Rose Center Summer Players 20th Annual Show - One Weekend Only!

Them that takes cakes
Which the Parsee-man bakes
Makes dreadful mistakes
(And there is a great deal more in that than you would think.)

One week away and for one weekend only! The Rose Center Summer Players 20th Annual production offers a collection of the best of the "Just So Stories" by Rudyard Kipling ("The Jungle Book") next weekend, and the cast, and their parents, are working non-stop to put all the elements together for an excellent show.

(Translation: "all the elements" means: sets, costumes, original live music, lights, sound, rehearsals, and more rehearsals!)

Tickets are only $5, all performances are in the Perk Prater Hall at Rose Center starting Friday July 29th at 7 pm, Saturday July 30th at 2 pm and 7 pm and Sunday July 31 at 2 pm. If you'd like more information, or wish to help support the program, call Rose Center at 423-581-4330.

The cast includes:

Emma Harris - Judith
Carli Rick - Amanda
Graham Christophel - The Parsee, The Python, The First Man
Marissa Horton - Dog, Kangaroo, Giraffe, Wild Horse
Madison Lamb - Horse, Dingo, Baboon, The Cat
Georgi Lamb - Ostrich, The Baby
Madi Phillips - Camel, Little Nqa, Kolokolo Bird, Wild Dog
Skyler Plasencia - The Man, The Elephant's Child, The Bat
Page Winstead - The Djinn, Nqong, The Crocodile, The First Woman
Elizabeth Young - The Ox, The Rhinoceros, Nquing, The Hippo, The Cow

Musicians -
Freya Cartwright
Anna Helms
Matisse Rick
Sarah Roper

'Just So Stories' Opens As Rose Center's 20th Summer Players Show

I have the best summers, thanks to Rose Center in Morristown and their annual theatrical education program, the Summer Players. Next weekend the program marks it's 20th year with the production of Rudyard Kipling's classic collection of children's stories, the "Just So Stories."

This year marks my 4th as director of the Summer Players, and the talent of the young students - from 6th through 12th grade - has been an astonishing thing to witness and help cultivate. They are fearless, curious, adventurous creators, as they not only play the roles of characters, but create the costumes, help build the set, sell advertising - and this year, a group of four young ladies have created and arranged several songs just for this production.

Most of the cast play four to five roles as they act out all the wild and exotic animals from the imaginary and sometimes real wilderness world's of Kipling's tales - like "How The Elephant Got His Trunk" and "How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin".

As with other shows I have directed for the Summer Players, one of the reasons I picked these stories are because they are also classic works of literature, which can be mind-boggling to read and speak no matter what your age. 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the publication of the stories, which you can read online here.

I likewise marvel at the constant work of the parents involved too, as they fit in rehearsals, ad sales and costume-making along with all the other dozens of summer activities they already have planned. And as always, the entire staff of Rose Center works so hard to make sure the show has all it needs and the community can see what young students in the arts can accomplish (and they run programs almost all year long dedicated to that for young and old alike).

And still, for all the work that is done, the cast and myself have a most entertaining summer of laughter and worry and hope and silliness and, too, we all learn from each other and I do my best to make sure this creation is also a celebration of childhood and youth, possibility and courage.

Tickets are only $5, all performances are in the Perk Prater Hall at Rose Center starting Friday July 29th at 7 pm, Saturday July 30th at 2 pm and 7 pm and Sunday July 31 at 2 pm. If you'd like more information, or wish to help support the program by purchasing an ad in the program, call Rose Center at 423-581-4330.

The cast includes:

Emma Harris - Judith
Carli Rick - Amanda
Graham Christophel - The Parsee, The Python, The First Man
Marissa Horton - Dog, Kangaroo, Giraffe, Wild Horse
Madison Lamb - Horse, Dingo, Baboon, The Cat
Georgi Lamb - Ostrich, The Baby
Madi Phillips - Camel, Little Nqa, Kolokolo Bird, Wild Dog
Skyler Plasencia - The Man, The Elephant's Child, The Bat
Page Winstead - The Djinn, Nqong, The Crocodile, The First Woman
Elizabeth Young - The Ox, The Rhinoceros, Nquing, The Hippo, The Cow

Musicians -
Freya Cartwright
Anna Helms
Matisse Rick
Sarah Roper

Tennessee Does Not Feel Perky

A snapshot survey of the state of Tennessee makes some grim observations - about 40% of the population is "stressed out", and the overall 2010 Well Being Index says Tennessee rates 10th in the top ten - as in the Ten States With Bad Well Being.

This survey breaks info down to city, state and Congressional district - and was created by the Gallup-Healthways group, which formed in 2008 to create information which would be given to "Every city, state, and congressional district face unique challenges and the granular level Well-Being Index data shed light on these area-specific issues, allowing leaders to build and shape policies and strategies to address the needs of their communities."

I have to wonder if it's all those "policies and strategies" created by our "leaders" that are the real cause of high stress and lousy well being?

The Tennessee Bulber Movement

It looks and acts mostly like children pouting fretting over a Coveted Toy. Now, but it is called Congress.

Tennessee congress-folk voted to not fund anything a'tall fer them hippie/commie light bulb laws, laws congress made in 2007. Now the Tennessee Bulbers have voted as a group again to ...not fund ... Light Bulb Police??? It's rather hard to say what the off the books vote they had Friday to "not fund enforcement" of the current standards for light bulbs would actually do.

This week between tantrums about that bad man in the President's office, Tennessee childr -- oops, Congressman made our government spend business hours talking and debating "How energy efficient a light bulb should be?"

Every Republican member of our current state congress-folk, in fact, was sponsor and voter on a bill to repeal a 2007 law that requires very highly efficient lightbulbs, (meaning very, very science-fiction weird scary light bulbs) be produced in the country. Even though the law only means some incandescent lights are are being replaced - the furious crowd of politicians/candidates/PR gangs for the next president wannabes, pucker up with Real American Pride and say "Thomas Edison was a good American and as an American I don't want the government telling me what kinda light bulb I can buy."

Response one -
"You're right, it is a corporate decision telling me what kinda light bulb I can buy."

Response two -
"Yeah, I'm all for government making sure I have electricity, but I draw a line in the sand on how I use it!"

Response three - "Would you like to invest in my buggy whip company?"