Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The 4610 Group!!!
...or as they have come to call themselves: The Village Players!!! Bravi and brave to them all!
I had my first official meeting with these terrific older actors last evening, the first since I was officially hired to lead the group, and I felt so proud of them. This is a group of between 8-10 folks, all over 75, at least, (Marthe , one of our leading ladies, is a gorgeous 92!), and theya re so excited about getting together each week and reading their plays aloud! And there is so much for me to learn from them....this odd wonderful group of former salesmen, teachers, jewelry polishers and designers...one marvelous woman, named Peggy Keating, is a former artists agent! And she is so beautiful and stylish and dear and good...a strong voice to spea with, a delightful miond and sense of humor...
Anyway.....to recall: Ruth Selman, a special old friend of Pat Yonka's from Montessori Peace Education days, has a son, a wonderful playwright, Matty Selman, whose plays were sent to me at Barter, and i subsequently suggested that they be read in NYC, and Matty and I became pals. Through him and the Yonkas I met Ruth and her amazing husband of 60 years Jerry....this is an amazing couple...my Old Reds, I call them...genuine dyed-in-the-wook old time Jewish Socialists with a conscience and mighty talented pens! I fell immediately in love with them both...and because a hurricane suddenly displaced them from their Florida home last year, Matty placed them at 4610 Village, near where he and his family live, and I have been able to get o know them all....especially since after they saw A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE Ruth asked us to dinner at the Village and then asked me to send a script of A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE to them for her drama club to read!!!!! Always a lover of theater and acting Ruth had STARTED A DRAMA CLUB at her old folks home!!!!! Typical of this astounding woman!
I took them a script of AFPP and then soon, Ruth was calling me to ask me to come talk to the group....amd join them for supper...I did...we had a ball and i got them sort of revved up to really shape the group more formally, which they proceeded to do.
And now for a while at least, i will work with them on a more regular basis...how much and how long for? Dunno. But we have things to teach each other. And I like these people. The Fall is getting pretty crunched , schedule-wise...but we shall see how long i can sustain a regular Tuesday night workout with this terrific group.
I had my first official meeting with these terrific older actors last evening, the first since I was officially hired to lead the group, and I felt so proud of them. This is a group of between 8-10 folks, all over 75, at least, (Marthe , one of our leading ladies, is a gorgeous 92!), and theya re so excited about getting together each week and reading their plays aloud! And there is so much for me to learn from them....this odd wonderful group of former salesmen, teachers, jewelry polishers and designers...one marvelous woman, named Peggy Keating, is a former artists agent! And she is so beautiful and stylish and dear and good...a strong voice to spea with, a delightful miond and sense of humor...
Anyway.....to recall: Ruth Selman, a special old friend of Pat Yonka's from Montessori Peace Education days, has a son, a wonderful playwright, Matty Selman, whose plays were sent to me at Barter, and i subsequently suggested that they be read in NYC, and Matty and I became pals. Through him and the Yonkas I met Ruth and her amazing husband of 60 years Jerry....this is an amazing couple...my Old Reds, I call them...genuine dyed-in-the-wook old time Jewish Socialists with a conscience and mighty talented pens! I fell immediately in love with them both...and because a hurricane suddenly displaced them from their Florida home last year, Matty placed them at 4610 Village, near where he and his family live, and I have been able to get o know them all....especially since after they saw A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE Ruth asked us to dinner at the Village and then asked me to send a script of A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE to them for her drama club to read!!!!! Always a lover of theater and acting Ruth had STARTED A DRAMA CLUB at her old folks home!!!!! Typical of this astounding woman!
I took them a script of AFPP and then soon, Ruth was calling me to ask me to come talk to the group....amd join them for supper...I did...we had a ball and i got them sort of revved up to really shape the group more formally, which they proceeded to do.
And now for a while at least, i will work with them on a more regular basis...how much and how long for? Dunno. But we have things to teach each other. And I like these people. The Fall is getting pretty crunched , schedule-wise...but we shall see how long i can sustain a regular Tuesday night workout with this terrific group.
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