Tuesday, February 27, 2007
One Recital Down....
...a handful more to go....that is: I was assigned several Steinhardt 2nd Year Grad Students to coach, mainly to help prepare for their Recitals, all scheduled at varying times throughout the semester. Plus , several undergrads asked me to privately help with their undergrad recitals, and , of course, I said yes to them as well....so, taking into consideration the extremely busy schedules of each and every person involved, and the relative lack of hours in a day , scheduling all the times has been a fun game all by itself....finally, one of the recitals has been produced and performed (this past Saturday afternoon) and so - well....WHEW! And it went very well, showcasing the terrific talent of this one particular young actress pretty well..she looked and sounded and acted wonderfully throughout her entire hour or so, and I admired her more by the process' end than I even did at the start, which is, finally, saying something isn't it?
Another is coming up this weekend....we are spending a couple of hours on it this morning.
And, all told, this work has been creative and fun for me, and , I hope, for the kids involved as well. I am grateful to Bill W. for giving me these opportunities to work with such talent.
And, except for the rather schizophrenic shattering of energies and locations, on certain days, (ot to mention the relative lack of space at NYU for all these rehearsals to take place...oh, those poor beleaguered people who must schedule the space and apportion it out fairly!!), it has been a really easy thing to do.
Because Steinhardt is a Music School, the recitals follow a pretty classical form, even for those in the Musical Theatre track, so it has been really interesting to work in that form. Dianna H. and Michael R. at Steinhardt worked dilligently to shape the requirements for the recital process. And the students , both Undergrad and Grad, work hard to conform to those standards required of them. It is good discipline, in many ways.
Another is coming up this weekend....we are spending a couple of hours on it this morning.
And, all told, this work has been creative and fun for me, and , I hope, for the kids involved as well. I am grateful to Bill W. for giving me these opportunities to work with such talent.
And, except for the rather schizophrenic shattering of energies and locations, on certain days, (ot to mention the relative lack of space at NYU for all these rehearsals to take place...oh, those poor beleaguered people who must schedule the space and apportion it out fairly!!), it has been a really easy thing to do.
Because Steinhardt is a Music School, the recitals follow a pretty classical form, even for those in the Musical Theatre track, so it has been really interesting to work in that form. Dianna H. and Michael R. at Steinhardt worked dilligently to shape the requirements for the recital process. And the students , both Undergrad and Grad, work hard to conform to those standards required of them. It is good discipline, in many ways.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Once A Brother, Always....
....(it's funny: when I first typed the heading above, I typed "Once a Bother,Always..." and almost left it that way, as i quickly relived the hundreds of hours of sibling scrabbling Richard and I endured as youngsters...honestly, I must have been the world's most selfish, spoiled, impossible, mean and nasty little sister, and I can only say: THANK YOU RICHARD FOR STILL BEING MY FRIEND, and even loving me more now than I ever thought possible....!!! I am so glad I have such a fine man for a brother...even when I was younger, (once he went away to school) I must admit, I used to explore his room and think: Jeez, this guy is really interesting!....even then , I knew how special a person he was, and is...but I probably never admitted it to him....now, gladly, I not only admit it, but want to yell it from high rooves.... (is there such a word as "rooves"?) Richard Baron is a wonderful man. And thank you for caring enough to post that History Channel news on my behalf.
I am still downtown here at NYU, typing this entry at Bobst Library, because I am committed to ushering one of my Grad students' recitals into the Black Box Theatre and tonight is the night for that. I have spent a long day down here, coaching, visiting classes, confering with other teachers...and I've enjoyed it. And tonight should be fun, because Dayna G. is a terrifically talented actress and singer, and it'll be fun to help her , when she needs me to.
Her recital is the day after tomorrow.
I may help out soon, coaching some of the longer speeches for a small production of ROMEO AND JULIET that some of the kids want to put together. Evan Mueller, a wonderful acting teacher for the undergrads, is directing, and today he and I spoke about how I might be of some help. If I do that, it could be interesting. We'll see.
My darling Peter will come downtown with me Saturday and attend the recital, after which he and I plan a nice date night together! Dinner and whatever. We can both use it. Fun.
I am still downtown here at NYU, typing this entry at Bobst Library, because I am committed to ushering one of my Grad students' recitals into the Black Box Theatre and tonight is the night for that. I have spent a long day down here, coaching, visiting classes, confering with other teachers...and I've enjoyed it. And tonight should be fun, because Dayna G. is a terrifically talented actress and singer, and it'll be fun to help her , when she needs me to.
Her recital is the day after tomorrow.
I may help out soon, coaching some of the longer speeches for a small production of ROMEO AND JULIET that some of the kids want to put together. Evan Mueller, a wonderful acting teacher for the undergrads, is directing, and today he and I spoke about how I might be of some help. If I do that, it could be interesting. We'll see.
My darling Peter will come downtown with me Saturday and attend the recital, after which he and I plan a nice date night together! Dinner and whatever. We can both use it. Fun.
Seeing Evalyn on The History Channel
My sister, Evalyn Baron, has forgotten to mention that she completed an on-line video segment for The History Channel, which you can see here. Her segment is called “Nelly’s Shocking Day” and she’s playing George Washington's grand-daughter in later life. The segment appears in the group of videos THC has titled “Explore Mount Vernon.”If the link fails, go to www.history.com. There’s so much on this site, you’re going to have to dig a little; I suggest searching for THE HISTORY CHANNEL CLASSROOM PRESENTS: GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Even after so very many years, I still get goose bumps when I see Evalyn perform – I’m grateful that she’s allowed me to post this to her blog.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Barbara Mitchell 's Art
.......and my oversight in giving this lovely artist credit....I want to correct that here:
Barbara Mitchell is the resourceful fabric artist who made (on commisson) the gorgeous wall hanging we now have in our Red Dining Room.....and the poem accompanying it is by Caitlin Matthews....previously, I had credited Caitlin with both the art and the poem....I was in error.
Barbara , please forgive....we do love the the beautiful piece sent to us by Ann and Chrins Johnson: The 4 Elements...so lush and lovely. Hanging right by our piano.
So much to write about . More soon, dear readers.
Barbara Mitchell is the resourceful fabric artist who made (on commisson) the gorgeous wall hanging we now have in our Red Dining Room.....and the poem accompanying it is by Caitlin Matthews....previously, I had credited Caitlin with both the art and the poem....I was in error.
Barbara , please forgive....we do love the the beautiful piece sent to us by Ann and Chrins Johnson: The 4 Elements...so lush and lovely. Hanging right by our piano.
So much to write about . More soon, dear readers.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
110 IN THE SHADE
....at Steinhardt...the big Spring Musical on the large stage at Skirball Auditorium...had a date with James C. ( wonderful friend and pianist for my classes) for dinner and the show last night, and we both floated out of Skirball , it was so wonderful!
Isaac Q. amd Abby B. - the amazingly sexy and unexpected Starbuck and Lizzy - proved to all that they have deep gifts AND that the work we do at our school is solid, exciting ,provocative and solidly terrific: the voices are among the very best i have heard at NYU, and the acting technique unmatched anywhere I have seen on the NYU campus....Bill Wesbrooks directed this very difficult show (especially difficult to make real and human and believable)...and Michael Ricciardone conducted the 25-piece NYU show orchestra..one of the thrills of Steinhardt shows is the availability of superbly trained pit musicians, trained for opera orchestras and show pits, as well as solo work by the best teachers in NYC, and Michael R. is superb at shaping not only a company vocal sound, but an orchestral sound as well, and last night,it was better than most Broadway sounds I have heard, mainly due to the simple fact that the amplification was subtle and un-intrusive! It was just there (and recognizably so, unavoidably) but in a good way, not a bad one. Also, clearly, the players trusted their conductor and loved what they were playing. It sounded glorious.
But back to what's important: the work of the students on the stage, since that is what we concern ourselves with in our classrooms. The most wonderful thing to be able to report is that what we all teach in the rooms showed up unmistakably and powerfully on stage last night. This should be a point of pride for all who teach at Steinhardt, in our Musical Theatre track...Bill W. did cast it beautifully (Abby Baum proved an exciting and unpredictable and highly personal "Lizzie" - Isaac, a sexy, sweet,true "Starbuck", with a sadness all his own)...But most impressively, Bill directed it in a way that allowed for the young actors to really show up with what they had to offer as actors: clearly , Bill smoothed a pathway for their own discoveries, because what we saw was not the result of any sort of spoon-feeding or rigidity from the director: it was an allowance and space for the actors to grow in...the scenes in the tack room were enough evidence of that...they were astonishingly sexy and tender...totally believable as Lizzie's necessary journey...then when the sounds of Abby's voice lushly poured forth from her heart and throat (Brava! teacher Christine Reimer), well, our hearts melted. I wept, it was so beautiful when she sang Simple Little Things like it had never been sung before...a total rediscovery of an all too familiar song...Jay Johnson and Madeleine Fallier were an impeccably adorable and honestly human Jimmy and his Little Red Hat Girl.....not one moment of false musical comedy nonsense...just fun youngsters with sex and love on their fertile minds...so refreshing to see, again unexpectedly, truth in even those dangerous performances: most people over-act them horribly, over -"cute" them...not these two. So proud of them. I need to mention Abby's delicious Floozie number because it showed how personal and quirky her comedy can be, so believable. It served to deepen the relationship with her Father so simply....so easily...such good work.
The Skirball is difficult to realize shows well in, because of its sad accoustical oversights and oddly wide sight lines...but Bill W. solved whatever problems could have plagued this delicate sweet yet sturdy show. The set was simple simple simple...monochromatic in its prairie feel, the backdrop serving well with its long horizon feel....my kind of set....and the colors were kept simple. The thrilling splashes came from deep inside the actors and I could not have been more grateful for that fact.
Bravo to all concerned and thank you fro a wonderful night in the theater.
Isaac Q. amd Abby B. - the amazingly sexy and unexpected Starbuck and Lizzy - proved to all that they have deep gifts AND that the work we do at our school is solid, exciting ,provocative and solidly terrific: the voices are among the very best i have heard at NYU, and the acting technique unmatched anywhere I have seen on the NYU campus....Bill Wesbrooks directed this very difficult show (especially difficult to make real and human and believable)...and Michael Ricciardone conducted the 25-piece NYU show orchestra..one of the thrills of Steinhardt shows is the availability of superbly trained pit musicians, trained for opera orchestras and show pits, as well as solo work by the best teachers in NYC, and Michael R. is superb at shaping not only a company vocal sound, but an orchestral sound as well, and last night,it was better than most Broadway sounds I have heard, mainly due to the simple fact that the amplification was subtle and un-intrusive! It was just there (and recognizably so, unavoidably) but in a good way, not a bad one. Also, clearly, the players trusted their conductor and loved what they were playing. It sounded glorious.
But back to what's important: the work of the students on the stage, since that is what we concern ourselves with in our classrooms. The most wonderful thing to be able to report is that what we all teach in the rooms showed up unmistakably and powerfully on stage last night. This should be a point of pride for all who teach at Steinhardt, in our Musical Theatre track...Bill W. did cast it beautifully (Abby Baum proved an exciting and unpredictable and highly personal "Lizzie" - Isaac, a sexy, sweet,true "Starbuck", with a sadness all his own)...But most impressively, Bill directed it in a way that allowed for the young actors to really show up with what they had to offer as actors: clearly , Bill smoothed a pathway for their own discoveries, because what we saw was not the result of any sort of spoon-feeding or rigidity from the director: it was an allowance and space for the actors to grow in...the scenes in the tack room were enough evidence of that...they were astonishingly sexy and tender...totally believable as Lizzie's necessary journey...then when the sounds of Abby's voice lushly poured forth from her heart and throat (Brava! teacher Christine Reimer), well, our hearts melted. I wept, it was so beautiful when she sang Simple Little Things like it had never been sung before...a total rediscovery of an all too familiar song...Jay Johnson and Madeleine Fallier were an impeccably adorable and honestly human Jimmy and his Little Red Hat Girl.....not one moment of false musical comedy nonsense...just fun youngsters with sex and love on their fertile minds...so refreshing to see, again unexpectedly, truth in even those dangerous performances: most people over-act them horribly, over -"cute" them...not these two. So proud of them. I need to mention Abby's delicious Floozie number because it showed how personal and quirky her comedy can be, so believable. It served to deepen the relationship with her Father so simply....so easily...such good work.
The Skirball is difficult to realize shows well in, because of its sad accoustical oversights and oddly wide sight lines...but Bill W. solved whatever problems could have plagued this delicate sweet yet sturdy show. The set was simple simple simple...monochromatic in its prairie feel, the backdrop serving well with its long horizon feel....my kind of set....and the colors were kept simple. The thrilling splashes came from deep inside the actors and I could not have been more grateful for that fact.
Bravo to all concerned and thank you fro a wonderful night in the theater.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Je Suis Content
CONTENTMENT - a state of happiness and satisfaction...from the early Middle English meaning: the payment of something owed....
Ever since i was a child, I had the eerie feeling that happiness was a matter of the balancing of some scale or other...that if I experienced a string of good things in my young life, it was my imaginary law of nature that a string of "bad" events would follow...i'm not sure where this notion sprang from in my youthful brain...but i seem to recall it was a result of empirical experience: I began to notice that I never stayed happy for long...that inevitably something would come along to shake that sunny state down into darkness....BUT , not too much later, I would be feeling happy again..the vision of the roller coaster of life was there, even in my childish brain......what a powerful thing for a youngster to understand! But I distinctly remember somehow "knowing" this law of , at least, my universe.
So it is with some trepidation that i hereby state : I am content! I am (as the above computer definition states) satisfied and happy in my life...and if the early Middle English root is to be considered: I guess i feel like something owing has been paid: my sweaty and dramatic efforts have yielded a basic acceptance ...an understanding of what may be owned as "justice" in the living of a human life. I say this with the fear born of experience: as soon as I say i am happy, something will come to knock me down....but at least I have the consolation of knowing that tomorrow will come, and i shall rise, like "Annie" to sing about it....so, bravely I state:
I am in the middle of a truly contented and creatively productive time of my decades of living, and i want to shout this recognition from hilltops, because it feels so good. And if life is about singing the music of the Universe (as I believe it is), then let me sing it....this string of uninterrupted cozy nights with a man I love...this daily progress of hours with young artists who challenge and fulfill me with our shared work....this daily recognition of life's warmth, amidst some deeply cold days... this time of looking at the horrifying world and being able to wonder at Man's magnificence even as he errs....how else can i describe it except to say: I have earned this time, and I am content. I am filled with an energy that makes me want to cook for others! It makes me want to read and read and read and actually take the time to finish books! It makes me want to love.....Oddly, it does not make me want to perform a play or musical, as much as it makes me want to help others perform theirs! Because I want to come home at night and find out what silly things have happened on our favorite TV shows! Serve Peter meals and find out what his day has been like and actually listen to what he has to say! NOT sign in at some midtown half-hour and regret the loss of time.....not to feel dispossessed and wandering like some gypsy, going out to work when everyone else is coming home....God forbid: I like this civilian life!
I NEVER imagined I would be capable of saying such a thing...I even had disdain for the "normal" ones who actually had to pay to see a show...there was a slight divide between me and what I always considered "audience"...me and "the public"...as silly as that may sound...it always kept me feeling separate...and i cannot remember a time when that was not so for me, even as a kid....whew! How lonely...I usd to hate being part of an audience because that meant it was not me who was up on that stage, holding the job, doing the role...it was someone else...and there I was, poor , forlorn me, having to be in "the house" watching....BUT THAT IS NOT SO ANY MORE...now, everything I see, I am grateful it is NOT me up there....and when I see something performed less well than its potential promised, I am deeply glad I don't have to contend with all the factors that went into making it less than it should have been...and when i see something that inspires and changes me in all good ways, I am thrilled to have been audience for it...grateful, in fact. Grateful. And ready to share it with my students.
Which brings me to one of the main reasons I feel such contentment: the amazing, energetic and gifted Steinhardt students i am working with right now. Yikes! I sat through one entire coaching session yesterday with an amazing young woman, and had waves and waves of goosebumps as she worked: I saw the unfolding of a human spirit ...her understanding and willingness to journey deeper into her technique , her knowing , her discoveries...well, it was so good. So useful to the world, no matter what she chooses to do with it....of course, she will choose the professional theatrical track for a while at least...and so she should...but there is a power, an empathy and heart in this artist, and the world can only be better for it. No matter what road she takes to share it. And there I am, daily in the presence of such stuff.
Hell, it's better than SHOPPING!!!
Speaking of which: I got the best new coat! Finally, a winter coat I can actually button all the way down! Snuggly and faux-furry and warm....YAY! Reversible brown leather...gorgeous....
We are throwing a dinner party tomorrow night: Paul, Steve, Janice G. and Sue D...Peter and me, and doggies three! (Foxy will accompany paul and Steve)....steaks, and pasta, and vegetarian chili....good hearty stuff! The Red Dining Room rocks and rolls again!
Ever since i was a child, I had the eerie feeling that happiness was a matter of the balancing of some scale or other...that if I experienced a string of good things in my young life, it was my imaginary law of nature that a string of "bad" events would follow...i'm not sure where this notion sprang from in my youthful brain...but i seem to recall it was a result of empirical experience: I began to notice that I never stayed happy for long...that inevitably something would come along to shake that sunny state down into darkness....BUT , not too much later, I would be feeling happy again..the vision of the roller coaster of life was there, even in my childish brain......what a powerful thing for a youngster to understand! But I distinctly remember somehow "knowing" this law of , at least, my universe.
So it is with some trepidation that i hereby state : I am content! I am (as the above computer definition states) satisfied and happy in my life...and if the early Middle English root is to be considered: I guess i feel like something owing has been paid: my sweaty and dramatic efforts have yielded a basic acceptance ...an understanding of what may be owned as "justice" in the living of a human life. I say this with the fear born of experience: as soon as I say i am happy, something will come to knock me down....but at least I have the consolation of knowing that tomorrow will come, and i shall rise, like "Annie" to sing about it....so, bravely I state:
I am in the middle of a truly contented and creatively productive time of my decades of living, and i want to shout this recognition from hilltops, because it feels so good. And if life is about singing the music of the Universe (as I believe it is), then let me sing it....this string of uninterrupted cozy nights with a man I love...this daily progress of hours with young artists who challenge and fulfill me with our shared work....this daily recognition of life's warmth, amidst some deeply cold days... this time of looking at the horrifying world and being able to wonder at Man's magnificence even as he errs....how else can i describe it except to say: I have earned this time, and I am content. I am filled with an energy that makes me want to cook for others! It makes me want to read and read and read and actually take the time to finish books! It makes me want to love.....Oddly, it does not make me want to perform a play or musical, as much as it makes me want to help others perform theirs! Because I want to come home at night and find out what silly things have happened on our favorite TV shows! Serve Peter meals and find out what his day has been like and actually listen to what he has to say! NOT sign in at some midtown half-hour and regret the loss of time.....not to feel dispossessed and wandering like some gypsy, going out to work when everyone else is coming home....God forbid: I like this civilian life!
I NEVER imagined I would be capable of saying such a thing...I even had disdain for the "normal" ones who actually had to pay to see a show...there was a slight divide between me and what I always considered "audience"...me and "the public"...as silly as that may sound...it always kept me feeling separate...and i cannot remember a time when that was not so for me, even as a kid....whew! How lonely...I usd to hate being part of an audience because that meant it was not me who was up on that stage, holding the job, doing the role...it was someone else...and there I was, poor , forlorn me, having to be in "the house" watching....BUT THAT IS NOT SO ANY MORE...now, everything I see, I am grateful it is NOT me up there....and when I see something performed less well than its potential promised, I am deeply glad I don't have to contend with all the factors that went into making it less than it should have been...and when i see something that inspires and changes me in all good ways, I am thrilled to have been audience for it...grateful, in fact. Grateful. And ready to share it with my students.
Which brings me to one of the main reasons I feel such contentment: the amazing, energetic and gifted Steinhardt students i am working with right now. Yikes! I sat through one entire coaching session yesterday with an amazing young woman, and had waves and waves of goosebumps as she worked: I saw the unfolding of a human spirit ...her understanding and willingness to journey deeper into her technique , her knowing , her discoveries...well, it was so good. So useful to the world, no matter what she chooses to do with it....of course, she will choose the professional theatrical track for a while at least...and so she should...but there is a power, an empathy and heart in this artist, and the world can only be better for it. No matter what road she takes to share it. And there I am, daily in the presence of such stuff.
Hell, it's better than SHOPPING!!!
Speaking of which: I got the best new coat! Finally, a winter coat I can actually button all the way down! Snuggly and faux-furry and warm....YAY! Reversible brown leather...gorgeous....
We are throwing a dinner party tomorrow night: Paul, Steve, Janice G. and Sue D...Peter and me, and doggies three! (Foxy will accompany paul and Steve)....steaks, and pasta, and vegetarian chili....good hearty stuff! The Red Dining Room rocks and rolls again!
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Snows They Are A'Comin'
...or so say the weather people...a snowy slushy wet storm of some sort...and, with it already being so late in this Winter season, I say :YAY! It's about time the weather began acting like it was supposed to, giving us at least a semblance of a feeling that we are not actually ruining the planet with our greeds and needs....anyway, it is a very deep lowering grey outside and i am snuggled warmly with my dogs, reading an astounding biography of Thomas Alva Edison...there is so much to read in the world.
And one of my dreams has always been to settle down in some small seaside community for a period of months, get a card from the local (well-stocked) library, and start at the very first shelf and simply read my way through all the shelves! No matter what the book, just devour it, and then move on to the next book....read hundreds of books in a proscribed amount of time and simply do it for the joy learning and escaping into a writer's world.
Maybe one day.....
So much to write about and so little writer energy going on in me today...so, I shall indulge myself and write when and what I feel like....it's that kind of day. And i have such joys to write of, such students, such discoveries...even the warmth and softness of my boy- dog's furry paws is worth writing about today...the cunning nature of the girl -pup's eyes and sweet soft tongue as it gently lets me know she adores me....it's a slow soft lick, very very gentle and petite...Peter calls them her 'soft lickies"...is there anything more pleasureful? The three of us are quiet and at rest here today, and whereas i should go to the gym (no matter the grey around me and the cold), instead i will lay back down on the soft sofa and read more about the man who invented modernity!
More soon, dear readers.
And one of my dreams has always been to settle down in some small seaside community for a period of months, get a card from the local (well-stocked) library, and start at the very first shelf and simply read my way through all the shelves! No matter what the book, just devour it, and then move on to the next book....read hundreds of books in a proscribed amount of time and simply do it for the joy learning and escaping into a writer's world.
Maybe one day.....
So much to write about and so little writer energy going on in me today...so, I shall indulge myself and write when and what I feel like....it's that kind of day. And i have such joys to write of, such students, such discoveries...even the warmth and softness of my boy- dog's furry paws is worth writing about today...the cunning nature of the girl -pup's eyes and sweet soft tongue as it gently lets me know she adores me....it's a slow soft lick, very very gentle and petite...Peter calls them her 'soft lickies"...is there anything more pleasureful? The three of us are quiet and at rest here today, and whereas i should go to the gym (no matter the grey around me and the cold), instead i will lay back down on the soft sofa and read more about the man who invented modernity!
More soon, dear readers.
