#it's the perpetual academic slouch for him all the way

[thebirdandhersong]

Ali REALLY commits to the bad posture in this show lol

[anteroom-of-death]

When We Meet Again, part 1

Synopsis: A new teacher at Roundview has to deal with her first Parent's Night. She meets a man that has quite the large amount of baggage and gossip around him.

a/n: a fic! From me?? Nah son. Thats crazy. Multi-chapter love for this man coming tho. Slowly. One day. Love you alllllllll.

Parent’s Night, the bane of any teacher’s existence. Truly a hell on Earth, between those parents that thought your job was just to babysit and those that were willfully ignorant about their children’s behavior in school, you couldn’t take it.

At least those were miles better than the ones that took their children’s academic prowess as a mark of their own success.

The student who’s father was coming in now, the mother eloped with some German man, was named Sid. Your heart went out to him. Really. His home life was in shambles. Said father was recently in hospital for something about his heart.

Local gossip mills and the teacher’s lounge still shattered with the grips of poor Sid’s tragic, dramatic home life.

You’d be a bit more supportive if it was only that; his home life.

Sid seemed to be intent on dragging everyone else in the school with him, however. Hopeless, truly.

What a time to get into teaching!

The man wobbled in, he wasn’t unattractive. The mother was insane for running off. You marked the whole explosive thing as probably personality-based. That’s why people cheated in mostly. Personality and boredom. Usually, appearances had seldom to do with cheating. Super models got cheated on all the time…

Maybe he inherited his father’s personality?

You suddenly didn’t fault the mother.

His eyes seemed perpetually wet as he sat down across from you. They were lovely. Not quite blue, not quite green, grey and gold flecks throughout, rimmed with an exhausted red line. The sudden locked contact of them shot through your core. Framed with lush, arched brows and pretty little lashes…

“My wee boy, how’s he been?” The man; Mark, according to your records asked. It was earnest. “I’ve been trying my best to get his grades up.” He swallowed as you caught a glimpse of the scar from surgery under his wrinkled, wrongly-buttoned shirt.

You swallowed back. He seemed gravely concerned, with genuine love for Sid bubbling forward. The way he asked seemed so gut-wrenchingly genuine and paternal concern that broached towards reverent.

Definitely not inherited personality faults from him, you walked back your previous guess.

“Not good, his grades continue to slip. He keeps moping about some girl named Cassie. I keep telling the school councilor to get involved. He seems unreachable.” You went for brutal honesty. A man who was briefly declared dead would appreciate that, right?

He let a few choice words. It felt well-suited. Duly earned.

You felt for him truly…

Leaning forward, you laid out a sympathetic hand on the man…

“He’s nearly catatonic. It might not be a matter of skills.” You reasoned. “He has gone a through a lot…maybe try to get him in for a psych eval?” You tried to give seasoned advice and speak from what little experience you had.

He sighed.

“Just tell me what to do.” Mark resigned himself into a self-conscious slouch. “He has to do better in life than me or even his grandfather did.” He seemed content to all but hover above the surface of the desk.

Definitely not personality-based cheating, you thought as you rolled back your previous observation. Unless this was a new personality based on his health scare and Sid driving him to his limit.

Oh well, so much for gossip-based psychology!

You put a caring, cautious hand on his shoulder. (Bony, yet firm you remarked.) He was close to breaking into tears. It wasn’t fair.

“He’s already got a good support system in you and what the school administration can provide. Get him the mental health care he needs. It may not be a perfect fix, but it’ll help.” You felt yourself rubbing soothing circles into this near-perfect stranger’s upper back.

His back felt almost muscular. Thin, oddly spaced out. But firm. Just like his shoulders.

It wasn’t all that bad to touch.

Something overtook you as you produced a post-it and wrote your number down. It was a bad, possibly sideways move. Definitely not in the teacher’s handbook.

You shook yourself. You just didn’t want to see this man fall into disarray further because of his son. The boy was this close to falling through the cracks completely. People usually inherited their mental health struggles from their parents…

Nothing else. Clearly not a sudden desire to see this man again.

“Why don’t we meet up outside for a coffee and we can discuss this somewhere cheerier?” You slid it forward. “Ring me on there and we’ll chat, hopefully somewhere with outdoor seating.” You laughed a small laugh as of to diffuse the situation and show your metaphorical belly.

“Aye. That’ll do.” He took the post-it and slid it into his jeans pocket.

“I know you cannae waste all your time on me. You’ve got parents queuing up for miles.” He said as he got up and shuffled clumsily to the door.

You went back to your notes about said meeting as some other kid’s parents trotted in.

You couldn’t wait for your coffee date.

Or whatever it was.

Definitely not a date!

[brothermarc7theatre]

Hedda Gabler show #661

Jon Robin Baitz’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler, centered around the titular role’s newly acquired way of living, is illuminating in that it covers today’s familial issues and gender roles while still giving the audience a juicy plot. At the helm of The New Ensemble’s currently running production is Heather Parish, whose direction allows for the cast of seven to deliver fully-realized characters that are enigmatically interesting at first, but take and succumb to what circumstances are given, culminating in a devastatingly sensational production.

(Brooke Aielloe (Hedda); Photo credit: Gabriel Rios)

Brooke Aiello plays Hedda, the ever-plotting, perpetually bored wife of professional academic, George. After a six-month honeymoon, which involved George working, Hedda is ready to jump into home life, until she realizes just how dull her life is going to be. What makes Miss Aiello’s delivery so exceptional is how many layers to Hedda’s choices she consistently inflects and makes known in her performance. Miss Aiello has the right balance of “seemingly” innocent demeanor when it comes to her relationships with George’s aunt Julia, and at first opposite Judge Brack, but lets the claws come out when interacting with old school friend, Thea, and former beau, Eilert. Miss Aiello’s Hedda has carefully crafted nuances opposite each one of these characters, accented by her grand crosses in the living room and personality in her decisions to slouch or sit with perfect posture, depending on who is in the room

(Chris Carsten (George); Photo credit: Gabriel Rios)

Chris Carsten delivers a loveable George, complete with mannerisms that punch his timidity among others but emphasize his drive to be a top-selling writer; a visually appealing performance complimenting his genial stage presence. Casey Ballard is a most excellent Thea, wearing her reactions on her sleeve, turning her string of emotions on a dime. It is through Thea and Eilert’s love triangle (Thea is married to another man) that the audience really gets to see how manipulative and cunning Hedda can be. Hedda and Eilert have a deep history together, one that Miss Aiello and Ted Nunes (playing Eilert) convey with uncanny believability. Not just in timing and chemistry, Mr. Nunes, from his first entrance, exudes the “wanna-be” scholar, on his way up, but not without a slew of skeletons in the closet and baggage weighing him down. Miss Aiello’s astute attention she pays Mr. Nunes when they share a scene exposes how vulnerable the two are with one another, ultimately leading each other down a path of no return.

(Elizabeth Fiester (Julia); Photo credit: Gabriel Rios)

Elizabeth Fiester is an amiable Aunt Julia, one who is representative of most matriarchal family members, allowing the audience to instantly connect to her. Miss Fiester plays the polite, well-mannered aunt with a demeanor that is both empowering and endearing. Miss Fiester, along with the entire cast, dons several gorgeous period costumes and doesn’t just wear the clothes but walks, sits, and lives in them as naturally as one would in the 1890s. Finally, Brad Myers plays the epitome of “mansplaining” characters, Judge Brack. With a veteran presence and cadence to his lines that allow for intimate hushes (still audible to the audience, of course) or the occasional outburst, Mr. Myers’ performance is a delicious slow burn from being an unsuspecting friend to George and Hedda to one of the most despicable men who have trounced around in all of Norway (where the play is set). Keeping in mind that this play was written by Ibsen, known for his iconic female leading roles and painting men in not always the most positive of lights, in a time period where women were not to be heard or share opinions unless asked, Mr. Myers and Miss Aiello show this social norm with ease. Mr. Myers, with his well-placed smirks, twinkles, and glances truly exudes Mr. Ibsen’s intention of portraying the type of men Judge Brack represents.

(Brad Myers (Judge Brack) and Brooke Aiello (Hedda); Photo credit: Gabriel Rios)

A job well done by all, catapulted by one of the most intelligently directing jobs I have seen in quite some time; Hedda Gabler, like many of Ibsen’s plays, is not an easy one to stage. The costumes have to be right, the scenic design has to be perfect, the cast has to be impeccably smart and intuitive as to each motivation and inflection of the lines, and the direction has to allow Ibsen’s script to do the work for them. I am happy to report that all these are done and done damn well. However, Miss Parish and cast have taken it a step further by filling in every moment and beat with reactions, attentive stares, effective business, and quick-paced scene changes that culminates in Ibsen’s work being every bit as compelling and relevant to 2017 audiences as it was in the late 1800s.

(Ted Nunes (Eilert) and Brooke Aiello (Hedda); Photo credit: Gabriel Rios)

Ibsen is rarely done, and is even more rarely done well; I implore you to hop on to The New Ensemble website/Facebook page and buy your ticket now. Do not miss the magnificence of this piece being done with a magnificent cast. Run, don’t walk to The New Ensemble’s phenomenal production of Hedda Gabler, playing for one more weekend at Fresno Pacific University’s Ashley Auditorium.