GreyZelda Annual Meeting

We had our annual meeting last night and Chris, Tom Gordon, Melissa Kuhlmann, Heath Hays, Kim Katona, Lisa Wilson, Derek Jarvis, Meredith Lyons and I were in attendance. Rebekah Ward-Hays joined us after a little bit.

We discussed how this last year has gone ... we appointed Derek Jarvis in the early months of 2006 as our business director and he got a lot of our major paper work taken care of. Sarah Stec led us in creating a new branding campaign (logos, bookmarks, website, etc.) We performed two shows in 2006 - Desire Under the Elms and The Scarlet Letter. We also had a successful fundraiser at Four Moons which helped raise money for Scarlet. Financially, we haven't broken even and moving into 2007, we'll have to take that factor into consideration. Chris and I have paid for the majority of our productions out of pocket and that really drove us into the ground this year and how we'll have to be more creative in producing next year in our shows. However, we felt really great about the accomplishments and completed goals we were able to acheive in 2006.

We discussed potential show proposals for the 2007 season. We'll be having a fundraising/grants discussion meeting in the next couple of months, as well.

We also discussed some theatrical breaking of bread events that we'd like to have with other theatre companies in town. More news to come soon, dear theatre company friends ... we're really looking forward to this.

Meredith Lyons and Derek Jarvis stepped down from their duties as Marketing Director and Business Director, respectively. To be honest, we had a feeling that this was coming so weren't surpised. Derek has another theatre company, Promethean, that he has created and his first obligations go to them. We told him that he'll always have a place with GreyZelda if he ever wants it. He's still going to assist with business undertakings in the interim but we're going to start looking to fill those roles immediately. Meredith did a great job with our fundraiser, but the other responisibilities were too overwhelming to her with her professional schedule and personal obligations.

So, if you're interested in finding out more about those roles, please let us know! And, if you're interested in becoming involved with our theatre company just to be involved, we'd love to talk further with you about that, as well!

We really hope that GreyZelda will become more of an ensemble based theatre company that could allow itself to exist whether or not Chris and I were here to lead it, so that's going to be one of our major goals this year ... encouraging our members to really claim this company in whatever way they deem fit. Make it the superpower that it's longing to be! =)

There's more news to come, our dear Readers, but I just wanted to give you the breakdown.

Yours in all things creative,
Rebecca

Raindrops On Roses ... Whiskers on Kittens

These Are a Few Of My Favorite Things ...
Current mood: Pondering

Instead of hearing Julie Andrews in your head ... switch it to Bjork's heartwrenching version in Dancer in the Dark ...

I'm on the hunt for the next inspiration ... I'm hoping to get an itch for something original, but need something to hit me over the head and I'm closing my eyes and waiting for that BONK!

So, I'll make a list ... I'll check it twice ... see which sparks are naughty or nice ...

* Crisp water
* A crystal sky
* A turkey buzzard's shadow
* Gaiman's World
* Tori's World
* Reality TV always makes me smile ....
* Rock and Roll / the Punk Mentality / DIY / natural rebelliousness with all out commitment

What else .... what else ....

GreyZelda friends and foes - let me know what makes your eye sparkle and your heart race! I'm at such an open place right now that the sky's the limit!

Yours,
reb zella

Women's Voices in Theatre

Hi, Dear Readers -

So, I just posted the following to the message board at Performink in response to an article written by Becky Brett.

What do you think about this issue, if anything? And, even if you don't think about it, why not? I'd love to start a discussion.

"I was so happy to see this article today as I think it's an excellent topic to open a discussion on.

'Why is it that so many theatres stick with the tried-and-true, when the medium has so much more to offer its audiences? Dare we ask the question and risk the flaming response: Are women..s stories just not as compelling as men..s?'

'Why do these female audiences not demand to see plays that look like them and speak to their experience?'

'No one interviewed pretends to be able to reach any conclusions, but it is important to raise the questions and re-start the discussion. However, many people had advice about how we may begin to develop more roles for women.'

I think that this subject is very touchy ... which is why no one wanted to answer conclusively probably. All the answers are going to be relative ... in my personal experience with Chicago theatre, I've often wondered what would happen if I was a man, based on reviews I've received where the term "feminist" was thrown around like a dirty word by male reviewers when our plays offered strong female leads that considered themselves equal to the men they were dealing with. My coartistic director and husband, Chris Riter, and I have often wondered what would happen if we had switched our names on the different directing projects we've worked on, what type of critical response we would have received ... would it have been the same, regardless of the director's gender? What would have happened if Chris had been the one to write the little opinionated blog that was penned in August that, unfortunately, was reproduced here in Performink and discussed for a spell ... with only males responding with a tone of wrist slapping - (it, honestly, made me feel about five years old at times) ... I've often thought of myself as an equalist, but I'm finding out quickly that it may be more important to continue the good fight of being a feminist.

So, yes, let's talk about this!

Naomi Wallace and Caryl Churchill are two playwrights that I can read tirelessly, by the way ...

Excellent article, Becky!

Sincerely,
Rebecca

On This Day

On This Day Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Hello, friends of GreyZelda ...

The founding and producing members of GreyZelda, Chris Riter and me, Rebecca Zellar, have been living the calm life the last couple of weeks ... we closed The Scarlet Letter and are going to take a long awaited resting spell. We hope to have our annual GreyZelda meeting in the next few weeks, where we'll talk with our members about how this last year has gone, what we hope to do next year, and how we'll be able to go about achieving the goals we lay out.

GreyZelda's mission is probably going to go through a bit of an overhaul because of the insights and clarifications that were revealed this year. We're going to take a look at the audience we're hoping to reach and will really focus in on the influences that have helped shape us as artists.
There are a lot of ideas floating around in our brains that we're excited to share with our company members and Chicago ... so, stay tuned to our GreyZelda channel.

And, if you're wondering what to do here in this fine city of Chicago, may we suggest ...

1. Support the local, fringe theatre scene. See what you want to see. What you think will get your juices going. We're planning on seeing Midnight Hellhouse soon, which is happening at the Playground theatre (Halsted and Belmont) every October Friday night at midnight. Go get your souls saved.

2. Read a book that you want to read. To quote my high school english teacher, if you can't get into it after the first three pages, put it down, but for god's sake, Read!

3. See a flick with your favorite people ... Rebecca's current favorites are Little Miss Sunshine, Donnie Darko, and Dead Man.

4. Go see a concert .... we were supposed to go see a friend's band, Welcome to Ashley, last night, but became very cozy in our pad .... we mean to see more concerts in our GreyZelda hiatus.

5. Go see the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. They're in town.

6. Get the hell out of Chicago if you can and see what the rest of the country has to offer, naturally and culturally.

Take care,
Rebecca and Chris

Crybabies . . .

Don Hall posted a great blog today.

All of the theatre practitioners I know would LOVE to be paid for their work, but, you know what? Do we do it for the pay or do we do it because we MUST do it? I know where the GreyZelda camp falls on that one.

"Lose your dreams and you will lose you mind . . . ain't life unkind?" Ruby Tuesday

14 Artistic Networking Skills

Jim Volz wrote a book entitled How to Run a Theater: A Witty, Practical and Fun Guide to Arts Management and included a list of Fourteen Artistic Networking Survival Skills for Theatre Professionals Young and Old.

We're all learning. We've all learned. This list is a great reminder for all of us swimming through the waters of our competitive art form in this competitive town. I read a blog today about building relationships in theatre and that a theatre professional shouldn't ever consider themselved "hired" until they're involved in a second show with a theatre company they're working with. I know that's very true on the GreyZelda end and we expect our actors, members and crew to follow these guidelines to help make the show and experience the best it can be.

"Introduction: Most directors, choreographers, designers, artistic directors, general managers, and other arts executives rise up through the ranks. Many remember the lessons learned on the way up the ladder, but it never hurts to hear from the front lines. 'He that won't be counseled can't be helped,' observed Ben Franklin. When a group of Equity and non-Equity actors gathered in Southern California, in the spirit of 'counseling and sharing,' they traded tips on surviving the highly competitve and financially perilous profession of theatre. This generally wise and sometimes wacky list of fourteen tips comprises:

1. Believe in instant karma.
What goes around will come around. Treat others exactly as you would like to be treated. Be kind and courteous. The tech person you step on today could be your producer or director tomorrow.

2. Avoid people who suck energy.
These people only give you permission to procrastinate. You are not the person who is losing if you miss a few social gatherings in order to work.

3. To read or not to read?
That is the question. The only answer? Read as many plays as possible. Be familiar with all types of writing. The more familiar you are with a play, the better your audition will be.

4. Leave your worries at the door!
Remember, the people you work with are not your therapists. Don't be so wrapped up in your personal problems that you let your frustrations impact your work.

5. Who died and made you king?
Nobody likes to hear a scolding "shhhh!" from another actor. Let adminishing the parties involved be handled by the stage manager or director. If they aren't present, remember that you catch more flies with honey, and be diplomatic.

6. Who died and made you Elia Kazan?
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever direct another actor in your show.

7. Respect the clock.
Be on time. Punctuality shows that you respect and value a person's time. Being late is rude. Show up ready to work.

8. Include time for yourself every day.
Treat yourself to a walk, a trip to the local nursery or a hot bath - you know, experience one of those International Coffee moments that can change your life.

9. 'We'll always have Utah.'
Falling for someone you work with intimately and for such a long time may be inevitable, especially in the veil of drama and 'make believe.' But rarely do these romances go beyond the run of the show.

10. Be kind to your dressers.
Actors need to worship costume designers, staff, and dressers. They make or break how you look every day on stage.

11. Make Makita a part of your method.
Offer to help with strike. Be a good sport. You will be remembered for being the kind of person you are to work with, not for the believability of your page twenty-six speech on Thursday night.

12. Know thyself.
Avoid making life-changing decisions under stress, pressure, or on the spot. Make your decisions on your own time. Be clear in your own mind about what you want and what your willing to do to get it - before you go in!

13. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
Go beyond basic preparation of the required or expected workload. Anticipate possible negative outcomes and have contigency plans.

14. Build support . . . six degrees of separation.
You can never know too many people. You can never be nice enough to people. You may be surprised at the small world of professional theatre."

You Have the Power

www.donhall.blogspot.com

To all you theatre promoters and producers out there:

You don't have to invite all the reviewers in Chicago. There's not a set rule. You don't have to please everyone. I learned from Larry Bommer at a panel discussion I attended a few months back that it's better to do your research on the reviewers you're wanting to invite, read what sort of reviews they write, decide who is worth it to invite, then invite that person. Sound and thoughtful words.

You Have the Power especially if you know how powerful words can be. If there are critics out there who write irresponsibly, just don't invite them.

Rebecca

Third Week

Good afternoon, almost eventide, my friends.

Mulch and I will be venturing forth towards StageLeft in less than an hour, but I wanted to take a few minutes to give a quick "How do" and let you know the skinny on The Scarlet Letter.

Our audiences haven't been good, point blank. We thought people would like the Scarlet Letter. There's quite a bit of resentment, to tell the truth, about the book before people even enter the theatre. About half of our audience has entered the lobby with the "I hated The Scarlet Letter in high school" sentiment. My my my. And, the thing about The Scarlet Letter is that old and young have been required to read it during their high school years. It's been considered a Great Book for years, y'see. I know you know.

I was required to read it the summer before my senior year in high school along with The Chosen and The Handmaid's Tale. It took me a couple of tries to get used to the language, truth be told, and I always fancied myself a decent reader, so I found it strange that I was having a hard time with the rhythm. It is flowery, yes. Once I got into it, though, it, obviously became one of my favorites. I've never denied that I'm a geek or a reader.

So, is this a reflection upon the students? A reflection upon the teachers? A reflection upon Nathanial Hawthorne? Hawthorne had a hard time getting his stories to great success. He was friends with several people that went on to become quite famous, but never was able to jump on that bandwagon, even though he wanted to. He was roommates with Martin VanBuren, a president of ours, but that still didn't help matters in his world.

Anyway . . . it all culminates, on the producing end, in the fact that you can't say for sure, before a show gose up, what's going to work with your potential audience. We thought we might have good audiences because there's not tons of theatre happening right now, not tons of major Chicago events happening right now, and it's the time between most other theatre company's seasons. But, alack, alay, we haven't had many people.

Yeah, you've seen those reviews, but we hope that our audiences will give a show a fair shake regardless of what a sole opinion has to say. We had a guy from France come last Saturday and say, "Did you see that you received a bad review in the Trib?" and I said, "Yes." He said, "My friends didn't want to come see the show because of that reason, but I always loved the story and wanted to come. I thought it was a very powerful show and I'm sorry you received that review." So, we invite you to come, form your own opinions, talk to us about it if you feel inspired to do so or enraged to do so, so we can learn from your experience. It's a new show, after all. A calculated risk. I'd like, personally, to hear what you have to say and see how that could potentially be incorporated into our process for next time. I'm talking about constructive criticism here, folks, not bathroom humor.

Regardless, as far as the next show goes, we're going to have to sit tight for a little while because of the sheer money factor. That doesn't mean we're not going to do this and that, but . . . we'll have to sit tight, as prudence is dictating. Mulch and I are the primary donors to the GreyZelda Theatre Group and our pockets are billowing out of our pants right now. We're not worried. We don't want you, Dear Readers, to feel worried. It'll all get back on track, but this notch on the GreyZelda belt definitely is making things tight.

So, come see our show soon, please. Our actors need you. The company needs you.

It's two hours. You'll be able to go elsewhere as soon as 10pm rolls around. Our Hester Prynne rocks. The rest of the ensemble does really cool things. Miranda Sex Garden rocks if you like that kind of thing. It's two for one on Thursdays. Pay what you can Industry nights on Sundays. And only $15.00 the other evenings. And, if you're saying to yourself, shit, I ain't payin' that much for The Scarlet Letter, well . . . give me a call and we'll talk about it. I'd rather have your presence in the theatre than out of it. It's not a bad show. It's a GreyZelda show. And GreyZelda's pretty neat. If you like our kind of stuff. I always do.

Cheers,
Rebecca

It's All About the A

It's All About the A.

Here's what Chicago has to say about GreyZelda's adaptation of The Scarlet Letter!
Kerry Reid of the Chicago Tribune says:

"Elizabeth Styles is a striking and dignified Hester . . ."

************************************************
Tom Williams of ChicagoCritic.com says:

" . . . dramatic moments from Toby Minor as the tormented Dimmesdale."

" . . .witness Elizabeth Styless commandingly powerful performance as Hester Prynne. Meredith Rae Lyons added several effective scenes as the impish child Pearl."

"I admire the ambition . . . "

"Kudos to Greyzelda Theatre for stretching to present an original adaptation."

**********************************************
Kay Daly of Timeout Magazine says:

"This staging of Hawthornes novel of sin and redemption opens promisingly enough with a striking image: a tangle of actors entwined in a sort of living sculpture, groping hopelessly to move apart while staying connected. Its an evocative and eloquent symbol for Hawthornes New England: repressed, interdependent and hypocritical."

***********************************************
Jack Helbig of the The Chicago Reader says:

"Adapter-director Rebecca Zellar and the ensemble do a good job finding the drama . . . The acting is strong and many of the scenes are spare and pointed."

************************************************
Barbara Vitello from the Daily Herald says:

"GreyZelda's version stands head and shoulders above Roland Joffé's spectacularly ill-conceived 1995 film starring the spectacularly mediocre Demi Moore as Hester Prynne."

"Rebecca Zellar remains faithful to Hawthorne. Her scrupulous adaptation keeps intact the novel's dialogue."

" . . . newcomer GreyZelda shows promise."

"The production also benefits from solid acting from its principals, especially Elizabeth Styles as an appropriately stoic Hester . . . Styles carries herself with the dignity and calm reserve Hawthorne's proto-feminist heroine demands. It is a quietly noble performance, capped off by an emotional, well-acted reunion with Toby Minor's Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale . . .Minor is passionate . . . "

"(Ron) Kuzava makes an especially effective predator."

"Lisa Baer stands out among the supporting cast . . ."

Tickets on sale now at www.theatermania.com or by calling 773-267-6293 for reservations!

www.greyzelda.com

Windy City Times Review of The Scarlet Letter

Theater: The Scarlet Letter 2006-08-23

Playwright: Nathaniel Hawthorne, adapted by Rebecca Zellar At: The GreyZelda Theatre Group at Stage Left, 3408 N. Sheffield Phone: 773-267-6293; $15 Runs through: Sept. 16 BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE It is ironic that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romanticist view of Puritan society in 17th-century Boston should become MORE coherent through Rebecca Zellar’s introduction of abstract elements in her adaptation of The Scarlet Letter for the GreyZelda Theatre Group. But if a picture ( as the saying goes ) is worth a thousand words, it should come as no surprise that a few moments of silhouetted corybanting, accompanied by Miranda Sex Garden’s orgasmic synth-rock, should convey subtext more vividly than the evocative inner monologues so irksome to generations of students required to read what may be the least salacious tale of adultery ever penned. For those who succeeded in avoiding that homework assignment ( like I did ) , it is enough to know that Hester Prynne, her husband long missing at sea, has given birth to a child whose father she refuses to name. This decision being deemed inappropriate by her community, she is sentenced to wear a badge proclaiming her sin. But that brave woman flourishes, while the father of her illegitimate offspring falls ill under the stress of his secret. His decline is exacerbated by a mysterious physician—actually the incognito Mr. Prynne—bent on avenging the wrong done his beloved, if unfaithful, wife. Hawthorne’s point is that only by being true to one’s own code of conduct does one achieve the dignity that confers happiness. Hester does this, as does her daughter, Pearl, and their protector, the ruthless Dr. Chillingworth. But only on the point of death does the Reverend Dimmesdale find peace, confessing his guilt by revealing the literal stigma engendered by his crime. Zellar’s direction matches her production’s tone to the operatic proportions engendered by this gothic climax. Ron Kuzava renders Dr. Chillingworth as grotesquely menacing as his name, while Elizabeth Styles and Meredith Rae Lyons deliver heroic portrayals of gentlewomen Hester and Pearl Prynne. But the dramatic scope inspired by their performances inadvertently diminishes Toby Minor’s no-larger-than-life Rev. Dimmesdale, making us question, at times, if he is truly worth all the trouble taken by the others in precipitating his downfall.

Chicago Reader Review of The Scarlet Letter

This isn't the entire review - we have to pick up another copy of the Reader and will add what was omitted.

THE SCARLET LETTER Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic story of adultery and hypocrisy in a Puritan town is brought to the stage by the GreyZelda Theatre Group. Adapter-director Rebecca Zellar and the ensemble do a good job finding the drama in this rather static, meditative work. The acting is strong and many of the scenes are spare and pointed. But the nuances of Hawthorne's brilliant writing and spiritually complex message get lost amid the play's romance and melodrama. (Jack Helbig) Through 9/16: Thu-Sun 8 PM, Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield, 773-267-6293, $15.

Daily Herald Review - The Scarlet Letter

Letter imperfect

Casting, set undermine classic tale of adultery
BY BARBARA VITELLO Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Thursday, August 17, 2006


GreyZelda Theatre's adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne deserves a letter.

But it doesn't merit an "A."

Questionable casting, a distracting set and some awkward transitions that may confuse audiences unfamiliar with the classic novel mean this adequate production of "The Scarlet Letter" fails to earn a top grade.

And yet GreyZelda's version stands head and shoulders above Roland Joffé's spectacularly ill-conceived 1995 film starring the spectacularly mediocre Demi Moore as Hester Prynne.

Unlike Joffé and Moore, whose famously bastardized ending made a mockery of the tragedy, director Rebecca Zellar remains faithful to Hawthorne. Her scrupulous adaptation keeps intact the novel's dialogue. And while it has yet to match the expertise of say Lifeline Theatre, a company renowned for its masterful literary adaptations, newcomer GreyZelda shows promise.

The production also benefits from solid acting from its principals, especially Elizabeth Styles as an appropriately stoic Hester, who bears a child out of wedlock, is convicted of adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet "A" as punishment. Hester emerges as a woman of commanding will, who from shame and humiliation forges an identity independent of the one her puritanical society imposes. Styles carries herself with the dignity and calm reserve Hawthorne's proto-feminist heroine demands. It is a quietly noble performance, capped off by an emotional, well-acted reunion with Toby Minor's Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the flawed clergyman who shares Hester's sin but not her punishment.

Minor is passionate as a guilty man consumed by sin and hypocrisy who draws from Hester the strength necessary to confess and thereby earn his salvation.

Ron Kuzava plays Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, who is presumed dead but returns under an assumed identity to exact revenge on his wife's lover.

A study in obsession and vengeance, Chillingworth is a man crippled by hate, whose deliberate revenge emerges as the play's greatest expression of evil.

Playing the role with a perpetual scowl, Kuzava makes an especially effective predator.

Also Kuzava and Minor resemble each other, a clever bit of casting that underscores the bond shared by these men, unwavering in their beliefs and ultimately corrupted by them. The production fares best when this trio is on stage.

Lisa Baer stands out among the supporting cast, most of whom deliver mundane performances, with several inexplicably adopting British accents when an indistinct, mid-Atlantic one would have better suited the 17th century Boston setting. Meredith Rae Lyons also stands out, but for the wrong reasons. Lyons is clearly too old to play Pearl, Hester's 7-year-old daughter. That bit of miscasting, plus several other missteps make this less than letter perfect.

The minimalist set consists of gauzy white panels suspended from the ceiling which serve as the backdrop for projections and shadow shows. As visuals, they work best when only a few actors occupy the stage. Otherwise they are distracting; likewise the ethereal background music from 1980's goth rock band Miranda Sex Garden. However, the stylized group pantomime - an expression of Puritan repression, guilt and passion that serves as prologue - works. But not so the recap of the Hester-Dimmesdale-Chillingworth triangle that begins the second act as little more than a redundant distraction.

"The Scarlet Letter"

Location: Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through Sept. 16
Running time: About two hours, including intermission
Parking: Street parking available
Tickets: $15
Box office: (773) 267-6293 or www.greyzelda.com
Rating: For teens and older

Buy Tickets for the Scarlet Letter Online!

Hey, everyone!

We're opening The Scarlet Letter up tomorrow and have made arrangements to sell tickets online through Theatermania.com if you'd like to purchase them early to assure that you'll have a seat. You can go to the following website to buy them:

http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/122578

The show's rockin' it. The actors look gorgeous in their costumes, Heath's lighting is starting to illuminate the billowing white curtains, Miranda Sex Garden sounds awesome in StageLeft's speakers, etc, etc, etc. I think you'll really enjoy yourselves.

We're having a Preview for a few audience members this evening and are considering tonight our final dress, so hopefully everything will come together in one fell swoop.

The Jeff Committee is coming tomorrow to adjudicate the show for possible Jeff recommendations which would be incredibly exciting. This is the first time GreyZelda's been eligible for consideration and we're hoping for the best.

We'll have quite a few reviewers there on Saturday evening . .. if you haven't ever witnessed many reviewers showing up to the same place at the same time, please try to do so. It's more entertaining the show half the time! =)

So, come see, come see!

www.greyzelda.com

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.

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

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Lady Crow

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