"Fat, Turning Grey" - A BCM (TBC, BoCo) Holiday Celebration

It was fantastic to see some of our old Conservatory friends last evening at O'Flaherty's on 46th Street. O'Flaherty's was always a hangout for many of us who made the move to NYC. It looks different. But as Kathy P. pointed out, it still has the same smell (old cabbage and beer.)
I hadn't seen Kathy P. in years. She's been touring with "Annie" for the past couple of years. Now they're at Madison Square Garden for the holidays, having picked up Kathie Lee Gifford to massacre Miss Hannigan during their stay.
Here's the only decent photo we got.

Amorphophallus titanum

We saw the infamous "Corpse Flower" at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens the other day. Since they have a webcam which updates every minute, we called my parents in PA to see if they might see us during one of the camera's cycles. Well, they caught Jack as he was talking to some other visitors.
This plant is amazing. It just so happens that we were at the NY Botanic Gardens a couple weeks ago for the Chihuly exhibit, we snapped pictures of Tom Otterness' sculptures of an Amorphophallus titanum. Who knew that we'd actually see one in bloom so soon afterward.

Uptown Magazine's top up-and-coming jazz singer!

A fantastic Bastille Day!

We had a great Bastille Day party this past Saturday (7/15/06).
The whole idea came about by me wanting to see some old Boston Conservatory friends.

Unfortunately, only 2 came on the actual day, Lynn and Neil. Our friend Carolyn had messed up the date and came a week early so we should count her as well. Lynn is the producer of the highly successful “Carols for a Cure” holiday CD’s. Her label is Rockit Science. It was so great to see her and her family. Neil is the Head of the Theater Department at Boston Conservatory. I felt awful that I couldn’t produce more alums for his long trip. But, it was great visiting with him again.

All in all about 50 or so people came, neighbors, previous work associates, present work associates, and other great friends. Even a new friend of mine from my men’s knitting group came with his partner. I was so thrilled they showed!

The real star of the party (besides Hazel who made a brief appearance in her can-can outfit) was Allyn’s food. No matter what the occasion, Allyn always blows guests away with her creations. We had decided on a sort of tasting menu of 7 courses, aperitif through dessert, all presented in 1 or 2 bite servings, passed by a couple servers. When I was overheard telling Allyn to go ahead and send the soup out, one guest wondered how we were going to do that. Allyn came up with a vichyssoise “shot” in an edible cup sprinkled with chives. Brilliant! It was one of the best ideas. I’m hoping that Ambianti Catering gets lots of gigs out of it. On a side note, Allyn hired a new server who as it turned out was quite a successful working actress. She has about 30 movies under her belt including “The Crush” where she appeared as Cary Elwes’ wife who meets her demise in a greenhouse filled with stinging bees. How could you not love that?!

I missed my brother but as a film producer he often has to run out of town for work. His bride to be Nina did come though looking as gorgeous as ever.

Oh, yeah, our friends Frank and James brought the most brilliant centerpiece. James made a guillotine with sunflowers in it. One of the flowers was on the block ready to be beheaded.

Nada mas…ou ce n'est pas plus que rien.

S

The garden is growing and Hazel loves it.

New Garden

We put in edging, low fencing (Hazel still manages to trample the plants, though!) an arbor for grapes and clematis, and a pebble area for the dog's biz.
I'll post more pictures on the page later.

http://bearcreeknyc.com/Garden.htm

Jack took me to see "Sweeney Todd" for my b'day the other evening. A great production! We also spied Michael Cerveris walking his dog before the curtain. I thought I got the dog mid-poop but I didn't have the zoom on.

A New Beginning

With so much sadness, I have announced my resignation from the Center Director of Community Arts position at the West Side YMCA.

My last day at the West Side YMCA will be Friday, April 21, 2006.

My experience at the YMCA has taught me much, and I am grateful for the experience. I am especially proud of producing 5 years of performing arts productions in an inadequate space and for raising the level of membership revenue through arts participation.

My future plans include accepting the Deputy Director position at the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts to begin on May 1, 2006.

I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with so many talented and terrific people. I wish everyone in the YMCA the best.

A very nice item in today's New York Times

This is our final weekend of performances in the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. We received a very nice little item about "Literally Alive's" production of The Ugly Duckling.

Culture Catch at My Theater Tonight!

Come to the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater tonight for a special edition of Dusty Wright's Culture Catch.

CultureCatch Live Event: Monday, March 6th 7:30-9pm, Majorie S. Deane Little Theater, West Side Y at 5 West 63rd Street, NYC

Tennessee Williams lived and worked here. He rehearsed some of his most famous plays here. Monday, March 6th, The Writer’s Voice at the West Side Y and CultureCatch.com offer a reading/performance celebrating “…Now and Then and Then and Now…” It doesn't have much to do with Tennessee – except his spirit. Featuring a solo performance by internationally recognized jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, and a poem by Steve Holtje, a story by James Braly, a tale by Laren Stover, another poem by Steve Dalachinsky w/Matthew Shipp, a rant from Therese Plummer, and a missive by Ken Krimstein; all from the Writer’s Voice and CultureCatch.com. This is free, limited seating.

CPR

I urge everyone to get their CPR certification. The new CPR that is taught by the American Red Cross is the easiest one ever. The procedures are defined very specifically and the use of the Automatic Electric Defibrillation Units are remarkable.

After years of having CPR certification requirements for my job in aquatics, I never had to use it. Now that I'm in arts management it's no longer required. I am pleased that I have continued to re-certify anyway.

Yesterday morning, I had to perform CPR on a man who collapsed. I got word from the hospital that he is alive in stable condition today. I had the assistance of someone else who was able to provide breaths while I did chest compressions.

Please, get your CPR and first aid certifications. www.redcross.org

scp

Amaryllis

Ann Marie and Dennis (my sister and brother-in-law) gave us this Amaryllis and the handmade tiled pot for Xmas.

I think it turned out beautifully.

Beware of Puppy Mills

I posted this on my Frenchie Meetup.com group but I thought it would be valuable to those googling French Bulldogs.

It is vital to your experience as a dog-owner, that you do as much research as possible before purchasing a pup. I've encountered numerous people who long for a dog and then get seduced by the sad eyes in a pet-store window or decide in the moment to get a puppy because it just "chose them." Unfortunately, the illness and death stories I read about, proliferate afterward.

Get as many written references as you can for your breeder. Meet owners who have adopted from the same breeder you are considering if at all possible.

Does your breeder interview you? How interested are they in placing a pup in your home? Most caring breeders will get as much information from you as you ask from them.

Responsible breeders are unlikely to have a lucrative puppy business. It's often a sideline. They're fanatics about the breed and only want the best lines. If a breeder has numerous puppies, available in all colors, I'd say beware. Frenchies often have small litters. More than 3 pups per bitch is a lot. How many times can you breed a bitch in one year? Whelping is often done by a vet with Frenchies too. Large, hard skulls passing through narrow pelvises often require Ceasarian birthing. The stock is not prevalent in a responsible breeder's pen. If a breeder says you can get a Frenchie pup immediately, what you got there is a puppy miller.

My $0.02

Sean

Grizzly Man

I finally saw Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man this past weekend. Discovery Channel has been running it.

I cannot get it out of my mind. Timothy Treadwell, who despite having no zoological background, decided to live amongst Grizzlies in Alaska. He died along with his girlfriend, victims of a bear-mauling.



The naiveté that Treadwell shows in his relationship to nature is nothing short of remarkable. By anthropomorphizing these creatures, and living some life of "one-ness" with nature, Treadwell is blind to the savagery that is inherent in it.

Herzog treats his subject with respect but never shies from opining.

Click the title of this post to view the trailer.

As I said before --------- I-N-S-A-N-E

The Steelers (Stillers for those from Pgh.) won!
My mother's concrete goose was dressed for the occasion. It's been dressed for every holiday and even wore a bridal veil at my sister's wedding!
And now, without further ado......

The goose in black & gold.....

Jonathan Bressler's She Wolf

I've written before about our friend Jonathan Bressler. I think I wrote when he had his show at the National Arts Club back in June 2005.
His work is remarkable. We're hanging one of my favorite pieces right now. He often uses Greco-Roman classical sculpture as a starting point. Through collage, faux-finishing techniques, etc., he finds newness in his familiar subjects.
The piece is for sale. Please contact me through this site if you are interested. I will put you in touch with Mr. Bressler.

Sean

Red-tailed Hawk Taken Up Residence in Harlem

A family of Red-tailed Hawks had a nest of chicks on the roof of a nursing home in Harlem. One of the juveniles has stuck around, perching on an aerial at West 132nd Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. The rat and mouse hunting is probably pretty good right now with so many houses under construction. I haven't used my binoculars yet nor have I gottena photo. But, I see him pretty regularly on the aerial.

scp

Backstage is pretty good

He just didn't like the non-linear story-telling. I still think it's a pretty decent review.

My mother has gone Steeler mad!

I got my Terrible Towel in the mail today as well as this PowerPoint thing. I converted it to a movie file so it's easier to see. Enjoy! ------------------- Sorry, not available....requires too much bandwidth.

Sean

Sorry to everyone who kept getting RSS notices today

I'm trying out Mozilla Thunderbird as my email application. It doesn't
seem to have the same response rate as Outlook. The posts don't show as
"sent" and then they pile up. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Sean

The first review is in

Objete got a great write-up in offoffonline.

I can't believe what a little email can do!

I innocently sent out an email to some old Boston Conservatory friends about Steven Fales' show and now I'm getting tons of communications bouncing around. I love it! Going to Boston Conservatory was one of the best times of my life! Too bad it was when I was also way too clinically depressed to have it be as productive as one would have hoped. But, I loved my friends there and have had times when I've really missed them.
We're trying to put together a mini-reunion, possibly combining a trip to see "Confessions of a Mormon Boy". I hope we don't let it go too long.

The new orchestrations necessitated by the staging, sharpen the score to a fine point. Harold Prince's original production benefitted from the looming and dense sound. This one gasps, bursts, and sings with such pointed intensity that you're pulled even deeper into the recesses of the murderous barber's mind. "It stings a little" to borrow a phrase from the score, and it keeps stinging until its final glorious moment. Buy this recording NOW.

Read more about the production on the official website Sweeney Todd on Broadway

Get tickets at www.SmartTix.com. More info at http://bearcreeknyc.com/Objete.htm.

Glimpses of Objete. Get your tickets Now!

Come see The Cosmic Bicycle Theatre's production of Objete. It got great reviews in Montreal. It is also the penultimate production in our theater before the massive renovation. Get tickets early at www.SmartTix.com. More info at http://bearcreeknyc.com/Objete.htm.

Brokeback Mountain

I highly recommend this movie, for nothing else than Heath Ledger's remarkable performance. The arc of the story rests entirely on his journey. There is a subtleness to his acting that you might not have expected. I only had one problem with the movie *****SPOILER ALERT***** I found the dead sheep predictable and very unnecessary. As Ennis was riding back up the mountain, I kept begging the movie not to do the obvious thing and show us the result of his sin. And there it was...the punishment for crossing the line, the dead sheep. My problem with this is that it's too Greek tragedy. The story was not being told in that fashion and it was too bold and too obvious a choice. I was discussing this with someone on Sunday and he said that it was true to the book. Not having read it, I couldn't argue (although books and movies don't have to have anything to do with one another.) So, I read the book. WRONG!!!! No dead sheep. Ang Lee, or Larry McMurtry, put it in there. The only mention of a dead sheep in Proulx' story is a suspicion by Ennis that the coyote with balls big as apples musta got some lambs before he shot it. Too Greek to put it in. Still, go see the movie.

Get your tickets now for Confessions of a Mormon Boy

I knew Steven Fales very briefly at Boston Conservatory. He left after freshman year to go on his missionary duty for LDS.
I got back in touch with him by accident when his solo show Confessions of a Mormon Boy started touring the country. I wrote him and he's the same nice guy I knew way back when.
Tickets are available through the Soho Playhouse, for an upcoming NY run. The show is directed by Jack Hofsiss, who directed the original B'way production of The Elephant Man and the television version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Jessica Lange.
Do your best to see this remarkable performer baring his soul and finding his way through an adventurous life.