Fate, fealty and my father
I pulled a handwritten note and a crisp newspaper clip out of a basement bin last night and learned a little more about fate, fealty and my father. Recently, my brother let us know that the Cincinnati...
View ArticleBrava! for the Drama Mamas
With admiration, appreciation and intentional definition we salute theatre moms, women who support drama without creating it.The distinction between our beloved drama mamas and the appropriately...
View ArticleSecond star on the right
A talented director entertains, a gifted one elevates. This weekend in a high school theatre that has blown us away more often than we can count, we once again transcended a story we had heard all our...
View ArticleA parent’s high school survival guide
Though we toasted it simply, with a quick meal at our neighborhood Chinese restaurant, yesterday marked a significant milestone for Molly and me, the last day of her first year of high school. She gave...
View ArticleDear Me at 17
Inspired by Brad Paisley’s song “Letter to Me” and the recent Sports Illustrated feature asking athletes to write to their high school selves, I dashed off this note to myself circa 1982. Dear Me at...
View ArticleOne Class Act
Just before 5 a.m. yesterday, Molly and I pulled into her dark, cold high school parking lot, active with working snow plows and assembling theatre kids. Then I watched as the students and their...
View ArticleThe Barefoot Con”stress”a — a post by Molly
How many resonance structures does carbonate have? 3. What year was the Treaty of Burlingame signed? 1868. What is the derivative of a natural log function? 1/x. Who wrote The Devil and Tom Walker?...
View ArticleSpit spot and on with the spectacular show
Appleton North’s production of Mary Poppins enjoyed a spectacular run that, despite a dramatic rain delay, was practically perfect in every way. A little drama Friday’s night only proved how poised...
View ArticleHow to ace your college tours
You’d think we’d have mastered the college application process by now, having been through the whole crazy circus three times. But we’re still winging it, as evidenced by a recent swing through a...
View ArticleA salute to taxpayers who support the arts
Want to know what gratitude sounds like? Listen to the proud cacophony of nearly 900 string instruments swelling through a Performing Arts Center. Hear the capacity applause. Want to know what it feels...
View ArticleWant to know what Veteran’s Day is all about? Watch a soldier salute
If you want to know what Veteran’s Day means, watch a soldier salute. Witness the arm. Crisp snap upward, precise elbow bend, right hand over right eyebrow. Watch the hand. It won’t falter, no matter...
View ArticleA weekend in High School Wonderland
High school theatre director Ron Parker sets high standards in his productions. Period costumes must conform to the time period. Period. Lighting. Sound. Set design. Blocking. Elocution. Make-up. Hair....
View ArticleThanks to the Red Devils for a golden opportunity
Ninety-one-year old Lido poured the Yuengling. Cousin Julie baked the walnut roll. Uncle George and Aunt Martha brought the memories. The NFL provided the occasion and Central Cambria High School did...
View ArticleMy 30th and last semester as a high school mom
Was this a momentous week for you? It was for me. I woke up early some days and dragged myself to the Y. I lingered in my warm bed other days, sipping tea my husband brought me and spending a...
View ArticleUnder the Sea
The Appleton North Theatre Department’s magnificent run of the Little Mermaid offered an excellent opportunity to showcase what happens under the sea of a live theatre performance. The deep waters...
View ArticleUnder the Sea
The Appleton North Theatre Department’s magnificent run of the Little Mermaid offered an excellent opportunity to showcase what happens under the sea of a live theatre performance. The deep waters...
View ArticleThree times in one weekend I was THAT mom
On Sunday, I noticed my son had not been participating in a lively group text among his siblings and me. Naturally, I assumed he was incapacitated in some way. It’s not that the family group chats are...
View ArticleWild and crazy in Guatemala
I’m not sure what the statute of limitations is on high school exchange program rules, but I have to assume that after nearly 36 years, I’m in the clear. So here’s my story: I did not behave myself in...
View ArticleDear High School Senior,
You’re going to be fine. You think you’re sprinting to the end of your race, but this isn’t even the bell lap. Maybe you’ve tripped, or stumbled a little. Maybe you’ve hit your stride, oblivious to all...
View ArticleWhite Snake, Golden Opportunity
Take a Tony Award winning playwright, a genuinely gifted director and a Chinese fable that is older than written language and you have the magic of Mary Zimmerman’s The White Snake. On paper, the story...
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