Mendocino College Repertory dancer Rickie Farah. Photo By Thomas Delgado. UKIAH, Calif. – Experience the magic of a live dance performance in the Mendocino College Dance Repertory Dance Co.’s presentation of “Reflections … a dive into water, dance and life!”
The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, through Saturday, Nov. 17, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 in the Mendocino College’s Center Theatre on the Ukiah campus.
Four professional choreographers created original pieces for the production.
The company will premiere original works with actual rain on stage. Eryn Schon-Brunner's and Tara Ford’s “Water Dreams” investigates the world of motion and water. International artist Amelia Uzategui Bonilla (artistic director, Río Danza Comunitaria) premiers “Retrograde is…” an optical illusion that temporarily mesmerizes the eye.
Trudy McCreanor (artistic director, Mendocino Ballet) debuts “L’Etudes des Lignes,” a ballet that focuses the beauty of a dancer’s line, and “Happiness Goes On” is a themed love story by acclaimed social dancer Eddie Vedolla (Vedolla Dance Productions) that will bring a smile.
The performance features costumes by Kathy Katz, video art by Dave Wolf, and technical design and lighting by Steve Decker.
The Mendocino College Repertory Dance Co. is a diverse group of college dancers who share an interest in dance as a performing art.
This year’s company performers are Eleazar Brown, Jas Byerley, Clara Carstensen, Yves Charles, Margarita Diaz, Cody Dooley, Rickie Emilie Farah, Elizabeth Fuentes, Tara Ford, Traci Hunt, Thomas Kenney, Paloma Rodriguez, Ari Sunbeam and Megan Youell.
The company, which formed in 1986, is currently under the direction of Eryn Schon-Brunner.
Each fall the company spends time learning the works of four to six professional choreographers adding to the diverse repertory of dances the company can perform, providing young dancers with experience and professional connections in the dance field.
Tickets are $15 general, and $10 for ASB cardholders, seniors and children 12 and under.
Tickets are available at the Mendocino Book Co., Mendocino College Bookstore and online at www.artsmendocino.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, cash or check only. Audiences are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.
Mendocino College Repertory dancers. Photo By Thomas Delgado.
Ted Kooser. Photo credit: UNL Publications and Photography. Do others of you think about what you'll miss when you leave this life?
For me it will be the great skies over my part of the world.
Here's Emily Grosholz's take on this, from her new book “The Stars of Earth: New and Selected Poems,” from Word Galaxy Press. She lives and teaches in Pennsylvania.
Here and There
What will I miss when I'm gone? The squeak of the wheelbarrow's wheel, Grace note that strikes with every slow Revolution, and then the hushed, rusty Answer in triplets from the invisible Bird in the lackluster maples.
Branches, weeds, last autumn's leavings Raked from the moss-eaten pads, beds, Borders, still untrimmed hedges. Also the silent pale blue bells Of my half dozen borage, ringed, Self-seeded from the woods.
Daylilies my mother liked to set Roadside in June. Pale Greek anemones She never traveled far enough To find wild, as I did once or twice, but Maybe I'll bring her some, if over there Windflowers blow beside a cloudy sea.
Maybe my memory is faltering, but it really seems that family-oriented cinematic entertainment has been in very short supply lately. That sad state is now rectified by the latest adaptation of a Dr. Seuss holiday favorite.
“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” may not break any significant new ground as the basic story from the original Dr. Seuss book, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!,” is so well-known that there are few adults, at least, who would not be familiar with its holiday-inspired premise.
The animated “The Grinch” allows for more flexible creativity to illustrate some variations. And yet the Grinch, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, remains the familiar grumpy curmudgeon whose only friend is his lovable dog Max.
The little girl, Cindy-Lou Who (Cameron Seely), is now older than a mere toddler, and her infectious spirit of Christmas joy is to think not of presents for herself but a wish to meet Santa Claus for the purpose of seeking help to relieve her mother from the burden of being overworked.
Of course, the Grinch is repulsed by the Christmas cheer that is so infectious for the townsfolk of the vibrant community of Whoville where holiday decorations overwhelm every corner of the city.
Living a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet where the access to the front door is littered with signs to discourage visitors, the Grinch frets about his unwillingness to go into town during the holidays even for needed food supplies.
The problem for the Grinch is that he’s extremely aggravated by the joyous holiday cheer of the Whoville inhabitants who have, to his mind, the annoying habit of singing Christmas carols while also gathering for the lighting of the biggest tree ever decorated.
The Grinch’s lonely daily routine is amusingly realized with Max’s uncanny ability to brew his master’s morning cup of coffee and deliver breakfast on a bedside tray by means of a dumb waiter.
While playing organ music like a villain ensconced in his secret lair, the Grinch concocts a scheme where he could gain peace and quiet during the Christmas season, thereby hatching his familiar plan to impersonate Santa Claus.
But first to fulfill the fake Santa ploy, he has to steal a sleigh perched on the roof of Bricklebaum (Kenan Thompson), who’s not only Grinch’s nearest neighbor but the town’s most enthusiastic and irrepressible celebrant of the Christmas holiday.
Looking to corral some reindeer to pull the sleigh, the Grinch can only come up with the grossly overweight Fred, a pliable participant who gamely joins the effort until he’s ultimately distracted by a family reunion.
In any case, as expected, the Grinch’s stone-cold heart is eventually turned on Christmas Eve, when in the middle of stealing every household’s gifts and decorations, he falters in the face of Cindy-Lou’s faith in the true meaning of Christmas.
“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” shamelessly tugs on heartfelt sentiment for its appeal. Christmas is still many weeks away and so it will be interesting to see if the cordial seasonal mood kicks in early for moviegoers.
‘THE NEIGHBORHOOD’ ON CBS
In the past, the CBS network has encountered criticism for its lack of diversity in programming. Interestingly, the concept of “All in the Family,” which ran on the network in the Seventies, has now been flipped on the racial side.
Cedric the Entertainer, starring in “The Neighborhood,” is now the black version of an Archie Bunker who becomes rattled when his African-American neighborhood in Pasadena suddenly finds the arrival of a Midwestern white family moving into the house next to his.
Showing his cultural bias, Cedric’s Calvin Butler, upon hearing his new neighbors are the Johnsons, defaults to the position that the surname suggests that a “successful black family moving into that nice house” next door.
To his surprise and dismay, Calvin discovers that the Johnsons are Dave (Max Greenfield), his wife Gemma (Beth Behrs) and their young son, a white family from Michigan that seem to have no concern whatsoever that their new home is in an area unlike where they came from.
Calvin falls into his reverse Archie Bunker-mode, claiming the “there goes the neighborhood” mantra which a few episodes later is turned into a lament of how the immediate area was once the scene of white flight. The specter of a gentrification now lingers in his mind.
Restraining, if possible, Calvin’s worst impulses becomes the task of his wife Tina (Tichina Arnold), more sensible and welcoming, while older son Malcolm (Sheaun McKinney) also proves hospitable and friendly.
The often tense dynamic between Dave and Cedric is often expressed by the former’s trying a little too hard to fit in with his new neighbors while the latter clings, for the most part, to his disgruntled feelings.
“The Neighborhood” touches on potentially sensitive racial subjects, but any seriousness dissipates with the omnipresent sounds of canned laughter. Cedric the Entertainer may have to step up his game on the comedic front.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Wine Studio is presenting monthly art classes with wine, co-hosted with artist Anna Sabalone.
This month's wine and art session with Sabalone is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 18, and will feature an view of autumn leaves on trees. The session time is 1:30 to 4 p.m.
The class fee of $40 covers all of the provided art supplies needed along with step-by-step guidance and a glass of Lake County wine. Reservations are required for each month's class as participation is limited to 12 people.
Sabalone was born and raised in Lake County. She has been involved in the Lake County Arts Council since her teen years.
She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Leeds, England for her undergraduate degree in English, history and anthropology.
She earned her teaching credential and Masters of Education from UC Santa Barbara and has been teaching art, English, history and academic decathlon at Upper Lake High School since 2008.
For class schedule, reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.
The Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artists’ shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake. It’s open Thursday through Monday, 1 to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.
For more information call the studio at 707-275-8030.
Casey Carney reads her poem ‘Juicy’ at the Art House Gallery in Berkeley, Calif., in 2016. Photo credit: Victor Owens.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown Art Center’s Restore project features a written/spoken word performance workshop with Lake County Poet Laureate Emerita Casey Carney this Saturday, Nov. 10, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Adults and children age 12 and up are invited to write in the company of others in a safe, supportive environment.
Workshop participants will be creating from writing prompts, refining pieces in progress, and exploring the elements and artistic choices of spoken word performance including projection, intonation, rhythm, timing and body language.
As part of the workshop, local poet Lorna Sue Sides will perform her poem, “Dance to Happenstance.”
New writers are especially encouraged to attend, and anyone who wants to hone their performance skills in order to more fully express the intent of their creative writing.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with partners, and are encouraged to bring a short piece which they may choose to present at the informal reading, concluding the workshop.
A writer, performance artist and photographer, Carney served as the Lake County Poet Laureate from 2014 to 2016. In this role, Carney curated, co-produced and hosted more than 15 readings featuring local poets and highlighting the lineage and of poetry in Lake County.
During her 2014 Poet Laureate Reading Series, Carney featured each of the seven Lake County poets laureate that preceded her.
At the 2016 transition event of Carney’s term, over 200 community members gathered at the Soper-Reese Theatre in Lakeport to celebrate the vibrancy of poetry in Lake County.
Originally from Southern California, Carney holds a Master of Arts in dance education and has choreographed, performed in, and produced numerous dance concerts.
Carney recently initiated the forming of a local team which collaborated in bringing American dance pioneer Anna Halprin’s Planetary Dance to Lake County on Earth Day, 2018 with the theme ‘Acknowledge and Heal.’ She is currently collaborating with Tension and Trauma Release Exercises, or TRE, practitioner Jessica Windrem to develop a workshop utilizing TRE and expressive arts to support people in their healing journeys.
Restore writing workshop participants will have opportunity to contribute to MAC’s second chapbook of writings and images, and to participate in quarterly readings or exhibition. The first chapbook, “Resilience – a community reframes disaster through art,” is available for purchase at MAC or on the MAC Web site.
The Restore project provides Lake County residents with low-cost art classes and the opportunity to learn or refine skills in a variety of materials techniques. Classes take place most Saturdays through May 2019.
Fall and winter classes include clay, woodworking, metalworking, felting, concrete, dry point, block printing, writing, and more. Late winter and spring classes will focus on personal and collaborative projects, studio time, mentoring and guidance to create personal and group work.
Please register in advance for this and all Restore classes at www.middletownartcenter.org/Restore, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-809-8118. Space is limited and reservations are required.
Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29.
Gary Deas, left, as “Jud” and Tim Barnes as “Curly” in the “Oklahoma!” Courtesy photo. LAKEPORT, Calif. – This is the final weekend for Oklahoma!, but for many cast and crew members there will be no break as they go into production meetings for their next shows.
To keep up with the five shows a year and various fundraisers the company puts on, the preparation is constant.
The company requires that directors assistant direct prior to going solo. Director John Tomlinson provided the requisite mentoring for Assistant Director Cynthia Forbes on this show.
Forbes, who will be directing next year’s musical, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” said of Tomlinson, “I hit the jackpot in getting to work with John. He has been acting, directing and teaching theater arts for many years. We have seen the magic he creates with Shakespeare at the Lake making these well-worn plays accessible to contemporary audiences. But, I have been most impressed at how small changes in the presentation or timing of a single line can set the mood of a scene with this show.”
As luck would have it, Tomlinson and Forbes were not the only directors working on Oklahoma! When the show was first cast, Tim Barnes, a regular director and actor with the company, was very busy with work, school and many other obligations.
Barnes originally was only going to design the set until there was a shortage of male actors. He auditioned for and accepted the role of Jud more out of a sense of obligation. When the actor who was originally cast as Curly left the cast Tomlinson turned, again, to Barnes.
“I have worked with Tim before and know he is capable of almost any character type. He also sang in a play called The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell,” Tomlinson said. “It had a part, based upon this play, where he sang about corn with such joy that you could see Curly in there just waiting for us to stage Oklahoma! the real thing!”
With the role of Curly filled and the role of Jud now open there was a bit of a scurry to find an actor who could take on the role of Jud. Four of the company’s male actors had either moved out of the area recently or were otherwise unavailable.
Originally, Gary Deas had not auditioned for the show. He is the type of person that jumps in and gives his all when he commits to something and he had decided it was time for a break. That break was short lived. He was asked to come in for an audition.
Tomlinson explained his reasoning for casting him, “Gary showed potential in both singing and acting at his audition, and has a raw edge that suits Jud. His dedication to everything else he has worked on made me confident he would work hard on the role. Turns out it was true.”
Once Deas joined the cast, Forbes was not the only one watching Tomlinson direct. Deas assistant directed this year’s Animal Farm under Barnes in preparation to direct Boeing Boeing this spring.
“I watched all the actors and how they interacted with each other and John And listened to what they had to say after he was not around. I also asked him why he did things the way he did for Oklahoma! and what he thought about some of my ideas.”
Barnes, who has participated in several directors workshops with Tomlinson, had this to say about him, “John comes with an extensive background and is also a very talented performer. He has a firm grasp on the story we are trying to tell, but at the same time allows for individual character development and is open to the actors’ interpretation of their character. He shows a trust in the performers, that we are all united under the same goal which is to be the modern storytellers, transporting the audience and helping them leave with a sense of a real experience.”
Tomlinson pointed out, “The beauty of this play is what is says about community, friendship and making the most of your circumstances. Claremore, Oklahoma is not entirely unlike many rural Northern California towns. We rise to the occasion in hard times, and we come together in order to thrive.”
Audience reaction to this show has been very positive. The cast has received multiple standing ovations over the last two weeks. And, ticket sales reflect just how well the story the actors and the director are trying to tell has been received.
If you would like to see this joint production between the Lake County Theatre Co. and the Mendocino College Lake Center consider getting your tickets in advance.
The show runs Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Nov. 11 at the Soper-Reese Theatre in Lakeport.
Tickets are $22 and $17 in advance or $27 and $22 at the door and can be purchased at http://www.soperreesetheatre.com/ or via box office phone at 707 263-0577.
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