" Ingénue," a ten minute tragedy by Sue Lange of Reading Pennsylvania

Sue Lange, founding member of "Book View Café," (BVC) an authors' collective which includes over 30 published writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, Patricia Rice and Sherwood Smith. Her first novel, Tritcheon Hash, was published in 2003 by Metropolis Ink, her second, "We Robots," was published by Aqueduct Press in 2007. BVC released a collection of her previously published short stories, under the title of "Uncategorized." And in 2010 BVC released her literary science fiction novel, "The Textile Planet." She has received numerous literary awards. We publish here her short play entitled "Ingénue, a ten-minute tragedy."

"Ingénue, a ten-minute tragedy"

Drama by Sue Lange

Description:               1 m or f (off-stage voice)

Rony has acquiesced to her mother her entire life, but now she is old enough to make her own decisions. She wants to pursue a career as an artist like her wild friend, Char, but her mother’s influence has her heading toward an academic career in which she is unlikely to be happy. She must find the strength to defy her mother and create her own destiny.

Cast of characters: Rony: high school senior (pronounced “Roaney), Char: high school senior (pronounced “Shar”), Cranston: hall monitor (any age, any gender)

 

Time: Last period of the day. Place: Girls high school restroom; handicapped stall.

SETTING: We are in the handicapped stall of the high school girls’ restroom. There is the angled bar on the wall next to the toilet. A low sink on the fourth wall with an imaginary mirror above it. A backpack sits off to the side.

 AT RISE: The school bell rings, followed by the reverberating sound of someone vomiting into a toilet. The lights come up we see RONY at the toilet. CHAR enters and slips in under the stall door on her stomach. She pulls off her backpack and sets it on the floor. 

                                                            CHAR

What do you have, like, bulimia?

(RONY looks over at her, sits back on her heels, wipes her mouth, stands up, and moves to the sink to rinse her mouth.)

                                                            CHAR

Today’s the day, eh?  

                        (She pulls herself in all the way, glances at the toilet bowl.)

Ugh!                      (flushes the toilet)

This is all ‘cuz you took that stupid S.A.T., you know that, right?

 

(RONY turns from the sink and looks at her. CHAR pulls a pack of gum out of her sweatshirt pocket and hands a stick to RONY who takes it, unwraps it and puts it in her mouth. CHAR opens her hand to take back the wrapper and tosses the paper to the toilet.)

 

                                                            RONY

Hey don’t do that! It’s gonna clog the—

                                                            CHAR

                        (flushes without taking her eyes off RONY)

I’m just sayin’, if you hadn’t a took that test—

                                                            RONY

I know what you’re saying.  

(turns to look in the “mirror” above the sink but doesn’t primp)

Everyone takes the test. You have no future without the test.

                                                           

                                                     CHAR

I didn’t take the test.

 

                                                            RONY

You don’t need to. Your future’s all blah, blah, blah.

 

                                                            CHAR

Who needs college? You could do what I do. There’s tons of money in it.

 

                                                            RONY

(turns to CHAR)

What are you going to do when you’re thirty and tired of playing video games?

                                                            CHAR

Designing. Designing video games.

 

                                                            RONY

Whatever. What are you going to do when you get tired of it?

 

(During the next speech, CHAR sits on the floor and leans against the toilet. She pulls out a rolled joint from her sweatshirt pocket and puts it in her mouth. From her backpack she extracts an ashtray contraption shaped like a penguin and sets it on the floor.)

 

                                                            CHAR

You sound like your mother. What does anyone do when they get tired of anything? Besides, that’s, like, twelve years away. I could be dead by then. ITMT, I get to do what I love and I’ll get paid for it.

 

                                                            RONY

ITMT, There’s no smoking in here.  

(looks under the stall wall to check for the hall monitor)

Cranston’s going to smell that and come in here and we’ll both get kicked out. Of course that doesn’t matter to you.

 

                                                            CHAR

Hey this is the handicapped. Crankhead’s not going to mess with a cripple. Besides…

(points to the penguin)

…I’ve got the smokeless.

 

                                                            RONY

Hey, genius, you still have to, like, blow it out of your mouth.

 

                                                            CHAR

No problem.  

(pulls out a handkerchief)

I’ve got a system.

 

(RONY watches as CHAR lights up, exhales through the handkerchief into the toilet and then flushes.)

 

                                                            RONY

Does that actually work?

 

 

                                                            CHAR

Just keep a watch out for Crankhead. We totally have to do this.

 

                                                            RONY

What?

 

                                                            CHAR

Smoke in the girls’ room. Pot.

 

                                                            RONY

Why?

 

                                                            CHAR

It’s on your bucket list.

(She takes a hit and passes the joint.)

                                                            RONY

My bucket list? What about yours?

 

                                                            CHAR

(She holds the smoke in, then exhales through the handkerchief and flushes.)

I’ve already done it. Twice. But you’re still a virgin. And Rony…

 

                                                            RONY

(Takes a hit.)

Hm?

(Passes the joint.)

                                                            CHAR

I’m pretty sure you can’t get into the sorority of your choice unless you smoked in the bathroom when you were in high school. The really good ones…

 

(RONY grunts.)

 

                                    CHAR (cont.)

…only take you if you got caught.

(Takes a hit.)

 

                                                            RONY

(Blows into the toilet and tosses the roach)

I am not getting caught.

                                                            CHAR

 

(Blows out without using the handkerchief)

Hey!  

(She fishes the roach out and blows on it to dry it off; waves it in the air.)

Are you crazy?

 

                                                            RONY

Probably.

                                                            CHAR (cranky)

Your problem is you need to do what you want and cut the crap. You could do that, you’re talented.

                                                            RONY

Yeah, well, there’s no money in comics, so that’s a dead end.

 

                                                            CHAR

That’s your mother talking again. FYI, somebody’s making money.

                                                            RONY

Yeah, and right now DC’s busting down my door.

 

                                                            CHAR

DIY, like that woman, what was her name? Roberta Gregory?

 

                                                            RONY

First off, Roberta Gregory is a genius. Second, everything isn’t simple for me like it is for you. You always just do what you feel, but you never get into trouble. If I do what I feel, my mother—

 

                                                            CHAR

Will what? Disapprove? That’s her job. My mother disapproves too. Difference is, I, like, ignore it. You’re too dutiful, that’s your problem.

 

                                                            RONY

My mother is my problem.

 

                                                            CHAR

No worse than mine. IMHO, you need to dump that FIT thing and go to art school.

 

                                                            RONY

MIT.

 

                                                            CHAR (singing)

M I T, K E Y. M O U S E.

 

 

                                                            RONY (laughing)

That is so not the tune.

                                                            CHAR

It’s the original. Check out the YouTube. (singing) Mitty mouse. Hey, you could be the president of the itty bitty Mitty club. You’re already president of the —

 

                                                            RONY

Itty bitty titty club.

 

(RONY reaches over to grab CHAR’s breast. Char blocks her arm and they begin a little duel of punches, kicks, and blocks until they resolve to the floor with their arms resting on each other’s shoulders.)

 

                                                            CHAR

Just say “no,” Rony. Tell her you’re not mailing in that stupid rej, registration, or whatever it is.

 

                                                            RONY

Acceptance letter.

 

 

                                                            CHAR

Whatever. She’ll G.O.I.

 

                                                            RONY

She’s not going to “get over it.” She never does.

 

                                                            CHAR

(She sits on the toilet seat, still trying to dry the roach).

If I were you I’d just go to art school. Start a comic book. If it doesn’t catch on in a couple of years, you can always enroll in FIT later.

 

                                                            RONY

I.T.M.T. I’ll lose my scholarship. My mom will go ballistic. She’ll start in with how she’s all alone and can’t afford to send me to school and blah, blah, blah.

 

                                                            CHAR

That’s just manipulation.

 

                                                            RONY

Big word.

 

                                                            CHAR

Learned it from that prick therapist I have to go to.

 

                                                            RONY

Yeah?

                                                           

                                                            CHAR

It’s manipulation. It’s just what parents do because they’re scared.

 

                                                            RONY

My mom scared? Right. Of what?

 

                                                            CHAR

Of you failing. Or succeeding and surpassing her.

 

                                                            RONY

She’s afraid I’m either going to fail or I’m going to succeed?

 

                                                            CHAR

Poor woman can’t win. Fucked up, eh? That’s why I generally ignore parents.

 

                                                            RONY

I’d never get a scholarship to art school. My mom won’t pay for it. How could I go?

 

                                                            CHAR

Be a good American. Take out a loan and go into, like, deep debt for the rest of your life.

 

                                                            RONY

Everything is so easy for you.

 

                                                            CHAR

Because I’m not a good daughter. You should try it.

 

                                                            RONY

And how does one not be a good daughter?

 

(CHAR tries lighting the joint, but it’s too wet.)

 

                                                            RONY

What if I really want to, I don’t know, go into accounting or something?

 

 

                                                            CHAR

 (looks over) Do you?

 

                                                            RONY

I don’t know, I like math. O.T.O.H. I love drawing. That’s what I really love.

                                                           

                                                            CHAR

Think of this. One day, your mother is going to stop nagging you. Will that make you happy then?

 

(RONY nods vehemently.)

 

                                                            CHAR (cont.)

Happiness comes from within, little Rony. You create it.

 

                                                            RONY

Okay, Oprah. I, like, get it. I know all that. Just doesn’t make it easy going against mom and everybody else.

 

                                                            CHAR

I’ve been doing that all my life. You think ol’ lady Crankhead, out at the monitor station out there doesn’t have it in for me? You get used to it.

 

                                                            RONY

I’m not like you. You’ve been in trouble since pre-school. You’re, like, used to it.

 

                                                            CHAR

It’s time you got started then. You need to do the right thing and make yourself happy.  If you don’t do this, rip up that registration, tell your mother to K.M.A., you will never, ever do what you want. You will always do what she wants. And Rony, your mother does not have your talent.

 

                                                            RONY

No, but she has…

 

                                                            CHAR

What?

 

                                                            RONY

It doesn’t matter what I want. She’ll just make me change my mind. She always does. She’s been doing it my whole life. When I was like, ten, she took me to Wheeler’s to get a bike. My first brand new bike. No more Goodwill stuff. So we go in and there’s like, rows and rows of these beautiful sparkling bikes. I couldn’t believe I was going to get one. So she goes, pick whatever you want. So I find this great, I don’t know what brand, but it was grown-ups bike. It was steel gray. I could just tell I would fly with it. She just shakes her head and picks out this pathetic pink thing appropriate for ten-year-old.

 

                                                            CHAR

It didn’t have those tassels on the handle bars, did it.

 

                                                            RONY.

Yes!

 

                                                            CHAR

OMG.

 

                                                            RONY

So that’s what I got. I got the pink one with the tassels after she said I could have whatever I wanted. I can always have whatever I want as long as it’s what she wants.

 

                                                            CHAR

You should have said no right then and there.

 

                                                            RONY

I did. I told her I wanted the black one.

 

                                                            CHAR

And what did she say.

 

                                                            RONY

She goes this one comes with a matching helmet. Look, it even has bunny ears.

 

                                                            CHAR

NO!

 

                                                            RONY

Yes.

 

                                                            CHAR

No wonder we stopped riding biks.

 

                                                            RONY

Right?

 

                                                            CHAR

One of the great pleasures of childhood.

 

                                                            RONY

Gone.

 

                                                            CHAR

You could have cut the bunny ears off.

 

                                                            RONY

Tried it.

 

                                                            CHAR

And?

 

                                                            RONY

They were like molded plastic, one with the helmet. Impossible.

 

                                                            CHAR.

Shame.

 

(Silence for several moments as RONY cogitates and CHAR continues to wave the roach to dry it. Then suddenly RONY reaches over and grabs it.)

 

                                                            RONY

Give me that thing!

 

(She grabs lighter from CHAR, lights it)

 

                                                            RONY

I’m going to do it.

 

                                                            CHAR

Great. Do what?

 

                                                            RONY (stands)

It! I’m going to do it!

(She kicks the wall of the stall for emphasis. CHAR looks under the stall)

                                                            CHAR

Shhhh!

 

                                                            RONY

Why? I want to get caught, right? So I’ll get into the sorority of my choice. Anyway, (whispers) I’m going to do it.

 

(RONY starts dancing around softly singing “I’m going to do it,” punctuating the “it.” CHAR joins in. They sing softly and rhythmically, like a change)

 

                                                            CHAR

You’re going to it! You’re going to do it! Rip up the Rej, rip up the rej.

 

                                                            RONY

Gotta rip it up before the old lady sends it in the mail.

 

                                                            CHAR

Rip up the rej, rip up the rej.

                                                            RONY

Art school, tart school, you and me we heart school.

 

                                                            CHAR

Rip up the rej, rip up the rej.

 

                                                            RONY

Rip up the rej, rip up the rej.

 

(CHAR slows down, tosses the roach to the toilet and flushes.)

 

                                                            CHAR

Whoa, getting’ late, dude. I gotta go home. I got a party tonight. You’re coming right? Go home, rip up the rej, then get ready to pahty!

(She packs up her stuff and unlatches the stall door.)

And no more of this bulimia crap, right?

 

(RONY’s phone rings. She pulls it out of her pack.)

 

                                                            RONY

It’s my mom.

 

(She grimaces as she pushes the button to talk. CHAR stops to listen.)

 

                                                           

                                                            RONY (cont.)

Hi, Mom.

 

(CHAR mimes ripping up the letter.)

 

                                                            RONY (cont.)

Yeah, I’ll be home in a bit….the registration?

 

(CHAR shakes her head vehemently)

 

                                                            RONY (cont.)

Um, well, I don’t think I’m going to send it in. Sure, we’ll talk about it when I get home, but I’ve pretty much deciced…uh, yes. No, I don’t think I’ll….change my mind.

 

(CHAR jumps up and down, thumbs up. RONY nods and closes the phone down. They fist bump. CHAR turns to go. She holds the door open for RONY.)

 

                                    RONY (cont.)

Go ahead. I have to pee.

 

(CHAR leaves. The door swings closed, Rony latches it. We hear the outer door swish open and closed behind CHAR.)

 

                                                            CHAR (O.S.)

(off-stage) Rip up the rej! Rip up the rej! Why Ms. Cranston. Lovely to see you. Just think, one more week and—

 

                                                            CRANSTON (O.S.)

Cut the crap. Where do you think you’re going?

 

                                                            CHAR (O.S.)

Home. This is my study period.

 

                                                            CRANSTON (O.S.)

I’m going to write you up.

 

(CHAR’s voice gets fainter as if she is walking down the hall away from the restroom.)

 

                                                            CHAR (O.S.)

Char. C. H. A. R. No last name. They know who I am. Mwahahaha

 

(RONY listens in the stall. She shakes her head at CHAR’s insolence. Paces a bit. She starts doing her little “rip up the rej!” half heartedly. She smokes a fake joint.)

 

RONY

(quietly, imitating Char) They know who I am. Mwahaha.

 

(Her phone rings. She answers.)

 

RONY

Hi mom…What? …You shouldn’t have done that…Because I thought we were going to talk about it when I got home. You just went ahead and mailed it? I’m going to take it out when I get home. And then we will talk about it. …Oh how convenient. The mailman came just as you were putting it in the box…I’m sure it is for the best…Yeah, sure, we can talk about it when I get home.

 

(She hangs up and stows the phone, shaking her head.)

 

                                                            RONY

We can talk about it then, we can talk about it tomorrow and the next day and for the rest of my life we can talk about it. And then we’ll do what you want.

 

(Suddenly she reaches for the toilet on her knees. LIGHTS OUT. The final bell of the day rings.)

SueLange
121 Windsor Street
Front
Reading, PA 19601
suelange1@verizon.net
484-769-9327

Flowers that speak, flowers that inspire

They are in the Lancaster Central Park.
As you wander along the paths there are signs which tell you about the plants and flowers which playfully invite you to explore them with your eyes, your nose and all of your senses.

Stand still for a few minutes, carry on a dialogue, let them speak, share your most intimate thoughts with them. What would you say to these flowers?





If you stop to gaze at them, breath deeply, you may get a feeling of peace; it also may give you inspiration to continue that project that you have left behind or the courage to finish that story or poem you dropped in the midst of stress.

William Shakespeare's "The Rape of Lucrece" acted and directed by Mónica Maffía

        

  William Shakespeare’s “The Rape of Lucrece” is a dense yet beautiful poem about the abuse of power, the rape of a girl at the hands of an “untouchable” and its political repercussions, revitalized with the special touch of Mónica Maffía in the double role of actress and director. Jaquemate asked her about the challenging performance in Argentina.

        “It was conceived to be read silently,” she said, “in solitude, not to be performed before an audience. Precisely for that reason the book as an object is central in this staging, for its metonymic value.   It’s an important statement the presence of the book on stage, it represents memory, crimes that will never prescribe, it means law, it works as reminder of promises that have been broken, it is there as sacred word, and of course, as an homage to Shakespeare.

           In working on the show, was there any aspect that struck home in a special way?

          It is certainly shocking to hear the line which Shakespeare chose for this rapist of the 5^th century BC to say to his victim:  “The fault is yours”.  How could it be possible that exactly the same phrase were used today now and again in real life by every single attacker whatever tongue they speak? 

What kind of acting techniques were necessary to convert the poem into a dramatic presentation?

 

         It was a mixture of shakesperean prosody and brechtian techniques, coming and going from different characters that take part in the action to end up breaking the fourth wall when assuming the role of the assertive narrator.  There is also a very punctual a symbolic use of props, everyday objects and material that acquire a sinister meaning as the play develops. 

 There is an amazing reality in the essence of the play. Rape and sexual abuse continue to have political and social consequences, don't you think?

 

Yes, and pride, be it  under the form of showy  ostentation of economic or political power or private display of simple rude force. It is unbearably prevailing, women’s bodies taken as personal property, disposed of, sold or whatever the abuser has in his crooked mind. 

  What to you want the spectators to take home with them after seeing the play?

 Poetry most of all and the astonishing revelation that one of the worst crimes inflicted on women and children on our 21^st century have the same basis of power abuse that twisted the minds of criminals of immemorial ages, how these crimes are still hidden behind an outlook, a surface of respectability as before, and how their justification for those crimes is still the same, out of tune, unimaginative phrase “The fault is yours.”

The play has been running for 8 years, including 2 national tours,  took part of the  Festival de Teatro Femenino de Cartagena de Indias (2013)

Supported by:  

Argentine Asociation of Women Judges - Argentine Net of Genre, Science and Technology (ragcyt) - Instituto Nacional del Teatro - Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género (Universidad de Buenos Aires)  -  

Universidad Nacional de Salta - Ministerio de Cultura de Mendoza - Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Derechos Humanos de Mendoza - Academia de Mujeres "Instituto Fabián Calle" de Mendoza - Programa de Género, Sociedad y Universidad, Secretaría de Extensión de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral - Honorable Cámara de Diputados de la Provincia de Santa Fe - Municipalidad de Santa Fe - Defensoría del Pueblo de Neuquén.

Contact:   monicamaffia@gmail.com

Edward R. Fernandez on theater: "Our mission is to teach and learn as well as to produce."

It’s May 2^nd, a playful sun plays with a drowsy rain outside the Ephrata Performing Arts Center near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Edward Fernandez is in his office talking enthusiastically with this journalist about his artistic career and the debut of “Sunday in the Park with George,” a wonderful show rich in imagination which quite clearly bears the distinctive mark of a dedicated and passionate director. 
You are now in your 17^th year as artistic director at EPAC. How in the world did you get into the fascinating world of theater?

Well, actually it goes back to when I was six years old. My mother loved musicals and she would play albums of musicals such as “Carousel” or “My Fair Lady” and she would tell me the stories. She would also take me to movies. One of my most vivid childhood memories is going to movies with my mother. And she put me on stage for the first time!

When was that?

I don’t know how old I was but the first time I stepped on a stage was at the local junior high school in Queens, although I wasn’t even in school yet. I think they were doing a production of “South Pacific.” They put me in shorts and a cap and set me on stage. This guy came out with coconuts and I was terrified because I didn’t know what was going on. My mother loved theater and she instilled that in me. And my father too, he loved the arts.

Then you went on to study theater?

Well, I was a very insecure young man. I loved acting internally and would often act things out, but I never did anything. When I was in junior high school I went to a number of auditions but I never got anything: I was heavy and never got a role. But in High School it all changed. I auditioned for a show in high school and I got in and also participated in the theater club. It was then that I began to realize my dreams. Then when I went to college I entered the conservatory. I went to New York City University, and the Leonard Davies Center for Performing Arts. Later, in the 1980’s I was living in New York City and I just partied and got jobs here and there, I worked at hotels, I had a great time but I wasn’t doing anything. Theater got further and further away until one day I said ‘I’ve got to stop this I’m not doing anything.’

            What happened then?

Like I was saying I wasn’t doing anything but then in 1986 my roommate’s boyfriend was relocating down here and I just wanted to get away from the city so I said ‘Let’s go down there… there’s a theater called the Ephrata Performing Arts Center and let’s do a show, at this theater. My boyfriend’s roommate knew the managing director at the EPAC at the time. The hotel I had been working at had just closed so I was unemployed and said ‘OK let’s go down there for the summer." I did and I can’t explain it but I never went back. I loved doing the show. At the time the EPAC had not been remodeled, it was at what used to be a barn…

Was it a community theater?

Yes but the building was a falling down barn, hot with no running water. But I loved it, it was something new, I loved the work and so I just never went back. I didn’t know anyone, I was so New Yorkized, into parties and bars and never sitting at home and this and that. But something said ‘don’t go back!’

Can we talk a little bit about the concept of Community Theater?

It has been maligned but we actually are a sort of semi pro theater. I am paid and we pay people to run the organization. In a real community theater nobody is paid. The actors here are volunteers and also community members but set designers get paid, we have office staff. It operates on a non-profit basis and there is a volunteer board of directors. We are ever expanding, so I don’t know where we are going to go in the future.

Is it the only Community Theater in this area?

No, there used to be another one, the Fulton Theater in Lancaster but now it is not a Community Theater; of coarse there are other Community Theaters in the area, there is the Lebanon Community Theater, in Harrisburg also.

Is there significant interest in theater in this area?

Well, there’s not a lot but there is a big enough audience.

The actors at EPAC are volunteers but nevertheless they have a great level of professionalism.

In that sense I am very blessed because we are very demanding in the work we do, whereas some Community Theaters have another philosophy, that it should be fun, almost a social club. We have never been like that. We work very hard.

You work with a professional attitude.

Yea. We treat our actors as if they were professionals, so the actors who come here tend to be that kind of people: they take their art very seriously.

Do they receive training outside EPAC?

They tend to be persons who have studied here or elsewhere but life has not allowed them to pursue a professional career.

One thing that was clear in “Sunday in the Park with George” was a very good level of diction.

Yes, we work on that because we are judged at the same level as professional theaters. The press deals with us the same way as they do professional productions. Even though this is a Community Theater, my products have to be on the same level as those at professional theaters.

What are your ideas concerning the training of actors?

I direct and teach acting at the same time. So it isn’t just do this or do that. It is what is your objective, what do you want from the scene. It is educational.  If you work here as an actor you are going to learn a technique. Our mission is to teach and learn as well as to produce. And the result is that over some 20 years we have built up a beautiful ensemble and in that sense I feel blessed. You will see the same people doing big roles or minor roles.  

How many actors do you have to call on?

That varies greatly but I usually have in my files over 100 people. I do a big audition in January for the whole season, although sometimes we need additional auditions to fill some roles.

Are you the only director at EPAC?

Oh no. I hire other directors but as artistic director I do about three shows a year. This year I am just doing two, “George” and “Cabaret.” I also train directors.

What is your evaluation of your experience with “Sunday in the Park with George?”

It’s my favorite show. I did it previously here, in 1999, with the same George. I saw the show on Broadway in 1984 and loved it immediately.

What called your attention about George?

A lot. It is one of those shows where the themes reverberate with me at every level, about why I do what I do, about the choices in my life. Perhaps a lot has to do with my relationship with my mother when I was six years old. In "George" the grandmother Marie represents the feminine influence.

Was there a point in the staging of the show where a stalemate appeared?

No, not at all. It all went very smoothly. I felt the show with my soul; I knew what I wanted: I knew the moments I wanted, what I wanted to explore and I took it day by day. Whatever the actors gave me I would say OK let’s go further. I like to see what actors bring into a show.

There were a number of technique which were very well achieved…

Yea, like the freeze, the slides, the paintings, very difficult aspects, some of them we were still working on while the audience was waiting to enter the theater for the debut. Everything had to be very precise.

Stephen Sondheim’s music is not easy…

Yea. It doesn’t tell you this is the melody line. Your voice is an instrument carrying the line. But the people I hired for the play knew how to sing.

What have the reactions been to the play?

We just got a very great review from the Lancaster Intelligencer.

Your next projects at the EPAC?

“Agnes of God.” A sort of spiritual thriller, mystery.  But personally I won't direct anything until “Cabaret, “my other favorite play.

Contacts:

epac@ptd.net     Phone: 717 733 7966

 http://www.ephrataperformingartscenter.com

The Resurrection of Hamlet

The Resurrection of Hamet at the Seed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 4th, 2014

Ben Ahlgrim talks about the art of glass blowing

Before white settlers arrived Columbia, Pennsylvania, the home of Through the Fire Studios, was a beautiful wooded area on the shore of the Susquehanna River populated by the Susquehannocks—an indigenous group which John Wright subsequently tried to evangelize. Now it is known not only as a tourist attraction due to the beautifully preserved buildings on its narrow streets; it also houses the Center for the Creative Arts, home of the Through the Fire glass works. Jaquematepress chatted recently with one of the owners, Ben Ahlgrim.

“We blow contemporary glass and anything you can think of in glass,” said Ben after a class on glass blowing.

You are quite young. At what age did you get started in this activity?

About ten years ago, after attending Harrisburg Area Community College.

What led you to get involved in glass blowing?

Well, I never even thought about working with glass but I took a class on glass blowing, liked it and told myself to give it a try. 

Did you bring to your work any training in art?

Yes, I had done drawing and things like that. But actually my background was a bit rudimentary before I got involved with glass blowing. However, we consider ourselves to be artists; whereas a lot of people who work in glass think of it as a craft. We prefer to think of what we do as artistic. 

What happens during the process of creation? Do you work on the basis of a previous idea or do you improvise?

Well for me it has gone through changes. When we first started we didn’t have much knowledge of the techniques we now use. We have a general idea but then as you start your piece something develops. So in the process your original idea goes through modifications. When you first start out with the raw material you can’t predict what it is going to do. So everything is going to change. You might have a preconceived idea of what you want but it isn’t going to turn out that way—at least when you first start out. But over the past five years or so I have been thinking out an idea previously and then carrying it out. The difference is that now I think of something and know how to get there.

Do you draw out your idea? 

Yes. I believe that every artist should have a sketch book. That way you can go back to your notes if you are going through some kind of writer’s block. 

You work with very brilliant colors. Is that a recent development?

I haven’t always worked with colors. Some glass workers consider working with colors as taking away from the natural beauty of glass and perhaps that is true: if you have a beautiful form you don’t need colors. When I started out I worked mostly with clear glass. And then in the process you learn a lot of techniques. You can work it after it is done, carve it, sand blast it…things like that. 

Is Through the Fire Studies a cooperative, a company…what is it?

Well, the Center was established by Jeremy, myself and Milt Friedly. But there are about seven other artists who also work here. There’s also a band that comes here to practice. Everything that has to do with creative arts: dance, art, music…if you like the space you can do it here. 

What about your own activity?

We base our activity on education but we are also artists so we sell our glass works and teach…

Does what you ear get you to the end of the month?

The months are sometimes pretty long, yea, but we make it. As long as we can keep the furnaces going and the doors open we will keep going.

What kind of feedback do you receive from your buyers, students and visitors?

Yea, well I think people are fascinated with glass, especially when they can actually see it being made in front of them or even make their own piece. Everyone who comes in the door gets very excited with what we do. 

Do you have any other projects up your sleeve?

Oh yes we do. I have been updating myself on Venetian style and technical aspects of the trade, that’s probably what I’ll be working on throughout the summer. The unique thing about glass blowing is that you are always learning something. If someone says they say they know everything about something, don’t believe them because that is impossible. And there is always someone you can learn from. 

Contact:

Ben Ahlgrim

452 Locust Street

Columbia, Pennsylvania 17512

ttfglass@gmail.com

http://throughthefirestudios.com

The Resurrection of Hamlet

The Resurrection of Hamlet

A solo performance by Alfred Hopkins

May 4th at 7:30pm at The Seed, 52 North Queen St., Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Breathing Life into Aging Bodies

 Routines for senior citizens aimed at enhancing vitality, strengthening resistance to disease and accidents, bolstering the spirit and improving self-esteem.

Aging necessarily involves the gradual loss of strength, energy and coordination; bones become more brittle, muscles lose their tone and the physical decline affects mental attitudes. However, the effects of these degenerating effects can be retarded by breathing drills and physical movements oriented around the use of core energy.

Standing more erect, moving more effortlessly, raising our chin and eyes, improving our equilibrium and enhancing the perception of the world around us improve our image of self and redirect our minds towards positive thinking patterns. Every person is endowed with a charge of inner energy which can be likened to the electric current in a battery. We can “recharge” that energy by doing daily routines. Many of our maladies are due to bad circulation. The solution we propose in these encounters is to use breath and soft physical drills to reactivate the circulation of energy in the body.

The pains in the extremities, in the joints, the elbows, the knuckles, the toes, the head aches, the stiffness in the back and in the neck are all signs of a short-circuit in the circulation of inner energy. We complain about them and in doing so we activate negative thought patterns which worsen our suffering; the doctor prescribes pain killers—but the essence of the problem persists.

Proposal: As an initial step we propose two weekly encounters of two hours each during which we will practice relaxation techniques, breathing drills, gentle physical movements of all parts of the body, imagination and visualization exercises and games aimed at stimulating creativity and self-esteem. 

Let air fill your body with life, love and vitality

Our bodies can get “clogged up” if we do not practice breathing and coordinate our body movements. We all need to be kissed and caressed. Practicing breathing is a caress which allows the body to generate the kind of energy it needs for the task we want to perform. 

For many centuries in oriental countries breathing drills have been used not only in the martial arts but likewise to alleviate pain. Stress and tension are the “culprits” not only for many diseases, but also strongly influence our ability to do creative acts. Painters, writers, dancers, actors and singers need to empty their minds and bodies of tension before they engage upon a creative activity. It sounds like a contradiction but the emptier the mind the more creative we can become.

The following list of breathing drills may be of great help either for those involved in creative activities or those who suffer physical maladies. There are many more, but they illustrate the basic intention. Do them slowly, almost in slow motion, while you allow images to float in your mind. Do not try to control your breathing; just allow it to find its way as a river finds its way to the sea. Although they can be done in any sequence, you may find one that suits you best. However, it is best to do your “routine” at the same time and place—with as little outside disturbance as possible. You may like to add soft music as you do them.

1)   Lie on your back, on the floor or a hard surface. Try to push the small of your back against the surface. Spread your legs and arms at 90° angles, your finger tips and toes spread out. Imagine breathing in from your left toes and sending the air across your body to your right finger tips. Do the same with the right toes and left finger tips. Then take in the air from your right toes and finger tips and expulse it through your left toes and finger tips. Reverse the action. Take air in from your head and expulse it from your sexual organ. Reverse the action. It is important to breathe slowly, as if you were smelling your favorite perfume or dish. Also, you might want to do this exercise with some soft background music.

2)   Sit on a chair. Be careful not to use the back of the chair. Align your back column in a straight but not stiff way. Allow your arms to fall to your sides naturally and weightlessly. Take in the air gently from your abdomen—actually from the “chi” the center of your body, an inch above your belly button. Close your eyes and regulate your breathing as you fix your mind on an image such as a flower. Remember in all of these drills it is important to expulse all of the air you have inside your body.

3)   A variation of the previous exercise: drop your jaw at the back in a soft, relaxed way. Place the tip of your tongue just behind the upper teeth as you inhale. Now drop your tongue and curl it behind your lower teeth as you exhale. Remember to do this exercise slowly so as to produce pleasure. You may imagine a candle: put out the flame as you expulse your breath.

4)   Stand on the floor with your feet slightly spread at about 45° and your knees just a little bit bent. Check the alignment of your back column: straight but not stiff. Raise your arms as if you were holding a ball, at shoulder length. Spread your fingers and point each one at its neighbor on the right or left side. Send the air from the “chi” up your right side, to your shoulder and across the empty space to the fingers of your left hand.

5)   A variation: using the same position as in 4, do an inventory of all of the bones in your body.  Start, for instance, from your left toes, then go to your  arch…your shin…your hip bone, etc. Then reverse the action.

6)   Assume the same position as in 4. Imagine that you are stacking a pile of books as you take in air. Remove them from the pile as you exhale. Do the exercise softly and with your eyes closed. You can imagine also the color and weight of the books. Remember to try to remove all of the air when you exhale.

7)   Stand with your feet aligned with your shoulders, your knees slightly bent. Allow your chin to fall upon your chest. Keeping it in that position, inhale gently through your nose (taking the air from the “chi”). Then inhale it slowly as you raise your neck and stretch it to the limit (without forcing it!). Repeat several times.

8)   Using the same basic posture, raise both hands high above your head as you inhale; bring them down softly as you exhale. Remember to always inhale through the nose; you may exhale through the mouth.

9)   A variation: use the same starting position. Point the tips of your fingers at each other. Turn your torso to the right as you take in air and form a bow and arrow with your arms, swinging your body as far back as possible without moving your feet. Try to fix your eyes on a fixed point. As you return to the starting position expulse the air and rest in the initial position. Repeat the same movement, but to your left. Each time you twist your torso your eyes should fix on a point slightly further to the left or the right—according to the sequence you have chosen.

10)                     Again using the same starting position, bring your heels together. Raise them simultaneously as you inhale. Hold your breath for a count of four; then bring them down slowly to the floor as you expulse the air.

11)                     Back in the starting position, bring the air in through your nose in short bursts, removing it likewise in short bursts but being careful to push all of the air out of your body. You can do this with counts: two rapid intakes, two rapid expulsions prolonging the last. Then try with 4, 6, 8, 10…

12)                     In the initial standing position, and with your knees bent, place both of your hands to the left and the right of the “chi” filling lungs and abdomen with fresh air. Then let your arms fly in both directions in an explosive burst as you send all of the air out of your body. The explosion should take all of the air out in a volcanic burst accompanied by the sound of the air passing rapidly. Before initiating the explosion, be sure the tip of your tongue is touching the inside of your upper teeth. Do that several times. That is the low breathing area—the chi, the abdomen, adequate for creative activity. Returning to the same position place your hands on your lower ribs, right and left, and also explode. This position is also good for singing and projecting your voice. Finally, place your hands on your chest and do the same. This position is not suggested for creative activity because it puts pressure on the vocal coils.

13)                     Return to the standing position but place a ball or a stick (it could be a broom stick) in your hands. Rotate your body right as you inhale, allowing the torso to do the turning rather than your shoulders. Return to the center position expulsing your breath. Repeat to the left.

14)                     Place both hands on the stick and put it near your butt. Inhale as you raise the stick as far as you can. Keep it there for a count of four; then return as you exhale.

15)                     With your feet separated at shoulder length, raise the stick far above your head as you inhale. Hold your breath and remain in that position on a count of four. Then bring the stick down to your toes, keeping your knees straight but not locked. Then relax, swinging your body and the stick to the right and to the left. Repeat.