Mustard Seed Theatre Blog

Moving ..... the blog, that is

We're packing up and moving ... the blog, that is, to

http://mustardseedtheatre.wordpress.com/

So if you've followed us here, please follow us there!  And here's a teaser... I quote a song from "The Little Mermaid" in my first post!

Humanity, Hope

Two productions in less than 24 hours:  August, Osage County last night and The Diary of Anne Frank this afternoon.

Osage County is a descent into the nightmare side of the American Dream. Each member of the family escapes in her/his own way -- pills, drink, fantasies - adding to layers of anger and fear instead of scraping them away. We laugh at them, trying to distance the truth they embody - even as we recognize ourselves and our relationships.

Anne Frank reveals how what we pay attention to makes the difference between happiness and despair. Anne focuses on how to better herself, on the moments of sunshine that creep through the shutter-cracks. Her hopeful attitude infected the audience: during the epilogue in which Mr. Frank reveals the fates of everyone who stayed in "the annex," we were all holding our breath, hoping somehow that this time, he wouldn't tell us that Anne was dead. When he did, even though we knew it was coming, it felt as if the air was momentarily sucked out of the room.

The power of stories honestly and fearless told.....

Fourth season Opener:

CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY, by Pulitzer prize-winning author Lynn Nottage, will be the first show in Mustard Seed Theatre's fourth season, running August 27 - September 12, 2010. The show will be directed by Linda Kennedy (artistic associate at the Black Repertory Theatre) and will be performed in the Fontbonne University theatre.

Sometimes a crumb falls from the table of joy,

Sometimes a bone is flung.

To some people love is given,

To others only heaven.    

 --Langston Hughes, "Luck"

Crumbs from the Table of Joy is described by NY Times critic Ben Brantley as "...an African-American variation on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn... a mixture of comedy and poignancy."  Narrated by 17-year-old Ernestine Crump, whose mother has recently died, the story follows her family's move from Florida to New York City in 1950. Her father's new-found devotion to mail-order minister Father Divine, her aunt's socialist political views, and a most unexpected Step-Mother push Ernestine into escapist movie fantasies. Ultimately she decides to face reality and embarks on her own journey to college and beyond.

Mustard Seed Expanding!

No, we haven't eaten too much leftover Valentine's Day candy.  (Well we have, but that's not the cause of THIS particular expansion.)

Here's the news:

Mustard Seed Theatre's 4th season (August 2010 through May 2011) will include FOUR productions and two special-event readings!

Details on the first of the 4 shows will be divulged right HERE in this VERY blog on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

What PRUNES can teach us:

  OK, raise your hand if you remember prunes ... you know, that wrinkly brown thing your grandma would try to get you to eat because it would keep you "regular."  Ditto for "prune juice" -- seen as medicine more than a beverage of choice.

  Some few years ago I started hearing ads for this delicious new fruit snack called "Dried Plums." Packaged in bright shiny individual wrappers, like candy -- who could resist?!

  (pssst.... they're still prunes.....)

  Prune, er... dried plum sales have risen. Plum juice is on all the shelves.  So what's changed?  More than the name -- our perception of the thing itself.  From a symbol of aging to a fresh smart food choice!

  Maybe broccoli or brussel sprouts need to take the hint?

   

 

Next Season

We're busy finalizing the details for our 4th season -- Wow!  It will feature the return of "The Dijon Discussion Series" -- staged readings of plays designed to encourage energetic dialogue. Lots more exciting news coming .... soon!

(hint.... CS Lewis will play a part in 3 of the 6 season offerings!)

 

Perception

  Kareem, the sound and video designer for Fires in the Mirror says that the word "perception" summarizes his experience of the show. We see not only what is in front of us, but also what we expect to see, what we've been taught to see, what we want to see. (The same could be said, I'm sure, for what we hear.)

  Have you done this perception test?  It's pretty telling: (click on the basketball test on your left):

http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

  What do you think -- of that test, of the idea that "perception is reality"?  Is it in fact possible to change our perceptions, and if so, how?

Perception

  Kareem, the sound and video designer for Fires in the Mirror says that the word "perception" summarizes his experience of the show. We see not only what is in front of us, but also what we expect to see, what we've been taught to see, what we want to see. (The same could be said, I'm sure, for what we hear.)

  Have you done this perception test?  It's pretty telling: (click on the basketball test on your left):

http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

  What do you think -- of that test, of the idea that "perception is reality"?  Is it in fact possible to change our perceptions, and if so, how?

Lingering

Which character or moment or image from Fires in the Mirror lingers in your mind?

Opening night - "Fires in the Mirror"

Nearly 40 people stayed for our post-show discussion last night. One person commented that there didn't seem to be much hope in this play. In response, some saw glimmers of hope if not in the words of the people who were interviewed, at least in the performance itself and the dialogue/ hope that it might inspire. 

Is there hope for peace between warring tribes.... ever?  Or is it in our human DNA to stay insularly tribal?