arms was a huge chunk of styrofoam in their version & the stoneman a woman...Oh the fun to produce a play?!)

Link to Berkshire on Stage - Mill City Productions staging of 4 of David Ives One-Act plays - one of which is The Lives of the Saints & a photo of him/the playwright - like their play of  words too: "Four One Act Plays--The Ives Have It"...
http://berkshireonstage.com/2010/08/06/mill-city-productions-to-stage-four-one-act-plays-by-david-ives/
(note: at the bottom, something else blew me away--the Cisco ad/vid for their Unified Data Center...I love it--the motion/the words/the music/the digital stream looking like water drops...all of this & more, it must of won a prize--it's a Winner?! but then I have ADDY's on my mind of late, here in Lafayette, now I find myself wanting to know more of Who Created This Thing of Beautiful Advertising - again, I may repeat, it's why I wanted to major in Marketing to get to Advertising to be anywhere near Creators of stuff like 'This' ad?! Link to where you can watch too... from Twitter: bit.ly/yCR4IR or find it on YouTube - am having trouble finding that link, so later, since it's beside the point... )

 ...

A Bed of Plastic - made with "plyarn"

Bed Bag Mats
 ______________
\                           \
\______________\

a bed of plastic
made of  'plastic' 'yarn' = 'plyarn'

Originators of Bag Mats...
www.peopleablaze.org

But they're making 'em here - for one place at Grace Presbyterian Church in Lafayette, LA?!
Also if I'm to understand it correctly, not only are folks making them at home & bringing them in but so are other area churches--so they can be shipped in containers together to - for one - Mission place in Haiti...

Where did I find out about such a thing going on? in the local newspaper calendar & today I just showed up to help...

Come to find out it's been going on since like 2010 at the church center on Every 2nd Saturday of the month, just like Art Walk is downtown (so today I was there from 9 - 2 & then to ArtWalk from 6 - 8)

There are many steps to making 1 bag/bed mat & a lot of hours to get 1 done...

 

Step 1: you get (a lot of) recycled plastic bags from local shops or grocery stores or from folks donating them - there's a box at the church too...










And next you flatten them...try as best you can to get them as flat as new at the shop...

also Trick 1: Snap the handle to the bottom on both sides, so those tricky folds go in to lay flat...

a sample mat done, you can see all the colors - it's more fun to work with & am guessing to own too if you can have different colored bags to use when making them (it's the little things right...like after a soft place to sleep off the dirt?!)

just like the quilters do, you have a cutting board & you use a rolling cutter to cut up loops from the flattened bags - the bottom seam & the top handles are cut off to recyle...

from the loops cut you put them together - as our instruction said, as if they were rubber bands (which oddly enough I'd done before - or maybe not if you've worked in an office or had rubber bands at home, even without boys in the house...) - until you have a very long continuous taunt chain (no puckers in the middle of any links, per a crochet lady--as I'm not, so was good to hear I was doing it right so she wouldn't have to take anything apart while in the middle of crocheting later...)

compare...mine is below, one made today above - keep 'em loose is another trick tip...
& again to make it more interesting for everyone it's fun to alternative 'colors'...

these were the neatest/prettiest bag of 'plyarn' balls that anyone had made all day, a lady brought them in from home & I told the first crochet-er to come in that she should for sure take those best ones home to use...(I can only aspire, but then again--me day one & her ?? day 2 or 3 yrs for all I know?!)

I didn't catch anyone crocheting today, so took a close up of one of the finished mats to see these 'stitches' or 'loops' made on a really big fat blue crochet hook - size? massive!

There were instructions given out to continue on to crocheting, but it's all Goobley Gook to me to try to figure out--Yes, I am 'crafty challenged' & especially if there's 'counting' to be done, as in consistantly...

another example of a completed rolled up bag/bed mat - with a handle at one end, made from scraps or from the ones I saw clear bags...it's all very light weight & washable - only not so 'non' flamable (cause they're all plastic?!)

Every one they're making are suppose to be 6 ft long & 3 ft wide, or was that 4 ft wide...I was just thinking if you were a large person would you fit, but I'm guessing you'd mostly fit & no worse than some of the camping pads I've bought when young-er to go camp out in the woods/mountains (occassionally rain) in a tent & sleep on somewhat comfortably (but then I've been terribly spoiled by real beds & mattresses right?!)

500 or 700...

I asked how many bags?

At least 500 or more, like who's (who would) counting...

35, 36, 37, 38...

I asked how long a whole mat takes to make?

A day or day & half - or something like 35 or more hours...

Oh my--I will prob never make one, the crochet stitches I saw one lady showing another looked like a 'magic trick' so a better lady than I can have at that step (I'll continue flattening bags of putting loops together in fun colors to make a ball?!)

Also on the instruction sheet--Links to 2 videos...

1) Video for How To...

www.LutheranChurchCharities.com

2) You Tube - Bag Mats - for Another How To, but the sice is different on the loops I'm reading - theirs at 2 1/2 inches & ours at 4 inches...

Link to 17 min tutorial (wow - she used scissors?! & she made a 17 minute video...)

http://youtu.be/pAYD-TZYdtE

Link to a 5 min How To...

http://youtu.be/BiUC0iDQtkA

(she says it takes 500 - 700 bags, has anyone counted how many loops? if each bag I guess makes at least 4 loops on average? Oh nevermind--I'm not doing anymore counting?! but thankfully the crocheting lady that happened to come in today says she doesn't count, she just measures what she's working on & they seem to come out fine - so that would be me, if/If I were to happen to start crocheting...)

Link to a 8 min How To - that shows a group of ladies working...

http://youtu.be/MQtcpPBJc70

(she spells it 'plarn')

Note: I see mention of  'milk bag' mats too, but we're using grocery bags/sacks - I don't really know what they're talking about when they say 'milk bags' - maybe a 'bread bag' but 'milk'?!

Link to Fox15 News article about the Bag Mat Ministry...

http://www.kadn.com/events/bag-mat-ministry-workshop-3

Link to article from The Iberian - helping 'mat-ters'...

http://www.iberianet.com/news/helping-mat-ters-in-haiti/article_0b4226a2-d98d-11e0-aa85-001cc4c03286.html

(note: like that, as it does 'matter' - nice play on mat & matters & mat?!)

Link to 99.9 KTDY mention of--along w/plastic grocery bag photo...

http://999ktdy.com/ktdy-covers-acadiana-january-2012/

Link to The Advertiser Calendar of Events - Janurary 2012...

http://search.theadvertiser.com/sp?skin=&aff=1001&pickYourDates=true&eventsOnly=true&startDate=1/14/2012

Plus it's on Instructables.com - How to make Plastic Bag Yarn...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycle-Plastic-Shopping-Bags-into-Yarn/

(note: this became my favorite How To website after I had to remember how to make a Pinata from scratch while living in Norway--saved me, we made some for a Red Crossing project...No, you couldn't buy them off the shelf like you can here at say Target - you could order them/ship them for a lot of money, so we chose to make them from scratch...& I found instructions on where else but 'instructables?!')

 

the man behind the mission in Haiti w/LA Nat'l Guard...

(photo credit: from May 2011--see link below...)

Link to some more about Fr Glenn Meaux & the Haiti Mission--from 2010 to 2011...

http://solthaitimission.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=30

(note: says here he's from Abbeville, LA...at church also overheard he doesn't have a Parish, am guessing that's because he's in Haiti all the time?!)

Misc/Random Find...

Twitter note: mine, if I Google this subject my Tweet today shows up on page two--already...curious to see that, really just made me stop & think about what I'm sending off on Twitter or FourSquare...hmmm...weird feelings, but someone would have to be searching for just that...hmmm...nevermind--it's all good, it's a Do Good project, really--even before this past Christmastime local one & it continues & has been for years...

Other Notes...

Not only are they making these stateside, but they're making them also in the countries where they are needed--if there are plastic bags to be had...there was mention of 1 orphanage that's making them to sell to raise money for their school--rather than just giving them away, like the church missions are...

So many groups are involved in this, I never knew...locally there are schools & boy scouts, girl scouts, kids looking for community projects or volunteering...volunteers or church ladies/men--there was a man doing a lot of cutting today, plus a group of kids who were doing bag flattening & putting loops together (which is where I am--baby steps?!)

#Do Good

Do Good Wrap up - but does it?!

Does Doing Good Ever Wrap up? I don't think so!

22 projects were started, (that we know of) now I've heard what they all did the other night during the Wrap up Party at Home Bank - in the lobby no less, was a surprise that - & I still couldn't list them all, all the projects, all the people, all the side projects/people too...

Maybe Aileen's put them all up on her Blog? or there will be a book about all this someday soon & we can read about it?! (hope so!!) or there's the Facebook Page too...

2 projects I can add from last time that I didn't know about are Brian Holmes & Blake Lagneaux...

1 - Brian Holmes gave to a Kiva loan - he called his guy, the 'cereal guy' (simply he makes cereal, which is great...) So he needed a $75 loan & Brian used his given $50 & added to that (or am guessing he did that...) Which will be repaid & then reloaned out once again, over & over--so a gift that keeps on giving...

Link to Kiva Loans - Loans that Change Lives...
http://www.kiva.org/

2 - Blake Lagneaux is giving to our local Children's Museum & creative projects there by creating a Do Good (Always) Poster that will be sold for $15 plus shipping to go to this project...
It's on Etsy, so how cool is that--we can buy one or others can buy one, but it goes to our local Children's Museum...

I've ordered the light grey background with the pastel colored lettering on my poster--that I just can't wait to show up in the mail...at the Wrap up Party there was only 1 black background one with less pastel colored letters--but it was framed & it was given as a door prize (all I know is that I didn't win, so I had to order one--but in doing so got to get more fun colors I think?!)

With my new poster (can't wait for it to arrive in the mail, so I can get it framed--pronto?!) I'll have a great reminder for a wonderful Christmastime in 2011, helping out Do Good projects & the Wrap up Party stories & to continue on my own to Do Good Always--right?! of course!!

Link to find the Do Good (Always) Poster by Blake Lagneaux...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/90280677/do-good-project-poster
(note: there's 37 left to order, as of today?! 12" x 16" - shipped rolled up in a tube...)

Link to Aileen Bennett's Blog - Creating Clever...
http://creatingclever.com/

Link to the Do-Gooders Facebook page...
https://www.facebook.com/dogoodproject

Link to first/main sponsor - Home Bank...
www.facebook.com/homebankhelps

My List of Helping Out Do Good-er Projects...

gave big bag full of t-shirts to BBR, at the time it said she was trying to collect 600 of them
(note: she was not at the Do Good Wrap up Party because--wait for it--she's in Africa?! Not just handing out T-shirts, but also she has a son there--who am guessing is volunteering to do something helpful in Africa too?! I think it was a 3 part project, as some were - so 1 part of the T-shirts went to Africa, 1 part went to make Dog Toys...did I read that one right?!) & the last part went to another group intown, that right now I cannot remember - but they're doing good can you betcha'...)

note: when I was grabbing T-shirts to donate, think I may have grabbed my fav coffee shops T's...
so that's Carpe Diem & Cafe Cohen--prob off to Africa or could be a dog toy or ?? by now too?!

gave small bag full of CD's to Extra Mile after I missed the Rapper Concert
(note: these went to tweens/teens wrapped I think for Christmas & the other early Christmas gift was for this boy to Rap in front of a willing/live/happy/supporting audience--a great way to have a start & for it to be your first too...we'll have to get more posted on this new musician to the Rap scene in Lafayette--do we have a Rap scene? I wouldn't ever know, unless someone told me?!)

bought a week's worth of Mocha coffees from Cafe Cohen
(note: And I'm not a fan of chocolate/mocha coffee either)

 

donated 2 (maybe 3 - yes, 3 as I found the photo...) willowbranch planter cones from Klara Pil in Norway to Green Garden project for a teacher/school class - or - if they didn't want to use them then the Farm2Table Farmers would get next shot at them

note: don't know 'if' these are the bike lights ordered from a Portland, OR bike/light shop, but they'll be something like this - will await further news from Tony on when's the big bike light passing out event, a lot of surprised bike folks with big grins will soon be found out & about in town...

support the bike light give away, for now only bought an auto sticker for Bike Lafayette group - the lights are on order, then the give away will happen (I have seen a few bike/bikers who need lights on their bikes for night riding--to help be seen, flashing bright lights are a must for 'distracted drivers' right?!)

found out what #cajunkindness/aka Lauren was doing & added 3 gift cards from Cafe Cohen to hers - with the code word "JingleJingle" (after CajunKindness & DoGood I think were both taken already from someone else doing good - once at the coffee/gelato place downtown Lafayette?!)

note: from www.etsy.com Do Good Project Poster by Blake Lagneaux - this is the dark grey background, the one I didn't order (I ordered the light grey background, with more pastel letters - see above /\)

bought a do good-er poster, waiting for that to come in the mail & soon?!

  x 50

(photo credit: thumbnail Wikipedia)

Note: Really don't know which project got the $50 that I donated, it was just all pooled together to give all the Do Good-ers a $50 bill to do Do Good with--any of them are Welcome to think it was the 1 from me?!

So many more Do Good Projects - will try to remember more & find out if Aileen's webpage has them linked up or over on Facebook...because everyone was to agree to the Do Good, Document, Have Fun I think were the 2 plus a Laginappe deal to follow along the way...

#DoGood

Oh too one speaker before leaving the podium--who was that DollarMan? (was that FiberCorp Startup that did this - Argh, the memory...) left on the table where the mini Oscars were a pile of Do Good Dollar Bills with a sticker in the middle of each & 'do good' stamped all over it...to continue spreading the Do Good glow to all & also left an envelope on the table for anyone to put more money in for Aileen's next project (or would that be schenanigans?!)

(note: local shop photo - of all the things couldn't find just a pic of Mardi Gras beads say in a big pile or bag in my Lafayette photos that weren't around somebody's neck right...)
I picked up one, now what Do Good-ing can I do?! bought cat/dog food today for the Acadiana Animal Shelter to go with the big bag of Mardi Gras beads I was donating for the next Doggie Mardi Gras Parade (that was so fun last year, only I wanted to adopt a King Chihuahua...since then we've rescued 2 of them so we didn't get a Mardi Gras Parade King afterall?!) - but I could say the $1.00 went to that, but trouble is it's still on my desk in my home office (so does that count? prob not!)
(note: I was going to copy the fun money, but then I realized--wait it's real currency & I don't think the gov't/mint would appreciate that...you'll just have to believe me?!)


New Do Good Dollar Idea...

   $$$

Did you know there are Dollar Bills in Circulation that are stamped with 'Where's George' in Red ink on them - if you get one then you're suppose to go to this Webpage to Track your Dollar Bill (which you know has George Washington on it right--uh huh...)

See this link...
http://www.wheresgeorge.com/

Well, how aboutey (Yes, I felt like saying that madeup word--is it Pirate-ese, can't say...) we add to that 'George' with a DoGood stamp or decoration too...

Would love though if we could not only track where the Dollar Bill was or had been, but also what the Do Good-er did with it...

Help me--I need Aileen Be Good/Be You & Friends to get running with this one...

I say for the next Drink & Draw Night the graphic designs guys meeting up at Ameicas Coffeehouse, dedicate the evening to drawing on special Dollar Bills (OK--not to worry, I'll donate some to get started...)

And then somehow we'll track them out & about doing good, once they're done & passed on - or maybe when someone gets a cup of coffee Floyd could give the customer one of the special dollars...would be great if the DoGood facebook page address was stamped/written/drawn on their somewhere too & we start with watching a new batch of Do Good Dollar Bills on their way to DoGood-ing?!

(note: now I must go Tweet all night long on Twitter now to get this thing going--am I dreaming, or did I just type all that...hmmm...shhh--no, don't wake me up?! Zzzz...$$$...zzz...)

#DoGood Always <3

12 Twelve Twelfth

Park's New Twelfth Night Characters...
a poster I can't seem to track back to, except for the image on PuzzleMasters.com webpage -
so have to give them the credit until otherwise discovered origins elsewhere...
(note: I like the period/Shakespearean costumes & wish had enough time to recreate one for Mardi Gras costume contest?!)

12 Twelve Twelfth...mixed up with 'Throw Me Somethin' Mister"

January 6th is 12th Night - 12 days after Christmas, counting from the 25th of December

Here in Louisiana that means King Cakes & the beginning of Mardi Gras - or Carnival Season
which will end on February 21, 2012 this year, aka Fat Tuesday

Gambino's Bakery - Lafayette, LA - King Cakes to order to ship...
borrowed their photo from the webpage, so you can see one - hope they don't mind & don't get the idea they're the best either, because everyone in town has their favorite & I'm not saying which is mine until I try them all again?!

Back to Twelfth Night, the play, not the King Cake...
I first heard about this production of the Bard's play on Kickstarter - where Acting up (in Acadiana) started their fund raising to even put on the play...

Link to Kickstarter...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/actingupinacadiana/twelfth-night-on-12th-night?ref=live

It's great finding local folks/artists there trying to raise funds to continue their projects - I think so far 1 of those I've supported/Pledged to/Backed locally didn't raise all their funds & 1 (this one) did... plus 1 other wasn't local, but it supported Women as graphic artists, so was happy to support them & they also raised all their funds & pretty quickly too--great to watch that happen for them...

Here is what it said about their Kickstarted Project...

About this project

"We are Acting Up (in Acadiana) a small, professional theatre company based in Lafayette, LA which is in the heart of Cajun country (Acadiana) about two hours west of New Orleans, and we need your help to produce our production of Shakespeare’s 12th NIGHT. Here in South Louisiana, 12th night marks 12 days after Christmas (January 6th) and the end of the holiday season. It also commences the beginning of the Mardi Gras season when the first King Cakes are eaten, luncheons and Mardi Gras balls begin, along with other festivities. So, to produce Shakespeare’s 12th NIGHT on 12th night in South Louisiana will allow us to celebrate with our audiences and the community at large. The play itself will also be set here during Mardi Gras, highlighting the themes of overindulgence, masking and veiling, as well as the time out of time, topsy turvy, carnivalesque and multiple kinds of foolery.

We want to start 2012 communing in laughter. Mardi Gras serves as a cultural release valve. A time when everyone, rich and poor, conservative and liberal, religious and non-religious, EVERYONE eats and drinks together, listens and dances to music together, rides in and watches parades together, and in Cajun country at the Courir de Mardi Gras, chases chickens and makes gumbo together. It is a time that reminds us that we are more alike than different. It’s the way we plan to start our new year.

Acting Up (in Acadiana) needs your help to make TWELFTH NIGHT on 12th night happen. Your donations will help with costumes and our Mardi Gras costume contest prizes, with posters, postcards and mailings, with live rather than recorded music, and of course some celebratory food, beads, and booze. Our company is committed to progressing theatre as an art form through the development of new works and reinterpretation of classics, telling stories rooted in the unique time and place in which we live and work. What unites us as collaborators is our belief in ensemble driven work where every production is bigger than any individual involved and ultimately meant to connect with an audience and transform all who are present both on and off the stage.

Please become part of our ensemble and make 12th NIGHT on 12th night happen.

Thank you!!!!"

And their latest update (#4) on Kickstarter - Twelfth Night Opens This Week...
mentions going out to eat at Artmosphere, who's going to donate 50% to them too...so you can eat local to support local arts, a great combo?!

Hello All,
"Our final dress rehearsal is tonight!!! We open tomorrow and run 4 shows through Saturday. If you are around, we really hope to see you there! And remember to come in costume for the contests at each show! Tickets are available at the AcA or call (337) 233-7060 or visit www.acadianacenterforthearts.org.
If you want to grab a bite before any of the shows, try Artmosphere and tell them you are there for Acting Up on Twelfth Night and we will get 50%. Also, Friday night the Accidental Chef will be serving/selling chicken penne pasta.
After we close the show we will be requesting your contact information so we can forward your rewards!!!
Happy New Year!
Amy"

Link to local articles written up, so far, about the play too...

Acadiana Gazette
http://www.acadianagazette.com/archives/volume8/issue1/entertainment/CultureCorner.php
http://www.acadianagazette.com/archives/volume7/issue48/pdfs/Gazette.new.section1.6a.2011.pdf

The Times of Acadiana/The Advertiser...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20120105/ACADIANA01/201040343/-1/ACADIANA

More from The Advertiser about Holding Twelfth Night Parties (I like the list of costume ideas, which might help for this contest at the Twelfth Night play...)
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20120105/LIFESTYLE/201050302/Goodbye-Christmas-Hello-Carnival-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p


The Ind
http://www.theind.com/living-ind/9375-a-year-of-shakespeare
http://www.theind.com/arts-a-entertainment/86-aae/9077-here-is-some-theatre-news-darling

Downtown Lafayette
http://www.downtownlafayette.org/Events/EventsDisplay.asp?p1=8524&p2=Y&Sort=&Archive=

Link to KATC.com - Channel 3...
http://www.katc.com/news/aca-hosts-twelfth-night-/

Link to Visit South - article by Chere' Coen...
http://visitsouth.com/articles/article/twelfth-night-lafayette-la/

Link to Wikipedia about Twelfth Night & all things William Shakespeare to do with it - on stage, radio, film, TV...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Night

William Hamilton, A scene from Twelfth Night, Act 5 Scene i, c.1797...
borrowed from Wikipedia commons

(Cast of Original) Characters

Viola, castaway, disguised as a man called Cesario, in service to Orsino Orsino, Duke of Illyria, wooing Olivia Olivia, a countess, resisting Orsino's wooing Malvolio, steward to Olivia Maria, a Lady in waiting in Olivia's household Sir Toby Belch, Olivia's drunken uncle Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a simple minded companion of Sir Toby's, wooing Olivia Feste, Olivia's jester

Sebastian, castaway, twin brother to Viola, thought dead Valentine, gentleman attending on Duke Orsino Curio, gentleman attending on Duke Orsino Fabian, a servant and friend to Sir Toby Antonio, a captain and friend to Sebastian A sea captain, friend to Viola

 

Link to Acting up (in Acadiana) webpage...

http://www.actingupinacadiana.com/site/

note: read more about A Year of Shakespeare

Dates/Times playing...
January 5 Thurs, 6 Fri, 7 Sat - 7:30pm
             7 Sat - 2:00pm

Link to AcA for more info/tickets...
http://acadianacenterforthearts.org/
http://acadianacenterforthearts.org/Events/EventsDisplay.asp?p1=8181&p2=Y&Sort=&Archive=

Link to the Accidental Chef - Carolos Russo, who is kindly Cooking Chicken Penne Pasta before Friday the 6th performance at AcA...
http://www.accidentalcooking.com/about-2/

Link to Facebook page for Acting Up (in Acadiana...)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Acting-Up-in-Acadiana/58043987410#!/pages/Acting-Up-in-Acadiana/58043987410?sk=wall
(note: I was hoping to find some more photos of the characters or the Twelfth Night play, but there were none - or yet?! but I did like the little video posted there of the 'Woman Behind the Madness' - to get to see behind the scenes for a quick bit, thanks?!)
  ~~~

Acting Up (in Acadiana) - the fool & one of her crew...
borrowed from Facebook page

From the Director...
From the Program...

Note from the Director

"I loved Twelfth Night the first time I read it when I was an undergrad at the Univ. of Maine.
Here was a Shakespeare that reminded me of home & Marid Gras.
I think you will see what I mean whenyou watch the show.
The professional company members in Acting Up (in Acadiana) wanted to do a Shakespeare as our 1st show in the new theatre--we hadn't done one since 2005.
When these dates were offered, it ws clear that we needed to do Twelfth Night on 12th night.
It also seemed somehow appropriate that we do the show as it was the 1st show we did in residence with the Acadiana Arts Council when they were still on the corner of Lee & Main.
Now, we get to do it in this wonderful space.

As a director, it's quite speacial to see 3 of my actors in recurring roles, but 8 yrs later they are even better & richer actors than they were before.
Another actor has taken on a new role & has had the opportunity to experience the piece in a different way.
All of these actors make me laugh at every rehearsal.
I hope that you will love them as much as I do, because you are now part of this show.
There is no live theatre without you.

We also hope that you will continue to support the work that we do, even when we are developing new works, which are even more labor intensive than mounting a Shakespeare or another completed work.
It's important for us to share what it means to be a professional theatre artist, a concept that is still relatively new to Lafayette.
We continue to do shows on shoestring budgets, but hope that over time, our patrons will support a growing budget so that our production details can grow & so that o ur production teams can be paid equitably.
For Twelfth Night, 2,453 man hours were spent to create this collaborative adventure.

Thank you for being here & starting the new year with us..."

Director: Amy Waguespack

Production Team:
Costume Designer - Chad Trahan
Lighting Designer - Brian Schneider
Music Composition - Danny Devillier, Taylor Guarisco, Chris Stafford
Music Director - Danny Devillier
Set Designer - Hector LaSala
Set Design Assistant - Jeremy Lail
Set Construction - Robert Guidry
Prop Master - Destin Briant
Photography - Alyce LaBry
Videography - Cason Aycock *

*I would love to see the Video of the show on Friday Night - on the actual 12th Night...
because it was fantastic fun being in the audience & would be loads of fun to see it again?!

Cast:

Duke (of Illyria) Orsino - Colin Miller
(my note: I can't tell you what fun that was to see him reign supreme from the rolling bathtub, in his high & mighty black feather headress too?! Even more so after meeting him earlier in the year under more dressed--uhm more serious circumstances at CES, the Creative Economic Summit...)

Curio - Lillian Feist (gentleman attending on the Duke)

Valentine - Heaven Moore (gentleman attending on the Duke)

Duke's Attendants - Kate Lobdell, Sara Catherine White

Viola/Cesario - Breanne Hernandez (sister to Sebastian)

Captain - Dana Gourrier (sea captain, friend to Viola)

Sir Toby Belch - George Saucier (Olivia's kinsman)
(my note: now if I have the right character in mind then to get an idea of what I thought he looked like & maybe even acted like--have you seen the commercials on TV for the Credit Card Capitol One -  with the line: 'what's in your wallet' - where there are hoards of say Barbarian/Viking type raiders/pillagers taking over in modern times? or excuse me, I'm reading they're called Visigoths?! Uh huh...Well, in one of the series of them there's a boy who has a beard already & he comes to sit on Santa's lap to ask for a sword for Christmas - Santa pulls his beard to see if it's real by the end...that's who this actor reminds me of & I would of laughed at just that, besides his antics with Maria & Olivia & Andrew Aguecheek & a few bottles of fake beer or wine...these names too, Belch/Aguecheek like Shakespeare wasn't up to something to begin with naming these two?!)

Capitol One--characters...from a TV ad - so you can remember who I'm talking about, only didn't find an image for the boy on Santa's lap for Christmas who wants a sword (there is a YouTube, but nevermind & no matter, am guessing you can get the idea of what/who I'm talking about in trying to describe this one actor - Sir Toby - in Twelfth Night...)


Maria - Lian Cheramie (Olivia's gentlewoman-in-waiting)
(my note: her facial expressions & movements with her acting were so spot on comical, I just loved her - especially when she laughed in her part, or crawled...)

Andrew Aguecheek - Cissy Whipp

Feste - Kara St. Clair (clown - Olivia's jester - sometimes referred to as 'the fool')
(my note: also her movements & song & lines, done in majorette's uniform with boots & long tailed red coat was all together wonderfully fun & I loved watching her move as much speak as 'the fool'--no matter if I didn't catch all of Shakespeare's words or the songs lyrics either?!)

Feste's Crew - Chance Briant, Destin Briant, River Gibson, Mack McAnally
(my note: whoever was playing guitar & violin did a great job, like roaming minstrels would back in the day am guessing...having fun & playing music...)

Malvolio - Ricky Briggs (steward to Olivia)
(my note: if this is who they talked into at first wearing a suit & then red longjohn underwears w/a little stuffed black dog & then yellow hose/colorful high heels/pasted tassles/black satin puffy shorts w/suspenders - Kudos, on two counts, one for wearing all that & for delivering convincing lines in them...what great fun for us to watch this transformation?!)

Olivia - Hannah Briggs (a countess)
(my note: the sounds & movements this woman could make were way more than a 'drama queen' as I would call my youngest son at my leg dragging on the floor when he was a kid trying to suck up for something...this was the best comic relief for Shakespeare I could imagine, epecially her 'soft' moments or climatic realization of their being twins...oh Oh OH...joining the rest of the performances--it was a wonder we could hear the lines between the giggling?! )

Olivia's Attendants - Katelynn Hebert, Ashley Mays, Ali Pellerin

Antonia - Kelly Clayton (sea captain, friend to Sebastian)

Sebastian - Brian Crutchfield (brother of Viola)

Fabian - David Guarisco (servant to Olivia)

Officer - Dana Gourrier

Priest - Sara Catherine White

   ~~~

Link to where you can read the Entire Twelfth Night play by William Shakespeare, if you feel like you missed something while you were there laughing (I know I did) or you missed it & want to remember what the Tempest like play was about...
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/twelfth_night/full.html

Link to Sparknotes of the play Twelfth Night - so you can do just like you did in school/college when you didn't want to/have the time to read an entire work of literature--you can just read the summary...
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/twelfthnight

Link to something even better--a translation of Shakespeare's English into Modern Day (as in spoken now in our time) English...also from Sparknotes link to No Fear Shakespeare Twelfth Night...
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/twelfthnight

(further note: Oh my, there's even an iphone app...so you can take it mobile)
  ~~~

Costumes I spotted in the audience, Friday Night...

Ragin Cajun Super Fans
Swami & his wife (if yogi's have wives?)
Pirate/Swashbuckling couple (yes there was a patch over 1 eye)
Gypsy lady
Flapper girl
Ballerina of sorts (there was a Tutu & there was a Tiara)
Beaded Bedouin lady
Were there more costumes in the crowd?
Possibly, but I didn't come early/nor stay late to see everybody there...

Now if I heard the announcements correctly at the Intermission--the pirate/swashbuckling couple won the Costume Contest, which I thought was to be for the most original costume...if that were the case, then I would of been voting for the Ragin Cajun Supper Fan couple - or a Carnivale version of them at least & I told her so at the end of the performance, passing them upstairs in the mezzanine...(she was ready to dance, no matter her high red heels or her sunglasses at night?!)