Sonatina Saturday

Here's my latest article from The Times-News. It's a story about a sonatina festival that was held at the College of Southern Idaho last weekend. I got to spend a couple hours doing interviews and taking pictures of the students and parents, and I really enjoyed myself.

In other news, I just got back from seeing Twilight. Expect a blog about it later. Can't. type. right. now. Still. too. twitchy.

All I want for Christmas...

is a walk-on appearance in Wicked!!!

My good friend and fellow theater buff Linda let me know about this amazing eBay auction, and I just about had a conniption. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is auctioning off a one-time, walk-on appearance in Wicked. You get a day of rehearsal, make-up and hair consultations, a costume fitting, photos with the cast, the works. What I wouldn't give to win that auction... Like I told Linda, if I wasn't so practical (and financially responsible) I would sign up for a bunch of credit cards and max them all out so I could have the winning bid. Oh well. Maybe Santa will put it under my tree. I've been a good girl this year!

Two more reasons to love The New York Times

There were two articles in today’s New York Times that reminded me why I like that paper so much. NCIS has been one of my favorite shows for a couple years now, and I never feel like it gets the credit it deserves. Well, that seems to be changing this season. There have been several articles and features about it over the last month or so, including this one from today’s New York Times. It put the show’s success in context, and talks a little bit about what makes it so great.

And with “Twilight” opening on Friday, it’s a perfect time for an article about my favorite vampire, Robert Pattinson. The article talks about the chaos that ensues as he makes mall appearances to promote the film. My favorite part of the article is when the author talks about a t-shirt one of the fans was wearing:

“I never got my letter from Hogwarts,” the front said, and on the back it continued, “So I am moving to Forks to live with the Cullens.”

Brilliant. I think I may have to steal that and put it on a shirt to wear to opening night.

Snowflakes, part two

As promised, here are photos of some of the snowflakes I made.




Here are some kissy lips for Valentine's Day.




And some betterflies and tulips for spring...




How about a cluster of stars for the Fourth of July?





And last but not least, some Nutcracker ballerinas for Christmas!

Vicariously “Wicked” via YouTube

I just spent the last 45 minutes watching clips from the Broadway show “Wicked” on YouTube. I have the show's original Broadway cast recording memorized, and I feel like I could step in and play Elphaba anytime you need me to. Unfortunately, I’ve never actually seen the show. Thanks to YouTube, people can experience the show (or at least parts of it) without actually being there. Without leaving my house, I was able to watch clips from the Broadway and London productions and see some of my favorite actors on stage in the show, including Idina Menzel, Norbert Leo Butz and even Taye Diggs. One of my favorite clips was this one from the London production with Kerry Ellis and Oliver Thompsett as Elephaba and Fiyero singing “As Long As You’re Mine.” Their chemistry together really drew me into their story.




I honestly don’t know how I feel about this phenomenon… One on hand, I love that YouTube and other sites like it offer people who don’t live anywhere near New York City (like me) the opportunity to experience shows we wouldn’t get to see otherwise. The downside is that most of the clips I found were from audience members who managed to sneak their cameras into the theater and record part of the show, and I know that’s wrong. I think it all comes out even in the end because the clips on YouTube are bringing theater to more people, and they aren’t necessarily taking any business away from the theaters. I can’t speak for the other thousands of people who watched the “Wicked” clips on YouTube, but I’m still planning on seeing the show live and in person— hopefully when I come to NYC in January!

Snowflakes: Not just for winter anymore

Remember making paper snowflakes back in elementary school? You’d fold up the crisp, white paper into a triangle and take your time carefully cutting out the intricate designs and patterns. Well, think of that, then times about 100, and you’ve got “Snowflakes for All Seasons” by Cindy Higham.

“Snowflakes for All Seasons” is a craft book I came across while I was at work today. When I saw it, it immediately took me back to my childhood. It has patterns for 72 different holiday and seasonal snowflakes, and they are all beautiful. There’s a kissy lips pattern for Valentine’s Day, pots of gold for St. Patrick’s Day, and even profiles of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for President's Day. One of the most detailed designs is a girl swinging from two trees to represent summer. (I haven’t attempted it yet, but I’m planning on it. If I’m successful, I’ll post pictures.)

The book is incredibly easy to use. It starts by explaining how to fold your paper, then gives you one pattern per page. Each page has the pattern you need to create your snowflake and shows what the completed snowflake should look like. The patterns are the exact size you need for snowflakes made from regular 8 1/2x11 paper, but they can easily be copied and resized for smaller or larger snowflakes.

Of course, I had to try a few of the patterns. (I’m always on the lookout for new programs and crafts to do with the teens at the library.) I did the stars for the 4th of July, the butterflies and tulips for spring, and the Nutcracker ballerinas for Christmas, and they all turned out surprisingly well. (Hopefully, I’ll have pictures of my creations posted here soon.) I showed the snowflakes to some teens who were there at the time, and they loved them. I had a lot of fun doing it, and I think I found my next teen program!

Save Tin Pan Alley!

I was so sad to read this AP article about Tin Pan Alley in New York City. According to the article, the six historic buildings on West 28th were put up for sale this fall, but (thankfully) the sale fell through. They wanted to tear them down and replace them with a high rise, which would have been an absolute travesty. That site is so important to early American music, and to Broadway music in particular. I would hate to see it go, so I’m glad to hear there are people fighting to keep it around and give it the respect it deserves!

In happier news, I just bought plane tickets to come visit NYC in January! (I hope Tin Pan Alley is still around when I get there…) I’ll be staying with some friends from grad school, seeing the sights, and going to as many Broadway shows as I can. (“Spring Awakening,” “Equus,” and “Wicked” are at the top of my list.) I couldn’t be more excited! I'm already starting to count down the days, and you can definitely expect lots of photos and updates from my adventure!

Best. Set. Ever.

I came across this picture today and I had to share it because this has got to be the best set for a play. Ever. It was an outdoor set for a 2005 production of “Ivanov” by Anton Chekhov at the Theater het Amsterdam Bos. Somehow, the fact that it was a Chekhov show makes it even better, because 19th century Russian drama and a trailer park so go together, right? Right…

TIME for the Jerome High School Marching Band

Here's an article I wrote about TIME, a new show from the Jerome High School marching band. I spent some time at one of their rehearsals, and it completely took me back to my own middle school/high school band days. I have so many fond memories of being in band and choir, and it was fun revist them.

All Ben Brantley, all the time

I found something kind of fun the other day. Ben Brantley from The New York Times is one of my favorite theater critics, and the Times website has a whole section devoted just to him. It’s got a recent editorial from Brantley on why he loves theater and what it’s like to be a critic, a list of his favorite theater resources and websites, and links to some of his best reviews. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t stumbled upon this compilation of all things Brantley before! Now that I found the site, I’ll definitely be going back to it to keep up with what’s happening on Broadway.

A Little "Twilight" music

Do you hear that sound? All those teenage girls screaming? That’s because the world is one step closer to the release of “Twilight,” the movie. The movie doesn’t hit theaters until November 21, but Atlantic Records released the official soundtrack for the film on Tuesday.

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock (or paying attention to other equally important things, like, oh, say, the presidential election), “Twilight” is based on Stephenie Meyer’s novel about the tumultuous romance between 17-year-old human Bella Swan and uber-perfect vampire Edward Cullen. As an avid fan of the series, I was extremely pleased to find that the album’s eclectic mix of music truly captured the mood of “Twilight,” and now I’m more eager than ever to see the movie.

Many of the artists that inspired Meyer as she wrote “Twilight” appear on the movie’s soundtrack. The CD starts off on a high note with the infectious, danceable “Supermassive Black Hole” from Muse. There are other fast-paced, driving tracks like “Tremble for my Beloved” by Collective Soul and “Spotlight” by Mutemath, that keep you moving as you listen.

On the softer side, there’s the mellow “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” from Iron and Wine, and “Bella’s Lullaby,” a soothing instrumental by Carter Burwell. My favorite track is “Full Moon” by British duo The Black Ghost. The combination of the legato vocals with the staccato guitar is incredibly catchy.

The CD also features actor Rob Pattinson, who plays Edward in the movie. Pattinson wrote and performed two tracks, “Never Think” and “Let Me Sign.” His soulful voice is reminiscent of Jonny Lang or Paolo Nutini, and his guitar playing is subtle and nuanced. The only drawback is his Dylan-esque mumbling, but that shouldn’t be enough to deter most listeners. Teenage girls (and even grown women) will still eat it up— they’ll just imagine he’s whispering sweet nothings in their ear. (I’m not saying that’s what I did, but I betcha other people do it…)

My favorites from The Times-News

I have been a freelance writer for The Times-News, the daily newspaper in Twin Falls, Idaho, for over a year now. My family and friends are always asking me what kind of articles keep me so busy, so here are links to some of my favorite pieces— in no particular order.

Here’s a story about a music scholarship program started by local comedian and musician Danny Marona.

This is one of my news pieces about a group of parents who were denied the opportunity to speak at a local school board meeting.

Everyone knows I enjoy a good musical, so I had a great time hanging out at rehearsals for a local production of “Titanic.”

This story is about a student-led theater group and their production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

Ever been owl watching? I hadn’t until I went out with a local bird watching group for this story.

This was a fun story to report. It’s about a man leading a wagon train from Montpellier, Idaho to Nampa, Idaho.

A local community theater group did a production of “The Laramie Project” this summer, and it was very timely for our community.

Director Rocco DeVilliers, who grew up in Twin Falls, recently brought his film “The Flyboys” to the local movie theater.

Finally, a new blog

I've been meaning to start this new blog for quite some time, and now I'm finally putting fingers to keyboard and doing it. My goal is that this will be a place for me to share my thoughts on everything from theater to books to travel, and to hear what you have to say as well.

Wish me luck!!!