White Chicago

I hope you all have read Timeout Chicago's new article about how bleached the Chicago theatre scene is. It's food for thought. Food even for action.

GreyZelda's angle and experience with this issue is as follows: We are non-discriminatory when it comes to casting. We always cast the person that deserves a part, not based upon skin color, but based on their understanding, commitment, and intuitive taking to a character. Even for Desire Under the Elms, a play entirely about a family, if we had had another race besides the sea of Caucasions beat the pants of someone else for a role, we would have cast that person hands down. We wouldn't think twice about it. And we did, as a matter of fact.

. . . . You know what's funny? I've written several statements about casting someone other than a white person down and then promptly deleted them. Why? I think I'm scared of what you might think. Of your judgements of my phrasing. Of you thinking I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. And I think that's one of the main problems. One of the reasons why this doesn't get discussed more. As a white person, I don't want to offend.

I've got opinions on the race issue in Chicago but do you think I'm qualified to say them?

This is something that needs to be talked about.

Discuss freely . . .

The Black Forest

When the clouds go vertical, you know that something's brewing. A witch's salve with a touch of nightshade peppered with flabby leaves found under stumps with white slugs burrowing for darkness.

The salve is applyed with gentle death onto the eyelids. A crone in a girl's frock creating the evening whimsies that rock and cut. Slicing letters through hearts. Weaving stories through thread. Shouting through the hump. The disease. Fiends arise.

Under the croak of summer. The cloak of secrets. The petty wants and fretting needs. A twisted hand reaches from the gravestone.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne
Adapted by the GreyZelda Theatre Group
Preview - August 9, 2006
Opens - August 10, 2006 and will run Wednesdays through Sundays at StageLeft Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield

Call 773-267-6293 for reservations.

Results of GreyZelda's fundraiser at Four Moon Tavern

This picture is of our friend, Corey Bicanich. More news to come at the end of this post.

A huge Thank you to everyone who attended our fundraiser last night. And a gigantic Hip Hip Hooray to Meredith Lyons, GreyZelda's new marketing director, for organizing everything. She did a wonderful job. She hit the streets and got restaurants and theatre companies to donate gift certificates and tickets. We also had donation of gum from Wrigley and Stacie Barra, original artwork donated by Sarah Stec, and beautiful watches donated by Meredith.

For those of you theatre companies that wonder about doing a fundraiser at Four Moon Tavern - here's how it works:

We were able to hold our event from 6pm to 8pm. If sales equaled $1000.00 in that timeframe, GreyZelda would received 25% of the sales. If we didn't total $1000.00, we would have gotten nothing. Puts the pressure on. And we reached the goal and then some thanks to everyone who came and ate and drank amongst good friends.

The total for the evening was $771.00. Which is great! That money could pay for a week at StageLeft! It helps with costume rental prices! Printing paper for the programs! Buying food and drink for our theatre Thursday event on August 31st! Incredible. Thank you so much for helping us out, everyone.

I'd have a fundraiser every day at Four Moon if I could. It was a great evening. Good conversations. Wonderful food. A pleasant temperature. And doing it all for the greatest theatre company I know, GreyZelda.

And, in other equally remarkable news, our friend in Morgantown, Corey Bicanich, is speaking. Some of you know that he suffered through a horrible car accident and has been slowly recovering for months. We received a call right before the fundraiser from his sister, Aimee, saying that he's starting to speak. Incredible! That's our man, Corey!

The time is getting closer . . .

What a lovely Saturday.

The coartistic directors of GreyZelda - Lady Crow and the Olde Gentleman, who Crow calls Mulch - will not be doing anything today. Lady Crow has been consumed with directing the Scarlet Letter and sincerely looks forward to a day of nothing. Nothing normally constitutes tv, dart throwing, listening to music, talking, and making tasty food at home.

On Monday, we'll start putting the scenes together and seeing where we are with everything. The curtains have been hung, Mulch and Heath will be painting and weathering tomorrow, the costumes are starting to come together, we've received the promotional postcards and banner that we'll hang o'er StageLeft. We're receiving reservations already, which is grand.

We're excited to share this show with you.

What else? GreyZelda will be renting their rehearsal space to the Promethean Theatre in August and Greasy Joan in September. We'll be happy to host them and wish them successful rehearsals. We're currently renting to the improv folks producing Adventures in Comedy so go see it.

Lady Crow and Sir Mulch went to see GI's in Europe last night. Stacie Barra, Scarlet Letter's assistant director, was in it, as was her man Friday, Anthony. We later headed over to Chief O'Neill's where we shared stories and booze with our pals Ben Veatch, his lady, Anne, Stacie, Anthony, Missy, Eric and his wife whose name I can't remember at the moment and I apologize. Met some new folks. Met the guy on Wild Chicago. 'Twas fun. Good place to hang if you're over by Prop Theatre.

Again, have an exquisite Saturday.

Take care,
Lady Crow

Daily affirmation . . .

Yes, it's already been posted, but . . .

Read It Again

Once a day with your multivitamin will do wonders.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

www.theatreinchicago.com

I love this site. It's really comprehensive and has a great layout.

And, The Scarlet Letter was mentioned! So, even better.

You can check it out at:

theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=118

While you're hanging around there, feel free to check out their Review Roundup and other shows mentioned.

Take care,
Lady Crow

GreyZelda Myspace Site

There will be blogs available here as well.

www.myspace.com/greyzelda

Scarlet Photos

We had a photo shoot in the afternoon of July 4th with Kim Katona, Meredith Lyons, Missy Styles, and the Mulch man. Meredith and her landlord graciously let her use the backyard, which set a perfect garden background. The ladies look beautiful. Missy is Hester Prynne and Meredith is Little Pearl. The makeshift costumes look alright, as well. You might remember them from One Flea Spare. They've been waiting for another opportunity to show themselves and jumped at the chance when it was offered. I kind of like Pearl wearing that dress . . . we will see, we will see. Stacie is the main girl with costumes, so we'll discuss and go from there.

Rehearsal is going well. We've had to improvise a bit because actors have been sick or working or seeing good music or this and that. We're doing alright, though. Chris pointed out that I've scheduled with some give time to accomodate potential cancellations, but after this week, we won't be able to continue doing that, as we're moving into piecing the scenes together.

We had a great rehearsal last night working a couple of the major movement sequences at the beginning of each acts and trying to figure out how to drape the curtains. Heath and Chris will be purchasing and constructing the curtains this weekend, so we'll have them to rehearse with on Monday night. Cool. Should be very fun figuring out interesting layouts. Chris will need to be there with us on Monday and Tuesday to assist with manipulations of the fabric, so that will be fun showing him this and that. I've told him about the different scenes we've worked on and explored, but I prefer showing the work as words can't begin to describe some of the gorgeousness the actors have come up with. Collaboration and creation are two of my favorite things and we've got them working for us each night.

So, that's where we are right now. We should be getting the postcards soon to start spreading the word. Meredith has been great at brainstorming for our fundraiser on July 23rd at Four Moon Tavern. We'll get a percentage of their sales. It's a quick and painless fundraiser, but a little bit goes a long way.

Rock and roll. Hope you're all doing well.

Crow