MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center Theatre, under the direction of Natalie Smith, is creating a live multimedia theater performance about the experience of the Valley fire, which swept through south Lake County beginning on Sept. 12, 2015.
“It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared” will premiere on the one-year anniversary of the Valley fire in September 2016 at the Middletown Art Center. Detail on show times and tickets will be available in the coming months.
This documentary theater production will tell the story of the Valley fire by weaving together experiences of those directly impacted and those who risked their lives.
Stories have been collected and will be used to create a through-line of the events as they unfolded on that fateful day.
“It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared” promises to stimulate courage and a survival spirit in the face of tremendous losses.
As stewards of the arts, the Middletown Art Center Theatre is creating this production to capture both tangible and intangible losses and give the community a language which hopes to heal and bring back a sense of identity and belonging by putting the experience into dramatic context.
Auditions for the show will take place Monday, April 18, and Tuesday, April 19, at 6 p.m.
They are looking for several children ages 5 to 12 years old, women ages 13 to 80, men ages 13 to 80, and expressive movement artists/dancers (teens and up). Please visit www.middletownartcenter.org/theatre.html for details.
If you are interested in volunteering as support staff, there are many opportunities for organized, dependable people with good communication skills for jobs including set design, lighting and sound tech, prop and costume management, electrical and more. Email Natalie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the Web site to learn more.
Originally from Germany, Natalie Smith received her BFA in Experimental Theatre/Applied Theatre Sciences from the University in Giessen, Germany.
While working on her MFA in directing/acting at the University of Montana, she also choreographed several spring and fall showcases for the University of Montana inspired by Pina Bausch’s works.
After graduation, she became artistic director of the Kauai Community Players and has directed and choreographed more than 40 productions which include musicals, opera, plays and circus in Germany, Boston, Hawaii, and San Francisco before settling in Hidden Valley Lake with her family.
Find out more about MAC at www.middletownartcenter.org , email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , call 707-809-8118 or visit at 21456 Highway 175 (at junction Highway 29).
Susan Aizenberg lives and teaches in Omaha, and the following poem is from Quiet City, published by BkMk Press.
My father and perhaps yours, too, found a little pleasure in an early morning walk.
Mornings
Before the train screamed him through tunnels to his windowless office, the idiots he had to "sir," my father needed a space without us, so in a crack of light from the bathroom, he dressed, held his shoes by two fingers, and left us sleeping. That walk
to the diner, the last stars fading out, the sky lightening from black to blue to white, was his time. He walked in all weather, let each season touch him all over, lifted his face to rain and sun. He liked to watch the old houses stir awake and nod to the woman in her slippers on 27th, smoking as she strolled her little mutt. To step back, smooth as Fred Astaire, from the paperboy's wild toss.
Milk bottles sweated on doorsteps, sweet cream on top, and once, he lifted a quart from its wire basket, drank it down beneath our neighbor's winking porch light, and left the empty on the stoop.
At a recent press and promotional screening, a short introductory film clip to the highly anticipated “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” features director Zach Snyder asking the audience not to reveal plot details that could give away surprises.
I think we already know that Clark Kent’s alter ego is Superman and that the same is true for Bruce Wayne’s Batman.
As if the audience for this film is unaware, there’s a flashback to young Bruce Wayne witnessing the murder of his parents by a gun-toting thug.
If director Snyder had been serious about not disclosing some revelations or plot twists, then perhaps the trailers should have omitted the appearance of Wonder Woman for what looks like an epic showdown.
I don’t know if I dare say more. But what emerges from the premise of a superhero smackdown, staged like a UFC cage match, is almost a tedious affair given the talking and dream sequences that swallow a big chunk of the film’s running time of two-and-one-half hours.
Let’s face one immutable fact. The superhero franchise is impervious to criticism, at least in the minds of fanboys eager for the epic battle between the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel that is promised by the title of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
Henry Cavill is back again as Clark Kent/Superman, while Ben Affleck is new to the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Affleck, though, has already demonstrated a comfort level with being a masked superhero in the titular role of “Daredevil” more than a dozen years ago.
As far as looking good in costume, Cavill’s Man of Steel has the right feel of the righteous champion now coming under unwanted scrutiny by a crusading U.S. Senator (Holly Hunter) for his part in collateral damage during aerial fights with General Zod.
Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader is developed as a more complicated character. Often brooding and coming across as bitter and vengeful, Bruce Wayne remains understandably upset that Superman’s showdown with General Zod resulted in the death of scores of employees at Wayne Industries’ Metropolis high-rise headquarters.
Given the mood that Superman’s reckless encounters with alien forces are proving to be far too destructive in Gotham, it’s interesting to note the growing concern, evidenced by Senate hearings and media coverage, that Superman just might be an undesirable alien who needs to be contained if not expelled from Planet Earth.
This feeling of national malaise is an interesting twist because all the while Clark Kent, working closely with his trusted colleague and love interest Lois Lane (Amy Adams), is using the front page of the Daily Planet for blaring headlines about Batman’s vigilante mistakes.
The maniacal Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is occasioned to observe that the dawn of greatest gladiator match of all time would be the showdown, in his words, “between the Son of Krypton and the Bat of Gotham.”
Luthor is not a disinterested party to the coming mayhem. For his part, this billionaire madman is all too eager for a battle royale.
Eisenberg’s Luthor may be one of the most annoying, grating villains of all time. To no avail, I kept hoping for his early demise.
We’ve always known Bruce Wayne to be under the tutelage and care of the family butler Alfred. Here the role goes to Jeremy Irons, who’s serviceable as the trusty confidante, but seems okay but not fully appropriate, in terms of age at least, as the wise mentor.
Other notable characters appear to be shoehorned into the action. Laurence Fishburne’s Daily Planet editor Perry White exists only to bark orders to Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
Meanwhile, Diane Lane’s Martha Kent, the adoptive mother of Clark, figures in a small role as a pawn in the epic battle.
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman holds the most promise, not so much as a pivotal character in this film but as a precursor of what is to come later. Other than the fact she looks stunning in a cocktail dress as Diana Prince, we learn little about her alter ego.
Above it all, “Batman v Superman” may be more than a film devoted to comic book fantasy violence and mayhem, with plenty of explosions and destructions, a significant number of deaths, and a scary monster that emerges from a primordial toxic swamp.
The bonus points, though not fully explored to any meaningful extent, come with the moral ambiguity of the superheroes’ benefit to society, where one practices vigilante justice and the other, an alien being, represents a force not subject to the laws of the land.
The moral and legal questions get cursory examination from a Senate investigation, but director Zach Snyder’s “Batman v Superman,” a title that suggests a court case, is more interested in a dark, bleak world of violence, mayhem and brutal destruction.
No bright light will shine on the superhero conundrums, at least not now on Snyder’s watch. In fact, there is very little actual sunlight in “Batman v Superman,” considering that what is crucial here is the visual context of the dark sky and the dank, grim interiors of decrepit warehouse buildings where fights are staged.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Join the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum docents and the California Old Time Fiddlers Association on Sunday, April 3, for the monthly Fiddlers’ Jam in the Ely barn. Musicians will jam round-robin style from noon until 2 p.m.
Spring has sprung on the museum property so make it a day. Bring a lunch and maybe some wine and picnic in the Oak Grove. View the stagecoach, chuck wagon, buckboard and other large display items on the grounds around the barn.
Celebrate local musicians and the American music heritage from the Ely Stage Stop Victorian Era. Take a ride up to the house on the hay wagon where you can enjoy the newest displays and learn about antique cookware.
Beverages and tasty treats will be provided by the docents in the barn. Donations made during the fiddling benefit both the Ely Stage Stop, helping to fund the blacksmith shop, and the Old Time Fiddlers Association, District 10, who uses it to partially fund their scholarship programs.
The stage stop, operated by the Lake County Historical Society, is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Highway 281) in Kelseyville. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
Come join the Lake County Historical Society and become a volunteer at Ely or our sister museum, the Gibson Museum & Cultural Center in Middletown. Applications are always available.
Patrick Warburton has an unmistakable voice, one that is often heard in voiceovers and commercials.
Yet, his monotone, deep voice, conveying a nonchalant attitude has served him well in TV comedies, whether it was the “Seinfeld” show or the many years of “Rules of Engagement.”
All you really need to do is to turn Warburton loose as his deadpan self, punching one-liners with brutal efficiency in his muted baritone.
NBC evidently thought the same when casting him as the family patriarch in the new comedy series “Crowded.”
In the role of Mike Moore, Warburton is like many sitcom dads. For instance, after watching the first two shows I have no idea or don’t recall what he does for a living, but his life, and that of his wife Martina (Carrie Preston), is thrust into domestic turmoil.
The basic premise of “Crowded” is that college-grad daughters Shea (Miranda Cosgrove) and Stella (Mia Serafino) suddenly move back into the family home, considering the job market is unable to sustain a frustrated astrophysicist and an aspiring actress, respectively.
To make matters worse, Mike’s father Bob (Stacy Keach) and stepmother Alice (Carlease Burke) decide to put a retirement move to Florida on hold and instead create an unwanted extended family arrangement in the Moore household.
Mike and Martina are just beginning to enjoy the empty nest when the kids come home to roost, and well, everyday living just becomes crowded. Naturally, the daughters bring some baggage with them, mostly in the form of endless complaints and an errant doltish boyfriend.
The odd conceit of “Crowded” is that Mike and Martina talk about and seek to act upon sexual desires to a much greater extent than you might expect for a long-married middle-aged couple.
So the humor supposedly comes from the parental figures trying to have sex while their young adult offspring have taken over the family home, thus precluding trysts in the kitchen or family room, or just about anywhere else.
For that matter, both Shea and Stella have sex on the mind, with former too uptight and socially awkward and the latter just a tad promiscuous, so that by the second episode her hairstyle has changed and she’s had a sleepover lesbian pal.
“Crowded” was a show I wanted to like, but really only because Patrick Warburton could read the telephone book and make it sound funny. But there’s not much he can do here to rescue a sitcom mired in predictable circumstances that won’t deliver comedy gold.
TCM Classic Film Festival update
It’s getting close to that time of year again for the TCM Classic Film Festival, scheduled for April 28th through May 1st in the heart of Hollywood, using iconic venues like the Chinese Theatre and Egyptian Theatre to unspool classic films.
This year’s theme of the seventh annual event if “Moving Pictures,” noting the magic of movies isn’t just motion, it’s emotion. “Moving Pictures” are the ones that bring us to tears, rouse us to action, inspire us, and even project us to a higher plane.
There will be a 40th anniversary screening of “All the President’s Men,” the tense political thriller about the Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s investigation of the Watergate break-in that eventually led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
A tribute to screen legend director-writer Carl Reiner will feature a screening of the Steve Martin comedy “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” a spoof of the private eye genre. Reiner will be on hand for an extended conversation with the audience.
Another tribute will be for Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, featuring screenings of her Golden Globe nominated “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell” (1968) and “Trapeze” (1956). Nearing 90 years old, she remains an unforgettable screen legend.
The festival will have an anticipated showing of Charles Chaplin’s “The Kid” (1921), his first feature as star, director and writer of a story that drew on his childhood experiences to create the story of a tramp who adopts an abandoned child.
Other classics in the tradition of premiering restorations include Jennifer Jones turn as the peasant girl with visions of the Virgin Mary in “The Song of Bernadette” (1943) and Gregory Peck’s “The Keys of the Kingdom” (1944).
Eva Marie Saint will be on hand to introduce a screening of the political comedy “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming” (1966), while director John Singleton presents a 25th anniversary screening of his coming-of-age classic “Boyz N The Hood” (1991).
Stacy Keach, now starring in the TV series “Crowded,” may be used to better effect when he discusses John Huston’s gritty look at the world of small-time boxing in “Fat City” (1972).
Given that the TCM Classic Film Festival is still more than a month away, there’s still time to plan that trip to the heart of Hollywood, hanging out at the fabled Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the classic theaters, to enjoy a festival tailor-made for those who enjoy classic films.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center is preparing to celebrate the first anniversary of its opening as it gets set to unveil its eighth exhibition.
The opening of the newest exhibition, “Subversive Biology,” takes place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26.
The exhibit runs through May 1 at the center, which is located in the heart of town at the junctions of highways 29 and 175.
Lake County residents and visitors are invited to enjoy artist’s interpretations of the combination two generally unrelated words: sub·ver·sive: “tending or intending to overthrow, destroy, or mutate an established or existing system” and, biology (bio): “A branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and vital processes: the plant and animal life of a region or environment.”
Join them for an evening of art and community, meet the artists, enjoy refreshments and music by Tear Drop Trailer. Children are welcome.
The Middletown Art Center has a lot to celebrate. Founded in partnership with EcoArts of Lake County, the center provides a year-round arts and cultural presence in south Lake County where formerly there was none.
Team members transformed the old Middletown Gymnasium into a beautiful space for contemporary art, performance and events.
The back portion of the building serves as a studio where classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, drama and more, are offered for children, teens and adults.
The art center opened its doors on March 28, 2015, and has since presented eight extraordinary art exhibitions featuring work by local artists, including the 13th annual EcoArts Lake County Sculpture Walk.
The first year of operations of the Middletown Art Center was fruitful, but also dramatic. Nine of 10 MAC and EcoArts board members lost their homes to the Valley fire. Twenty-five affiliated professional artists lost their homes, studio or place of work.
But board leadership understood the pressing need to bring back a sense of normalcy to the Middletown area community, despite their own crises. The center immediately resumed classes following the fire, to encourage the public’s engagement in self-expression and healing through the arts.
The center has provided free, and continues to subsidize classes to those in greatest need. Its key goals are to inspire every child and adult to express themselves and grow through the arts and arts exposure, while bolstering the quality of life and sustainability of our community in support of a healthy local economy.
EcoArts and the Middletown Art Center have even more to celebrate thanks to #Lake County Rising - The Lake County Fire Relief Fund which is a joint project of the Lake County Wine Alliance, the Lake County Winery Association and the Lake County Winegrape Association.
The Middletown Art Center and EcoArts received a major grant to support their continued growth and contributions to both community and economic development. Soon the community will be able to participate in the making of a mural and enjoy benches, shade structures, gardens and sculptures outdoors at the center.
More of the center's neighbors can benefit from engaging with the arts through expansion of our scholarship fund; the studio and gallery will have lighting improvements; center artist’s Web presence will grow, and outreach beyond the county to encourage visitors will increase.
The Middletown Art Center is an arts nonprofit made by community members for the community to enjoy.
The center offers a colorful palette of classes for children, teens and adults most days of the week. Aside from lively art openings every six weeks, the center hosts musical performances, open mic or hootenannys every other Friday.
The Middletown Art Center Theatre will soon be auditioning for its first production, “It was So Sudden I Wasn’t Prepared,” a live multimedia theater performance commemorating the Valley fire. They are seeking stories of residents and first responders who were impacted by the fire to be included; visit www.middletownartcenter.org to fill out a simple survey.
The gallery is open Friday to Saturday 12 to 6 p.m., or Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (subject to seasonal changes). It will be closed on Friday, March 25, and will reopen on Saturday, March 26, at 6 p.m. for the opening.
Middletown Art Center offers an array of memberships with benefits, as well as tax deductible donation and volunteer opportunities. When you support MAC, you are supporting our local community and community development.
Find out more about MAC online at www.middletownartcenter.org , email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , call 707-809-8118 or visit at 21456 Highway 175.
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