No Exit at Prairie Players Civic Theatre

Strange as it may seem you can manage to see good productions of important and seldom performed plays in and around my hometown in what has been often called Forgottonia.  Two weeks ago the Monmouth College Theatre did a full throated performance of Aphra Behn's The Rover-- a seminal female playwright's shot at seventeenth century English comedy.  It sold out the Fusion Theatre in Monmouth.

This weekend we traveled to Galesburg to see another classic at the Prairie Players Civic Theatre.  Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit  lies comfortably in its slot as definer of the Existentialist tradition in drama in post war France and worthy predecessor to the Theatre of the Absurd. 

Though Sartre's dramatic characters have often been seen more as mouthpieces for his philosophy rather than evocative human beings, this tightly organized 90 minute one-act still packs a theatrical punch. The young cast nicely caught the flow of the script as they moved from obstinate and befuddled denizens of their chambered hell toward the discovery that they were each other's torturers and that they made the lives they now are being called to task for.  In the small part of the bellboy, Adam Duffield helped immeasurably with setting up the ironic humor that continued right through to the last laughing jag that finally receded into horrid silence.  

With some memory of my shot at directing the show some thirty years ago, I do have a few items of hopefully constructive criticism.  A slightly more closed in space might cut down on the long crosses and better support the built in claustrophobia of the script. There is also a lot of dialog referencing  the heat of the place and a slightly warmer lighting tone might be helpful. I wouldn't wish for more of the intense crimson of the pre-show set-up, but maybe some amber creeping in as the room heats up.

Even with a constrained budget that allowed for few technical frills, I would like to have seen the stage floor firmed up.  Or if not, perhaps a rug could have been used to mute the sounds of creaking boards and constant clicking of high heels. 

No matter, the director Michael John Bennett, is to be congratulated for bringing this too little performed drama to the area. The evening was a true success for my wife and I and the performance   definitely engendered a spirited post-production discussion.  Sure theatre can be full of nonsense and simply enjoyable, but for my money the addition of thought to an entertainment is what makes live theatre sing.  

Thanks to all the cast and crew for a fine night out at the theatre. 

Congrats to Our Grandson

We made a trip to Iowa on Wednesday to see my grandson receive an Associate Degree in Fire Science Technology from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). 
He is also a certified EMT and will be beginning the Paramedic program at DMACC in the fall.

Here are the proud grandparents.




Then there's the proud parents.


 



Oops can't forget the younger brother.

This is the Wells Fargo Center where the ceremony was held.

 

 And here was that important "handshake from the pres"  moment.

And did I mention that he is already working part time for two fire departments in the Des Moines area.




Congratulations TJ!  You have made us all proud.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology Thy Name is Wondrous!

I don't twit and I don't snapchat.  Instagram sounds like some kind of small dosage powdered beverage.  BUT  my family's world is much smaller due to Skype.

Here's an intriguing shot that echoes back and forth through space and over oceans.
My son in Finland holding up the I-pad he is using to skype with us. On the screen are us in the USA.

 

 

And who is taking the picture of him there and us in the US.  Why of course our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter wielding an old fashioned digital camera. Enlarge the image and look closely at the bottom right inset of the I-pad screen to see the even more complicated digital ricochet of granddaughter in Finland photographing a Skye call to her grandparents in the USA sent to us via really old fashioned e-mail. 

 

 

Weird is the new normal.    

Cloudy today with no meatballs

Spring brings a new brighter look to the old "Pudding Blog" and though the day is cloudy there is a feeling that the darkness of the past year is passing.  As a signal I will try to write in this blog more frequently.  There is more to catch up on from our Danube cruise late last summer,  from the growth of our two lovely granddaughters, and from the busy days that seem to fill even though our schedule is far less crowded with Jan's medical appointments.

Our little garden has been planted and looks considerably more professional due to the efforts of our lovely neighbors Kirk and Marie.  We have contracted to get the homestead painted this summer and to do some needed minor repairs to its 110 year old fabric.

No trips scheduled firmly yet, but the thought is there just waiting for commitment.  Lots of places still to go. The bucket just seems to have a permanent hole in it. You cross things off but new things run in to fill it up again. 

Join the crowd to celebrate the re-opening of the Warren County History Museum on Sunday, May 1st from 1-4 in the afternoon.  You can meet our new Pattee Executive Director.

Here he is.  That's Kellen Hinrichsen, newly appointed Pattee Executive Director of the Warren County Historical Society and Museum posing with an advertisement for the Pattee Tongueless Cultivator, one of the patented farm implements that helped make the Pattee fortune, put Warren County on the map, and made it possible for us to hire our first employee.
You can also renew or obtain your 2016 membership,  and enjoy some complimentary refreshments.


 Below are two pictures from our Christmas Open House.

 

  

If It's Tuesday It's Ethiopia

Riffing on my comments from yesterday about not having trouble finding things to do even in a small town, I'd like to amplify my sense that anyone who wishes to retire and remain alive while retaining an aspect of rural or small town living should seriously considering retirement in a town with a college.  I am of course partial to Monmouth College, but any college will do.

Learning is lifelong and the programs offered to students and townspeople alike at a college are like a filled cornucopia spilling out with a variety of pleasures.   If you like sports it is there, if you like the arts it is there, if you like history or science it is there too.  

For instance we had two visitors to campus this week.  They were both Monmouth College Alums and their parents were graduates of the college as well.  The parents spent several years in the Mission field in Ethiopia and their two daughters grew up there. One of the daughters has become a nationally recognized author of childrens' books (Jane Kurtz). The other, Caroline Kurtz,  has dedicated a large portion of her life to various projects geared to Ethiopian education and economic development.  That's Caroline on the left and Jane on the right at the Warren County Library.

My wife has had a close connection with Jane as a result of their shared love for primary education, reading, and libraries. I knew Caroline when she was a student and actually directed her in a play while she was here.  In the last two days we have shared meals and conversation about their days as students and about their latest projects.  What a joy! And what a gift from them to return to their alma mater to nurture current students and show them what can be achieved.

One project that occupies Caroline now is developing economically viable agricultural projects that can provide potential income and development for the many subsistence farmers who populate the rural areas of Africa.  A Business and Marketing class at the college was integrated into this goal by working on projects this semester dealing with Apple Orchard growth. The students and their professor researched the country and offered ideas for products that could be delivered within a low technology and transportation deprived environment.  The Kurtz sisters were able to offer response and commentary to the students from their own experience of living in Ethiopia. My wife and  I saw genuine learning taking place and learned a great deal about a country that we knew only vaguely as a place somewhere in Africa. 

Jane also took time to speak with former teachers and community members at the Warren County Library.  She showed some of her books and described a project she is working on with a current Monmouth student that will help young ready to read Ethiopian children see both English words and cognates in their own language on the same page.   Here she is showing her enthusiasm and love for books.

Thanks again to Monmouth College for offering these opportunities to their students and to the  community at large.  Lesson for the day. Retire in a college town and you too can continue to be a student.  




 

Busy Week In and Out of Town

One often hears folks bemoaning the lack of things to do in small towns. Maybe our small town is different or maybe the folks who are doing the complaining are simply not looking very hard for stimulation. We started the week with a day trip to Chicago on the train. From Galesburg to downtown is three hours and by 10:45 AM we were walking down to the Art Institute to see the Van Gogh's Bedroom exhibit. A lovely lunch in the patio at the museum and then a stroll over to the Cultural Center to partake of a fascinating exhibit of traveling beasties titled "The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen" Then a little State Street shopping before heading back to Union Station to catch the 6:00 PM Illinois Zephyr back to Galesburg where wonder of all wonders the parking is free.

Worked at our local history museum on Tuesday morning. Then an Archaeology Lecture at the college that evening. We learned that Rome burned far more times than just when Nero fiddled.

Wednesday played eighteen holes of golf. Enough for one day.

Worked at the Warren County History Museum again on Thursday morning and returned there that evening to hear our new Pattee Executive Director talk about his plans for the future.

Friday night was theatre time with a visit to Monmouth College's Fusion Theatre for a production of Aphra Behn's "The Rover." Interesting thought that this small town has a live production of a play by a seminal female playwright that probably could not be found anywhere else in the country this weekend.

Saturday found us partaking of the annual Classics Day at the college. More fancy costumes--this time Roman rather than Restoration. Grilled some gorgeous lamb chops for dinner and followed it all with a trip to the College Auditorium to listen to Glen Brooks--a local guy and college alum-- who has made a living playing jazz all over the country. "The Very Live Band" rocked the house for two sets. Glenn's brother Chris, a former student of mine, joined the quartet for the opening set and we even had some vocals from a whole group of Brooks bro's. Glenn is here in his home town to spearhead a Vista project to teach music to kids this coming summer.

And here it is Sunday morning. Time to do a bit of gardening before setting out to meet the incoming plane of another friend--college guest alum Jane Kurtz--a nationally known author of childrens' books. She and her sister will be spending two days at the college and the local library promoting their Ethiopia Project to send books to Africa.

Damn damn and double damn, there is just nothing to do in this small town. Seek life and you will find it. Or maybe it will find you if you open your eyes and ears to the world around you.

Warren County Historical Society and Museum Receives Major Endowment Grant to fund Executive Directorship

Check out the following announcement from the Warren County Historical Society. I have been working on the board of this organization for about five years now and the reception of this grant will make a huge difference in what our museum will be able to offer to the community. In the next two weeks we will also be posting our job announcement and details on how to apply. If you have qualifications in history or museum operation, this will be a full time position.

The Board of Directors of the Warren County Historical Society is pleased to announce the fulfillment of a long standing dream that the county would have a thriving history museum. As a result of a major endowment gift from the Pattee Foundation a new “Pattee Executive Director of the Warren County Historical Society” and Museum will be hired this summer. Charles and Norma Kirkpatrick, early supporters of the Society and its Museum, will now be able to see a positive culmination to their long time support. The new employee will take charge of the Museum and help to coordinate all activities and programming for the Historical Society. The Warren County Historical Society was first formed 1938. That organization lapsed during World War II, but was reborn and received its first formal 501 (c) (3) Non Profit certification in 1968. In 1970, the Museum received nominally free quarters in the old Roseville, IL , High School building, which had been ceded to the Roseville Fire Protection District after the construction of a new high school. Over the next thirty years an impressive collection of historical artifacts were acquired, ranging from Civil War memorabilia to period textiles, furniture, and agricultural tools and machinery. The early years of the 21st century, unfortunately, were not kind to the Society. The original core of dedicated volunteers dwindled, opening hours were restricted, the museum building itself deteriorated, and funds were scarce. In 2008 the Warren County Historical Society and Museum merged with the Prairieland Historical Association. The merged group took the WCHS name so that the 501 (c) (3) non-profit certification could continue without alteration. During 2008 it was determined that the Roseville museum was in such ill repair that the valuable artifacts inside were in danger. Repair costs, as well as renovation to meet modern safety standards, were deemed so significant that re-location of the collection had to be explored. The newly combined Board of Directors ultimately found a church property on the outskirts of Monmouth. Financing for leasing and then purchasing and renovating the building was obtained from the Twomey Foundation, the Pattee Foundation, and other private sources. The purchase was completed in the spring of 2009 and renovations continued through the summer. Then, in a massive volunteer effort, The Roseville Museum’s contents were moved to the new location at 238 S. Sunny Lane in September of 2009. Since that date the Society and the Museum have operated successfully, but always within the constraints of a totally volunteer endeavor. The Board now looks forward to a new era that will feature a professional curator, more new exhibits, and regular opening hours. The job description and search details for the new director’s position will be announced shortly. Anyone who wishes to support the Historical Society and its Museum can join the organization by returning the membership form found on the Society’s web site at www.warrencountyhistoricalsociety.net