#dolly your art gives me so much joy

[aelyosos]

POV Lariel is wondering what book Ocean bought at the bookstore

he sees you, lariel ! 👁️ (even if someone else has his ear atm, lol)

[simslegacy5083]

Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9

Today's (8/19/2024) Episode: Family Joy

The “nana nummies” did indeed help little Elyse warm up to her auntie, who soon found herself fielding questions about her plans after graduation.

“I’m not sure what I want to do yet” she replied shyly, turning the question around on Rhys. “How did you decide you wanted to be a pro gamer?”

“Well…” Rhys began “I never really enjoyed school, so I skipped university and got a job doing tech support at Rainy Day’s E-Sports facility. The players there all seemed to love what they did so much that I gave the local tournaments a try. Eventually I got recruited to the team, and the rest is history.”

“So far I’ve really liked school and the performing arts club,” Jade replied, “so going to University with my friends or sisters could be my thing.”

“I’ve heard University is a great place to build skills and figure out what to do with your life.” Wren chimed in “If you went, you’d be the first sim in our family to do so.” “Par” Isra interjected “Remember the time we went to Foxbury to watch Luigi play his final University E-Sports match only to discover he’d been told he wasn’t allowed to participate because he’d already graduated? That was wild!”

“...and that’s how my sister Gemma and I ended up “borrowing” a thousand simoleons from my parents and buying back our friend Claudia’s horse“ Jade finished up, laughing “Silly Auntie!” Elyse giggled “Come play dollies?” “Sure!” Jade replied, following her over to the large dollhouse.

As her par’s firstborn entertained her own, Isra scooted over next to the silver haired sim and quietly asked “How are you doing?”

“Its surreal, having her here” Wren replied “When we left, I thought I’d never see my baby again, and now she’s right over there. I can’t thank Luigi and his grandfather enough for showing you how to travel safely between nations.”

Isra smiled “Me either. Luigi was oddly excited to meet a legacy spare; the way he acted when I told him Jade would be at Skye’s party, you’d think he was part of a legacy himself!” she laughed “That boy is so self-absorbed, he’d probably be intolerable if he was an heir like Ophelia and Gemma.”

As they finally prepared to leave the park, Isra gave her sister one last hug. “I can’t wait to spend the next few days with you! I arranged time off and childcare so I can show you all the hot spots, and on Spooky Day you can dress up for the costume party at our place for Luigi’s son’s birthday.”

“Is his son named Mario?” Jade asked with a sly smile. “No!” Isra laughed “he’s Skye. Luigi can’t wait to meet you actually; just don’t be surprised if he keeps turning the conversation back to himself, that’s kind of his specialty.” Jade grinned: “Don’t worry, its Lulu’s too, I’m used to it!”

“Speaking of my siblings” she continued, “My sister Wren crafted a little something for her name buddy and you. Why don’t you open them now?”

The family cooed over the unexpected gifts. The elder Wren unwrapped a lovely basic bracelet while Isra showed the kids a knitted teddy bear plush that would fit right in with their other nursery friends. They all conveyed their thanks with their goodbyes as they headed home.

Luckily Isra hadn’t planned anything for early the following morning, because Wren and Jade ended up talking late into the night.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get your birth father to return my calls.” a yawning Wren apologized. “I had hoped to give you a chance to meet him.”

“Its OK.” Jade said, “Honestly from what I’ve heard of him, I don’t know if he’d appreciate meeting the real me, instead of a copy of himself.”

Wren frowned. “Unfortunately, you’re probably right. Calvin was a hard man to like, with a lot of very inflexible ideas about the world. His website trying to convince the sims here of The Watcher’s judgement makes it clear he hasn’t changed. I’d send you the link, but you’ve seen it all before.”

“Well, maybe it’s the time shift, but I can hardly keep my eyes open.” Jade said, reluctantly rising. “It’s been a great day though!”

Her par jumped up and gave her a tight hug goodnight. “It’s so good to see my baby all grown up. Tomorrow, can you tell me more about Ophelia’s work on World United, and if I can send you home with anything to help? I love that she’s using her star power for such a great cause.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate whatever you’d like to give.” Jade smiled at the eager to please elder sim as she headed towards her bedroom. “See you in the morning.”

 “See you then.” Wren agreed quietly. Watching the child they had been forced to leave behind so many years ago walk down the hall brought tears to their eyes, but they were mostly tears of joy. Jade had grown into a fine young woman with a kind heart who was clearly happy and well loved.

What more, Wren mused, could a parent ask for?

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[tazzytypes]

Apocalypse: Sanctuary - Chapter 2

Read on AO3

Just because your roommates are horrible doesn't mean you all can't have a good time now and again... just don't tell Venable.

Hey guys. this scene is pretty short in comparison with my other chapters thus far. It didn't blend well with the other things I have planned, but I thought it was important to show the good times at Outpost 3 as well as the bad. Consider it a palette cleanser for what is to come. Michael will be here by Chapter 4...

The excitement over the idea of salvation by the cooperative was a short-lived joy. After months of listening to “The Morning After” by McGovern over and over and over was enough to make the residents of Outpost 3 question their sanity as well as their conviction.

Em walked into the salon, her hands wrapped around a collection of pens she had been able to scavenge from her room. She pulled at the obnoxiously high collar of her white shirt. Whenever evening wear wasn’t an obligation, she liked to dress in as few layers as she could — Victorian underwear and a dress that made her look like some governess of orphaned children in a period drama. 

Swinging the door open, she stopped in her tracks. The room was usually devoid of life except for the 6 o’clock “cocktails.” Andre sat there on the couch, his back to her as he stared into the fire.

The brunette debated turning on her heels, but by the time she took a step back, it was too late. Andre’s head turned, hair raising on the back of his neck as he sensed her green eyes boring into his back. He wondered if she would go away if he ignored her long enough, but curiosity got the better of him His head turned ever slightly and Em pretended like she had meant to be seen by the man.

Heels clicked against the wood flooring, only a few steps before pausing at the edge of the large black coffee table between the two large dark sofas.

Two months after Stu’s death and his cheeks were still damp with tears. His red eyes burned her, anger unyielding. She was deserving of his hate... even more so than the others. Just as she couldn’t reassure him of Stu’s safety she could not tell him of her guilt. At least the others showed remorse and disgust at their own actions.

Em tried to speak with Andre on multiple occasions, but her words came out hollow. Anything she said was just to chase off her own guilt. At one point she had mistakenly reminded Andre that he had also eaten from the stew... it didn’t end well. 

Needless to say, these days, the only person he spoke to was Dinah.

There was so much anger and grief twisting inside him. He wanted to scream and throttle Venable damn the consequences. At least then he’d be reunited with the man he loves... loved. One meal and the bonds made in good faith and mutual tragedy were fractured with the crack of a whip. 

Em wished he would just verbally eviscerate her like he did Evie. His silence was suffocating. Instead, they stood in awkward silence. She really wasn’t good at this.

“So…” Em trailed, leaning back on her heels and biting her lips as she thought of what to say. Another apology would sound insincere and they both knew it would end them right back where they began. 

“So,” Andre mocked, scoffing as he turned back to the fire. 

Em rose a hand as if to reach out to him, mouth opened before closing it once more. Her hand reached out to him before drawing back, hand running through her hair then returning to her side. 

 “What’s it like having Dinah Stevens as a mother?”

Another scoff, followed by his gaze flickering up and down her with disdain.

She finally settled on the couch opposite him, “Sore subject… fair.”

“Also literally asked by every person I’ve ever met.”

Mc nodded, “basic.”

“Yup,” Andre said, popping the “p.”

Fiddling with the pens in her hand, Em racked her brain for something to say. It was a curse, anxiety. It made everything seem much worse than it was and was often accompanied by an overwhelming desire to be liked by everyone… well… almost everyone. Involuntary cannibalism would have been considered some of the worst, but it pales in comparison to nuclear winter. 

Her leg bounced up and down and her eyes flickered from the fire to the ceiling to Andre and back again. Usually, in these moments she’d take out her phone, pens could only distract one for so long.

“God, I wish we had alcohol,” She sighed.

“Amen to that.”

The door creaked open. Em jumped to her feet, holding back the urge to run towards Emily as she quietly closed the door behind her. It felt like an eternity before she turned around. A smile lit up Emily’s face and she waved a collection of paper she had been able to find.

“Ready?”

Relief rolled off Em, tension leaving her shoulders as they can to settle around the coffee table. There was plenty of room, but Em still found it more comfortable to sit on the floor, skirt billowing around her like a puddle of purple. She took a pen and piece of paper and leaned over the table.

“You start. Give me a band.”

Emily’s lips twisted and her nose scrunched as she thought, “… The Beatles.”

Em scribbled down the name and tore it from the rest of the paper, placing it in a small wooden box Emily had brought with her. She grabbed a paper and pen of her own and turned to Em. “Now you.”

“Panic at the Disco.”

“Why am I not surprised.”

Em couldn’t help the laugh that left her, “shut up. You said The Beetles.”

“What? It’s a classic.”

Andre’s attention turned from the fire to the pair sitting across from him. He would have left, but after months and months of doing nothing but waking up and waiting to sleep again he was dying for something different.

“Lady Gaga,” Em said.

“Madonna.” Emily countered.

“Justin Bieber.”

“Justin Timberlake.”

“What are you doing?” He finally asked after a few more rounds of them shooting random words back and forth. 

“Pictionary,” Emily answered him with a smile, cheeks flushed from laughing, “Em had the idea.”

“Pictionary?” Andre asked, slowly scooting closer, “Is that a game?”

“Yeah!” Em answered, “My siblings and I used to play it all the time. Right now we’re coming up with random things to go in a hat.”

She motioned to the box slowly gathering more and more strips of paper, “The game is to pick one of these and try to draw it while your teammates guess what it is.”

“So like art charades?”

“Pretty much!”

A small smile flickered to Andre’s lips as he stood up and came to sit beside Emily. 

“Okay. I have one: Dinah Stevens.”

“Oooh,” Em awed, pointing a pen at Emily and Andre, “that’s a good one. Should we do one for each resident?”

Emily shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”

“How angry do you think Coco would be if we put her in there?” Andre asked, grabbing a pen and paper of his own.

Em looked like the Cheshire Cat, smiling ear to ear, “Furious,”

“Let’s do it.”

As the hours passed, more and more residents joined. A few Greys even whispered ideas into Em’s ear as they passed and she would scribble them in and throw them in the box. Em finally took a seat on one of the couches, Timothy and Emily on her right and Coco to her left.

“Okay!Okay!” Em exclaimed as people yelled things at her all at once, “One at a time! Give me stuff. Movies, books, albums, famous people, sayings. Coco! Go!”

“Michel Jackson!”

Em scribbled down the name and tossed it into the pile of paper that threatened to spill from the small box, “Alright! Now… Emily!”

“To Kill a Mocking Bird!”

She nodded as she scribbled it down, “… and since I’m Emily squared I get to go next.”

Gallant groaned, “oh, c’mon!”

“Hey!” Em snipped, smiling as she swung a pen at the man who could only smile and laugh at her antics, “I’m the one with the pen. My pen, my rules!”

Coco leaned over Em, “What are you writing?”

“Stevie Nicks!”

Leaning back in his seat, Gallant draped an arm across the back of his chair, perplexed, “Isn’t that the woman that sings Jolene?”

“NO!” At least five people yelled in unison, quickly falling into a collection of giggles.

Em feigned insult, “how can you mistake Dolly Parton with Stevie Nicks.”

Gallant waved a dismissive hand, “We aren’t all from the countryside of Georgia.”

“I was raised near Atlanta, thank you very much,” Em jested, “I’m only a quarter country girl.”

“Do you have those shirts that say: ‘don’t talk to me until I’ve had my sweet tea?’” Coco asked, hands spreading out like she was hanging up a banner. 

Em couldn’t keep her smile down, “That was one time!”

“Uh-huh,” Gallant laughed, “Suuure it was.”

The brunette grabbed an extra pen and chucked it at the man. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d laughed like this. God knows none of them had even been in a room together without mandatory attendance.

Timothy sat at the edge of the group. He shuffled through the cards they had made, sorting them so they’d fit in the box. “I think we’ve filled out the last one.”

Coco looked around at everyone, “So… we get to play now?”

“Not today,” Emily declared, smiling at Timothy as he held out the box for her to place the top on it. Coco, Andre, and Gallant booed them.

“Look,” Em defended Emily, hands wringing at her wrists “I know y’all were just spitting out words, but I had to write them all down. My poor wrist needs a break.”

“Oh boo-hoo,” Coco said.

“Half the fun is not knowing what’s coming,” Timothy reminded, his eyes not leaving Emily. Em could tell he was smitten with her. Poor boy didn’t know how to hide anything.

“Well I don't know about y’all,” Andre spoke, mocking Em’s slight accent as he rose from the couch, “But I’m going to take a nap.”

“I agree, y’all,” Gallant jumped on, dodging another pen Em threw in his direction. 

“Words are an illusion created by humanity,” She jested, earning a dismissive wave from the hairdresser as he walked out the door, “It’s conventional!!”

Coco sighed and laid back on the couch, closing her eyes as she began to whine “I wouldn’t mind the constant hunger if it didn’t come with the constant tiredness.”

Em looked to Timothy and Emily. The latter rolled her eyes.

“I feel like I’m back in college,” Em said, leaning back on Emily, “Eating sleep for dinner.”

She could feel Emily’s shoulders shake as she laughed. Timothy took a seat on the other side of the coffee table, resting on the arm of the chair, “C’mon. It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I spent finals week eating only spoonfuls of peanut butter. Then the next year I bought a Costco-sized thing of ramen noodles.”

Emily leaned back her head and groaned, “Don’t talk about food. Even ramen noodles make my mouth water.”

Somehow, Em had made her way from leaning on Emily’s shoulder to having her head in the other girl’s lap. Emily’s hands absentmindedly ran through the brunette’s short bob which was growing longer by the day. 

“Oh!” A memory struck Em like a lightning bolt, “my friend took me to an authentic ramen place before the bombs.”

She hummed at the mere thought of the food, “Best. Thing. Ever. They had special ramen eggs and topped it off with a slab of pork that just fell apart—”

Coco jumped from her seat with a huff, “You’re all sadistic!”

The three of them watched as the blonde stormed across the room, door slamming behind her with a loud bang which made their bones shake. Then they looked to each other, biting their lips but ultimately falling into laughter.

“If I knew it was that easy I would have done it months ago,” Emily laughed.

“C’mon,” Timothy tried to be the voice of reason, trying to keep a straight face but ultimately failing, “That’s just mean.”

“So is Coco,” Em scoffed, reaching for a glass of water, “it’s not like we threatened to kill her.”

“You did,” Emily reminded. 

The other girl paused in her movement and pointed up at her, “Mead said ‘murder’, not me. I said I’d come for her… I didn’t specify how.”

Timothy sighed and shook his head while Emily only looked at him with a smile. 

“At least we have each other,” Emily noted.

Em smiled at that, finally sitting up, “The Three Musketeers!”

“All for one and one for all,” Timothy said.

Emily sighed, “God knows Venable won’t do it.” 

[humboldtfog]

Years of depression has prepared me very well for the current state of affairs which is weird but whatever here’s a list of my faves on netflix, if I’m missing something let me know cause now’s the time, right?

I'm kinda embarrassed by how long this list is but also kinda like fuck that, there have been very long periods of time where it was either sit and watch shows all day or lie down and stare at the wall in silence all day so I chose the former and it adds up and there's nothing wrong with that.

Glow (Badass ladies learn to wrestle, great 80s aesthetics and grrrrl power.)

Our Planet (Netflix version of Planet Earth, beautiful, cute, terrifying that we aren’t doing more to save us all.)

Bojack Horseman (Hilarious and “deep” critique of LA and celebrity culture for people who don’t care about LA or celebrity culture. Also very funny visual jokes about how if animals were also kinda humans, and lots of great jokes about cliches and tropes, puns, and weirdly rhyming and alliteration? I don’t know how to explain it just watch it.)

Father Brown (BBC, based on mystery novels about a priest who always meddles in police business and solves murders in his small English countryside town.)

Pose (The Ball scene in NY in the 80s, poc queer and trans writers and actors bringing their people’s stories to life. So much joy, so much beauty, but also NYC in the 80s so you will cry.)

Paris is Burning (Documentary made during the Ball scene Pose is based on.)

Sex Education (Such empowering representations of all walks of gender and sexuality, and actually very educational, like I would straight up show this in schools because everyone would be very entertained and would learn a lot more than they teach in a lot of schools.)

What Happened Miss Simone (Documentary about Nina Simone’s life, music and the activism the establishment/ government worked to suppress and used to blacklist her.)

Night on Earth (Low light camera technology has gotten hella good and they’re starting to learn stuff about animals’ behaviors at night that they’ve never been able to study before.)

Call the Midwife (Follows stories from the midwives that worked in the East End of London after the war, based on memoirs. Interesting look at the kind of life of poverty people led before there were many large hospitals or birth control, right as the British were implementing their universal healthcare program.)

The Great British Baking Show (Everyone’s so nice and everything looks so good!)

Atypical (Dramady about a high schooler with autism and his family, very funny and great representations of autism and how to be a good dude.)

Parks and Recreation (Just very funny and everyone knows it. Amazing ensemble cast, and they still keeps in touch through a group chat awww doesn’t that say something!)

Kim’s Convenience (Canadian comedy about family of first and second gen Korean immigrants that’s just a really solid funny modern day sitcom.)

Queer Eye (I feel like if everyone in this world could get a life makeover from these guys we just wouldn’t be here right now.)

Obvious Child (Jenny Slate accidentally gets pregnant and gets an abortion. It’s funny and it’s realistic, we’re not all Juno.)

Maria Bamford: the Special Special Special (Rad lady comedian not afraid to talk about her mental health and lack thereof and very vocal about the stigma surrounding mental health problems and I very much relate to. My favorite standup probably ever. I could make a list just for standup so message me if you’d like more suggestions.)

Monty Python (Flying Circus, movies, doc, ect. “The Beatles of comedy” is the cliche but it's true.)

Easy (Very unconventional non-narrative structure and editing, following random people in Chicago in a very real life feeling way. Different story each episode, but sometimes characters show up briefly in each other’s lives or return for a second episode.)

Everything Sucks! (High school nerds and lesbians and theater geeks in the 90s! I’m so sad this only got one season I rewatched it recently and it’s just so solid.)

She’s Gotta Have It (Revival of Spike Lee’s first movie, black girl magic, art world, gentrified New York, lots of sex.)

The Office (Classic, holds up very well, totally solid throughout, worth a rewatch. Also if you're a fan Jenna Ficher and Angela Davis are doing a rewatch podcast jsyk.)

Billy on the Street (Mindless game show for laughs, amazing gay comedian runs around New York yelling questions at them. I watch this with my dad and he can’t help but snort even when it’s “inappropriate” or “juvenile” so you know it’s good.)

Good Girls (Some lower middle class family ladies that are all about to be broke decide to rob the grocery store one of them works at, but they accidentally cross a gang that stored their cash there, so they gotta pay it back, and of course can’t help but get deeper and deeper into it. Very suspenseful like your heart rate will go up and stay up. )

Arrested Development (It’s just funny, as you've probably heard, but I'm telling you it just really is.)

The Laundromat (Tells the stories of a few of the people involved in the panama papers in different ways, explains in an entertaining way how money laundering works in a way that made it mostly make sense even to me. The rich get richer, and Meryl Streep is here to tell them to fuck off and pay their taxes.)

Russian Doll (She keeps dying and coming back to the same moment over and over and can’t figure out how to stop the cycle or why so kinda sci fi, very suspenseful, big cliff hanger ending, or rather no ending, and just found out season two filming is delayed because virus which is very annoying!!)

Dear White People (Show picking up where the movie left off, after a frat hosts a black face party and the ivy league college is forced to deal with racism.)

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Stories based on Dolly songs. Very Hallmark channel, you will cry.)

Episodes (Show about two British writers making a version of their BBC show for American tv. Kind of meta, very funny, Matt LaBlanc plays himself and it's great.)

Dumplin’ (Fat girl grows up with a beauty pageant winning mom and enters one herself with the help of her late aunt’s Dolly Parton drag queen friends.)

Lunatics (Chris Lilley is the best character actor ever, all his shows are just him playing different parts and you seriously forget it’s all one actor, even when he’s playing teenage girls.)

Jane the Virgin (Prime time soap opera about a girl who is engaged and waiting until marrige and is accidentally inseminated with the only sperm sample of a man who’s had cancer so decides to keep the baby, very heavy on the soap opera cliches in a meta way but also that’s what it is. So good at first but after the first three or so seasons it gets too much tbh though.)

Zumbo’s Just Desserts (Australian Bake show but with just sweet stuff and pressure to be avant garde.)

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Jerry Sienfeld goes out with funny people to coffee and lunch in fancy cars and they have funny conversations.)

One Day at a Time (Very very cheesy laugh track sitcom, like the kind of thing my grandma would watch, but it makes me so happy it’s doing a great job eplaining really woke concepts like queer pronouns and ptsd and addiction and white privilege to people like my grandma!)

Orange is the New Black (Good stories about very diverse characters, I’d say by starting it off about a upper middle class white girl it tricks privileged white people into watching and then encountering the more realistic stories of women who go to prison and how the system treats prisoners. Ending of season two is super solid and you can stop it there, season three is a really great critique of the privatization of prisons. I admit it goes on and on to the point that it’s stressful and after watching it spread out over years I can’t remember/ keep up with all the different story lines, though they’re all good stories to tell.)

Space Jam (Just saw while scrolling for more ideas this was added! One of the greatest sports movies of all time obviously.)

Bonus amazon prime shows, I try to avoid Amazon in general but these are just too good if you know a prime member who you can't convince not to give their money to amazon so they might as well give you their login (like yer dad).

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (A 1950s New York upper class Jewish house wife gets dumped and starts doing stand up, so funny, great actors, and they seriously transform NY back into another era.)

Good Omens (Mini series based off Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s satirical novel about the biblical apocalypse, very funny, very smart, very British, does the book pretty solid justice.)

There are other decent things that aren’t included, I’d say these are solid recs for a general list of genres all over the map without letting it get to a ridiculously unhelpful length. I feel like I’d be good at the “if you like this then you’ll also like…” so let me know if some of these are your favorites too and want personal recs for what to watch next based on a brain instead of an algorithm.

If you want to have a remote date and watch things together on video chat or one of those watch party sites or just tell me what to watch next here’s some stuff on my list I’ve been curious about or not sure about or don’t want to watch alone or have been putting off, and now’s the time right?: Strangers Things, I Am Not Okay With This, Black Panther, The Betty White doc, John Mulaney Snack Lunch Bunch, Dead to Me, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, A Wrinkle in Time, The Little Prince, Maniac, Wet Hot American Summer reboots, and a bunch of different standup specials from comedians I like.

[shoulderpadfoot]

Queer Thanks

I’m on my way into my first queer holiday season (that is, the first round of fraught family gatherings with awareness that I am queer — my awareness, not my family’s). I’m scared for the things I’m “supposed” to be grateful for. Here’s a list of somewhat-surprising things that have become beacons to me this year. This is what I am grateful for:

• The self-acceptance that came almost immediately when I realized I was bi and didn’t wish it away. The feeling that I had found in myself something precious and worthy of nurturing.

• HP. A year ago right now I was just diving into the series. It moved me through a period of real grief. It felt like a warm home.

•HP fanfic. Thank you, especially, to the authors whose work has let me read about beloved characters’ first moments of self-revelation and then acceptance, over and over and over again.

• HP fanfic authors turned friends. I know this is a fraught community these days, but in it I have heard voices that made me feel okay in what might have been the scariest time of my life. You have made me feel like I was not too late to learn who I am or who I will be.

• My Dear Neighbor. He has been an unwitting canvas on which I’ve painted so much queer desire in order to get a good look at it. I admire him, I want him, I long to be like him and with him. He just keeps walking his dog and making his art and leaving the house on mysterious errands.

• My killer Sirius Black leather jacket with shoulder pads. It is the source of my internet persona and of the strength to appear queer and proud even in places when I could not own my full identity out loud.

• My dear H, who has loved me right through this absolutely bizarro time. One person’s acceptance can do so much more than seems reasonable. I couldn’t have even realized my queerness without living some years in the glow of his unconditional love, so deep was it buried in me.

• David Bowie. He was here right when I needed exactly him.

• My wheelbarrow. It makes me feel at once linked to my mother (who does not know I’m queer, who may never know, whose possible response to that information makes me wake in the night), completely happy and capable, dangerously masculine in ways that tease stereotypes I learned long ago.

• Fics that demonstrate the psychological depth and complexity of anything often dismissed as gross or too kinky. Anything I have read that shows me desire is not bad.

• Episcopalians. I felt spiritually homeless until this time last year, having been harmed and disillusioned by the Catholic Church. This is an ongoing source of questioning for me, but the church up the street made me feel I didn’t need to give up God in order to love myself. I have a place to sing, a place where I know the words and the moves, and no one wishes for my annihilation. So far, so good. To be continued.

• Queer friends in real life. It has been, I think, hardest to reach out to them. What if I were not queer enough for them? What if I had not paid my dues? What if they didn’t believe it? None of that worry has come to anything. I’ve been met with compassion and patience and love. I admire them more than ever before. I love them in new, more understanding ways. I especially want to go back in time to their still-closeted queer younger selves and give them love.

• My students, whose self-awareness at their age makes me so hopeful. I’m especially grateful for my queer students. They do not know that they are my mentors.

• Fics with that fake dating trope. What joy! What hope!

• Gestures from straight friends to show that they are with me on this ride. A sticker that says “someone I love is bisexual,” a podcast about how Dolly Parton helped someone thinking of coming out to their family — little sweetnesses.

There is so much more, but here I am so far. Add yours! What are you grateful for in your queerest heart?

I’m sending strength and love to anyone spending the coming holidays with family who makes them fold in on themselves. I hope you are safe. I hope you give yourself permission to care for your own heart. I hope you remember there’s someone over here who loves about you the things you’re scared (or sure) they will despise. Your queerness is good and so is mine.

[livinasimminlife]

Dear David...

If you’ve kept up with The Krazy Crazy Life of Kassiopeia Fullbright, you’ll know about the appearance of the Bayless family from Twinbrook. If not, then, ***minor spoiler alert!***

Davis Lamar is related to them... a.k.a. David Bayless. Arc 34, Remembering, briefly features the Bayless family. I decided to share some stills from my gameplay for fun. 

Avery Bayless (14)  is rather angry that the soda machine ate her simoleons. She really hoped for a refreshing drink after school.

Dear David, I really hate this blasted machine! I wish you were here to reach up with your long arms and grab the cola. 

Frustrated, Avery gives up and comes home to play ball with her brother, Taye on their Bayuck swamp farm.

The days and nights kinda blend together, but every night, Taye and I play ball. It’s kinda nice. I know he wouldn’t admit it but he’s grown to be handsome while you’ve been gone... er... except for those ears! 

Taye Bayless (17) tosses a baseball with his sister, Avery near the swamp. He’s taking a break from studying for exams, and he adores his kid sister. 

At least I can wear my hair long to cover mine. The girls at school still make fun of me. I don’t know if I can ever show my face again there after falling flat on my pimply nose while trying to get that blasted cola!

Avery and Taye play ball in the yard near the water tower that provides fresh water for the Bayless family. Also Avery’s sporting her rainboots since the ground can be quite mushy in the swamps. Avery shares a special relationship with Taye as they both love the outdoors and are active. 

But here on the farm, I can just be goofy self and laugh and play in the yard. No one’s gonna see me with all this swamp grass ‘round. Don’t feel like you gotta write back. It’s just stupid stuff here, really. Don’t even know howta end so bye, I guess. ~ Aves

Skye Bayless (16) plays the bass much like their older half-brother, Davis. They also have a flamboyant style. In game, when Skye aged up from toddler to child, they had a feminine hairstyle, and when they aged up to teen, Skye was actually wearing a dress. I decided Skye is gender fluid as the game encouraged me, preferring they/their as pronouns. Look at the pure joy on their face! 

Evening hangs in sultry skies; the heat of sweetgrass swaying in the sweaty breeze. The scent of sun-soaked tea tickles my nose and tempts me away from practice. I ponder little and then I play the love song only Bayucks know and beat my foot upon the porch wood. I strum the notes you taught me b’fore and think of the soft twangs on a sweltering night that barely scratch the sky for which I’m named.

Skye shares a room with their older brother, Taye. Taye is a studious kid and is looking forward to university and getting out of the backwater swamp. Here he practicing writing his speech. 

How do I start? I miss you sounds trite. I love you sounds stupid. But I do, mmkay? Uni apps are due soon and M’as breathi’n down’em my neck, but ya know...what she dont’ realize is I really wanna go and be out there in the world. And somehow I know its tough for ya’s now, but you make it seem okay... that the world aint so scary if you can face everythin’g that’s you have and still come out okay. So hang on... oh and um... when you get home... I still need help with apos’trophes. - Love, Taye (and yeah, Im cool with mushyness but dont’cha tell Ma). 

Little River (5) Bayless is sad. She misses her big brother very much. She also lost her doll somewhere and fears the dog took off and buried it somewhere in the swamp. 

Dear David, I miss you. I love you. My dolly is gone. I think the dog took it. I think the dog put it in the yard in the ground. I wish you was here. We could dig it up to...to...too...(it’s a big word - Chase helped me). together. ~ River 

Shepherd Skeet Bayless may live in the Bayuck swamp, but he’s far from backward. True, he prefers the simple life, but he takes pride in his swamp farming skills. Here he tends to the sweetgrass his family has grown for generations and practices his sermons. After all, plants are very good listeners.

 Son, I miss you. We can’t wait for you to be home. I think it would be good to spend time in the garden together. Plants have a healing nature to them. After all, the Good Lord gave us a garden to tend to give us purpose and a place. Enclosed are my notes from my latest sermon, some psalms, and a few of your favorite hymns. I’ve taken to preaching to the plants. I know it’s dumb, probably, but they listen. I hope you’ll listen and know that you just get well and get home soon, okay? 

At twilight, Chase Bayless (19), all grown up, and capturing the land she calls home on the canvas. It’s a cooler evening than most, the mists of the swamp rising up to provide some low haze. She’s home on break from uni, an Education major, and she took up painting to unwind.

Dear David, I don’t want you to worry about me. Shark Racket broke my heart all those years ago and I know how angry you were. But today he brought me a cake. He dropped it off on the porch and ran away like a sissy, but I saw him through the curtains. I think he heard about your situation somehow. Townsfolk talk. The parishoners whisper among themselves on Sundays and I don’t like it. But you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll bop any of ‘em on the nose if they speak badly about you. 

Ma Bayless... Gwayne, that is, has enchantress abilities. She hoped at least one of her children would inherit her supernatural genes, but alas! No matter how many kids she popped out, not one of them is “special.” She takes out her frustrations by crafting potions (legal and illegal) in the attic of the Bayless Manor. 

Ma’am’s spendin’ most nights in the attic. I don’t think she’d admit it, but she feels guilty. She’s working on the perfect stress potion. She says it’s for her, but I don’t think so. I hear her mumblin’ to herself, hissing at herself, and she says your name a lot and that she’s uh... failed you. Don’t tell her I said that. She’d probably wring my neck like a spring chicken. 

Avery, like her siblings, Davis and Skye, loves music. It brings a smile to her face every time she can tickle the ivories in the evenings. What southern home is complete without a family music room? 

The armless statue of the goddess Veni offends Pa Bayless, but Chase brought the beauty back from her studies abroad in Sim Union. After three days of arguing, Gwayne finally convinced her husband to keep the peace and allow the lady to be on display. 

Did I tell you I got to study abroad? You aren’t the only Bayless to travel now, big brother. I betcha can see my smile. I can still try and one up you, ya know? I spent some time in Championne, in the City of Lights. Oh it was beautiful! I wish you could’ve seen all the art and culture and that you could taste the scones. I’ll make you some when you return.You still like blueberries, right?

I’ve enclosed some of my silly scribblings from the trip. I hope you don’t mind. Tonight I’m painting on the porch. I can hear Skye and Avery both play different songs, and yet somehow they blend so beautifully. I think you’ve inspired them. 

When she isn’t enchanting, Gwayne likes to feel the earth between her fingers. After all, an enchantress has a special relationship with nature. It’s the only time she can be “free” and doesn’t feel the pressures of motherhood and her business management career. 

And Ma’am too. You know she loves you in her own way. She spends more time in the garden now than she ever did, in the section we used to call yours. She’s trying to cut back on her hours at city hall. I think she misses you. But yeah, don’t tell her I said it. This is our secret. 

Taye gets in a late night workout in a dark corner of the attic. He really wants to grow out of the “skinny boy” stereotype. Alas! I don’t think he’ll grow into those ears! 

Taye’s upstairs now fighting on the weight machine like you always did. He’s determined not to be so scrawny anymore. 

In the backyard, River plays pirate in the treehouse. Land Ho! 

And River... I caught her in the treehouse you built with her and Pa tonight. She sleeps out there most nights, playing pirate into the wee morning hours. She says she’s lookin’ out for you over the Gulf. You’ve got a guardian angel you know that? Well, I should sleep. I’ve got an online class in the morning and I need my beauty rest. I hope you’re hanging in there. Hurry home. ~ Yours, Chase 

Hope you enjoyed! 

(The arc itself is NSFW, but if you want to read the chapters featuring the Bayless family directly/indirectly, you can read Unyielding and Unexpected.) 

[autumnfanfiction]

17.

Chris had Robyn pinned on the floor, and they were sharing a sensual kiss. She was getting wet by the second by this alluring man that she was falling more in love with as the days went by. His hands were cruising her body, and the more his smooth hands grazed her sweet spots, the more enticed she became. She gazed intensely into his brown eyes, the color of rich soil flecked with black. She could stare into his eyes forever, especially while they were making love. There was just something about his eyes that made her want to devour him and submit to him all the same. He cupped her pussy in his hand and rubbed his slickness all over her, coating her outer lips and massaging them.

"You're so wet, Robyn." He whispered against her lips. Her hips began to subconsciously move in tiny circles as his words and touch ignited the fire of delirium he goaded with the thrusts of his dick. She wanted to come at that moment. She needed to. He had been teasing her ever since the proposal, rubbing his hands over the thin cotton underwear she wore, sticking his hand inside when they reached the elevator and were away from prying eyes. She was hot and ready for him, and she knew she wouldn't be able to withstand waiting any longer.

"I'm gonna make you cum all over the place." He put the slightest pressure against her sensitive folds, barely pressing, her hips arching into his touch. Anticipation was making her hot. Her hips shifted as he began to lubricate her gently. The pressure she felt became more and more insistent. He rimmed her over and over. A soft moan escaping her lips desperately wanting more. He pushed deeper and she clenched around him. He withdrew again, gliding deeper. Leaning forward, she thrust her hips back to give him more access and pressed her breasts against his chest. He held her head and gave her a kiss.

"Fuck... Chris... you feel so good." He licked across her lips, and she felt like her head was spinning. He slid in, giving her every inch, their position making it easy for deeper penetration. His hips nudged against hers, the wide crest of his dick massaging her overly sensitive tender spot. Robyn felt her senses overloaded with Chris' body heat and the feel of his dick rubbing inside her. She dug her nails into his back as his movements ramped up. Chris pulled back and moved his dick back inside her to the very end. While the pad of his thumb was on her pulsating clit. If he made those movements again she surely would orgasm. And he did it again. Her head fell back "Chris." Was all she could say before his name got caught in her throat. He grunted softly and started coming, his dick jerked as it pumped thick spurts of cum into her.

-

It was early in the morning, their window was open, and the crisp Autumn wind was blowing inside the room. Their legs were tangled, hand entwined. Robyn rested on his chest drawings circles on his skin. She loved tracing all his tattoos and looking at all of them. He was like a walking work of art with all the tattoos he had including the ones he got done during their first few days in Paris. They agreed upon getting several matching tattoos together, and with the new ink, it added an edgy side to his sweet nature.

"Reeses?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think it would be like to grow old together?" She folded her arms against his chest and propped her chin on it waiting on his response.

"Both of us old sitting on the porch of our dream house in rocking chairs watching our kids and grandkids. I'll be changing your diaper because I love you and make you oatmeal. You'd have saggy titties. We'd be married for like 55 years. Oh, and I'd take you out to feed the pigeons. And we'd still have lots of sex. Turn you inside out, deep dicking you at night and long stroking you again in the morning."

Robyn laughed. "Wow, Chris. I should've never shown you that video. You won though."

"What you mean?"

"Like you'll be really chubby and meaty–––" Chris gave her a side eye. "No, I won't." "Like real thick. And you'll have a hunchback, but I'll still think you look sexy. We'd slow dance at night in our living room with vinyls playing. And we'd go wheelchair racing on the weekends."

"I would not be chubby. Fuck around and put you in a wheelchair for real. Have you arch your spine and give you paralysis."

"Pssshhh I'd pop this pussy on you so good give your ass a heart attack and a stroke. Send your old ass straight to Jesus."

They both shared hearty laughs their smiles wide and radiant.

"Poor Mama. Our kids are gonna give her a headache because they take after you."

"Hey, Mama raised me right."

"With the way you are? I don't think it was Mama that raised you. I was raised, you were dragged."

"That was a good one."

"Chris?"

"Yes, Robyn?"

"What do you think our wedding will be like?"

"Anything you want it to be. All I know is when it's time for us to go, we're doing the Fusion dance to indicate that we're one."

"We're not doing that Chris."

"Why not?"

"This is not Dragon Ball Z. We are not in an anime, Chris."

"It'd be cute."

"You're not cute Chris."

"Fu-sion-ha!"

"Goodnight Chris." He laughed before kissing her lips. He buried his nose in her curls and felt at peace. There was nothing better than this, and even though they couldn't actually grow old together, it was good thinking about the possibility. At least they would have children to live on their family name––– they both discussed it, and Robyn had doubts about having kids even though she wanted them. Being there for them was important and no matter what she knew they would be.

-

The next year went by in a whirlwind. Robyn and Chris got married on New Years Day not wanting to wait longer. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, being set on the beach of Barbados. Chris' family was in attendance and surprisingly childhood friends of Robyn's and Robyn's Father. She didn't know he was there until he surprised her when she was about to walk down the aisle. It was clear that Chris knew and he was the one who searched for him. He started when they were at the hospital with the help of Dolly, it was difficult, but he was able to track him down. He was a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, leaving Robyn's Mother because he didn't want to be a danger to her and their baby. He had battled his demons and seemed to be clean, and that's when he returned for the duration of the pregnancy. It was the night that she died after giving birth that he relapsed. Dolly decided it was best for Robyn if he stayed away and he did, but she told him he was always welcomed to come back when he got back on track. That didn't happen for 25 years, but now he was sober, clean, and healthy as ever. Robyn accepted him for open arms and was just happy he was alive. He walked her down the aisle and gave her away to Chris, and they said their vows, which brought everyone to tears.

Robyn discovered she was pregnant soon after and learned she would be giving birth to twins. 9 months later their babies came into the world healthy and happy. Their son came into the world first, at 7 pounds and they named him after Chris to start the legacy of his name to be passed down. He was a spitting image of his Father from the dimples, freckles, and brown eyes. Their daughter came next at 6 pounds and 8 ounces. Robyn asked Chris to name her and he chose the name, Genesis Clara Brown. Genesis because she was their first daughter and would be the root of their love and Clara in honor of Gran Gran Dolly. She was exactly like her Mother with the dimples coming from Chris. It was like staring at their own reflection in baby form.

Robyn was holding their son while Chris had their daughter. Robyn couldn't believe she birthed these two bundles of joy, but she was happy she got the opportunity to have children and that the man next to her was the father. Robyn cooed at their daughter before returning her attention towards their son. He was definitely Chris Jr. and the question the old woman asked her when she was in Paris rang in her head, "Would you be proud to have a son like him?" If little Chris turned out to be exactly like his Father, she knew that their daughter would be safe, and life would be a joy with him around. She looked down at him and watched as his eyes opened. She held her heart and placed a kiss on his forehead, which caused the little boy to smile slightly.

"Hi Baby, I'm your Mommy. I just want you to know that I love you, and your sister so much and loved you long before you were born. I'm going to protect both of you even when I'm not here. You remind me of your Daddy, and that means Mommy is going to have to keep the girls away," she paused seeing the sparkle in his eyes and laughed. "Okay, little troublemaker. But, I also know because you'll be like your Daddy your sister will be safe. Promise me you'll protect her and Grandma?" He just gave her a dimpled smile, and she kissed his dimple. "Chris, you have some strong competition. He's so cute, and he looks just like you."

He smiled over at his wife before looking at his son. "I know it's crazy." He brushed his hand on his twin's face and looked back over at Robyn. "Thank you, you made my life good when I met you. Made it great when you agreed to marry me. Made it amazing when we got married, and now you've made my life better by blessing me with them."

Chris didn't know he was crying until Robyn was wiping his face. He held his daughter close to his heart and cradled her head. He couldn't stop looking at her, and when she yawned and opened her eyes, he felt like he had fallen in love all over again. Her eyes were so much like her Mother's. "Hi," he said softly and waved. Genesis gave him a smile, and he felt like crying again. "I'm your Daddy. You look just like your Mommy, and that's a beautiful thing because that's what your Mommy is, but that's bad because little icky boys will be all over you and Daddy doesn't want that." Her eyes sparkled at him, and he squinted. "Don't even think about it. You'll be wearing church dresses everywhere with the old lady church fruit basket hats and coke bottle glasses to match every outfit."

She gave him a little whine in response, and Chris and Robyn laughed. "She doesn't agree with you, Daddy."

"Well she has no choice but to," he looked back at his daughter and smiled. "I'll make every moment count spending time with you and your brother. I love you, Buttercup."

"Hey, I thought that was my name."

"It might be hers now. I can call you Buttermilk since you'll be breastfeeding." Robyn stared at him in shock and Chris laughed. He heard his twin make a sound, which caused their attention to go to him. "See little Chris agrees with me."

"I have nothing to say to you Christopher, trying to corrupt my little baby."

"You know it was funny."

"I'm going back to tend to my son. Hopefully, he won't be annoying like you."

"You said yourself he's my twin just like Princess here is yours. It's inevitable that he'll be annoying even though it's clear he's a Mama's boy."

Robyn nodded. "He takes after his Father."

"You're not funny."

"Yes, I am. You're funny too, funny looking that is. That's good because that means our twins will be funny, and I won't be spending the rest of our time here fake laughing in our home."

Chris looked at her with nothing but love in his eyes. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Same thing I did to deserve you."

"Which was?"

"I don't know," she paused as they both laughed. "But hey, God must've had a plan because if we ended up with other people, they wouldn't be able to handle us."

Chris pressed his lips on hers before saying, "Well, I'm glad because I like getting handled by you."

"Chriiiiiis not in front of the babies."

"You gonna give me some more kids?"

"One more wouldn't hurt."

"I love you, Buttercup."

"I love you too Reeses."

[perfectirishgifts]

How This Visionary Producer Is Transforming The Theater Podcast Landscape

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/how-this-visionary-producer-is-transforming-the-theater-podcast-landscape/

How This Visionary Producer Is Transforming The Theater Podcast Landscape

“You can’t use up creativity,” said Maya Angelou. “The more you use, the more you have.” Early in her life, someone must have told that to Dori Berinstein. This unstoppable theater, film and TV maker appears to embody creativity. She is an endless font.

Dori Berinstein

Berinstein is a four-time Tony-winning Broadway producer whose credits include The Prom, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Legally Blonde: The Musical, The Crucible, One Flue Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Fool Moon, Flower Drum Song, Enchanted April and Golden Child.

Oh, and Berinstein is also an Emmy-award-winning director, producer and film and television writer. Most recently, she and Bill Damaschke, who produced The Prom on Broadway, collaborated with Ryan Murphy to adapt the show into a Netflix feature film starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Cordon, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells and Kerry Washington. She also co-produced the Sony Masterworks cast album of the musical Half Time. The show was inspired by her documentary, Gotta Dance, about a group of seniors who make up a hip-hop dance troupe who perform for The New Jersey Nets. 

“I love the art of storytelling and believe it’s all about a good story. Whether you’re telling it on stage or screen or in an audio drama or soap opera, I like moving between different worlds and sometimes moving a project throughout different worlds,” says Berinstein who has degrees from Smith, the Kennedy School at Harvard and the Yale School of Drama where she was a visiting scholar focusing on the business of Broadway. After working in strategic planning at Paramount Pictures she joined a tiny emerging independent film company, Vestron Pictures. Within a year, she became head of physical production and ultimately supervised production on the film Dirty Dancing. “What keeps me very excited is being able to collaborate with wonderful people,” she adds.

But if all this isn’t enough, Berinstein is also the co-founder and CEO of the The Broadway Podcast Network which produces over 100 theater podcasts, dramas, musicals and miniseries, like As The Curtain Rises, the delicious new digital soap opera that Berinstein co-wrote with Mark Peikert. 

As The Curtain Rises is a dishy comedy that offers listeners a glimpse of the behind the scenes mayhem trying to birth a Broadway show. In this case there’s the challenge of getting Avvatar: The Musical to The Great White Way. Producing shows for 25 years, the drama is inspired by things Berinstein has witnessed along the way. “Our As The Curtain Rises characters are certainly “inspired” by our theater colleagues. In some cases, characteristics are exaggerated. In other instances….not so much!,” says Berinstein. “The behind-the-curtain Broadway world is definitely the perfect setting for a soap opera.”

The multi-part series features a riveting cast including Alex Brightman, Ariana Debose, Andrew Barth Feldman, James Monroe Iglehart, Ramin Karimloo, Ilana Levine, Lesli Margherita, Mauricio Martinez, Bonnie Milligan, Ashley Park, George Salazar, Sarah Stiles and Lillias White. The priceless cameos from Lynn Nottage, Alex Lacamoire, David Korins, Natasha Katz, Matt Britten and Jordan Roth are worth the listen.

Creating and producing As The Curtain Rises during the pandemic was particularly meaningful to Berinstein. “We haven’t been able to produce live theater. Even though it’s tremendously goofy and fun, this took on a whole other level of urgency,” says Berinstein. “It’s important to keep theater alive during this time. And it’s thrilling to work with and pay actors, make people laugh and try to provide some joy.” 

Jeryl Brunner: What inspired you to create The Broadway Podcast Network?

Dori Berinstein: I live in Northern Westchester. Pre-Covid-19, I spent a lot of time commuting to and from New York City. I would find myself driving home after seeing theater and would be sitting in my driveway at 1:30am, listening to podcasts because the episode wasn’t over. I was so caught up in it and loved the medium, but having trouble finding theater podcasts. There was no real destination for theater podcasts. Then when I brought the company of The Prom to Google, I met Alan Seales who runs Google Talks. He then invited me to be a guest on his theater podcast. We talked afterward and shared the frustration that we couldn’t find a lot of theater podcasts. We agreed that we had to do something about it and said, “Let’s do it.” We spent ten months building and partnering with a lot of wonderful podcasters who were out there before anyone else like The Ensemblist, The Fabulous Invalid and Broadwaysted.

Brunner: How has the platform gown?

Berinstein: We launched in October, 2019 with 15 podcasts. And here we are, a little over a year later, with almost 100 podcasts. Since the beginning it was very much the plan to have podcasts and record plays, musicals, audio dramas, and soap operas. It was never to replace theater and we certainly never anticipated the pandemic. When you see a show, you want to know more. What is happening behind the curtain? There is so much additive information that we are excited to bring to life. We are in a community filled with amazing storytellers and wanted to help support and give them a voice.

Brunner: What do you hope to offer listeners?

Berinstein: It was very important from the get-go that we create a network that is representative and has many different people from all different aspects of our community. That includes onstage, behind the curtain, looking back in history and education. Having all these different artists and voices is essential, because our community is made up of so many different voices.

There is also a lot of hunger from people interested in getting into the business. So we have podcasts about breaking in and auditioning. We also have podcasts from established producers like Hal Luftig and Eva Price. Kerry Butler has one on breaking into Broadway. Justin Guarini has a podcast about auditioning. They are educational and informative. Then there are pure, goofy, fun, joyous podcasts. It’s exciting to have a lot of star power on the network with podcasts from Tonya Pinkins, Sir Tim Rice and Donna McKechnie. I love hearing those behind-the-curtain stories. It was also important for us to partner with many different regional and international theater companies and the Dramatists Guild, Variety and Playbill. We really want to be a home for everyone.

Brunner: Did you always know this was your path?

Berinstein: From a very early age, I was completely captivated by theater. I saw Carol Channing in Hello Dolly! at the Dorothy Chandler pavilion when I was five years old. And that was it. I was so just transported by that show and the whole experience of live theater. [Berinstein ultimately directed, produced and co-wrote the documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life.] My parents would take me to theater all the time. It was just the most thrilling thing. I had no talent. I could not sing. Even though I tried, I never got cast in anything. But I wanted so badly to be part of the world. At my school they didn’t have a student director or even backstage crew. But I still was very captivated by how things came together. In college I triple majored in economics, history and theater and created a special studies program on the business of Broadway. I became voracious about reading absolutely everything I could. So much that I learned about life and important issues came from theater and its power to enlighten and make me think.

Brunner: How did you become a theater producer? 

Berinstein: I really wanted to be part of that world, but had no idea how. I didn’t know anybody. Coming from Los Angeles, I was established in film before finding my way into theater. Finally I was introduced to James Freydberg who was producing Broadway shows. We went to the Serious Fun Festival to see a short piece that Bill Irwin and David Shiner put together. I flipped over it. The show was the early stage evolution of Fool Moon. If I knew anything about producing at that point, I probably would have been nervous about producing a show with two guys who don’t speak and a ragtag band, [The Red Clay Ramblers]. It just doesn’t scream hit. But I loved everything about it. 

I got thrown into the thick of it right away as a general partner producer. I didn’t even know what that meant. It was an amazing experience in every way. In previews the audience was maybe at 50% capacity. At opening night we had our associate producer stationed at The New York Times a few blocks away. This was before the paper was digital. We were in the Richard Rodgers theater where Hamilton is. At intermission he came running into the house, waiving the newspaper with the most magnificent review by Frank Rich. He wrote, “To that short list of unbeatable combinations that includes bacon and eggs, bourbon and soda, and Laurel and Hardy, you can now add Shiner and Irwin.” From that point on, the show was sold out every night and standing room only. How can you not throw your entire career in that direction after that? I loved standing in the back, listening to the audience laugh so hard and lose themselves in the show. 

Brunner: Is there something you look for in a story? 

Berinstein: I believe deeply in theater activism and have had the opportunity to lean into and be part of shows that say something important. I have been so fortunate to tell stories that mean something to me and I believe help make the world a better place. It takes years of your life and it’s hard to do. So you better believe in what you’re doing. With Legally Blonde, my daughter was seven. I loved the idea of telling a story that it is very cool to be smart. That message was really important to me to put out there and help inspire young women. 

The Prom and Half Time all have messages that are also really important to me. When people experience these shows or listen to the cast album or watch the film adaptation, I hope they can evolve and embrace the message. In the case of The Prom it’s all about acceptance and tolerance. With Half Time, which is a Jerry Mitchell musical that was adapted from a film I made, it is taking on ageism. They also say go for your dreams, no matter what.

Dori Berinstein directed, produced and co-wrote the documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life. … [] After Berinstein, as a little girl, saw Channing perform live, Berinstein knew that had to work in theater.

Dori Berinstein interviews Terre Blair Hamslich for the Emmy-award-winning documentary celebrating … [] the life of Marvin Hamlisch.

More from Arts in Perfectirishgifts

[nightglider124]

So, @fireflyxrebel​ and I were hit in the gleeful feels by this art here: https://jasontoddscoffin.tumblr.com/post/164428663931/starfire-and-nightwing-make-me-go-weak-in-the   by @jasontoddscoffin  ^.^

And we got inspired. We decided to try our hand at writing a collaborative oneshot together!

Full of dickkory feels and a splash of bbrae; as if anything less would be acceptable. Psh. Thank you, Ava for doing a collab oneshot with me! It was so fun to try and I hope we’ll do another one day! ^.^

Please enjoy our mega lengthy oneshot XD

Ride

It had been a... peculiar couple of weeks in the Grayson household.

Dick had seemed remiss; seemingly searching for something that he, let alone with her help, could not put his finger on. He had been out of sorts recently and initially, Kory had thought nothing of it. There were always things chasing her husband's mind and she’d learnt a long time ago that it was usually best to leave him to it until he figured things out on his own.

She wasn’t biting her nails with concern but there was enough worry there to make her consider his behaviour as of late. He was still loving and funny and kind; all the things she adored about him but something was… different.

Maybe it had something to do with him turning 30 soon. Kory had read about the stigma surrounding the milestone ages amongst humans. Personally, she didn’t understand what the problem would be with simply turning another year older.

She sighed, unable to make sense of it. Perhaps she was just imagining it or-

“Mama!”

Kory let the little voice trickle into her awareness and smiled, glancing down at her little bundle of pride and joy who was waving her dolly around in the air.

Bowing her head, Kory gave Mar’i a kiss to the forehead, “Yes, Mar’i. Your dolly is very beautiful, isn’t she?”

Mar’i blinked her big green eyes before giggling and nodding, tightening the ragdoll to her chest. She tilted her head and half released her toy to lift it into the air, grasping for her mother.

“Up! Up!”

Kory didn’t hesitate; with a surge of maternal emotion, she scooped up the toddler into her arms, and smiled sweetly at the little girl.

She heard the rumbling of a car pulling up to their driveway from the open window, and figured that Dick was finally home from his trip to the grocery store. Kory tickled the tip of her nose with her daughter’s, and said, “Want to go say hi to daddy?”

Mar’i nodded in excitement, wiggling fervently in her mother’s grasp. “Papa! Papa!” she cried, grinning from ear to ear.

Kory beamed back down at her daughter, the bubbling emotions of joy and excitement infecting her as well. For now, she’d put her concerns for Dick in the back of her mind - nothing quite excited the former boy wonder as interacting with their toddler. Maybe, with Mar’i’s help, Kory could find a way to alleviate some of her husband’s concerns. “You can help me cheer up your grumpy father, today,” she teased, but Mar’i only giggled in response.

That was when Kory heard it - a strange, new sound. Her brow creased at the low grumble of an engine that most certainly did not resemble the sound of their mini-van.

She wondered if their neighbours had recently purchased something new, but the purr of the engine didn’t seem like something to the tastes of the kind, elderly couple who lived next door.

“That’s strange…,” Kory mused aloud while Mar’i picked up a tendril of her flame-red hair to play with.

She started to head down to the garage, curious about all the sudden hubbub occurring just outside their home. With Mar’i still in her arms cooing happily, Kory opened the door to find her husband standing next to both Garfield Logan and Victor Stone in their garage, admiring something currently obscured by their positions.

Upon hearing the door slam closed behind her, all three men seemed to jump out of their skins. She bounced Mar’i in her arms while trying to catch a glimpse at what it was they had all been ogling previously.

“Heya, Star!” Garfield squeaked, his voice cracking uncharacteristically. “Fancy seeing you here!”

Victor folded his arms over his chest. “You realize she lives here, right?”

Beast Boy chuckled nervously, waving his hand in dismissal. “Totally!”

Kory didn’t seem to pay them as much mind; instead, her green gaze was focused on the guilt-ridden expression her husband currently wore. He was avoiding her.

“Did you forget to buy the milk, Richard?” she pried, raising an eyebrow in accusation, while both Victor and Garfield exchanged nervous glances.

He didn’t answer her immediately so she found herself narrowing her eyes at him, moving closer and stepping between Vic and Gar who were all too willing to let her pass.

She absently heard Garfield whisper, “Dick’s a dead man.”

Kory couldn’t quite understand the issue or why her husband looked so very nervous until she stood before his most recent purchase.

She blinked, confused, opening her mouth once, twice then allowing her lips to thin. In the garage stood a brand spanking new motorbike; a midnight blue shade with all the added parts to make it what the boys would deem, ‘a dream’. It sparkled beneath the fluorescent garage light, showing off the bodywork and the wheels that were oh-so clean as a whistle.

Kory paused, then raised an eyebrow at Dick, “This is most certainly not milk, Richard.” There was that tone; the one that made him wince and give her the puppy dog face.

He was sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck, “Uh… no… it-it’s definitely not milk.”

She exhaled, trying to think rationally about her husband’s decision to apparently buy a motorbike. Kory thought it over for a long moment, unable to come up with understanding.

“Tell me… what is it, I am looking at?” Her voice was clipped and Dick briefly wondered how much she was holding back from going nuts at him.

Dick cautioned a glance at Vic and Gar who were watching the couple with expectation; expectation that Kory was soon going to absolutely lose it. The two were on the very edge of their seats.

“Well… recently, I’ve been kinda… sorta… looking at bikes and then today… I just-”

“Bought a bike?” Kory finished,

He smiled, trying to give her some of that boyish charm that normally worked so well for him, “Uh… yes?”

Kory merely stared at him, almost awaiting further explanation which… did not exactly come straight away. He visibly gulped, fumbling for one of the saddlebags on the bike. He yanked out a carton of milk and showed it to her,

“See!? I didn’t… technically forget the milk!” He half laughed, trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation.

She sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose and turned to Vic and Gar who stood up straight the minute her eyes fell on them.

“Friends… could you please give us the moment alone?” Kory asked, sweetly.

The boys nodded frantically at her; they’d learnt a long time ago not to get on the wrong side of Kory. Her wrath was unlike any other; except maybe Raven. Gar shuddered, thinking about what Raven would do to him if he ever went ahead and bought a moped without asking or telling her. Maybe portal to hell or dismemberment?

“Did you want us to take Mar’i, Star?” Vic asked, already reaching out for their baby daughter,

Kory nuzzled Mar’i’s chubby face at the same time Dick ruffled her hair, causing her to coo and giggle, “Yes please.”

She transferred her baby over to Vic and faintly smiled as they headed out the door, with Vic animatedly chatting away to Mar’i. Gar smirked over his shoulder and waved to Dick,

“See you in a while guys!” He paused to laugh, “Good luck, Dick!”

Dick groaned and slapped a hand against his face at that, just waiting for his wife to get it over with and kill him. Kory slowly turned back to face him, not so much with anger painted across her face; moreso concern.

“Dick, are you the okay? You have been acting strangely and now you… have made a rather large purchase without consulting me… it is… behaviour that is unlike you.” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip, “Do we need to talk? This is… the midlife crisis humans are so inevitably prone to, yes?”

His eyes widened a fraction, “Mid-life… no! Kory, I’m turning 30, not 50, jheez.”

She relaxed slightly, “Then… what’s with the bike?”

Dick held out his hands in a gesture that signalled he was about to plead his case so Kory inhaled a deep breath and waited, feeling the need to give him the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t often he did things like this so the least she could do was hear him out.

“Okay… you know I’ve always had a thing for motorbikes anyway and recently… I found myself missing my old one. I don’t know… we had some money spare and I just thought… it’d be a nice investment? I mean… I could double it up as my bike for work and then my bike as Nightwing, ya know?”

“Mm…” Kory hummed, prompting him to continue,

“And… she handles like an absolute dream, Kory. The speed and the design…” Dick practically swooned and Kory lifted an eyebrow,

“Are you leaving me for a motorbike, Dick? Is that what you are trying to tell me?”

Dick gave her a knowing look and smiled, “Funny.”

Kory offered him a brief smirk but exhaled, shaking her head, “Then… you are alright? This isn’t cause for great concern?”

He shrugged, “I don’t think so.”

She nodded and smiled, “Ah, good.” Her expression dropped and she smacked his chest,

“Ow!” He complained,

Kory had her hands on her hips, looking mighty pissed off now that she’d been reassured it wasn’t some big life problem that needed to be dealt with properly.

“I cannot believe you bought a bike without telling me! How much was it?”

“Psh… does price really matter-”

“So help me, I will starbolt you. Price, now.”

Dick winced, “$50,000?”

Kory nearly fainted right there on the spot, “What!?” She yelped, expecting him to say a lot less than that,

“Babe, it’s totally okay-”

“It is not! Dick! What were you thinking!? We can’t afford to spend so much on something so unnecessary!”

“But-”

“Dick, you have to take it back. I’m sorry but…” She was shaking her head, trying not to let emotions cloud her mind,

His shoulders slumped and he looked extremely downtrodden. She fought with herself; she hated to make him upset or disappoint him but surely this was one of the times she had to put her foot down, right?

“Okay.”

Kory blinked, “What?”

“I’ll get rid of it. I know it was a bit of a reckless payment… I just…” He paused and shook his head, giving her a smile, “Nevermind.”

His wife, on the other hand, didn’t let go of things so very easily. She gently reached out and touched his arm, knowing there was more to this money splurge than he was letting on,

“Dick? Talk to me.” Her voice was softer now, curious rather than accusing. She was still annoyed but wanted the real reason.

“I guess… I just missed having a bike. There’s so much freedom and it’s such a rush on a motorbike. It’s something so simple and yet it makes you feel so alive.”

Kory quirked a tiny smile, “Life as a vigilante doesn’t already provide enough of that for you?”

He laughed, “Fair point… I just, wasn’t thinking, I guess. Impulse buy, maybe…”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, thinking and mulling it over in her head, “Listen, my love… I know you were upset that your last bike broke but-”

“It… didn’t break, Kor.”

Her brows furrowed, “But, you said-”

Dick sighed, “I know what I said… I… sold my bike when I found out you were pregnant with Mar’i.”

Kory’s emerald eyes widened, shock was an understatement. She’d had no idea he’d sold it, convinced it’d been worn down to the point of no return instead, “Why would you do that?”

The smile he gave her; it was tender and warm, as if his reasoning was the most obvious thing in the world, “For our family. I thought… if I sold the bike, we could get the mini-van which… is more practical for us now that we have Mar’i. I just…”

He trailed off, letting his admission hang in the air. Kory blinked, watching him with compassionate eyes. Without a second thought, she crossed the space and cupped his face, giving him a searing kiss to remind him just how much he meant to her and how much she loved him, no matter how stupid he could be.

Little kisses as she eased back, fingers stroking his cheek, “You are so silly, Richard.”

Dick lifted an eyebrow, “I am?”

“I love you… I wish you’d told me about your bike. I would never have let you do it if I’d known.”

He shrugged and smiled, “I know you wouldn’t have. That’s why I didn’t tell you. Kory, you had enough worries with being pregnant. I didn’t wanna add to it.”

She pouted, but this time, there was something a lot like guilt marring her otherwise graceful features. “Still, your sacrifice...Dick, that’s...I’m sorry, I should never have given you such a hard time.” Her gaze averted to the ground, and she hugged her bare arms, stifling any warm, unshed tears she refused to give in to.

Suddenly, his arms were around her; strong and reassuring. She fell into his embrace as easily as the tree branches gave way to the wind.

“It’s okay, Kory. You had no way of knowing, and given the chance, I’d do it over again. For you. For our daughter.”

She pulled away, if only to look into his infinite, soft blue gaze. She searched his expression for any hint of dishonesty - that he was merely telling her only what she wanted to hear. She found only sincerity and a deep affection.

Tenderly tucking some of her hair behind her ear, he added, “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for the two of you.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Keep your bike, Dick Grayson. But next time, make sure it’s the two percent milk you bring home and not the skim.”

He immediately pulled a face, repulsed. “Skim?!”

Kory chuckled. “Not to worry; I’ll be sure to drink it so it does not go to waste. Now, you go and enjoy your new...toy, as Raven would put it.”

Just as she turned to leave, he pulled her hand back, taking her off guard. She gave him a puzzled look, but Dick was smirking mischievously at her. Kory knew that face anywhere; both playful and daringly sexy, it was one he often reserved for their more...private times together.

Put bluntly, he was up to no good, but the kind of no good that Kory often enjoyed.

“You could come with me. Take her for a spin with one of my favourite girls,” he suggested coyly.

Starfire threw her head back and laughed. “Please, Richard. Your exhilaration of driving cannot possibly compare to that of being able to fly.”  

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” Dick would not be so easily dissuaded; he still held her hand in his.

When she stared at him, incredulous, he waggled his brows at her, eliciting a bubble of laughter from her honeyed lips.

Kory rolled her eyes, sighing deeply, but her good cheer remained. “I cannot believe you’re going to lure me into doing this.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun! I promise!”

Dick tugged her along towards the aforementioned bike, and Kory looked down at it, apprehensive. He pulled out a matching helmet and handed it over to her. “Safety first,” he winked.

Kory turned her nose up at the unflattering headgear. “Is it supposed to smell...this bad?”

“It smells brand new, now get on and make sure to hold on tight!” Dick was already on the bike, gripping the handles, helmet and all. He’d even found the time to purchase a pair of super suave sunglasses.

Despite his most charming display when he revved up the engine for her sake, Kory couldn’t help but look back longingly at the door. “Will they be alright with Mar’i?”

“She’ll be fine, Kory. Besides, Gar could use the practice from what Rae’s told me. I’d also trust Vic with my own life. If Mar’i is safe with anyone that isn’t us, it’s with our family,” he calmly reassured her.

Patting the spot behind him whilst wearing an obscenely cocky grin, he then urged, “Get on, babe. We’re going for a ride.”

-

“Dude, they are totally leaving us alone with the kid,” Garfield noted meekly, the colour draining from his face as he peeked out the blinds of the living room window.

Victor was busy playing with Mar’i, moving things around in her dollhouse all the while she’d move them back, like they were playing some sort of game. It seemed to make her smile and laugh, so Cyborg kept it up.

“So? At least she didn’t fry his butt on the spot like we expected her to. Besides, I like hangin’ out with Mar’i. Ain’t a sweeter little girl on the face of this planet.”

As if on cue, Mar’i clapped her hands excitedly in response, her eyes - so much like her mother’s - glowing green with emotion.

It was Victor’s turn to move something. He opted for the crib. He picked it up and placed it in the kitchen, causing the toddler to nearly roll backwards with laughter. Her merriment was contagious.

“Yeah, but, Dick asked us over to check out his new ride! I didn’t sign up to babysit!” exclaimed Beast Boy.

Cyborg merely shook his head. “Man, don’t you like kids?”

“Of course I like kids! Kids are great! I just...would have liked a heads up, you know?” He ran a hand through the thick crop of his green hair, leaving the window to join Victor and Mar’i by the dollhouse her grandfather Bruce had bought her. The thing was practically half his height, with as many intricate details something like a dollhouse could have.

“Sometimes, life doesn’t give you a heads up, Gar. Besides, think how much it’ll impress Raven hearing about your babysitting prowess with Mar’i,” Victor coaxed.

“I suppose you have a point,” he admitted with a heavy sigh, resting his chin in the palm of his hands. “Still can’t believe we let him dupe us.”

“Guy’s turning thirty in less than a week. Let him have this.” Victor then turned to fix Garfield with a knowing smile. “Besides, you could use some experience with the little ones. Rae’s told me all about your little diaper explosion mishap with Mar’i here.”

The shapeshifter’s eyes went wide, and he sat up straight as a board. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

When Victor replied only with a condescending laugh, Beast Boy stammered, “Neither Mar’i, nor I, would like to recall that particular event, thank you! So how’s about you just never bring it up again, okay?”

Mar’i mimicked Beast Boy’s stern expression and matching pointed finger, blubbering something that was in mockery of him.

“See? Even she agrees!” Garfield cried.

“I’m just sayin’, maybe this ought to be a learning experience for you, Gar. What if you have two of them? Or three?”

“I need you to stop talking right now.” Garfield blanched, and Victor snickered.

Cyborg then leaned in towards Mar’i’s face, and whispered, “And that’s how you get Beast Boy to shut up. For future reference.”

She giggled when he booped her nose.

-

Starfire’s face hurt from smiling so much. Or maybe, it was the wind against her face.

Either way, she couldn’t even begin to explain the feeling she was overcome with once Dick had sped up the mountain roads. This far out of town, there was hardly another vehicle in sight, so he’d taken the opportunity to hit the gas, and really soar.

The whole time, Kory was laughing.

It was true that she could fly, and nothing quite compared to the ability to take off into the open sky.

However, Dick had been right; this was a different kind of exhilaration.

Every bump, every bit of anticipation as she had no control over what came next, every twist and turn or bend of the road. It was like an intoxicating high she never wanted to come down from.

At first, she hadn’t wished to let go of her husband, clinging on to his torso as tightly as possible, her fingers like claws through his shirt. Eventually, she opened an eye, and then another. The wind had still been whipping at both her face and hair, but it wasn’t unfamiliar to her.

She was used to shooting up into the sky, to float among the stars.

Kory was impervious to Earth’s weather, and so, she’d worked up the nerve to sit up straight and enjoy the ride.

Slowly, her hands came away, and slowly, she’d started to see the appeal that Dick had mentioned.

Now, she stood behind him, practically floating over her seat, her arms in the air as the wind rushed by her, tangling the deep auburn curls of her hair, like a fanning flame of red.

The sun beat down against her skin, warm and loving. The smell of all the nature surrounding them pure and clean. She could have asked him to drive on forever, just the two of them.

Was this what it meant to drive off into the sunset with the one you love? The thing they always seemed to do in those horribly cheesy romantic movies both her and Richard loved to watch?

Suddenly, it wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. Starfire had never felt more alive than when she’d fly, but this moment, it was a close second.  

“Having fun?” Dick called out behind him, his voice muffled by the sound of both the bike and the powerful winds.

Kory brought her hands down to clutch at his broad shoulders. “This is fantastic! I am having the time of my life!”

She could almost feel the smile in his words. “Good! So, how about a road trip?”

“A what?!”

“I said, a road trip! We should go on a road trip, just you and me. I already asked Raven if she’d be okay with babysitting! There’s so much I want to show you, Kory! So much you need to see!”

Maybe it was the impulsivity of the moment. Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through her veins, or the way her heart beat maddeningly in her chest just as Dick swerved another bend in the endless road, climbing higher up the mountain. For some reason, she found herself agreeing, no hesitation.

“Okay! Yeah, let’s do it!” she shouted, the cool, crisp air filling her lungs anew, and the powerful gusts of wind causing her eyes to water. “I’d follow you to the ends of the galaxy, Richard.”

She gave his shoulders a tender squeeze, admiring the way the dimming sunset cast pink, orange, and purple hues in the reflection of his helmet.

“I’ll follow you, no matter where…”

-

“Did they mention where they were going?”

Raven shook her head briskly. “All Dick said was that he was going to show Kory as much as he could while the weather's still nice.”

Garfield flopped backwards onto the couch. “It’s only September. They could be gone for like, weeks.”

“Gar, I don’t think you understand how much Kory is going to miss Mar’i. There’s no way they’ll stay away for more than a week at most.”

It was dead in the night, and the pair had just put the toddler to bed, with Garfield having shifted into a puppy as Raven read her a bedtime story from one of her many books. Mar’i had passed out in her bed, her small, stubby fingers still in Beast Boy’s fur.

They’d both carefully left the room and turned out the light, so only the soft pink hue of her nightlight remained. Raven had put the book on the nightstand and Garfield had slowly slipped out from beneath her hand.

Once they’d closed her door behind them, they’d retired to the living room, where Beast Boy was currently sprawled out on the couch, and Raven had tucked her feet beneath her legs to read a more adult novel. Her hand had moved protectively over the small swell of her belly.

“She’s a great kid, y’know. Do you think...ours will be, too?” Garfield queried, staring up at the ceiling, adrift in his own thoughts.

“Be great? How am I supposed to know?” Raven raised an eyebrow from behind her book.

Beast Boy flipped over to lay on his stomach, his gaze flitting to his very pregnant girlfriend. “You know what I mean, Rae.”

Raven rubbed over the bulge that was her belly, but rolled her eyes and scoffed at the green shapeshifter. “I think, it isn’t the genetics that’ll define our daughter, but rather, how she is raised, and by whom. Besides, there’s no doubt she’ll be best friends with Mar’i, and I think that’ll be some good influence, in the least.”

The empath then went back to reading her book, still occasionally moving her hand affectionately over her rounded stomach.

Beast Boy broke into an excited grin, his eyes lighting up as he admired the woman he loved with a look that could only have been described as complete and utter bliss.

“Wait - did you just say that we’re having a girl?”

[beckettsthoughts]

i looove all of the botanical asks so id really appreciate if youd answer all of them!! (or all of them that you like)

This is amazing thank you so much! Anon you are wonderful

Baby’s breath: 5 things you associate yourself with:

Crows, strong friendships, sunglasses, shortwave radios, and laughter.

Bleeding heart: What makes you heart go mushy?

@skyward-sheik, in all honesty. All of my friends have the unique ability to melt me into a puddle of warmth and happiness, but Sheik of course holds the true key to my heart.

Bell flower: What’s the title of the song that makes you want to jump around out of joy?

The Last Of The Real Ones, by Fall Out Boy

Evening primrose: What’s your sleeping playlist (Give me 5 songs)?

You know what, I’m honestly just going to give you my whole sleep playlist:

Paris, by The 1975

Those Days Are Gone & My Heart Is Breaking, by Barton Carroll

Fools Rush In, by Eliza Rickman

Stage 4 Fear of Trying, by Frnkiero And The Cellabration

Drugstore Perfume, by Gerard Way

Monkey 23, by The Kills

Rut, by The Killers

I Lied, by Electric Century

Mad Sounds, by the Artic Monkeys

Everyday, by Puggy

Sober, by Broods

Weird Honey, by Elvis Depressedly

Golden Age, by KT Tunstall

New World Towers, by Blur

Coming Down, by Halsey

Time Spent In Los Angeles, by Dawes

Killing You, by Broods

N.M.S.S, by Elvis Depressedly

Busted and Blue, by Gorillaz

Hiding Tonight, by Alex Turner

Barcelona, by George Ezra

Mad at Nothing, by Patrick Stump

Daffodil: What is one plant that you want to have but can never get?

Oh god, I’d love to have so many. More than anything, though, I’d love to have a garden big enough to have a willow tree. If I had that, I would be so incredibly, serenely happy.

Calla lily: Are you more of a sunny day or a rainy evening person?

Here, I’m a sunny day person. I don’t like leaving my flat in the rain, because it’s so hard to get back up the hill when it’s damp. I don’t like the sun so much, but I do appreciate the warmth it brings when I’m walking out and about. At home, though, I adore the rain and I love to spend stormy evenings sitting out in the conservatory so I can hear it against the roof.

Lavender: What is something that you’ve always wanted to be/have/get but can never have?

I’ve always said that in another life I’d want to be a famous singer. I made my peace with that goal a long, long time ago though. In another sense, I’d love for so many things to be different about my body. I want skinnier hips, I want nicer skin, I want a flatter chest, I want a better voice, I want a stronger heart. None of these things are changeable, but they do still haunt me. It’s hard to think about, and most days I can ignore each of them. Some days I don’t want to leave my flat because of it, but I’m trying my best to make peace with these issues as well.

Love in a mist: What is the latest dream that you remember?

Oh, not very recent. I very rarely remember my dreams, and it’s only ever the frightening ones that I can recall. The most recent, then, was actually a strange dream I had back in June. The fourteenth, to be precise. It was the day of the Grenfell Tower fire, the day of my A Level sociology exam, and I fell asleep early in the morning in my mother’s room with the news playing on the television. I won’t go into too much detail because it’s hard to explain and it’s nonsensical in that subconscious way dreams are, my brain making shortcuts and connections that shouldn’t be there. I was in a strange holiday apartment in a row of terraced white buildings, each having different colours accents and trims on the wall. My family disappeared, I couldn’t contact them, and I went to my friend in the next cottage only to find him, his mother and two foreign strangers who were clearly in distress. We tried to comfort them, spent hours with them, and slowly they calmed. My heart absolutely wrenched for them, these two strangers. I think they’d lost their families, they were running from some awful disaster, and the terror of the situation hung heavy in the air. My friend’s mother had left a while back, and then he had left as well, leaving me alone with them. Eventually, they left too. I stayed, watching the disaster on the news, until I noticed some strangers in official-looking suits inspecting each house. They were unfamiliar, detached, inherently alarming. I quickly pulled the blinds. I stayed there, in my friend’s holiday apartment, for almost two more hours. In the end, I braved the strange officials and headed outside, only to find the families of other residents, almost entirely my friends and their relatives, gathered outside and staring at this great, dark, thundering cloud that was fast descending towards us.

That’s when I woke up. I’ll be happy if I don’t remember another dream for a long, long time.

Daisy: What is your favourite flavour of cotton candy, ice cream, and juice?

My favourite flavour of ice is chocolate, although I also love caramel ice cream. My favourite type of juice is apple juice, I don’t have a strong preference between pressed or concentrate. Actually, one unpopular opinion I seem to have is that I genuinely hate orange juice? Like, I honestly can’t stand it. This tends to surprise people, for some reason.

And my favourite flavour of candy floss, is well, candy floss? I didn’t know it came in other flavours.

Painter’s palette: Are you more of a singer, dancer, painter, or instrumentalist?

Singer, for sure.

That said, I’ve tried at my hand at all of those practises throughout my life. I took dance classes several times a week from the age of three, in ballet and tap primarily but there were times when I took modern and street dance as well. Tap was my favourite by far. I quit ballet when I was about eleven, but I didn’t quit tap until I was about fourteen. In terms of painting, I took art GCSE. While painting is by far one of my least favourite art media, naturally I’ve painted quite a lot over the years. Sometimes I even enjoy it, but only if I’m working with acrylics. And in terms of being an instrumentalist, it’s undeniable that I am, by definition, one of them. I play violin, have done since the age of seven, and I also play the ukulele and marching bell. However, I am not a very good instrumentalist, hence why I chose singer. Singing is my most natural talent out of all of these, and it’s the one I enjoy the most.

Waxflower: Are you a bee or a butterfly person? A dog or a cat person?

I am a butterfly person, I used to have a strong fear of any insect that could sting me. These days I try and accept bees for their hard-working selves, but nobody could ever make me like wasps.

And, uh, I’m definitely a dog person. Even though I used to be scared of both dogs and cats, dogs win out on the basis that I’m not allergic to them. You know what, I’d love to have a borzoi some day. If I wasn’t allergic to cats I’d get an oriental shorthair, though. If you were wondering why I’m no longer scared of dogs, the answer to that question is Maya. She’s an adorable, tiny border collie cross who belongs to my amazing partner @skyward-sheik. She’s too cute to be afraid of, so I got over that fear pretty quickly after I started spending more time at his house.

Sugarbush: Do you have sweet tooth? If yes, what’s your favourite sweets? if no, why?

Uh, yeah, you could say. I’m kind of a dessert fiend.

Right now my favourite sweets are M&Ms, but Maynard’s Wine Gums, Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles, Cadbury’s Eclairs and Barratt’s Dolly Mixture.

Sunflower: Would you like to be a fairy or a mermaid?

I’d give my heart to be a sweet little woodland pouque.

Sweet pea: What would you like to call your significant other?

Well, that’s actually a really interesting question. I haven’t talked with him about specific terminology in this regard. He’s my queerplatonic partner, which is actually really difficult to explain in shorthand, but ‘partner’ is the best abbreviation I can find. Obviously QPP works, but that acronym isn’t exactly widely known. 

Sea lavender: Can you swim? Which strokes can you do?

I can indeed swim! I grew up on an island and a mere two minute’s walk from the beach, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d learnt to doggy paddle before I could steadily walk. I took swimming lessons throughout my early childhood, too, both in school and extracurricular. Somewhere in a box at home is a whole pile of badges for achieving my 10m, 50m, 100m, 200m, 500m, etc. I enjoy swimming front crawl the most, and though I dislike them I can also swim backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.

I don’t get the chance to swim much anymore, though. The sea, though beneficial in the long run, is too painful for my skin to justify that minimal long-term improvement. Most chlorinated pools, while less painful in the moment, leave my skin flared, red and raised for several days after using them. There’s one leisure centre at home I can use without suffering too much ill-effect but I haven’t been there to swim in well over five years. Maybe sometime over the summer I’ll go there with my friends.

Windflower: List 5 of your favourite blogs and explain why you like them

@skyward-sheik, of course. He’s my favourite person, so of course his is my favourite blog. He reblogs a lot of cute and funny posts about video games and other things he likes, which of course makes me really happy. He also reblogs quite a lot about mental health and neurodivergence, and given you follow me you’re probably into that too.

@shark-myths, my queer writer icon, campaigner for the power of LGBT+ friendships and girls’ solidarity. Fellow Fall Out Boy deep lore analyst and encourager in the realms of both lifestyle and arts, K’s is a blog I would highly recommend. K as a person I would highly recommend, actually, and those qualities clearly translate across social media.

@honoraryplantking is a mutual of mine and a blog I love to scroll through. He’s an absolute sweetie and we have a lot of common interests between us. His blog is just a nice and positive place to be, so if you’re ever in need of a pick-me-up I’d recommend checking him out.

@strangerdarkerbetter is a fantastic neurodivergence and chronic illness activist and general person of good will. I first found Sabrina’s blog back when I was first diagnosed as autistic and they’ve been an awesome mutual and point of reference for me ever since.

I actually can’t think of a fifth that really stands out to me. Many of the blogs I check a lot are mutuals of mine, which I like because I find them relatable, I have a similar sense of humour and I like them as people. Other than those, of which there are quite a few, there’s nobody else off the top of my head who stands out as an absolute favourite.

Golden rod: Are you more of a baker or a cook?

Definitely a baker. I’m a really awful cook, executive dysfunction absolutely wrecks me as soon as I’m placed in a kitchen with nothing more than a vague recipe, but I have a lot more experience with baking and while I’m still bad at it, I can at least make a passable cake. I also way prefer desserts to making savoury meals, so that totally works in my favour.

Bloom: What is something that you would like to tell your children?

While I feel the need to clarify that I don’t actually want children, I’d probably tell them about my friends, how I met them and became close to them and how they impacted my life and wellbeing. I just think that, for a kid, it’s important to know that the friends you make in school might not be your forever friends, might not be close enough to consider family. You might be seventeen, twenty-five, you might be thirty or forty before you find them. They’re out there, I promise.

Peony: What is something that you wish your parents could’ve told you?

Honestly, I wish I’d been told more about my family. I grew up knowing nothing about an entire half of my family. I didn’t know a damn thing about my paternal family until I was about twelve or thirteen, and even now I know hardly anything about them. Not that I don’t appreciate my family’s reasons from hiding this from me, whatever they may be, but it’s hard not to feel like I was cheated out of a potentially huge part of my life and heritage. It was nothing out of the ordinary to have divorced parents, and many of my friends growing up lived in single parent families, but I was always the kid who had never even met my dad, had barely even heard his name. I didn’t even know my parents were married until I found the wedding album. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know why my paternal family was effectively kept a secret from me all this time, I don’t know why I was deprived of the chance to know a whole half of my family, not just my father but my grandparents, my half-siblings, my aunts and uncles and cousins. 

Sorry, I actually got really emotional right then. This is one of the few topics that can always bring me to tears and I can’t lie and say I’m not bitter about it. Even to know that they existed would have been better than growing up with no knowledge at all. I’m sorry, I really don’t think I can talk about this any more. 

Prairie gentian: Do you have a significant other?

I do! The ever-wonderful @skyward-sheik is my queerplatonic partner and soulmate. It’s only sixteen days until I get to go home and see him again

September flower: Are you more of a sunshine or sunset person?

Sunset. Growing up on the west coast of a small island meant I’ve always been able to appreciate beautiful ocean sunsets, and I wouldn’t trade those sights for all the tea in China.

Bird of paradise: Do you wake up early? Do you sleep early?

No, I’m pretty awful at both. I have a sleep disorder, Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, which goes a long way to explaining why I have this problem. I actually sleep for a perfectly normal amount of time if left to my own devices, but my circadian rhythm is just a few hours off what is considered ‘normal’. I naturally fall asleep at about two in the morning, and no medications or lifestyle techniques I’ve tried have ever been able to fix this. Once I learnt more about it my family and I have learnt to work with it rather than against it, and thankfully my new university schedule really helps. I only have to wake up early one day out of the week in this current semester, which has meant that I’ve been properly rested and functioning for the first time in my life. When I was a toddler I had split sleeping and then I’ve been in school ever since with an nine o’clock start, so you can imagine how exhausted I was a lot of the time. Being able to sleep properly has been a revelation.

Marigold: What’s your favourite tea?

I don’t drink hot tea, but I tried iced tea for the first time last week and it was really nice! I went with my friends to a comic book-themed pie cafe called Piecaramba because one of my friends said they did really good iced tea. I took her up on her recommendation and ordered a glass of peach iced tea. I’m really anxious about trying new food and drinks so I was nervous, but it ended up being really nice. So I guess peach iced tea is my favourite type of tea, now.

Peruvian lily: What are the names of your pets?

As much as I would love them, I don’t actually have any pets. Though she passed away earlier, I had a beautiful little canary named Abi for a good eight years. I was already in a really rough spot at the time and losing my sweet little songbird made everything so much harder, not to mention an old bully of mine was mocking me about it online later that day. I think that might have been the same day I decided to start a new blog to get away from him, actually, because that really was the last straw. I don’t know what I would name any future pets and I certainly won’t be getting any in the near future, but I would love another pet someday.

Hyacinth: Do you name your plants?

I do! In fact, I have a whole page detailing my plant collection and their names, where applicable.

Lilac: Would you rather sleep and be cosy or hang out with your friends?

Can I not sleep and be cosy in the company of my friends? I think we both know that that’s the superior answer here.

Poppy: Do you like to dip your fries or do you like it as is?

Dry fries are kind of disgusting, so I always dip them in ketchup. 

Fun fact: a good friend of mine developed a habit in his teens of mixing together mayonnaise and tomato ketchup to create a kind of makeshift, poor man’s Marie Rose sauce so that he could dip his chips in it. That boy is either a genius or a madman.

Dandelion: Any special talent that you have?

I guess some of hobbies count, and my writing? People say I have a natural talent for writing, which I really appreciate. Those kind of comments are a wonder for my self-esteem.

[beardcore-blog]

aglow, like a birthday candle

  light upon light … joy to joy!   ~ rumi

≈ Dog is God spelled backwards ≈  

Lulu, the Queen of Hearts, is eleven years young today!

The day i met her she was 8 weeks old. She was a birthday gift to me from my brother and mother. She came from Australia on an airplane and when i first saw her, i swear, the whole room and everything & everyone in it turned golden.. The room was full of puppies, and every one of those dear tiny beings was crying or barking. .. Every one except Lulu, who was sound asleep and peaceful.. wholly comfortable in her own skin and in the world in which she found herself.

It was required that she have a full physical exam before i could bring her home.. During this exam, the assigned veterinarian found something that caused him to say she should not go home with me.. or with anyone. My family was concerned (as the reason for them giving her to me is that i had been very sick, and they felt a dog would help me cope with all that i had to cope with). When they heard this very bad news about Lulu, they voted that i should not keep her. I went to the clinic and brought her home.

That was almost 11 years ago.. since then, Lulu and i have been an inseparable pair. i learned from her how to make the food she can eat, as she is allergic to almost every meat and to almost every grain. Once a month i spend 4 days doing a freezerful of finely chopped raw organic vegetables, mixed with the few cooked grains her body can accept. And every morning & evening i de-fat the fish or rare meat her body can assimilate. Each time i do this, i say a prayer for ALL the animals of the world to be given the love, honoring and kindness they deserve. Lulu has to take 48! natureopathic supplements every day… and years ago she taught me to give them to her easily:.. i say "open" and she tilts her head back and opens her mouth! so the pills can be easily given to her. This all may sound like i saved her life, but the truth is that she saves my life. On a daily basis. ~ I say that to her almost every day. The other thing i say to her is "Loving you is the easiest thing i have ever done in my life."

She is also the one who taught herself to surf on surfboards as a puppy of about 4-5 months.. typical of her, she just climbed on! ~ Since i don’t surf, she relied on the kindness of surfers to let her ride.. They all grew to adore her ..and looked for her if we missed a day walking the beach.

When she was about that same age, i was encouraged (pled with) to take her to ‘obedience training’, as she (a recalitrant one) pretty much ran the show, ruled the roost, etc.. When we went to her class on the first day, the instructor said, "Oh no, not a basset hound .. they are so stupid!". At the end of the 6 weeks of lessons, there was a big gathering of all the families of the dogs, to show how they had done… It was set up as a kind of a competition and there were the 45 dogs from the class competing in the showing. As i’m not into competition, especially for an animal, this was not my finest hour. ..But it was Lulu’s – she took 1st place amongst all the 45 dogs. She received a standing ovation and the instructor literally had to eat her hat. (Then, when it was all over, just to let me know it was all a joke to her, and that she was still in charge, Lulu refused to come when i called her!… 🙂

When she was 2 1/2, i was asked if she would be in a t.v. commercial. Since i had exhausted my affinity for the movie business after many years working in it, i said no. .. Then the person told me it was for The Blood Bank of Hawaii. .. Then i said yes. It was a complex shoot with dollying backwards, etc. and 6 different camera set-ups. Even though still a pup really, she did it all with flair. The commercial was shown for 5 years on all stations in Hawaii, since it was so successful at bringing people in to give blood. In the commercial she was called "Fred" by the voiceover speaker.. so for many years when taking our evening walks, people would stop to meet her, or just shout "Fred!" out their car windows.

To Lulu, no one is a stranger .. and everyone is a friend. She has more friends than anyone i have ever known.

I speak to her in 4 languages and she responds to all of them. She talks to me and i understand her language too. – When i ask her questions (and i don’t just mean about food or walks) she answers yes by licking (& by the enthusiasm of her licking, she tells me how much ‘yes’!)… and, in a way i can’t explain, she answers no.

This image was taken by my friend Wolf 2 years ago.. it is one of the few of Lulu have left to share till i get the new Mac, so can scan the photos i often take of her.. You may be surprised when i finally get a new computer that she is now all sprinkled, like sugar, with grey…

About 2 years ago, she became unable to climb onto my bed, so since then we both sleep on the floor. When i come to go to sleep (i sleep on her new dog bed, as she only likes her old scroungy one!), she is fast asleep… but she kicks out her legs towards me like a rabbit until she finds a body part of mine to wrap them around. This is how we sleep.

About 1 year ago i started noticing she was losing her hearing and her vision. As she is considered a ‘large dog with dwarf legs’, i’m told that her lifespan is not what it is for smaller dogs. According to my Vet (who used to be a traditional Veterinary Surgeon and is now a fully Natureopathic Vet ~ and who travels here from another island once a month for his many doggie patients here) Lulu is now 88 in people years.

So getting to this birthday is a work of art on Lulu’s part…

In the last few weeks and especially in the last few days, things have been sort of turned upside-down in my life.. and so i have not been able to be on Flickr as much as before ..as much as i would wish to be. i so very much hope you will understand that i’m not able to come to visit you on your streams as devotedly as before, for the forseeable future. … I will absolutely pop in whenever i can..

Despite that, i feel the need to share this very long! honoring of my Lulu with you, my dear friends… I’ve loved ~ and love ~ many people and animals in my life … but there is only one Lulu. And she is the true heart of my life.

Happiest Birthday dear Lulu, golden girl!.. (she is not really mine, she is everyone’s.. 😉

  Posted by alight on 2006-04-21 10:15:29

Tagged: , Happiest 11th Birthday , to our precious , Lulu , golden girl , birthday girl , and many more! , Queen of Hearts , aglow , ears , basset , hound , basset hound , dog , doghter , heart , ≈ , Lulu’s nicknames: , lightbulb , sweet potato pie , bunny rabbit , plumeria , lilac , apple , lavender girl , prunella , angel pot pie , ~ , at the beach near our home , Hawaii , pacific , ocean , wonder dog , great love , heart of my life , alight , ≈♥≈

The post aglow, like a birthday candle appeared first on Good Info.

[cynthiajayusa]

Betty Buckley Talks ‘Hello, Dolly!’

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Broadway legend, Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, in its first national tour will play at the Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts from November 20 to 25.

Ms. Buckley will be joined by Lewis J. Stadlen (Horace Vandergelder), Nic Rouleau (Cornelius Hackl), Analisa Leaming (Irene Molloy), Jess LeProtto (Barnaby Tucker), Kristen Hahn (Minnie Fay), Garett Hawe (Ambrose Kemper), Morgan Kirner (Ermengarde), and Jessica Sheridan (Ernestina).

Led by four-time Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, the entire creative team of the Broadway production reprises their roles for the national tour of Hello, Dolly!, including four-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto (Scenic & Costume Design), six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (Sound Design), Andy Einhorn (Music Supervision), Robert Billig (Music Direction), Tony Award winner Larry Hochman. 

Hotspots and BroadwayWorld.com (Julie Musbach) sat down with Betty for this interview:

At what age did singing and acting become interests of yours and when did you know singing and acting were going to officially be your career?

My aunt was a dance teacher and my mother was a singer and a dancer so they told me I sang in church when I was two, and studied dance when I was three. When I was 11, I saw my first Broadway show and was bitten by Bob Fosse and knew my interest was in this form. My mother also had an extensive collection of cast albums and great lady singers and that’s what really taught me to sing. My first professional job was when I was 15. I did shows at our local theater every summer after that.

Who were your inspirations in the recording industry?

There have been so many…Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Della Reese, Nancy Wilson…I was also very inspired by Brazilian Dori Caymmi, Keith Jarrett, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, and many more.

Do you remember how it felt when they called your name as the winner of the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Cats, and can you describe it to me?

I was pretty excited. It was an amazing time being a member of the Cats team and doing that show brought me through the doorway to work with Andrew Lloyd Webber. His whole team taught me so much.

How amazing was it and what did it mean to you to be inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame?

It was really nice and a huge honor. I didn’t get to go to my induction ceremony as I was in London, so the following year I got to induct my friend Ellen Burstyn which made up for it. I feel so grateful that I have been included.

How did this incredible offer of starring in Hello, Dolly! come to you?

I had just gotten a job on Preacher on AMC and was in New Orleans starting work on that. My agent called and said ‘Are you sitting down?’ and I said ‘No’ and he said ‘Scott Rudin wants you to do Hello, Dolly!’ and all I could say was ‘Oh my god, I’ll have to call you back.’ I was literally pacing my hotel suite thinking ‘can I do this? This is huge, it’s such a huge part.’ I called him back and I said yes, if they think I can do it I’ll do it. A week later they flew me to New York to meet with Jerry Zaks and Scott Rudin and they were so lovely and had such conviction about me being able to do it.

Had you seen the show on Broadway? What did you think of it?

I saw the show before The Tony Awards and I just thought it was the greatest production of Hello, Dolly! I’d ever seen and probably one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre I’ve ever seen. In fact, I was standing weeping with joy at the end of the show along with the rest of the audience. When Bette Midler made her last cross down the passerelle at the curtain call and everyone is reaching up trying to touch her, I was in the second row and I was reaching up trying to touch her too! I just thought it was the perfect show. Santo Loquasto‘s design, the costumes, the choreography, it’s all out of this world. Jerry Zak’s direction is freaking genius and Bette was like the greatest ice cream sundae I’ve ever seen. You just wanted to scoop her up she’s so delicious.

What do you tap into to bring such a big character to life on stage?

It’s magic all its own. My whole process is based on meditation as well as listening really closely to what the director says and what the choreographer says. I try to stay in the immediate present reality with my partners on stage, it’s a give and take reality. In this case learning the lines is huge and just finding an inner journey within that that makes sense. I’ve also been doing research including reading The Matchmaker which the musical is based on to get into the right mindset.

All in all, how would you sum up your experience so far?

A gift. Every morning I’m on my knees with gratitude and every night the last thing I think about is how incredibly appreciative I am to be a part of this.

Tickets to Hello, Dolly! are available through the Arsht Center Box Office in person at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132, by calling 305.949.6722, or online at arshtcenter.org. Ticket prices start at $34.

For more on Betty Buckley, go to BettyBuckley.com.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/11/15/betty-buckley-talks-hello-dolly/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/11/betty-buckley-talks-hello-dolly.html

[demitgibbs]

Betty Buckley Talks ‘Hello, Dolly!’

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Broadway legend, Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, in its first national tour will play at the Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts from November 20 to 25.

Ms. Buckley will be joined by Lewis J. Stadlen (Horace Vandergelder), Nic Rouleau (Cornelius Hackl), Analisa Leaming (Irene Molloy), Jess LeProtto (Barnaby Tucker), Kristen Hahn (Minnie Fay), Garett Hawe (Ambrose Kemper), Morgan Kirner (Ermengarde), and Jessica Sheridan (Ernestina).

Led by four-time Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, the entire creative team of the Broadway production reprises their roles for the national tour of Hello, Dolly!, including four-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto (Scenic & Costume Design), six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (Sound Design), Andy Einhorn (Music Supervision), Robert Billig (Music Direction), Tony Award winner Larry Hochman. 

Hotspots and BroadwayWorld.com (Julie Musbach) sat down with Betty for this interview:

At what age did singing and acting become interests of yours and when did you know singing and acting were going to officially be your career?

My aunt was a dance teacher and my mother was a singer and a dancer so they told me I sang in church when I was two, and studied dance when I was three. When I was 11, I saw my first Broadway show and was bitten by Bob Fosse and knew my interest was in this form. My mother also had an extensive collection of cast albums and great lady singers and that’s what really taught me to sing. My first professional job was when I was 15. I did shows at our local theater every summer after that.

Who were your inspirations in the recording industry?

There have been so many…Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Della Reese, Nancy Wilson…I was also very inspired by Brazilian Dori Caymmi, Keith Jarrett, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, and many more.

Do you remember how it felt when they called your name as the winner of the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Cats, and can you describe it to me?

I was pretty excited. It was an amazing time being a member of the Cats team and doing that show brought me through the doorway to work with Andrew Lloyd Webber. His whole team taught me so much.

How amazing was it and what did it mean to you to be inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame?

It was really nice and a huge honor. I didn’t get to go to my induction ceremony as I was in London, so the following year I got to induct my friend Ellen Burstyn which made up for it. I feel so grateful that I have been included.

How did this incredible offer of starring in Hello, Dolly! come to you?

I had just gotten a job on Preacher on AMC and was in New Orleans starting work on that. My agent called and said ‘Are you sitting down?’ and I said ‘No’ and he said ‘Scott Rudin wants you to do Hello, Dolly!’ and all I could say was ‘Oh my god, I’ll have to call you back.’ I was literally pacing my hotel suite thinking ‘can I do this? This is huge, it’s such a huge part.’ I called him back and I said yes, if they think I can do it I’ll do it. A week later they flew me to New York to meet with Jerry Zaks and Scott Rudin and they were so lovely and had such conviction about me being able to do it.

Had you seen the show on Broadway? What did you think of it?

I saw the show before The Tony Awards and I just thought it was the greatest production of Hello, Dolly! I’d ever seen and probably one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre I’ve ever seen. In fact, I was standing weeping with joy at the end of the show along with the rest of the audience. When Bette Midler made her last cross down the passerelle at the curtain call and everyone is reaching up trying to touch her, I was in the second row and I was reaching up trying to touch her too! I just thought it was the perfect show. Santo Loquasto‘s design, the costumes, the choreography, it’s all out of this world. Jerry Zak’s direction is freaking genius and Bette was like the greatest ice cream sundae I’ve ever seen. You just wanted to scoop her up she’s so delicious.

What do you tap into to bring such a big character to life on stage?

It’s magic all its own. My whole process is based on meditation as well as listening really closely to what the director says and what the choreographer says. I try to stay in the immediate present reality with my partners on stage, it’s a give and take reality. In this case learning the lines is huge and just finding an inner journey within that that makes sense. I’ve also been doing research including reading The Matchmaker which the musical is based on to get into the right mindset.

All in all, how would you sum up your experience so far?

A gift. Every morning I’m on my knees with gratitude and every night the last thing I think about is how incredibly appreciative I am to be a part of this.

Tickets to Hello, Dolly! are available through the Arsht Center Box Office in person at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132, by calling 305.949.6722, or online at arshtcenter.org. Ticket prices start at $34.

For more on Betty Buckley, go to BettyBuckley.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/11/15/betty-buckley-talks-hello-dolly/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/180140200580

[uschi-the-listener]

Chapter 1: The Mill, The Millers, Rose, and the Straw

There's an old story about a girl who could spin gold out of nothing but straw.

It started out all about love and abundance and creativity, then somebody made a silly joke that took off, went viral. But it got into the wrong hands and became a dangerous misunderstanding. A sense of humor is important. And then, lessons were learned about appearances being deceiving. And that friendship can turn out to be a real lifesaver. And that even the best old stories can go horribly wrong.

I'm here to correct all that and set the record straight. It might take a while, because there's a lot of backstory.

Okay, well, I do have to play around with it a little. I don't know any names or places, just the story. So we'll call the girl Rose because I like the name Rose, and I won't get tired of writing it. Okay? Okay. So, even if little elements of the story are a little... oh... interpretive... the rest is absolutely true. You'll see. You'll get it. Give me a minute.

CHAPTER 1: The Mill and the Millers.

So. Rose was born into the Miller family, so she was Rose Miller. Her parents owned a prosperous grist mill at the edge of town. They were a hardworking couple, and happy and loving. When their little daughter was born, they planted climbing roses outside their cottage in her honor, and took some time off because they could afford to. They had it all covered: they had a windmill to use the wind energy when it was available, and it's an interesting contraption that can use the wind at selective speeds to do what needs to be done. They had a water mill that had a mill pond and a race, so that when it was spring and fall and the water ran fast, they could double their output by using both wind and water power. On days when none of that was working well, they had two oxen, Nate and Wilbur, who walked around in a circle, pulling the huge millstones to grind the grain. It was a less controllable method and needed a lot of watching, but Nate and Wilbur were such pleasant, cheerful cattle that they were worth the trouble.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller and little Rose worked hard, grinding grain that the farmers brought them into groats, meal, or different grades of flour. Sometimes the farmers brought it with the straw still on, so they had to thresh and winnow and toss the grain in the air to blow away the chaff. Mostly, the farmers wanted their straw back, for the many uses straw can have on a farm: making mattresses, making bedding for the animals, creating crude 'corn dollies' for the harvest holidays to encourage a good harvest. It could stand in as carpet during the winter months, and you could thatch a small cottage with it if you didn't have anything more substantial for a roof.

But sometimes, and it was often enough so that the Millers always had more than enough for their needs, the farmers left the straw behind. If they didn't want it, the Millers could use it or pass it on to another customer who needed it. But the fact is, and this is important, there was always plenty of straw around, and it became an important plaything for little Rose.

Even as a toddler, Rose wanted to help out at the mill. Toddlers can't do much, and a mill can be a bit dangerous, as what they do involves heavy bags of grain and grindstones and moving the various stages of ground grain from one place to another. But the Millers were wise parents and gave Rose little jobs like fetching water, entertaining the kids that came along for the ride when their parents brought the grain, and sweeping up excess straw so the wagon wheels didn't get tangled up in it. But it did leave a lot of time for Rose to do other things.

Mom and Dad Miller taught her to read and write and sew and knit and do other activities that kids in that time and place needed to know. We don't need the details here. But she was a bright and nimble girl with a spirit of creativity that her parents wisely fed. 

Once, when Rose was 6 or 7 and at loose ends, Mom taught her how to make little straw people. Basically, you take a fistful of straw and bend it in half to make a sort of big hairpin shape. You take another piece or two of straw and wrap it around the rounded end of the hairpin shape and tie it to make the doll's head. It helps if you soak the tying straw in water first so it's tough and flexible, but if you are in a hurry for a baby-doll, you can just use dry straw. After that, you separate out a little of the straw on each side of the bent shape, and cut it about halfway up to make arms of a reasonable length, then tie them at the wrists. You tie off a waistline then, and separate out legs for a boy, and tie the ankles, or leave it alone for a girl in a long skirt, or just tie feet in the middle of the bundle.

Rose was, of course, charmed, and made families and neighborhoods and villages of little people, each of whom became more attractive and sturdy and elaborate as she became more practiced at the art. She began, as every artist does, to see possibilities that nobody had mentioned about the medium. Can I make a dog? A horse? A bird? A table and chairs? A little bed? Can I use colored thread to make faces and buttons and fancier clothes? How about decorative stuff, like stars you can hang in the window, and fancy lacy mats to go under a lamp or a bowl on the table at dinnertime?

Rose branched out and was able to make just about anything by the time she was 12 or 13 or so. By the time she was 15, everybody in the village was aware of her talent, and it was a rare home that didn't have one or another decorative, useful, or entertaining object made by Rose's skillful hands. Her parents recognized her artistic obsession, such as it was, and made sure she had time every day to pursue it.

One day, she was sitting on the bench outside the windmill, making a fancy sort of sunburst to hang on the door, when a passenger riding along with one of the farmers hopped down and stood by her, watching her hands weaving and tucking, stitching and tying, as she created the beautiful, golden straw object. He leaned closer and she was startled when she finally noticed him. The man stepped back again and asked her, "Young lady, would you be willing to sell that sunburst to me when it's finished? I'm a long way from home and my wife is sick in bed, and I wanted to bring something back for her when my business was finished, something to cheer her up. Up until today, I didn't see anything I wanted to give her. Such a bright yellow straw sunburst would be just the thing. She can't go outside any more and she misses the sunshine. How much would you sell something like this for, if it were for sale?"

Rose was a little startled. Nobody had  ever offered her money for her creations before. People sometimes gave her cookies or colored thread or other little tokens of appreciation, but never as payment. She worked on these things from love and fascination and the sheer joy of making something from nothing that was beautiful and brought a smile to the face of the recipient. She had to think about this.

Finally, she said, "Sir, I don't know what I would charge for anything. I'm really just playing; this is fun for me. I'm not sure it's right to sell something I'm willing to give away. Let me ask my father about this." And the man, a kind, good soul, said, "It's okay to profit from doing what you love. And I would be ashamed to take something so beautiful without some kind of exchange. My business today was profitable and if your father agrees, I'm willing to give you one small gold piece in exchange for this sunburst. Will you ask him?"

Of course, Rose agreed, and Dad agreed, and everybody parted ways happier and feeling richer and as though they had all got the best of the bargain. Which is true; it's possible to have a winner and a winner, especially in creative endeavors. And it gave Rose an idea.

The next day, Rose rounded up some of the toys and mats and doilies and ornaments she had made that were lying unused around the cottage. She set up a little table made of a board and a few bricks near where she sat while she wove and braided and sewed her projects, also near where the farmers and their wives and children had to pass for the necessary transactions that must occur for grain to be unloaded, milled, bargained for, and loaded up again. Everyone could see the things on the makeshift table as they went by. If anybody stopped to chat, Rose would explain about the man with the little gold piece, though she made it clear that nobody had to pay in gold for anything, as she was going to continue making things, anyway, whether anybody bought them or not.

Rose and her parents were a friendly, popular family and dealt fairly with their customers. Nobody took it amiss that Rose was beginning to sell what she had given freely before, and many thought it was very enterprising and just what a dutiful daughter ought to do to help out her parents. Rose did some of the mill work, too, but she was not very big or strong yet, and she was still in school, so creating things to sell was beyond the requirements for any young girl.

And, indeed, the villagers thought of Rose as an asset, and were proud of her, and sent some of their little ones to sit with her and learn how to make things as well. And the families who benefited by her patient training would give her a chicken or some vegetables or a nicely embroidered handkerchief or other small object to acknowledge their privilege.

One day, a teenage boy saw what she was doing and, as they do, began mocking her for "wasting her time playing with bedding." Rose bristled and ignnored him, but the little girls who sat with her and worshipped her as their patient and talented teacher stood up for her, saying things like, "Well, you know, she makes more money doing this than you've made in your whole life!" Which caused the rascal to begin the quip, "Oh, Rose can spin straw into gold! She does magic! Maybe she's a witch!" At which, the little girls threw dirt clods and called him names and chased him off, which didn't faze him in the slightest. He ran off, laughing, and calling after himself, "Straw into Gold! A witch, a witch! She spins straw into gold!"

And after he was gone, nobody ever thought of him again. Nobody knows his name and he is lost to history. I wouldn't even bother to make one up for him.

But the damage was done. It was funny, thinking of plain little Rose as a witch with magical powers, and the joke spread. "Rose can spin straw into gold! (ha ha ha!) She's a witch, but she's a good witch!" And the joke spread throughout the village, whose standards for humor were enthusiastic but not very high.

The kingdom where Rose lived was, unbeknownst to the locals, undergoing some drastic changes is governance. The wise, good old king was very old. He was older than Rose's grandparents, who had retired years ago. He had three grown sons, two of them, intelligent, stalwart young men, sensible and attentive to their heritage of statecraft. Either would have made an excellent successor to the throne and their old father was beginning to think of retiring and allowing his oldest, with the assistance of the second, to take over the governing of the kingdom.

The third son, the youngest, differed much from his older brothers. He was not interested in anything but pleasure, and fun, and going on trips to neighboring kingdoms to ogle the princesses there. He was not very bright, and it was rumored that a fever in his infancy had changed or broken something in him. He was not intelligent, sensible, or kind, and didn't learn anything easily. He was handsome in a bulky, rather effete way, but he was nearsighted and too vain to wear spectacles. Of course the king and queen, his parents, loved him, but they knew he did not have a noble nature and would not be likely to ascend to the throne as king. His brothers agreed to protect him, marry him off to a local princess, and indulge him until such time as he found his way in life and perhaps went to live with his princess's family.

And then, disaster struck. The old king died suddenly in his sleep and the kingdom went into mourning. His oldest son, well equipped to take over the reign and begin to govern, despite his grief, was sick with a bad cold, which turned into pneumonia. His lungs refused to support him, and he died after a brief illness. No one expected that, especially his mother, the queen, or his younger brothers. The second brother, though less prepared for regency, was still prepared to step up and be the king, though it was with great reluctance that he stepped into his beloved older brother's shoes. He tried to interest his younger brother in learning how to be a wise and prudent king, just in case, and so that he would have someone with whom to consult that he could trust, but that turned out to be a pipe dream. The youngest brother was not interested, refused to cooperate, and asked if he could go on another of his trips out of the country after the funerals.

Of course both the Queen and the new Prince Regent, soon to be crowned king, refused such an insensitive and outrageous request, which left the youngest brother, who we will call Jacob, annoyed and disappointed. This one incident was indicative of what kind of person he was, and his entire personality could be surmised from his behavior at the death of his father and oldest brother.

The second brother, Charles, grew into his new place in the world and began to reign successfully, having paid close attention to the lessons he and his brother had learned from their father, who set them an excellent example. And part of that example was to take care of himself and take time out when possible to get exercise, eat well, and be a good example to his subjects. So he would take a day now and then to play sports or go hunting with some of his vassals.

One day, while hunting, his horse tripped over a root in the path, broke his foreleg, stumbled, and fell. The young king also fell, under the horse, broke his neck, and died on the spot. Leaving only the aged queen and his feckless younger brother to run the government.

Young Jacob immediately began to make plans to travel outside the kingdom as he had wished to when his father and older brother had died. He was not bright, but he knew that now that he was going to be the king, nobody could stop him. So he went. He raided the treasury on his way out, took a retinue of retainers with him, and left his grieving mother to make of the government whatever she liked.

The kingdom was in disarray, but in order to avoid panic and chaos, much of the catastrophic nature of recent events was concealed from the public. The subjects knew, of course, of the deaths of the king and his sons, but nobody knew of the true nature of the youngest, Prince Jacob. The court allowed the public to believe that he was traveling on urgent business to generate support from the surrounding kingdoms at this time of grief. Not knowing that a king's place is in his kingdom, the public was sad about the deaths, but not alarmed.

Jacob didn't come back for the coronation. He didn't come back when his poor old mother died of grief. In fact, he never bothered to come back at all until the day he sent for funds and the Minister of the Treasury informed him that his funds were almost gone; that he could have enough money to come back, but then there would be nothing left until tax time, unless he sold something. Of course, he came steaming back, feeling angry and hoodwinked, to find that, indeed, the treasury was nearly empty. There were one or two coffers of gold and jewels, but certainly not enough for any more of his expensive luxuries or excursions. He could find no evidence that he had been robbed and ignored the fact that he had been treating the kingdom as his inexhaustible wallet.

So, he spent much of his time in the throne room, brooding, scolding his hapless courtiers, and trying, with his inadequate brain, to figure out what to do and where to get more money so he could go on as before. Everyone around him was beginning to feel afraid, insecure, and started to try to reacquaint themselves with relatives living in the far reaches of the country or outside it. It was a frightening time.

As the king was leaving the dining room one day, walking toward the throne room for more brooding and abusing the court, he happened to overhear one of the servers whispering to another about the rumor of a girl in the kingdom who could conjure gold from mere straw.

Immediately, he summoned the entire serving staff to the throne room to be questioned. Not knowing what this was all about, the serving staff quickly kiss their families goodbye and prayed for a miracle. They assumed that something had been wrong with their service or the food or something else that couldn't be helped now, and that they were all going to die on the spot. Thankfully, that didn't happen. For the first time in a while, in that kingdom, something, briefly, went right for somebody.

The king first summoned the Head Server to approach the throne, and demanded the full story about the girl who could make gold appear from nothing. The poor server bowed again and again, nearly cutting himself in half, and stuttered out the meagre information he had had about this rumor. The server didn't believe in magic, but he was an intelligent man and realized quickly that the king very much wanted to believe in it. To save his skin, he embroidered the story and said something along the lines of, "Oh, yes, Sire! She is known far and wide as The Girl Who Can Spin Straw into Gold! She lives at a famous grist mill at the outskirts of the city and everyone knows about her! Her name is Lily or Gardenia or something and she can make huge heaps of gold, in no time at all! Nobody knows how she does it because she will shut herself away in the mill overnight and in the morning, the straw is gone, and there are just heaps and heaps of gold in its place!"

The king found this very exciting and hopeful. As mentioned earlier, he was not bright or sensible and was a big spender without ever having worked a day in his life. To him, spending money was simply what one did, and it was up to someone else, some vague entity, "The People," to supply it. Right away, he recognized the possibilities and sent out runners to find the Millers and their magical daughter.

At the home of the Millers, things were not going well, either. Rose's mother was heavily pregnant, and too old to carry the pregnancy easily. She was forced to spend much of the time lying down, with a midwife checking on her several times a day. Rose's father and Rose herself were both working harder and longer hours as a result, but Rose's father insisted that she spend less time working as she was still growing and though strong for a girl her age, was not as strong as her father. Unfortunately, her father was no longer young, either, and the work began to take its toll. He advertised for a hired man with experience doing mill work and finally found a young man named Jack to help him with some of the work.

Jack was charming, always a suspicious attribute in a hired man. He was able to convince Mr. Miller that he would be the ideal employee and knew everything there was to know about running a grist mill, when in fact, he knew nothing about milling and had been chased from his own village for his lazy drunkenness and unwillingness to work. He had been living "on the parish" until even the long-suffering and forgiving parish ran out of money and patience. So, Jack moved on to the next village and the next, looking for a job where the work was light, well paid, prestigious, and without too much oversight by the owner. The mill was not his ideal situation, but he hadn't been able to find anything else where the owners weren't already aware of his deficiencies.

It was Autumn, and the mill pond and race were in full operation, supplemented by the windmill. Both Jack and Mr. Miller were kept busy grinding grain, bagging up the groats and meal and flour, and Mr. Miller spent much of his time working directly with the customers. Rose helped out wherever she could, and cheerfully set aside her straw crafting activities until there was more time to spare. She was also doing the cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her ailing mother as much as possible, between the visits from the midwife.

Jack was becoming more and more resentful and felt as though he was not only not getting enough pay for this kind of work, but that he was being taken advantage of. Rose didn't do much, Mr. Miller was always somewhere else, and Mrs. Miller was utterly useless. Jack was beginning to think that he should maybe be the owner of the mill, since he did so much and profited so little. He and the new King had much in common and would have seen eye to eye, if either of them had been able to recognize another person's feelings or needs.

On the day the runners came from the king, Jack had been ready to  quit, empty the cashbox, and leave. He was completely disgusted with the work and the mill and the Millers, especially as Mr. Miller had begun to see what kind of man he had hired and had warned him about losing his situation if he was caught sleeping in the straw one more time during peak work hours. Mr. Miller was currently engaged in attempting to mend the mill-race. When he asked Jack for a hand, Jack pretended to comply. Instead of helping, he gave Mr. Miller a slight push. He fell in, was pulled under the water, and Jack left the scene quickly without attempting to help him get out again.

And the runner arrived, asking if this was the mill where the Girl Who Spun Straw into Gold lived. Jack had heard the joke, sourly and with resentment that it turned out not to be true. But, feeling very clever, he said, "Why, yes! But she can be very dangerous if you cross her. Give me 50 gold pieces and I will disarm her and fetch her to you. Come back here early in the morning, just after dawn, and I'll have her ready and waiting for you."

So Jack sold her to the king's runner for 50 gold pieces. He went to bed in the straw in the stable next to the oxen as usual that night. Just before dawn, he took an old horse-blanket and headed toward the cottage. Rose was still asleep, so he threw the blanket over her head and tied it around her arms with twine so she could walk but not fight back

Rose, of course, kicked and screamed. Jack was a big man, and held her still and stuffed part of the blanket that was over her head into her mouth. He handed her over to the runner with instructions to ride like the wind and not untie her until they reached the King.

And Jack left before Mr. or Mrs. Miller woke up and became aware of what he had done.

CHAPTER 2: The Palace, the King, and the Dwarf.

It didn't take long for the runner to transport Rose to the Palace. He didn't untie her, but locked her into  a closed carriage and whipped his horses to top speed. They reached the Palace in under a day. No stops, no water, no bathroom breaks.

During this time, Rose managed to wiggle free of the twine and the blanket, but couldn't get the carriage door open. There seemed to be no way out of it. It had been locked from the outside.

TO BE CONTINUED.

[inhabitonline]

INHABIT: BETH MARSHALL AT LAKE HOWELL THEATRE

This week’s episode is SPONSORED by lil indies (Facebook)

Who are you? My name is Beth Marshall. I have been in Orlando for 22 years. I’m originally from Paducah, Kentucky. I moved here from Kansas City, Missouri and have lived and toured many places along the way. I’m 46-years old. I’m a theater artist. My whole professional life has been doing nothing but theater. Those hats range from artistic direction to producing the Orlando Fringe Festival for eight years to being involved with it for 19-years in some capacity, to being an actor, director, and an adjudicator on the thespian and state circuit for our high schools in Florida. I also have my production company, Beth Marshall Presents, which is going on 10-years now. I’m married and I have two children. Can you tell me how Beth Marshall Presents (BMP) began? And did you intend on owning your own company at some point? I intended on owning my own company ever since I was in school at Stephens College in Columbia Missouri studying theater. I ran and was the artistic director of the Warehouse Theatre there, which was the student-run theater, and knew then that I wanted to be an artistic director at a theater in whatever form it took. Whether that was me being at someone else’s theater, running a non-profit festival like the Fringe, or having my own company. So in 2008 BMP started on a small scale when I was still running the Orlando Fringe. I left the Orlando Fringe at the helm of it in 2011 and went full-time with BMP. Prior to that I produced for over 20 years, but I just produced under other people’s theatrical companies or under my own name and not my company name. So yeah, I always saw it coming and now we have auditions for our 10th season in three weeks.

Was Fringe what you did full-time?

100 percent.

So it wasn’t like you had your hands in five other things at the time? No, no. When I was the producing artist director of Fringe, which was from 2004 to 2011, I was full time at the Orlando Fringe. I did other side-jobs, but my full-time salary was there.

Did you help to start the Orlando Fringe? No, the Orlando Fringe was started in 1992 by three men; Terry Olson, Rick Kuntz, and Andy Anthony. I wasn’t even in town at that time. I came to Orlando at the end of ‘95/’96. ‘97 I was a volunteer at the beer tent for the Orlando Fringe and then I went on to produce, act, and direct my own shows as part of the Fringe once a year. Then I was hired on to be the Associate Kids Fringe producer. From there I was the Associate Producer of the festival and then the Producing Artist Director. I moved the festival from downtown to Loch Haven Park and that’s what a lot of people locally would note was one of my key marks on the festival. When I came into the Fringe, we had a $65,000 dollar deficit. We were about to go bankrupt. When I left the Fringe, we had over a half-a-million dollar budget, and now the festival has over a one million dollar budget.

So did you do a lot of fundraising then? Clearly. *chuckles* My job was a mix of artistic direction and producing the actual festival. At the time we did not have a separate executive director position, which there is now. So I really did everything in the beginning. During my time was when we were able to afford all the positions[that exist currently]. So, when I left we had a general manager and a director of development, which put me out of grant writing and fundraising and fully focused on the artistic part.

Where are we at currently and what is important to you about this space? This space is one of the many spaces that BMP is at. My company is nomadic. So, what Lake Howell Theatre is for BMP is a partner for the past six years with our annual kick-off event Play in a Day. Play in a Day is an event that brings 150 artists together in the course of a 24-hour period to do a series of ten-minute-long theatrical shorts. They don’t know the theme or have the chance to write about it until the day before the show.

[Beth went on to tell me more about her long time relationship with James Brendlinger, the producer of Penguin Point Productions Costume Shop and the Drama Director at Lake Howell Theatre].

We partnered in 2014 (Penguin Point and I did). We did a piece called “Hoodies” which was the third in a trilogy of the Trayvon Martin Project that we [BMP] had done in my season. This was a piece that we had done [previously] at the Orlando Fringe Festival. Both Penguin Point and BMP worked together to make that happen. James Brendlinger who runs this program [Penguin Point] is one of my best friends. He is the Drama Director of Lake Howell High School and he is the Producer of Penguin Point. He is the state director for Junior Thespians, the district chair for State Thespians, and on the path to becoming the State Director. And his kids—who are these kids that you see in Avenue Q: The School Edition—are trained to be collectively involved with the community in doing give back work through the outreach of their costume shop, prop shop, their set shop.

You do a lot of things, but what makes you most excited? If someone were to put a gun to my head and say that I have to pick one thing to do for the rest of my life in this business, I would be very unhappy. But I would probably choose casting. If I were in a casting room all day long, putting a show together or a team together. And whether that team is ‘let’s get the best team together for the show or let’s get the best team together for the Orlando Fringe festival, or let me hire the best staff, or cast this movie for that’; I love that development. It is definitely among my favorite things. The joy in my life comes from coaching these kids. I could coach full time and make a living from doing that, but for me, I love the variety. I also love touring. What to you is important about theater and why do you think others should care about it as well?

Theater is an absolute necessity. That’s one sentence. Period. End of it. Its an absolute necessity. Many will say that it’s a ‘dying art form that won’t die’ and I agree to some degree. It’s harder and harder every year to sell theater and physical theaters are constantly battling between the art that they really want to do and the art that will sell the tickets. Lord knows I am. That’s part of the reason why I do not have a physical space. I don’t want to be a landlord because that’s what you have to do if you have a physical plant theater. And no offense to my kids, but I don’t want to do musicals all the time. I like doing gritty social political pieces and gritty social political pieces are great for tax write offs, giving back to the community and to fulfill my soul. But gritty social political pieces don’t make my living. So that comes in branching out and doing other work and finding that joy and finding that balance without losing the integrity of why I started. So I very much selectively pick one or two pieces a year that I work on that will give me that financial freedom and security to be able to do exactly what I want to do artistically the rest of the year. You have a partnership with Parliament House. Yep, yep. We partner there. Our show this season is The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. I was fascinated by that because I grew up Southern Baptist and when I read about it, I could only hear my mom saying what she’d always say, ‘I’m surprised God didn’t strike this place with lightning’.  Adult Me really wants to believe God has a sense of humor. 100 percent. So, I was really curious to hear about the premise of that story, because it is still mirroring the Bible, but it has a comical aspect from what I heard you describe. For The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told? It’s a comedy and a drama. Its got a mix of both. It’s the story of Adam and Steve and Jane and Mabel instead of Adam and Eve *Chuckles* and Cain and Abel. They are the four central characters. The first half of the show takes place in biblical times and the second half takes place in a New York apartment and it’s the story of their life and their friendship. It’s a gay Christmas carol. That’s what it is.

I know you’re entering into your 10th season, but is there anything in the world of Beth Marshall Presents that we should be on the lookout for in the next couple months? I’ll be on tour with Save Me, Dolly Parton. And then we will be coming back to kick off the season with Play in a Day. And we are going to have a very fun theme this year. And that will be in the September time frame. Once the 2018 part of the season begins, we are going to be doing Martin McDonagh’s Lieutenant of Inishmore, which is our main stage at The Garden Theatre. It is a bloody Irish tale of almost mafia-type Irish guys in the war that get disgruntled because a guy thinks that his beloved black cat has been bludgeoned. And so they go off to war. If Quentin Tarantino were on the stage, this is what this play is. It’s a very hard play to produce because it has a whole lot of blood, a whole lot of guns, and animals on the stage – cats to be exact. Which requires a larger budget I’m guessing and more hands. Yes- It’s a heavy budget and all my shows at The Garden are heavy budgets. For the future, who knows? I haven’t planned my season beyond the 2017-18 season, other than A Play in a Day, that will always be an integral part of it. I’ve been doing Play in a Day in some of capacity or another for 17 years. So it won’t be stopping anytime soon. And touring in the Fringe circuits will not be stopping any time soon. And coaching in the schools will not be stopping anytime either. How partnerships alone in the community can alter all the time and that will also dictate what level and budget of shows I’m doing. I see myself continually producing. It’s just a matter of what I lead with. Whether that is acting, directing, or producing, or coaching.  And that changes and I really do it based on how I’m feeling. There’s no formula more than that.