#Dorset Theatre Festival

[shelley-sackett]

DTF’s Timely ‘True Art’ Is A True Masterpiece

Jayne Atkinson, Fiona Robberson in Dorset Theater Festival’s Timely ‘True Art.’Photos by T Charles Erickson By Shelley A. Sackett It was good planning to arrive a little early for the Dorset Theatre Festival’s world première of “True Art.” The bewitching set begged a closer look. Center stage, basking in Renaissance splendor, is Michelangelo’s “Leda and the Swan,’ mounted on a rich burgundy…

[unlikelyfanhairdoalmond]

I

Jayne Atkinson and Tim Daly talk about the play “Still” that they are doing at the Dorset Theatre Festival.

Téa is mentioned both by Jayne and Tim, and he mentions that Jane came to their house in Connecticut. 😉

Jayne : “Will (Rucker) wrote to me and he says ‘I have this beautiful play, Tim Daly is going to be doing it, we just got the thumb up and we wanted you to take a look.’ And I read the play. First of all I love Tim. I met Tim and Téa on Madam Secretary, so that was thrilling. […] and he (Jane’s husband) loves Tim, and I Iove Tim and we love Téa. And so it was this wonderful love fest of ‘Yes, let’s do that together’. “

Tim : “We started talking about it (with Adrienne Capbelle-Holt). I mentioned Jayne and she loved Jayne and I love Jayne and there’s a lot of love going around. And Jayne and I, as she said, we met on Madam Secretary, she and Michael had been to Téa’s and my house in Connecticut […]”

[luckilyiris]

DORSET — The story goes something like this: Famous Hollywood Guy and Wallingford resident accepts a gig at Dorset Theatre Festival to take on a play written by famous Hollywood writer/producer and playwright Theresa Rebeck, who mostly makes her home in Dorset.

Famous Guy does great job in the play, shakes my hand and exchanges a pleasantry on opening night, then carries on. Few years pass by and Famous Guy liked the Dorset gig so much – as well as the short commute down Route 7A — that he comes back, with more handshakes in passing and expressions of gratitude after the opener.

Then, Famous Guy comes back yet again, this time to team up for the first time on stage with his Famous Sister. Clearly, Dorset Theatre Festival was becoming like a second home to his Wallingford farm.

On that second go, however, I finally landed an interview with Famous Guy, but as luck would have it he had to go back and forth to Los Angeles for multiple commitments and engagements. So, a PR deal is reached by third parties, much of it is facilitated by Famous Guy himself.

When I was told of the latest delay, apparently someone at Dorset Theatre Festival made mention to Famous Guy that this ever-deferred sit-down was with a local journalist, and apparently, this former Dorset staffer told me: “When Tim heard you were a Vermont guy, he asked for your cell number and arranged to call you on X day at Y time. No problem.”

There, the cat’s out of the bag: Famous Guy is, of course, Tim Daly, who next week, along with the very talented Jayne Atkinson, will open Dorset Theatre Festival’s second show of its 2023 season, the world premiere of Lia Romero’s “Still.”

The play itself is about Helen and Mark, who were a couple but broke up, yet never forgot each other. They meet for dinner to catch up, the spark is there again, but this time Mark is running for Congress, and Helen has a secret that could gum up the works. Lost love gets a re-look in this comedy about getting older, political divides, and the road not taken.

In short, it is a play tailor-made for leading man Daly, who showed me some years ago that while having cut his early teeth on sitcoms such as “Wings,” and being blessed with obvious good looks, he really is anything but a pretty face: putting aside his fame and success, Daly is very serious about the cerebral aspects of acting.

So getting back to that phone call: Daly calls me pretty much on the promised time hack, but then within a few minutes of just initial small talk about his Vermont farm, he interrupts me: “Telly, a call is coming in that I absolutely have to take, so here’s my personal cell number, and give me a call back in 15 minutes.”

That really struck me. Famous guys in Hollywood do not give out their unlisted digits. But Daly did not hesitate, as he explained later, simply because I was, after all, a Vermont guy like him.

Our conversation that afternoon was one of the most intellectually honest talks I ever had with such a high profile actor. Daly spoke fondly of his time at Bennington College, and extensively of his love for live performance and how the presence of an audience strips away the veneer of fame. It exposes, he explained, an actor in ways does not happen in TV or the movies with their endless takes on one scene until getting it right.

Tim emphasized to me that the live audience made all the difference, and was very blunt in telling me how Dorset, and presumably other local professional stages like it – Weston, Oldcastle, and even tiny Living Room Theatre in North Bennington with its defunct swimming pool for a stage — has allowed him to return to his roots as an actor.

This offered Daly an absence of presumption and a visceral connection to lovers of the stage, he said.

“In New York, you can almost predict the moments of applause with audience members who have The New York Times review tucked under their arms,” Daly told me. “At Dorset, the connection to the audience is much more direct, as if you’re having a personal dialogue with them all evening. It’s both refreshing and liberating for an artist.”

He also was very quick to add: “And that’s all on the record, Telly; you make sure to print it!”

Cynics, of course, will argue that someone as accomplished and materially successful as Daly can afford to be so frank later in his career than he might have been earlier on. Fair enough.

But you could hear the emotion in his voice, and this was no act. That moment for me was one reason to keep going back and catching Daly on stage whenever I could, whether locally, or elsewhere.

Besides, this is one Famous Guy who doesn’t have to drive that far from Wallingford to show you what he’s got.

Telly Halkias is a national award-winning freelance journalist and the secretary of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC). Email: tchalkias@aol.com Twitter: @TellyHalkias

[amphtaminedreams]

June 2021->June 2023: Photo Dump No.22

DATE SAVED, L-R BY ROW:

1. 15th March 2023, 18th March 2023 [graphic source: instagram account @howtobehumanpod, background: Barbican, City of London, 17th November 2022], 9th February 2023, 2nd March 2023, 26th September 2022, 9th March 2023, 16th March 2023 [Fair Game, Canary Wharf], 21st September 2023, 18th October 2021 [Bella Hadid in Paris, September 2018, source: instagram account @crystalmethangel2]

2. 27th January 2023, 17th January 2023 [Vinegar Yard, London Bridge], 31st January 2023 [Russell Cotes Museum & Art Gallery, Bournemouth], 9th June 2021 [Lana Del Rey performing live @ Coachella, April 2014, source: instagram account @tulsa_lana_freak], 13th July 2022, 25th January 2022, 27th September 2021 [DSquared2 RTW F/W21], 14th November 2022 [Soulland RTW F/W22], 21st October 2022 [source: instagram accounts @fleurrrrrrrrr & @natalieenamaste]

3. 30th December 2021 [source: instagram account @posterjournal], 3rd April 2023 [Exhibition Road, South Kensington], 4th July 2022 [details @ Iris Van Herpen Haute Couture FW22], 11th January 2023, 22nd March 2023, 13th August 2021 [Lana Del Rey for Numero Tokyo magazine, March 2013 issue], 22nd March 2023, 20th March 2023 [St.Martin's Theatre, Seven Dials]

4. 19th September 2021 [Van Gagh Alive @ Kensington Gardens, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea], 1st February 2023 [source: instagram account @themayfairgroup], 17th May 2023 [Courtfield, Chelsea], 7th December 2022 [Liberty's of London, Soho], 19th December 2022, 23rd September 2021 [Miley Cyrus performing at the Midtown Music Festival, September 2021], 26th May 2023 [Bournemouth, Dorset], 1st December 2021 [Alexander McQueen RTW S/S19], 8th May 2023

5. 15th November 2022, 9th February 2022, 10th October 2022 [source: instagram account @kiracyan.design], 1st October 2021 [Zuhair Murad, Haute Couture S/S17], 6th July 2021 [Britney Spears photographed by David LaChapelle, 2000], 15th February 2022 [Frameless @ Marble Arch, Marylebone], 16th February 2022, 28th November 2022, 17th February 2022

6. 7th June 2023 [Queenhithe, City of London], 14th January 2022 [Versace RTW F/W19], 8th December 2022 [Twisted Museum, Oxford Street], 11th July 2021 [Britney Spears photographed in L.A, August 2009], ]5th December 2022 [CND for the Blonds S/S15], 22nd March 2023, 28th November 2021 [Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea], 5th June 2023, 29th December 2021 [Giant gallery, Bournemouth]

7. 7th December 2022 [Holborn, West End], 1st December 2021 [Versace RTW F/W19], 4th October 2022 [Bermondsey Street, Southwark], 1st June 2023 [Earl's Court, Kensington], 14th July 2021 [Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad, released July 2021, dir. James Gunn], 21st August 2021 [source unknown], 2nd May 2023, 21st March 2023 [Beyond the Streets Exhibition @ the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea], 30th March 2023 [Christchurch, Dorset]

8. 18th June 2023 [Southbourne, Bournemouth], 21st June 2023, 19th June 2023 [Christchurch, Dorset], 11th November 2021 [Miley Cyrus via Instagram, wearing Gucci x Balenciaga for the November 2021 LACMA gala], 14th May 2023, 21st July 2021 [Marina Diamandis BTS on the set of the "Primadonna" music video, released March 2012], 8th April 2022 [graphic: @oshthoughts on lnstagram], 14th July 2021 [Bimini Bon Boulash via Instagram, July 2021], 21st March 2023

9. 13th June 2023 [Belem, Lisbon], 16th September 2022 [Et Ochs RTW S/S23], 12th June 2023 [Villa Berta, Lisbon], 15th November 2022], 9th April 2023, 10th July 2021 [source unknown], 30th September 2022 [source: Etsy store ConceptsDigital], 15th February 2023 [Frameless, Marylebone], 11th June 2023 [Jardim das Amoreiras, Lisbon]

10. 17th April 2023 [Bournemouth Town Centre, Dorset], 2nd May 2023, 4th May 2022 [Earl's Court, Kensington], 9th April 2023, 15th September 2021 [Miu Miu Resort 2021], 8th September 2021 [Dilara Fındıkoğlu, Resort 2022], 12th November 2022, 6th May 2023 [source: instagram account @howtobehumanpod], 17th October 2021 [Monse Resort 2022]

[jaydeemedia]

[ad_1] Ask me what the best things to do in the UK are and I’ll always answer the same: immerse yourself in our culture. Perhaps you’re wondering what that means, seeing as a fair few memes say it’s only beige food and bizarrely titled royals. But having lived abroad for a few years now, I think I can finally answer that question based on all the bits of home I miss. It’s proper pubs with banter, booze and slightly questionable carpets. It’s a cracking cultural scene that spans open-air theatres in the south to legendary live music and non-stop festivals in Edinburgh. It’s complaining about crappy countryside roads that squeeze through farmland before arriving at some of the world’s most spectacular coastal hikes. It’s wild camping on the outer Scottish islands where time stands still and stars dance, so you don’t mind the odd rain shower. And it’s lugging yourself into London on the train – while repeatedly complaining about the train prices to anyone who will listen – because there’s always another free museum to visit. Not that we only have one culture – we’re four proud nations bound by one (often debated) union. Even city to city, you’ll notice the differences in accents, what we call a bread roll, and our signature slang. So, while it’s highly subjective, these are my picks of the United Kingdom’s top things to do – the ones I always suggest friends do when they visit to get a flavour of the country from top to toe. Sure, it might not list every single ‘must-see’ place in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, but these UK experiences will introduce you to the country’s history, nature, pomp and people. Tackle Wales’ Great Trails  Most first-time visitors to the UK rarely make it to Wales, and they’re missing a trick. Given my Gran’s Welsh, making me a quarter so, I’m proud to fly my little part of the coolest dragon-adorned flag there is. But if you venture to the wonderful west of Great Britain, get beyond Cardiff and into the unadulterated nature. Summit Eryri (Snowdonia) for sweeping vistas of lush peaks and dramatic, cerulean-hued lakes. If you’re lucky, you’ll see as far as Pembrokeshire, arguably the most handsome part of the whole country.  And it’s here, amongst the windswept, croissant-coloured beaches, that you’ll likely fall in love – especially if you come in spring when the Wales Coast Path is lined with fluttering vivid wildflowers. Whether it’s along the border-tracking Dyke Path or the craggy coastal trail, Wales’ Great Trails offer some of the UK’s best self-guided adventures on foot or bike. En route, I guarantee you’ll stumble upon so many beautiful off-the-beaten-path spots as you traverse across scrub, shores, moors and all-smiling remote villages that you might just forget about the other three nations. Fossil hunting on Charmouth beach is one of the UK’s best activities Fossil hunt on a South Coast road trip I might be biassed as this is my home region, but little can compare to the southwest of England, specifically the history-hiding Jurassic Coast. Not that it hides its history that much. You can actually hunt out fossils buried just below the surface of these gorgeous sands. One of my favourite things to do in the UK even now is to take a road trip along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast and search for ammonites and belemnites that are millions of years old. Pop into one of the museums along this 95-mile-long stretch of shore, and you’ll be stunned by some of the dinosaur fossils people have actually found and put on display for all to see. I’d love to tell you to book a little beach hut and Lyme Regis and chill out for a while. But these days, getting one of those aquamarine seaside huts is nearly as impossible as meeting one of the stegosaurus that were here long before sunbathers. Instead, rent a car and work your way down the coast from Dorset to Devon. Start in my hometown of Bournemouth, skate along to the dramatic rock arch of Durdle Door – don’t

miss the Man O’ War Beach next door, it’s the best – and then continue on to Charmouth to find your own piece of history. Along the way you’ll learn all about Mary Anning, one of our most prolific dinosaur fossil hunters, enjoy top-notch fish and chips in seaside pubs, and then cross into equally as handsome Devon for the final stretch. Summer might have the nicest weather, but it will also have half of London on the shores. Come in late spring or early autumn for the best experience. Paying a visit to the Roman Baths is one of the best experiences the UK has to offer Discover the UK’s Roman history It’s not that I don’t think Stonehenge — our most famous prehistoric megalith – is impressive or fascinating. But if you ask me what the UK’s top historical experiences is, I’m going to point you in another direction: Roman Britain. For me, the 350-odd years we were part of the Roman Empire is a far more interesting part of our country’s story. Even these days, we’re still discovering new parts of this historic chapter, such as the new London museum showing off a recently discovered part of a former Roman Wall at Vine Street or the well-preserved mosaic found near the Shard. But it gets even better than that. Start your history tracing in the city of Bath, at the impressive Roman bathing complex that has been in the heart of the city since 70 AD. Then, cross over into Kent to tour the Lullingstone Roman Villa (currently under renovation) and marvel at the well-preserved wall paintings and mosaics. Heading north, the Wroxeter Roman City is an open-air walk back in time, while Hadrian’s Wall, further still, is perhaps the best Roman sight of all to visit. Stretching across the width of the country, you can track the weathered Roman fortification wall across remains of forts and towns. Once, I was there for an epic evening when they illuminated the whole wall with torchlight, and it was incredible, though it apparently only happens once a decade. Regardless, it’s an excellent place to start your introduction to Roman history, before continuing on to bonnie Scotland. Why not sleep in Durham Castle to upgrade your UK experience? Sleep in a castle We may be the country of outdated pomp and funny royal titles, but that’s given us plenty of practice at perfecting castles. Sure, visiting Windsor or Edinburgh Castle are cool things to do, but if you’re looking for the best castle-related activity in the UK, it’s got to be sleeping in one. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that castles are apparently so commonplace in this old land that students even use them for dorms. Yes, really! I couldn’t believe it either when I was touring Durham Castle — a Harry Potter filming set — and I was told that the University students slept there. During the summer holidays, it becomes one of the UK’s most unique hotels. And it’s far from the only option. All across the land, you can splash out and splurge on a  stay in a British castle, which has got to earn some kind of bragging rights – especially if you rent a private one for you and your travel crew. Why not go wild and rent out the 1,900 acre estate of Crom Castle in Northern Ireland, or 18th-century Birkhill Castle in Scotland. Or perhaps you’d prefer to while away some days in Wales’ haunted Craig-y-Nos Castle? Either way, a regal stay is in sight on our shores.  From scenic rail to serene lochs, the Scottish Highlands have it all Ride and hide in Scotland’s highlands  Call me a traitor to England all you want, but Scotland can’t be beaten. Yeah, the weather might be worse more often than down south, but any chance I got to be in Scotland, I took, whether it was bar work in Glasgow or spending the month of August working at the non-stop Edinburgh Festivals. After those late-night work trips, I’d always slip away into the Scottish highlands for some R&R, and I highly recommend you do the same on your Scotland road trip. Sure, take the “Harry Potter” Jacobite train, it really is spectacular,

and do a loop of gorgeous Skye – avoiding summer when over-tourism doesn’t even cover it – but then come back into the gorgeous glens (valleys), munro (high mountains), and legendary lochs (lakes) flanked by crumbling castles. Out here in the hypnotic highlands, time really does seem to slow down if you’ll let it. Sure, you can get busy summiting Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain, or trying to spot the mythical Nessy Monster with your own eyes, but it’s also equally enchanting cycling through Glen Coe, made famous by 007, or wild camping alongside a wild-flower flanked lake. Not a fan of camping? Spending a few nights at Eagle Brae Cabins, one of Scotland’s unique stays, is my top tip of things to do in the UK for a proper bolthole escape. Especially as these homely log cabins with photogenic turf roofs are set on a private landscape with deep and adorable goats trotting around. Pour yourself a dram of whisky (without the e up here) from the Isle of Arran, sit out on your terrace, and be entranced by absolute bliss. Start a night in Manchester at Mackie Mayor for good grub before going until the early hours Make it an all-nighter There are a fair few jokes about British drinking culture (more on that later), which, I think, are mainly warranted. But if you really want to see the best of Britain, you’re gonna need to have at least one proper night out. Luckily, the best nightlife experiences in the UK span the whole country. From Belfast’s chummy and craic-filled Irish pubs soundtracked by traditional live music to the LGBTQ+ bars of free-spirited Brighton in the south of England, there really is a non-stop night out for all. Liverpool, with its legendary musical credentials courtesy of The Beatles, won’t let you go to bed early. Manchester is a cracking city for a night on the tiles, whether at the gay bars of Canal Street or raving to pumping Techno at The Warehouse Project. Up in Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music, I’ve had some of the absolute best and wildest nights of my life – Scottish people are the best people to make drinking buddies with. And, of course, in London and Edinburgh, you’re just as spoilt for choice. After dark, we Brits somehow seem to be at our best – just apologies for any chundering, scraps and the state of some kebab shops! Ride vintage trams, play dress up, and visit recreations of Victorian kitchens at Beamish Go back in time at Beamish One thing the UK excels at is museums, and I’m not just talking about your average quick walk through some information boards. Take the Beamish Living Museum of the North in Durham, perhaps the best museum I’ve ever visited. Here, a whole set of interactive villages have been built to show what life was like at various stages throughout Britain’s history. From sweet shops to moving trams and photo studios to interactive classrooms, actors and the re-constructed properties literally transport you to times gone by – hopefully, they can open safely this summer. There are multiple museums like this in the UK, from the Cosmeston Medieval Village in Wales to the Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire, and including one of these in your next British getaway will add another level of history to your UK experience. Have a proper fish and chip takeaway or get it down the pub to experience the UK’s boozers Pies, pints and fish and chips What’s a good night in the UK? Well, it might look something like this… It’s dropping clangers during a chinwag in a bee’s knees boozer that’s chockablock with sloshed chavs while complaining what a cock up things are to any geezer who will listen because it’s all gone pear-shaped. Then, it’s a cor blimey to the publican about how many quid a pint costs (he’s taking you for a mug) before noshing on a cheeky Nandos. But you’re cream crackered after, so you pinch one last fag and skip the knees up to leg it to your gaff for a kip so you’ll be full of beans tomorrow as you don’t want to make a dog’s dinner out of the Sunday roast, innit. Confused? You’ll have it nailed after a few nights down your temporary local!

Nothing can beat the British pub for an evening out. I’ve been lucky enough to travel and live in so many countries now but the good old British Pub is an institution that can’t be rivaled (alright, Ireland, I’ll tip my hat to you, too). [ad_2] Source link

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] DORSET, Vt. (AP) — A driver accused of causing a crash that killed Treat Williams knew the actor and considered him a friend but denied wrongdoing and said charges are not warranted.Ryan Koss, the managing creative director of the Dorset Theatre Festival in Vermont, said he knew Williams for years as a member of the tight-knit community, as well as a fellow theater member. He said he was devastated by Williams' death and offered his “sincerest condolences” to the actor's family. “I considered him a friend,” Koss said.Koss, 35, of Dorset, issued a statement Friday evening, three days after being issued a citation for grossly negligent operation causing death. He was ordered to appear in court in September to be formally charged.A Vermont State Police investigation concluded Koss’ vehicle pulled in front of Williams’ motorcycle on June 12 in Dorset, but Koss said he’s “confident the facts will show I obeyed all relevant traffic laws, and the state’s charges are unwarranted.”Williams, 71, of Manchester Center, was pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center in New York.Richard Treat Williams starred in the TV series “Everwood” and the movie “Hair.” He appeared in more than 120 TV and film roles, including the movies “The Eagle Has Landed,” “Prince of the City” and “Once Upon a Time in America.” [ad_2]

[larryland]

(Dorset, VT– September 25, 2018) Dorset Theatre Festival, under the leadership of Artistic Director Dina Janis, closed its 41st Festival Season at the beginning of September with a sold-out special engagement of Holland Taylor’s play ANN at the Dorset Playhouse. As part of the closing weekend, Dorset presented a special post-show panel discussion featuring local female politicians and hosted the third annual Women Artists Writing Group retreat.

The limited special engagement, ANN, about former Governor of Texas Ann Richards, was directed by Kristen van Ginhoven and starred two-time Tony nominee JAYNE ATKINSON. A co-production with WAM Theatre in Lenox, MA, the play will also run at the Tina Packer Playhouse (70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA) October 19 – 28, 2018.

Jayne Atkinson as Ann Richards in ANN by Holland Taylor. Photo: Joey Moro

Jayne Atkinson as Ann Richards in ANN by Holland Taylor. Photo: Joey Moro

Dorset Theatre Festival hosted a free post-show panel after the August 31 performance highlighting women in politics. The panel was moderated by Artistic Director Dina Janis, and participants included local female leaders including 2018 candidates for State Representative, Kathleen James and Ruth Hardy (who is also the Executive Director of Emerge Vermont) and current State Representatives, Kiah Morris (D-Bennington), Cynthia Browning (D-Bennington), and Linda Joy Sullivan (D-Bennington-Rutland). Jayne Atkinson, who played the role of Ann Richards in ANN, also joined the panel to contribute her experience working in film and television as a female politician on “House of Cards,” “Madam Secretary,” “Criminal Minds,” “Law and Order,” and “24.”

“What spoke to me so much about this role when I read it was what Ann [Richards] said about fairness,” Atkinson said during the panel. “Her whole tone and what she created in Texas – I just fell in love with her, and this is my way of being an activist.”

The panel discussed their views on the current political climate as female leaders, disparity female politicians have encountered, the value of diversity and balance in leadership, and the importance of stepping up and getting involved. Part of Dorset Theatre Festival’s PlayTalks Series, the event was sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council.

Women in Politics Panel (from left to right): Cynthia Browning, Linda Joy Sullivan, Ruth Hardy, Kathleen James, Kiah Morris, Jayne Atkinson, and Dina Janis.

Women in Politics Panel (from left to right): Cynthia Browning, Linda Joy Sullivan, Ruth Hardy, Kathleen James, Kiah Morris, Jayne Atkinson, and Dina Janis.

As moderator, Janis asked the panel participants about their motivation for running for office. “I think many women feel this is not working – I don’t think these policies are going to work, this is not what I want for myself, my family, and my children’s future, and I need to try to fix it,” said Representative Cynthia Browning. “Women are great at building things, analyzing things, and nurturing things. They’re really good at relationships, so if they don’t see somebody else doing it, they are going to step up and do it the way they want it done. I really see that happening and it’s really important that it happen at the local level.”

NYC-based Women Artists Writing Group travels to Dorset for writing retreat

Following the closing performance of Ann, Dorset Theatre Festival hosted a weekend retreat for its Women Artists Writing Group. Now in its third year, the WAWG is a diverse group of mid-career female actresses and theatre artists who are expanding their artistry through writing.

“This group has been curated over a couple years,” said Mary Bacon, who co-founded the group with Heidi Armbruster in 2016. “Though some in the group may have had a lot of development on their pieces, others in just beginning stages. Everyone had not heard one another’s plays beginning to end.”

During the retreat, the Women Artists Writing Group shared their works in progress with other group members and invited guests at various locations around Dorset, VT. Over the course of three days, the WAWG read eleven plays and writing projects and shared feedback with one another to assist in the development of their work and individual artistic voices.

“The message that we received from Dorset was that each of us has a powerful voice that is deserving of time, attention, and development space,” said Armbruster. Her modern drawing room mystery was the final play reading of the weekend. “It was an extraordinarily powerful message for an early career writer,” she said.

When Armbruster and Bacon first thought of starting a writing group, they said they knew they wanted institutional support behind the effort, and Dorset’s Dina Janis was among their first calls. “The best way to empower women is to celebrate their accomplishments and listen to what they have to say,” said Janis. “By doing so, we are able to experience our shared humanity. That is the power of all great theatre for me, and gets at the heart of what we mean we say we produce ‘theatre that matters.’”

Dorset Theatre Festival’s Women Artists Writing Group meets twice monthly at Primary Stages’ Einhorn School of Performing Arts in New York City and has a an annual writing retreat in Dorset, VT. Co-founded in 2016 by Heidi Armbruster and Mary Bacon. The group includes Carolyn Baeumler Bost, Michelle Beck, Laura Gómez, Mariana Newhard, Elizabeth M. Kelly, Donna Eis, Sharahn LaRue, Maggie Diaz Bofill, and Mathile Dratwa.

ABOUT DORSET THEATRE FESTIVAL

Dorset Theatre Festival’s mission is to create bold, innovative, and authentic theatre that engages a diverse, multi-generational community, and economically diverse region: enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring our audience through the celebration of great plays. We aim to redefine the landscape of theatre by presenting thought-provoking productions drawn from the new and classic canon, as well as through the development of new plays, new audiences, and new artists for the future of American theater. We produce theatre that matters.

The Doreset Theatre Festival will return to the Dorset Playhouse in June 2019 for the 42nd annual summer season.

41st Dorset Theatre Festival Season Closes with Celebration of Women Artists, Leaders (Dorset, VT– September 25, 2018) Dorset Theatre Festival, under the leadership of Artistic Director Dina Janis, closed its 41st Festival Season at the beginning of September with a sold-out special engagement of Holland Taylor’s play…

[atlanticinfocus]

From Photos of the Week: Tango Contest, Robot Fist, Cathedral Spiral, one of 35 photos. The Sense of Unity light parade takes place in Weymouth, England, on on September 25, 2021. Sense of Unity is a performance by two theatre companies, Dundu from Germany and Worldbeaters from Whitley Bay, who provided the finale of Activate's Inside Out Dorset festival. (Finnbarr Webster / Getty)

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: Five Features from Nightstream Film Festival

This weekend, I decided to get into the spirit of the Halloween season by buying a five-movie access pass for Nightstream, a (supposedly) horror-themed online film festival founded during the more chaotic days of the Covid-19 pandemic. And although none of my selections were quite as… traditional as I’d hoped, they certainly sated my appetite for unique cinematic experiences.

Alien on Stage: In this documentary from first-time directors Danielle Kummer and Lucy Haley, a troupe of Dorset bus drivers turned actors take their stage adaptation of Ridley Scott’s Alien from their sleepy community theatre all the way to London’s West End (with more than a little help from an enormously successful Kickstarter campaign). While the amateur thespians’ plain, weathered looks and quaint, small-town mannerisms (even Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg couldn’t have invented fictional characters this endearingly quirky) threaten to make them easy targets for mean-spirited mockery, their infectious enthusiasm and obvious passion (particularly when it comes to the charmingly low-budget, do-it-yourself special effects) transform them into quintessential underdog heroes. Their gradual evolution from ordinary blue-collar workers into unlikely internet celebrities perfectly encapsulates the tribulations and triumphs of the creative process—the overinflated egos, the pre-show anxiety, and the transcendent joy of finally performing in front of a live audience.

Mad God: Developed by VFX wizard Phil Tippett (best known for his contributions to Jurassic Park and the Star Wars franchise) over a period of thirty-four years—and good Lord, is that effort ever evident in every single frame!—this mixed-media (stop-motion animation, live-action, miniatures, puppetry, and occasional CGI) masterpiece is borderline indescribable. Imagine if Dante Alighieri, Ray Harryhausen, David Lynch, Jim Henson, H. P. Lovecraft, H. R. Giger, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Ed Wood collaborated on a project after dropping a metric shit-ton of acid; that should give you at least some idea of what to expect from the tone and visual style of this cinematic fever dream. Tippett relentlessly assaults the viewer with surreal, abstract, haunting imagery: barren industrial wastelands and enigmatic ruins dripping with filth, entrails, and excrement—hellish monuments to decay, despair, and death. The minimalistic, episodic narrative is, of course, entirely allegorical—though I’ll be damned if I can discern any semblance of “meaning” after just one viewing. And to be honest… I have no real desire to fully comprehend it. Sometimes, attempting to interpret a work of art in concrete terms is akin to swimming against the current; in this case, I found it more enjoyable to simply go with the flow.

Code Name: Nagasaki - This intimate, innovative, genre-bending documentary chronicles a young Norwegian man’s efforts to reestablish a relationship with his Japanese mother twenty-seven years after she abandoned his family. Over the course of his journey, subject/co-director Marius Lunde, an actor by trade, inhabits a variety of roles and archetypes—including samurai, hard-boiled detective, demonic beast, and average salaryman—in a series of stylized, dramatic vignettes intended to symbolize his turbulent emotional state. This intricate interplay between “truth” and “fiction”—utilizing the artificiality of familiar cinematic tropes as a means of confronting very real trauma—elegantly ties into the film’s underlying themes. Lunde’s desire for parental affection is, after all, merely a small facet of his search for his own identity; he frequently muses that he feels like a stranger in his mother’s homeland, surrounded by people that superficially resemble him, but with whom he shares little of substance in common. Beneath its deeply personal narrative, Code Name: Nagasaki challenges the viewer to contemplate what ultimately defines a human being (Culture? Ethnicity? DNA?)—an existential conundrum that propels the movie into the realm of the universal.

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes: From the surprisingly delightful One Cut of the Dead to the irredeemably disappointing Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1, Japanese cinema has become increasingly obsessed with 1917-esque “continuous shots” (or reasonable imitations thereof) in recent years. Although this sci-fi flavored comedy isn’t the best use of the notoriously flamboyant technique, it definitely ranks among the most clever, due to how seamlessly it marries craft and content—because the story revolves around “time travel,” it’s only logical to allow the plot to unfold in “real time.” The novel premise—a mild-mannered café owner discovers that he can communicate with his future self via an inverted two-minute video delay between his computer and television set, but must then perfectly reenact every predetermined conversation from the other side of the loop in order to avoid creating a temporal paradox (an unexpectedly complex meditation on the nature of fatalism and inevitability, considering the otherwise lighthearted tone)—lends itself to both humor and suspense, while the deliberately modest production values (a single location, iPhone cinematography, available lighting) prevent the filmmakers from letting their ambitions exceed their budget. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is the first feature-length movie produced by the Europe Kikaku theatre group; after such an impressive debut, I’ll be watching their careers with great interest.

Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist - On August 24, 2010, acclaimed animator Satoshi Kon died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 46, leaving his final film, Dreaming Machine, incomplete and unreleased. As tempting as it may be to mourn the loss of another potential masterpiece, however, this documentary instead chooses to celebrate the legacy that the director did leave behind, outlining his entire career through talking-head interviews with his colleagues, peers, and the generation of artists that he influenced. And unlike similar “celebrity profile” films—say, for instance, Mifune: The Last Samurai—it isn’t afraid to acknowledge its subject’s flaws and blemishes; several of Kon’s former coworkers, for example, admit that although he encouraged creativity and experimentation, his perfectionism and uncompromising vision often alienated his staff—a common trait among “geniuses” and “auteurs.” All in all, Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist is a lovely tribute—albeit one that’s occasionally guilty of preaching to the converted.

[alltheteayouneed]

Téa with Tim Daly at the Dorset Theatre Festival’s Summer Stars Gala.

[shelley-sackett]

In DTF’s ‘Misery,’ Writing Like Your Life Depends on It Takes On New Meaning

Kelly McAndrew and Dan Butler in ‘Misery’ at Dorset Theatre By Shelley A. Sackett Fans of Stephen King’s 1987 novel or Rob Reiner’s 1990 award-winning film, Misery, should not expect more of the same from Dorset Theatre Festival’s season opener, Misery. Playwright William Goldman has transformed the nail-biter of a scary suspense thriller into a lukewarm reminder of its prodigal self. The…

[unlikelyfanhairdoalmond]

A great review of Still, and the last photo is fro Instagram.

“Mark is played by Emmy-nominated, actor, producer, director, philanthropist, and Dorset Theatre festival favorite Tim Daly. His Mark wants much, yet seems to feel like he can’t ask. His smile was warm and his anger biting. The struggles of his mind and heart endeared him to you. Tim Daly gives Mark courage and yet allows him to be uncomfortable, and uncertain, without diminishing him. “

“There is something about watching actors who are so accomplished and have worked in so many aspects of show business, that, as the play goes on, it relaxes you. You trust who they are on stage, their story. You know Mark and Helen are living this life on stage in front of a large crowd. Great actors give you that, these actors gave me that.”

“Still is stunning. It is the kind of play I can’t wait to tell my friends about, so I will simply tell them to go! Go often if you are lucky. “

[luckilyiris]

“Still” had a great run but not much press. Since I didn’t get to see the pictures I wished for, I went digging for old press 😅

This was from the 2019 Dorset Theatre Festival Summer Stars Gala. I remember seeing pictures of Tim and Téa walking towards a tent holding hands in some beautiful place, I guess that must’ve been the Dorset Theater gala.

Here’s Tim’s bio listed on the website, so many theatre credits/awards 🥰🥰

Actor, director, producer and philanthropist, Tim Daly currently stars as “Henry McCord” in the hit CBS series “Madam Secretary.” Before beginning “Madam Secretary”. Daly appeared on the small screen on critically acclaimed series such as CBS’ remake of “The Fugitive,” ABC’s ”Private Practice,” NBC’s “Wings,” and HBO’s ”The Sopranos,” for which Daly received an Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Daly served as executive producer on the Showtime feature Execution of Justice, which garnered him a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie. He also produced the film Edge of America, which opened the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and won the Humanitas Prize and the George Foster Peabody Award.

Always eager to return to the stage, Daly most recently starred opposite his sister, Tyne Daly, in Theresa Rebeck’s new play, DOWNSTAIRS, at the Cherry Lane Theater. The play was first produced at the Dorset Theatre Festival, where Daly has done several other productions. Daly’s first Broadway appearance in Coastal Disturbances earned him the Theatre World Award. He also won the DramaLogue award for Best Actor in the Los Angeles Coast Playhouse production of Colorado Catechism. Other theater credits include Six Degrees of Separation at the Williamstown Theater Festival, The Cain Mutiny Court-Martial at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, The Exonerated at the Bleeker Street Theater, Henry Flamethrowa at Studio Dante, and Oliver, Oliver at the Manhattan Theatre Club. For the past eight years, Daly has served as president of The Creative Coalition and serves on the board of InsideOUT Writers. Daly, a father of two, studied theatre and literature at Bennington College and divides his time between New York, Vermont, and Connecticut.

[bakerstreetbabe]

Slow Food

The Dorset Theatre Festival presents Slow Food, a delightful comedy through August 31. This play  ends a fine season of plays at the Festival. While you are laughing at this play, you care about the characters. The three actors, Peri Gilpin, Dan Butler and Greg Stuhr are wonderful in their parts. The audience may be laughing continuously, but the couple is earnestly focused on getting  dinner…

[artfuledge]

Judd Hirsch at the Dorset Theatre I have loved Judd Hirsch since Taxi. See him in Vermont at the Dorset Theatre. Read about it in my latest blog post. (Oh, and Tine Daly and brother Tim are headed to NYC)

[acelucky]

Fave moments of 2018

This year has had more ups and downs than most, my mental health has suffered massively as a result and it’s ended with two grandparents in hospital.

But I spent a long time reflecting, for each month I’d written a bubble (throughout the month I added to it) of all the nice things that happened that month. I keep thinking/writing the words - Don’t look back in anger, and thinking of the song by Oasis. So I’m reflecting on my favourite moments of this year.

1.) Seeing Hamilton! Back in March it snowed a lot, 29 years I finally saw snow in London. My husband and I did all the touristy things, but in the snow and finished with us seeing Hamilton!! ^_^

2.) IAMX in London with @cassandrafey, again it was still pretty snowy! Getting to see the band live was incredible and Kat Von D was also there (very problematic, I used to be a massive fan of hers but really not so much now, however she does have a lovely voice and was nice for the brief moment we met her - she said we looked cute)

3.) Paris for my 30th, especially getting to finally visit Versailles, the river boat dinner with champagne where we saw the Eiffel Tower light up, and the uber ride along the Champs-Élysées listening to French Jazz. Other bits of my birthday were equally lovely, on the day itself my husband and I went to the pier and played arcade games, walked along the seafront and went on the ferris wheel. We went to see Christopher Robin and had lunch. After my birthday I went to stay at my dad’s house for two days in the countryside in Dorset, we walked to our face pub the Smugglers Inn for a few drinks and generally had a lovely time. My party was also lovely and I felt so loved!

4.) Back in February, my brother and I went to Bridgend on a Sunday night to see Michael Graves. The gig was fantastic, crowd were great, we all danced and sung along to his songs as well as Misfits songs. We met him afterwards and he was genuinely just so lovely. The thing I loved most of all about this gig was that I’d had a really rough January and start to February, having some drinks with my brother as well as having a good chat about life really helped.

5.) Amsterdam - there were a lot of ups and downs, I was super tired, had panic attacks and generally it was a bit difficult. However, there were some really nice bits, such as the Botanical gardens, the church which was all red due to film on the windows, the canal cruise, a romantic meal, the ice bar, seeing the Night’s Watch by Rembrandt. 

6.) Back in January when everything was going to shit, my husband and I took a long walk through Queen Elizabeth Country Park. We got a hot chocolate from the cafe at the bottom and then just disappeared into the woods for a few hours, talking, enjoying the fresh air. Afterwards we went to the Hampshire Hog for lunch and it was lovely.

7.) Holiday in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset back in May. I loved going back to Dartmoor and horse riding, I loved staying at my dad’s and chilling, most of all I loved Tintagel in Cornwall. Getting to visit St Nectan’s Glen, Boscastle and the Witchcraft museum and of course the castle - said to be King Arthur’s Castle. It was magical, inspiring, invigorating. 

8.) Visit to Stauton Country Park in mid December - we went with two of our best friends and their daughter. With two grandparents sick and a lot of other emotional stuff happening, this was a perfect day out, feeding animals, enjoying the greenhouse and walled gardens. I am obsessed with walks in winter and December Sun. It felt especially important as my grandpop (who passed away when I was 16) and my granny (who is in hospital) used to take us here a lot. 

9.) Meeting up with @the-doctors-psychic-paper in Kingston for lunch, going to The Rose theatre to see a production of Don Carlos with Tom Burke in, then browsing the Christmas markets. It was such a lovely day considering the hangover I had! haha

10.) Seeing Bianca Del Rio live and getting to meet her! (Also learning to laugh at myself and accept insults for the comedy they are, rather than feeling hurt, was a massive step for me.) We also saw Adore Delano in Brighton and, it was such a fun gig! But more than that, we finished work early that day, head to Brighton Pier and went in the arcades, had ice cream, sat in deckchairs. 

Originally this was going to be 10 things, but it’s gonna go over..

11.) Back in March, my dad, brother and I went to Brighton to see ‘YES’ on their 50th anniversary tour. Family time for us is so important and lovely!

12.) A lovely weekend in London with @cassandrafey, we went to ‘God’s Own Junkyard’, we finally got to go to Jazz After Dark, we met up with friends in Brixton and went shopping in Camden. It was an awesome and very silly fangirl weekend!

13.) Day Trip to London with my husband to meet friends, we took part in a protest which was a counter-protest to the right-wing Free Tommy Robinson protect that was going on. We then head to the Last Tuesday Society to browse the curiosity museum, have cocktails, and then went to the pub!

14.) Thorpe Park with friends and overcoming my fears when it came to riding Stealth!

Here’s some other lovely things that happened - loads of walks along the beach and picnics with friends, two beautiful weddings, The Christmas Dicken’s Festival at the historic dockyard, a day trip to Dorking where we used to live, a dad trip to the owl and raptor centre with my dad, brother, husband and brother’s fiancé, a lot of awesome stand-up comedy gigs. I also completed NaNoWriMo! I got a new job and am much happier and whilst it was difficult, I completed the PTSD Trauma therapy, which was really tough and meant I had some time off work, but you know, I did it and feel better for it. 

I actually did a ritual burning of last year’s to-do lists which in a way made me sad (i’m way to sentimental and hoard everything!) But I don’t need those silly lists with everything from - Complete NaNoWriMo, to my failures, to ‘buy a new hoover’ etc. to know how much I have accomplished this year. It felt so cleansing to throw it all away and start again ^_^

Happy New Year to all my followers!