Artists Are All Loser Slackers, Says Lying Media Outlet

I avoid reading the thin drool offered on the PJMedia website but I happened to read the opinion piece recently offered by a failed artist now church employee who demands the National Endowment for the Arts be totally eliminated 

The writer trots out withered, ancient and fake narratives which ignore the reality of what the NEA does and how it does it. The writer wails that crazy commie leftist artists suck up tax dollars to insult you with lousy arty stuff no one needs 'cause art ain't food; another false claim is that all art should be regulated by a free market and therefore insure only good art that everyone likes will survive and crappy art will die; and finally that "all Americans' don't have any creative notions so no creative notion should be supported.

The facts are enormously and utterly at odds with such drivel.

"The NEA’s 2017 budget is $149.8 million. In a nation of 319 million people that amount doesn’t allow the agency to subsidize much of anything. But the endowment has found ways to make the money work with outsized effectiveness and efficiency. It makes thousands of small grants to nonprofit organizations — on average 2,100 a year. Each grant requires the recipient to raise matching local funds — often at a ratio of two or three local dollars for each federal one. So the NEA mostly serves as a catalyst for local groups to raise private and state money to serve their own communities.

On its modest budget, NEA funding now reaches every state, every congressional district, and even most counties — rural and urban — in the United States. Grants fund programs in schools, libraries and military bases. Nearly half the grants go directly to state and regional arts organizations to expand grass-roots efforts. NEA grants never pay overhead or annual expenses. They only fund specific programs of artistic and educational excellence that reach the public."
--
"The arts in America wouldn’t be destroyed if the NEA ceased to exist. But music, dance, theater, literature and visual arts would become less widely available, especially in schools, rural areas and poorer communities. Access to culture should not be a function of family income. That is why citizens should remind their representatives in Washington that the NEA needs to be protected. Believe it or not, most members of Congress will be pleased to get these letters.

Public support for the arts and arts education is neither a partisan nor a divisive issue. Most Americans want to see the arts in their communities and their schools. Most members of Congress agree. So do most governors and state legislatures. A 2016 public opinion poll conducted by the advocacy group Americans for the Arts found that 55% were in favor of doubling the NEA’s budget (from 46 cents per person then to $1 per person)."

Truth - eliminating the tiny amount of the NEA budget resolves no issue and addresses no problem. So why push for it?

I find it fascinating the writer from PJM is employed by a religious organization, which is exempt from paying taxes - if the writer were truly concerned about fair tax policies, shouldn't he argue that religious organizations should be taxed? So it isn't a tax issue or an economics issue - it's a cultural control issue. It also perpetuates hateful, demeaning, false and ignorant views about anyone who works in the arts - as the article's writer asks, "why should my tax dollars pay for your slacker son to be in a play when if had any talent he would not need any support to reach the heights of success and fame and wealth'.

A few million dollars supporting tens of thousands of arts programs is bad. Billions to subsidize oil companies or banking is good. Only art that is bought is good. The crap you make in your own community is crap, go get a real job, slacker.

The Republican party continues to show it opposes collaboration, open dialog, education, a free press, or anything which provides opportunities for the poor, for rural residents, for schools. Every argument about the arts they offer is debunked but they continue to lie and distort reality - the real problem, they say, is your sin of not being wealthy. Art is for the wealthy and talented - your creative contribution is a laughable pile of crap.

And, as usual, those ideas are held only by a small, angry, petty crowd of deplorable clucks who have a warped view of the world. They simply lust for power for it's own sake while claiming to be your Protectors. 

Where's My Cup of Joe?

Apologies again, Dear Reader and Humble Blog, for an extended absence. It's a dual whammy from being very busy working and utterly stunned by the depth of stupid in the political world.

Truly does any comment actually need to be made about the idiocy on display daily from Republican candidates and office holders who have yet to strike the bottom in their relentless effort to grind all governing to a halt?

Either you know what's up or you've not paid attention and gone dogmatically drunk along with the delusions.

Here, from October last year, my views on the state o' politics

"And the talking is being done by notably unqualified candidates here in the ol' U.S. of A, the sort of talking that cliched tin-pot dictators might spew from tiny podiums and dressed in over-decorated, ill-fitting military uniforms.Such candidates as Trump, Cruz, Carson, Fiorina, Rubio, Bush, and even whole rosters of state GOP candidates are the folks doing such talking today. It's pretty awful to hear and see.
On the Left, Hilary Clinton, even if elected will instantly be tarred with the 'unconstitutional presidency', as these talkers have labeled President Obama. And that would extend the current Insta-Rage crowd's fervor to even more unacceptable and unsustainable behaviors.
And there's Bernie Sanders, who has, for his career, been neither a Republican or a Democrat ...a pretty good indication he's probably the smartest guy in this particular political room of Potentials."


Things haven't changed much, so why repeat myself ad nausueum? 

So there's that.


And yes, I have been busy in offline world creating imaginary worlds - directing and producing plays as Artistic Director for Morristown's Theatre Guild and as directing plays as Artistic Director at Lincoln Memorial University. I am beyond thankful to be so busy. The process of group collaborations for the shows I do is likely why I maintain a very positive outlook on our world today. See, people from all walks of life get together, work together and create something unique and special worth sharing.

Currently I'm helping produce a stage version of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" as a schools program for some 1000-plus students and I am directing what I know will be an amazing version of "Alice In Wonderland" at LMU where Wonderland is of a Steampunk reality (or surreality) See, I am a very fortunate person to have such opportunities.

All that being said, I will step up the postings since politically the nation is in the grips of some dangerous folk and it seems more and more voices of reason are required.

I'm here for you - not to point out the obvious - to give volume to those voices.

Here, let me share this (and I encourage you to check out KnoxViews often) - it indicates how any voice other than one is being ignored in Tennessee.

"Tennessee Legislature  'Honored' as 'Most Conservative' at CPAC"

Also, read Tom Humphrey to stay up to speed on the Tennessee political landscape:

Marsha Blackburn as Trump's V.P.?

Oedipus Rex's Exes?

Early this Summer, I began a new job, as Artistic Director for the Morristown Theatre Guild. This is the 80th Season for the Guild, Tennessee's oldest community theatre, and I'm one of a very select few who have held the AD position.

The work has been quite constant and demanding of both my time and my creative efforts, thus the writing and posting here has been sporadic rather than daily. It is not my wish to allow this page to dwindle away to occasional mutterings - though in truth, my ponderings on aspects of live theatre and staging and plans and collaborations do often make me a distracted muttering fellow.

Currently, the Guild is presenting the second weekend of a comedy called "Rex;s Exes" in Morristown at Prater Hall in Rose Center, Nov. 21, 22 and 23.

And while this show may not be considered a classical work of theatre art (though if it was called "Oedipus Rex's Exes" maybe? ....)

The sheer farce and fun of the show is the reason it captivates actors and audiences - meaning, everyone laughs and laughs hard at the show. And that is a primary and vital value to the show - laughter is a powerful and healing force in the world.

"Rex's Exes" is the second in a series of comedies by Jones, Hope and Wooten, a trio who creates a massive collision of the slightly odd family named Verdeen with their own plans and desires - and still in this mix of mad comedy the writers gently poke fun a gender roles, marriage, life and death, politics, fame and the tedious challenge of getting older.

But mainly, fun is the goal here.

As the Guild makes plans for their 81st Season, I'm focusing our efforts on education programs, on celebrating the many people whose prodigious careers in theatre began on the Guild stage, and on the effort to renovate the Guild's playhouse on Hill Street, a building dating back to the late 1880s.

Theatre isn't simply a jazz-handing, song-and-dance spectacle of flying Spidermen or French peasants in revolt, it isn't simply the verbal pyrotechnics of Shakespeare, or the bare bones of tragedy splayed out for all to wallow in and despair. It is a true collaboration of word and sight and sound whose final sum is far more than any of it's parts. A good show is the result of hard work by many the audience may not even see - costumers and designers and volunteers. And the collaboration is not complete until the actors and audience meet in the ancient rite of communal experience.

So perhaps you'll tolerate my occasional absences here as I work on the tasks now before the Guild. And expect more posts about the work I'm undertaking, about the nature of art and theatre and more. I promise, it won't be dull.

Making A 'Wrinkle In Time'

My absence on this page is due to aliens, time-and-space travel, and even an evil brain. All are elements of Madeleine L'Engle's novel "A Wrinkle In Time", adapted for stage by John Glore, and the show I'm currently directing for the annual student production from Rose Center Summer Players.

The show runs for 5 performances only this week, starting Thursday night at 7 at Rose Center in Morristown.

So my 'summer vacation' has been one filled with travelling through the Universe via Einstein-Rosen Bridges, discussions with the cast about science-fiction tropes and traits, about Time and paradoxes, about science, family, tesseracts, and this endless multi-verse strewn with stars which we all call home.

And, as this is tech and production week, ending with 5 performances, I likely won't have time to get back here until next week. 

If you wonder how one stages travelling via a Wormhole across hundreds of light years - well, you'll just have to come to see the show. We have a very talented cast of area students, ranging from 12 to 18 years of age who bring this show to life. 

The show runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 ppm, and two matinees, at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are a mere $5 and can be purchased in advance by calling 423-581-4330.

In Which I Write About Being A Woman

Been a busy time as I've been directing the stage show of Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" for the Morristown Theatre Guild, which opens tonight in Morristown at Rose Center. The show runs Nov 2 - 11 and is a totally madcap farce of all things Hitchcock.

Just 4 actors and an army of stage hands and tech frantically re-creating an entire movie - well, a very silly full-on comedy version of a movie - live onstage before your very eyes.

And while I never had any intentions of being in this show ... somehow, I ended up being one of the poor, poor actors who has to play a few dozen roles. It's just about whittled my voice down to a mere ghost of its normal self. And then there's the dress/blouse/wig thing I have to wear ...

Oh well. I do make a very ... um ... handsome kind of woman I guess. One friend says I look like "Maude".

Anyway the production has led to light blogging, but once the Presidential Election gets settled next week, I'll put my dress away and get back to work here at your Cup of Joe.

Frightmare Manor ScreamPark Opens Tonight

"I admit it - have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk."

Frightmare Manor 2012 opens tonight, yes, in September - this ScreamPark has become enormously popular and successful and is now open on weekends, up until October begins and then more nights will be added.

You have to understand that founder/creator Chris Wooden, his brother Michael, along with folks like Curtis, Andy and Denise love to scare people. For them, the work on making Frightmare Manor bigger and better and scarier is a full time job which they enjoy so much, it's kinda spooky!

And they've added something new this year to keep the entertainment rolling for the folks who are just waiting in line to get into the 4 different attractions at Frightmare Manor - the largest outdoor movie screen in East Tennessee. Chris says that just exactly what will be playing from night to night is still a bit of a secret at this point, but he emphasized that the Frightmare crew wants every moment you spend on the property to be as entertaining as possible.

Entertaining and scary, that is. You can also get your own Frightmare App for your mobile phone via iTunes to get the latest updates and info on special events.

Now you can go to their website, here, and find out about all the dates they will be open and check out their discount ticket prices too -- I recommend you also check out their Facebook page, where they are always offering discount and even free tickets, and this weekend the first 25 visitors on Friday and Saturday night will get a free Frightmare t-shirt, and as so many from out of town come for a visit, the Hampton Inn is offering a special package for Frightmare Fans - just call (423) 587-0952 and ask about the Frightmare Manor Package.

Chris also said they've hired even more employees this year, over 100, and that means not only is this an event loaded with fun, it's a bona fide economic force! Check out this interview from last year with Chris and with Hamblen County Mayor Bill Brittain.

As the ScreamPark continues, I'll have more details and info to share with you, so stay tuned!

Frightmare Manor 2012 Set To Open

"Now, clear your minds. It knows what scares you. It has from the very beginning. Don't give it any help, it knows too much already."

Terror comes back to town as Frightmare Manor opens on Sept. 21, kicking off another unforgettable Halloween season at their 4-Attraction Scream Park.

Voted the Number One Haunted Attraction by WBIR-TV in 2009, 2010 and 2011, smart money says they'll capture that title again for 2012. An army of creative folk, ghouls, zombies and just plain gruesome ghosts are planning now to scare you witless.

As I have for the past few years, once again I too am your unofficial Blogging Host and Guide to Frightmare Manor. Chris Wooden, the owner and creator of this unique attraction, along with a dedicated crew, work year-round to make Frightmare a must-see event.

The Attractions include Frightmare Manor, Frightmare Backwoods, Frightmare Carnivore and the world-famous (or infamous) Nightmare at Frightmare Challenge - if you can endure all four attractions on one visit, you can get your admission price back.

Some details and a behind-the-scenes peek for the 2011 event can be found here, especially regarding the haunted history of the location and the notorious tale of the site's ghostly inspiration, Jeremiah Lexer:

"Jeremiah Lexer was the original property owner of this entire plantation around the turn of the 18th century. The past 2 years we have focused on more recent, controversial events surrounding the 2001 closing of the
successful restaurant on this property. Over the past year, we have dug into the record books and unearthed a lot of forgotten (or hidden) information about Jeremiah Lexer and his original homestead. We believe
Haunted House customers want to experience TRUE TERROR. Because of this, Frightmare Manor will remain at the old Jeremiah Lexer Plantation. We will continue to learn and share with our customers the evidence over the next few years."

Frightmare Manor also has a Facebook page you should check out, as they offer free tickets and major discounts on VIP packages too, plus it's one of the best ways to keep up with all the latest news and information.

Their main website has all the info you need to order tickets and their full calendar of events for 2012. They'll be open on weekends in September, starting on the 21st. And I'll have more exclusive reports and information to share with you as their new season unfolds. 

Can you take the Frightmare Challenge?

Combat At Knox World's Fair Park

Photographs by Virginia Beld

A horde of fighters swinging swords and howling commandos locked in combat are headed to the Amphitheater at the Knoxville World's Fair Park!

And you are invited to witness it all.

The Wild Thyme Players will present the 2nd Annual "Duels and Desserts" on Friday Sept. 14th at 7 pm for an evening of intense entertainment everyone can enjoy.

Stage combat scenes, an original one-act play, a silent auction and a baked goods sale will make for a heck of a great time at this fundraising event. The actors will perform vignettes using various fighting styles and weapons, including broadsword, rapier & dagger, quarterstaff, epee, knife and unarmed stage combat. The second half will present a swashbuckling original short play based on “The Three Musketeers” written by WTP fight choreographer Mark McGinley. I asked Mark to explain just what these combat scenes are like:

"We have a rather large cast. There are 21 of us playing a variety of roles. Our youngest cast member is Lexi Trigg, who is 11 years old. She's very excited about getting to do a sword fight with her father, Steve. One of our seniors, Jeanette Stevens, will be appearing in two fights that she wrote herself. 

"We've been in rehearsals since mid July. It takes a lot of time to put together a show with this much combat in it. 

"Stage combat is the art of simulating a fight for the purpose of telling a story. It's a matter of working safely with a partner to create the illusion of violence. Yes, stage combat has a lot to do with the martial arts. Good martial technique is important to sell the illusion to the audience. If a fighter is out of stance, lazy, or sloppy the audience will lose interest in what's happening on stage. Stage combat also has a lot in common with dance. When you're in a stage fight, you're doing a learned sequence of movements (choreography) with a partner (not an adversary). 

Rehearsals for the daring combat

"All our weapons are 100% real spring steel. No rubber weapons here. They just don't make that pretty ringing noise. We do use dulled blades, though. We're not crazy, you know.

"And our silent auction will have a pretty wide variety of items to bid on. We have UT memorabilia, free passes to Flyaway in Pigeon Forge, hand made jewelry, and more. And of course, there will be baked goods."

Yummy desserts and combat! That makes for a winning combination in my book.

The event gets underway with doors opening at 7 PM, and the performance will begin at 8 PM. Admission is free with suggested $5 donation or bake sale purchase. Gift packs with merchandise and gift certificates from various local businesses will be up for bid in the silent auction. A portion of the proceeds will go to TribeOne, a community leadership development organization based in East Knoxville. Media sponsorship is provided by WUOT-91.9 FM. For information call 325-9877 or email director@wildthymeplayers.org.

The WTP mission is to provide collaborative learning opportunities in a process-centered environment for artists of all experience levels and backgrounds, and to encourage appreciation of theatre in our community. Formed in 2006, the company is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 

So go!

Bloater Paste, Punting and The Glamorous Blanchisseuse

It's obvious, that I, your humble narrator and blogger have been absent for most of the month. But it is with some good reason, as I have been on a journey through the British countryside via Kenneth Grahame's "Wind In The Willows".

I've been directing and rehearsing a stage version of Grahame's tale for the 21st Annual Rose Center Summer Players production here in Morristown, which runs one weekend only for four performances July 27, 28 and 29 at Rose Center. This is the fifth summer in a row I have been fortunate enough to work with the production, which is an arts education program Rose Center runs each year, offering students a chance to learn and explore the theatrical world. And as before, I'm having a blast working with so many talented young actors.

The story - which has been shortened and Disney-fied over the years into "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" - is a fascinating and very funny adventure of some very proper British woodland creatures who go boating and picnicking on the Thames river - Rat, Mole, Badger and yes, Mr Toad, plus many rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs and some villainous weasels.

The weasels are fierce bullies, who do eventually get what they deserve, and the young actors decided to make them look like greasers from the 1950s, all leather jackets and jeans, and they remind me of the gang of witless thugs led by Eric Von Zipper in all those early 60s beach movies.

In working with Grahame's book, I had to learn just what "bloater paste" is - and it doesn't sound too good. It's a fish paste, usually made from sardines, and in fact, as of 2012, there are no longer any makers of this dubious culinary delight in England. Bloater Paste is fast becoming a lost menu item (probably a good thing).

Punting, of course, is a bona fide British past time, which the young actors today simply giggle about. Punting is just fun to say, after all. 

In the course of the story, Mr Toad gets sent to jail for stealing cars and then escapes dressed as the jail's laundress. Yet when he describes his escape to his friends, he claims he transformed into a "glamorous blanchisseuse", and that sent all of us scrambling to figure out how to say and what it was. We learned that many of the world's most famous painters had made the lowly washerwoman, or laundress or blanchisseuse all subjects of paintings, such as Van Gogh and Lautrec. Who knew?

With opening night just a week away, I expect to have even less time to spend online, so please provide a bit of forgiveness for me. And for a mere five dollars, you can get a ticket to the show too, and join in the wild world of Pastes, Punting and Laundry.

Truth: Fictional and Factual

There are several powerful lessons to be learned from the recent retraction of a story reported on the radio program This American Life about working conditions for thousands of electronics workers in China (mentioned here and here).

TAL's report (their most-downloaded story) was based largely on the one-man-show presented theatrically by Mike Daisey, a well-known theatrical writer-actor-producer. Once other reporters began digging into the claims from TAL's story, they found Daisey had "fabricated" information, which so angered and disturbed Ira Glass of TAL that he issued a full retraction of the story, telling listeners he felt he had been lied to, that the report should have never aired.

Daisey admits to creating a "truthful" stage production, Glass says the standards of journalism demand more than "truthiness", that journalism demands a different standard, and he's right about that. However, in challenging Daisey, Glass said he felt Daisey's shows should bear a disclaimer or warning that the show may not be 100% fact.

Ira Glass: I know but I feel like I have the normal worldview. The normal worldview is somebody stands on stage and says ‘this happened to me,’ I think it happened to them, unless it’s clearly labeled as ‘here’s a work of fiction.’

Full transcript is here.

I must challenge that perspective - if a reporter decides a one-man theatrical show demands attention for it's powerful claims and evocations, then it seems clear to me the reporter has the obligation to report on the show as just that, a "show". For thousands of years, writers and performers have forcefully confronted many real-life issues in the guise of fiction, and most all of us know that watching a "show" and reporting are two different forms of communication.

"This American Life", certainly a news show, is made using very dramatic styles and breaks and revelations. That's one of the program's strengths, compelling stories. Daisey's works had previously been hailed as masterfully blurring the lines between fact and fiction - and perhaps that is the real issue which, however clumsily, Ira Glass and "This American Life" is trying to highlight.

It's one thing for Glass to admit he was "fooled" by Daisey's story - but to demand Daisey re-package his show to suit journalistic standards is mistaken. And Daisey was wrong to let journalists report on his show as factual. And certainly, further reports on conditions in these Chinese factories have shown some brutal conditions.

And yet ...

How often do major news outlets - especially television - rely on metaphorical, if not utterly faked, emotions to drive a story? Hours are filled with "opinion" and not "fact", because the passion of opinion will always attract an audience.

If Daisey's work must be clearly "labeled", then so should so-called "news" programs be properly labeled as well -- "This hour of program features opinions about facts, and therefore is not 100% factual."

That won't happen - criticizing writers for creating passionate fictions is too easy. Criticizing journalists/panelists/experts/producers for creating passionate fictions is big business, from "reality" programs to "news" programs. And they see themselves as "too big to fail" or "too big to be criticized".

Much cable news - and especially radio programming like Rush Limbaugh - are dramatic creations, carefully designed to elicit an emotional response, all falling under the sway of attracting an audience.

And it is precisely those creators and writers and performers of "news" who should label their creations for audiences.

Theatre Guild Opens Agatha Christie's Greatest Mystery on Friday

Here you go - your chance to both see and hear me as I promote my current theatrical project, all real life (sort of, the beard I'm sporting is for a character I'm playing in this production of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" by the Morristown Theatre Guild, a show I am also directing. Which is to say I do not normally have a beard.)

This is the first time I have been on YouTube (and I think, the first time the Guild has a YouTube vid.) This was shot while I was doing some emcee work for the annual Mountain Makins festival in Morristown, and was shot for Morristown TV Today.

What I noticed in this promo for the show is that when I start talking about the plot for Christie's play - 10 people are stranded on an island estate and are being killed off one by one - is that I suddenly develop a case of Crazy Eyes. I must confess that it is quite likely that whenever I start talking about mysteries and murder plays and stories, my eyes will get all crazy. And my smile turns kinda creepy too. The video is below, but first, props to the cast. (Oh and I have tinkered a bit with the script, so that the show will have a different ending depending on which night you see it.)

This show has been fantastic fun to work on, a true ensemble cast of talented players who, like me, enjoy the screams and the chills that go with this show. So let me tell you some about them and their characters, who are all liars and have all been accused of murder as the story unfolds -- Eric McDowell and Tana McClain play Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, servants who have been hired to take care of the arriving guests. He is rather milk toasty and she is rather rude and their fate is not pleasant. John Carpenter plays the cavalier mercenary Phillip Lombard, and John and I have been friends for decades. We make jokes and references to pop culture so old, that Autumn Leming, who plays the young secretary Vera Claythorne, said at rehearsal recently, "Oh, you old people and your words!"

Newcomer to the Guild is Larry Glover, who plays the mostly dim-witted and devious Mr. Davis/William Blore, and he cracks jokes backstage constantly. Kylian Andrew has the choice role of the spoiled, preppy Anthony Marston (he's also the youngest member of the cast and I also directed him in a production of "Alice In Wonderland", where he performed a perfect Mad Hatter. In fact, Tana played the Red Queen and Autumn was Alice - they are a very talented young trio.)

Hobart Smith plays the addled and nearly ancient General MacKenzie, and he is always such fun to work with. He reminded me recently our first show together was when he played a sloppy drunk "children's story hour reader" for a fake live radio show titled "Laughing Buddha Holistic Radio Show" and his slurred reading of "Winnie The Pooh" was hilarious. Mitzi Price-Akins plays the ultra-conservativc Emily Brent, who is rather like a furious modern American conservative denouncing all things. She's a bona fide force of nature onstage.

Dale Stanton plays the high-strung and nervous Dr. Armstrong. Dale and I last worked together on "On Golden Pond" when he played Norman Thayer. He is sly and funny and works relentlessly as an actor. Doug Knight plays the boat captain, Narracott, and though it is a small part, he makes it most memorable and funny. And he agreed to do the show even though he is a newlywed of less than a month. I play the role of Sir Lawrence Wargrave (what a great name!), a judge who enjoys ordering everyone about. (typecasting?) Olivia Fee is the stage manager for this show.

And mention too must be made for my longtime friend David Horton, who is the technical director for the show, and is the most talented and creative man I know. He played the role of Lombard when the Guild last performed this play, back in 1983, and he has been a brilliant adviser on this show. He and I have worked together co-writing spooky plays and murder mysteries for many years. David travels the world and the U.S. as a professional entertainment consultant and he does astonishing things on a regular basis. Thanks, DH.

Performances for this show are Nov 11-20 at Rose Center, with Friday and Saturday shows at 8 pm, Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Also, a special opening night reception will be held just prior to the show at 7 pm on Friday Nov. 11 as the Guild presents their line-up of shows for the 2012 season (their 78th year) and to say thanks to everyone who attends and supports the Guild. Tickets are available online at lakewaytickets.com.

And now, here I am, unmasked and with a case of Crazy Eyes, talking about the show. I hope you, dear reader, can attend at least one performance.

More Secrets of Frightmare Manor

(UPDATE: Be sure to check out the new expansion of Frightmare Manor here too!! And the new Night Harvest section will scare you silly.)

I sat down with Chris Wooden, the creator behind Frightmare Manor, now open for their third year in Talbott, smack on the border of Jefferson and Hamblen counties, to see if we could get some more details about what audiences can expect if they dare take the journey through all four stages of frights and chills offered at this "screampark".

I can tell you that the pure enthusiasm from Chris and his crew of Frightmare Fiends is enormous. As they have said before, for them, running Frightmare Manor is like Christmas for them.Their delight is indeed much like a wide-eyed child on Christmas morning - except of course, the child here is rather demented and deeply devoted to making you shriek out loud many times, no matter what your age.

So Chris, tell us a little about the planning that goes into this huge event. Do you have a regular team of creators involved?

"Planning for Frightmare Manor is truly a year round event. Our managers and actors keep in touch throughout the year and brainstorm new and creative ways to torment our victims. This event is in our blood and is something we enjoy working on year round. Once our plans are set, the redesign and renovation work usually begins late April."

Tell us what a visitor can expect from the four different attractions at Frightmare?

"Each attraction for 2011 is designed to be a completely different experience for our victims. We offer 3 unique haunted attractions at 1 location, plus the Frightmare Challenge - each mesmerizing in their own way. Whether it be through high-tech animatronics and Hollywood DMX Lighting, or old fashioned blood and chainsaws, we attack ALL 5 senses when someone steps foot onto this old plantation. We invest more and more money every year to give our victims a terrifying experience, that they want to experience year after year. We guarantee new and innovative haunts every year!

"New for 2011, we have a 1 of a kind, custom, entry piece that, by now, everyone has noticed when they drive past our property. Victims must enter into Frightmare Carnivore through this enormous Beast Facade Piece. There is not another example of this creation in the world. It was the Entry Piece to one of the largest haunted attractions in the U.S. for many years, until it's relocation to Frightmare Manor. This is only 1 example of how we will go the extra mile, traveling the U.S., to provide our customers with the Ultimate Haunted Experience. When customers come to Frightmare Manor, they will be seeing the fruits of not only our hard work, but the evidence of the vast industry connections we have, which allows us to bring the BEST props and scare-tactics to the Knoxville, TN area seen ANYWHERE in the U.S.!"

What can you tell us about the tales of a serial killer on this property?

"Jeremiah Lexer was the original property owner of this entire plantation around the turn of the 18th century. The past 2 years we have focused on more recent, controversial events surrounding the 2001 closing of the
successful restaurant on this property. Over the past year, we have dug into the record books and unearthed a lot of forgotten (or hidden) information about Jeremiah Lexer and his original homestead. We believe
Haunted House customers want to experience TRUE TERROR. Because of this, Frightmare Manor will remain at the old Jeremiah Lexer Plantation. We will continue to learn and share with our customers the evidence over the next few years."

This must take a lot of work from performers and tech crews - about how many people are involved?

"Many Haunted Attractions choose to use volunteers to staff their event. Frightmare Manor is proud to employ close to 80 staff seasonally. Most of our actors tell us it's an experience they would do for free, but we believe our actors truly appreciate the payment and we feel they absolutely deserve it! Working at Frightmare Manor is a unique experience and we have hundreds of applications per year. Providing seasonal employment to our community is truly a joy for us. It's a true Win-Win!"

I can verify for you, dear reader, since I worked at Frightmare last year, that everyone involved works very, very hard to make your experience unforgettable and uncanny.

Don't miss it!

'Grand Guignol' Opens At Relix in Knoxville

I've said it before many time - I like Halloween scares and events so much I frighten even myself. And that means it's time to share a unique fear-filled thrill being presented in Knoxville at Relix Variety Theatre on Thursday and Friday nights by The Wild Thyme Players.

Titled "The Ghastly Gala of the Grand Guignol", the show draws from the legendary productions of melodrama and mayhem of live shows in Paris in the late 19th century, shows which dared to shock, scare, and amaze audiences with theatrical madness. As the Wild Thyme Players explain on their website:

"The Theâtre du Grand Guignol, located in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris in the late 19th century, was famous for its mystery and horror plays. These performances later inspired works by Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino. Project Director Courtney Woolard says, “Grand Guignol was innovative and provocative theatre for its’ time, and remains relevant today as the basis for many of the modern horror films we love to scare ourselves with.”

Woolard explains that Grand Guignol translates into “puppet master,” and the performances are designed to manipulate the audience’s emotions with a “hot and cold shower” of horror, eroticism and comedy."

How about a little more enticement? Thursday's show is only 10 dollars, Friday is 15 dollars, so attend one or both and be prepared to wade deep into the disturbing world of the Grand Guignol. This show does include a parental warning -- Due to the adult nature of this show, parental discretion is advised. For more information call (865)325-9877

Pictures from Just So Stories - Opening Tonight!!

The Parsee makes some magic.

The Cat Who Walks By Herself

Sleepy story time

Our musicians, Sarah Roper, Matisse Rick, Anna Helms, Freya Cartwright.

I wanted to share a few pictures, taken by Roger Fleenor, from the final dress rehearsal for the Just So Stories, which opens tonight at Rose Center - four shows in all, at 7pm Friday and Saturday, 2 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are only 5 dollars!

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

'Why Is There Cheese Coming Out of Your Pants?'

(image via)

Let me slide the curtain back a wee bit on the Real Daily Life of Your Humble Narrator (that's me). For the last few weeks, I've been tackling several theatrical projects, as I do most every summer.

For many years now, I have most fortunate to work as an acting teacher for children, usually 3rd to 9th graders, for classes offered via Walters State Community College and for the local arts center in Morristown, the Rose Center. Also, I am working again as director for the annual Rose Center Summer Players production - this year, my fourth in the program, we are working on a production of Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories." That show opens the last weekend of July and will be held at Rose Center, and I'll be posting/promoting about this show more in the days and weeks ahead.

The downside for any readers here, however, is that such tasks often mean much less time to post here. My apologies for my absences - it takes a quality and quantity of time to create posts and such time has been difficult to obtain, as my mind has been consumed with so many lesson plans, students, scripts and much more. Still I wanted to share a few things from the last few weeks which I found hilarious fun.

In my classes we explore lots of acting styles and techniques and the kids do lots and lots of improv exercises to draw out ideas and I say with no reservations whatsoever that the kids create some truly funny (and sometimes serious) moments on the stage.As I am always nerdishly committed to acting, I've known for some time that I surely must appear to the kids as one strange and eccentric adult. So be it. Hopefully, all the goofiness I help create also includes educational aspects, but also, it's just fun for all of us.

One improv scene we work on is the Interrogation. Two students take the stage, one is a detective and the other a suspect (and there are other variations too) . The aim is to only speak in questions, and it gets insanely hard and funny. At one point this past week, a student had been told he was a "pie thief" who is accused of stealing cakes, pies, donuts, etc. As the student was being questioned about where he was, and his alibi's and such, the detective suddenly turned and pointedly asked "Why is there cheese coming out of your pants?!??!"

That line pretty much stopped the class as we all just laughed like a room of, well, kids. I have no idea where the idea for the question came from, but it surely brought us all to tears laughing.

There were several other funny scenes in the last few weeks too, in which students worked to perform as some kind of character - either one from a book, script, tv show, movie, real life, or one they invent themselves - and do a short monologue as that character. That always brings out memorable moments.

For example, one young boy performed as a CIA agent who was working undercover at a Bass Pro shop as salesman, another young girl acted as if she were a totally confused host on the Today show who had lost her script, was late to the set, and keep asking if was time for a commercial. "It's time to take a break for a commercial .... isn't it?" she asked looking at imaginary cameras and putting her finger to her ear as if she had a earphone connected to the control booth. "can we ... is it ... it's not? .... Ha- ha, just a moment folks ...we.... NOW we have ... we don't have? Ha-ha .... ummmm.... are we still on?"

Another young girl, skin all pale white, with fiery red hair, takes the stage, whips as scarf around her like a shawl and does a spot-on impersonation of actor Tyler Perry as "Madea". A few years back, a boy did a stunning 8 minute routine imitating Bill Cosby from his stand-up movie "Bill Cosby:Himself". It was a flawless impersonation. He did the scene where Cosby was talking about the chaos surround bath-time at his home, and his performance was just amazing - especially when you think that there is no script he could have memorized - he had just seen that video so many times he knew every line, every pause, every inflection - and when he was done, he calmly walked back to his seat as if nothing at all had happened.

And for this year's Rose Center show, most of cast are taking on multiple roles as they create all the wild animals from Kipling's stories - camels, elephants, snakes, horses, monkeys, and many more. In these shows, the actors also (with much parental help) create the costumes too. So many days are ahead of puzzling out how a horse walks, how an elephant uses his trunk, how to make costumes that might need to convert from a giraffe into a kangaroo. They work very hard and while I will always make time to write (either here or working to create other new stage shows) the gifts that these kids are willing to share I truly appreciate and learn from as well.

Working in the performing arts does not resolve world problems, won't reduce the national debt or stop global warming or any such 'real world' issues. Still, the growing imaginations and creativity I have been lucky enough to witness always reminds me to never underestimate what we are all capable of, if we just allow for a time and a space for creativity to flourish. It's a wonderful way to spend the summer.

In Which We Say Goodbye To Pooh and Friends

It's always a bit sad to say farewell to friends -- and the cast for "Winnie The Pooh" has but one more performance -- at 2pm today at Rose Center. But don't tell Eeyore it's almost over. He can be slightly gloomy, you know.

And three giant cheers for a cast of young actors who made my summer so much fun!! Thank you all very, very much!!

Only Two Shows Left for Winnie The Pooh

Kanga gives Piglet a Bath

Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit and family join Pooh

Winnie The Pooh is Thinking

Thanks to my friend Roger Fleenor, an terrific photographer, I can provide a few photos from opening night for Winnie The Pooh. Only two shows left! Saturday night at 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm at Rose Center in Morristown. Tickets will be available at the door for only 5 dollars!!

This is the 19th year for the Rose Center Summer Players program, and is the best possible way to spend your summer vacation. My thanks to Rose Center and to the entire cast and crew for their hard work and many talents.

'Winnie The Pooh' Arrives In Morristown

For one weekend only -- join us at the Rose Center in Morristown for the annual Rose Center Summer Players program, as we present "Winnie The Pooh".

The cast are all kids from here in East TN, showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, 2 pm on Sunday. We've had a great time working on this show and the cast and I have been laughing and laughing for weeks at our combined silliness. Tickets are only $5. Call 423-581-4330 for reservations.