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A Charlie Brown Christmas

by Charles Schulz.  Parkland College, December 1-11 I've focused on the final words from Linus' speech, "good will toward men" and would do a 2016 revision of the language to say, "good will towards people, animals and nature."  It's really telling that Charlie Brown uses the word "depressed" to describe how he is feeling in the midst of the commercialism he sees around him.  Snoopy's Christmas decorations don't lift his spirit.  Sally's long list to Santa doesn't lift his spirit.…

The Gun Play(s) Series

A great big THANK YOU to Nicole Anderson Cobb for writing an article on The Gun Play(s) Series that you can find in the July/August 2017 issue of The Dramatist Magazine!   ************* The Celebration Company at the Station Theater is proud to announce the Gun Play(s) Series that will feature ten 10-minute plays about gun violence in America throughout its 45th season. Four years ago Nicole Anderson-Cobb, PhD put out a call for playwrights to respond to gun violence in…

Dreamgirls

By Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Smile Politely/Rebecca Knaur News Gazette/Melissa Merli [soliloquy id="742"]   Director - Latrelle Bright Music Director - Justin M. Brauer Choreographers - Endalyn Taylor and Kemal C. Nance Production Manager/Technical Director - Nicole Bromley Scenic Coordinator - J. Michael Griggs Costume Designer - Samantha C. Jones Lighting Designer - David Krupla Sound Designer/Audio Engineer - Alec LaBau Vocal Coach/Rehearsal Accompanist - Justin M. Brauer Assistant Director - Katie Fenton…

Folklore as Communication

I had the great pleasure of spending a couple of hours with 25 energetic and determined young professionals from various countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  The topic was Folklore as Communication.  We engaged in dialogue around the varied definitions of folklore but the highlight was the creation of their own Origin stories.  There was music, dance, call and response, testimony, pain and laughter.  Thank you Department of African Studies for hosting the Mandela Washington Fellows in the Civic Leadership Institute.  I received much more…

Potluck & Play

Potluck & Play is a series of play readings hosted in my home with good people, good stories and good food.  I utilize these readings to engage with new material and/or prepare for full production. Next Up: A reading of Adam P. and Adrienne Kennedy's Sleep Deprivation Chamber in preparation for its full production at The Station Theatre in the spring of 2017.

Water and the Common Good

I facilitated a workshop hosted by Prairie Rivers Network with the support of the Illinois Speaks micro-grant through Illinois Humanities. Working with the local Girl Scout troupe in Springfield, the workshop was shaped around the issue of a just transition from coal to alternative energy sources - the people affected and the coal ash left behind.