Merry Christmas!

Jack

I've really been slacking at updating my blog but I've just returned (2 weeks ago) from a midwest adventure. I spent roughly 36 hours in the state of Minnesota and for 1 of those 36 hours I got to take photographs of my cousin Amy's boy Jack. I can't believe how big he is getting! Momo's yard was the perfect backdrop for some fall photos. Here are some of my favorits from the afternoon. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Friday Night Lights

I have spent three Friday evenings photographing the Wolfpack Football team. It has been a learning experience and quite the adventure. Here are a few favorite photos from each game.

 

Glacier Wolfpack vs. Great Falls CMR

 

 

After this game I decided I wanted to be closer to the action so I got permission to shoot down on the field like a pro sports photographer . . .

 

Glacier Wolfpack vs. Bozeman Hawks

 

 

 

 

Glacier Wolfpack vs. Flathead Braves

 

 

I love that the moon was almost full ...

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Tuesday

It's Tuesday, it feels like it should be Thursday but it is not. It is definitely Tuesday. Yesterday was my first day off in 7 days and it was quite nice. I spent the morning reading my book and helping bake a birthday cake and then in the evening went to dinner with SCR friends to celebrate a birthday at a place called "Panini Cafe" - some sort of Italian/Mediterranean food - REALLY YUMMY! After dinner we went mini-golfing and played in the arcade. I was second in mini-golf by 3 strokes and had 3 hole-in-ones. Had the course been in better shape I'm pretty sure I would have had a few more hole-in-ones and the first place title. It was quite the evening and a great way to spend a day off. I am actually off until Friday - not sure what exactly the next 3 days have in store but most of my spare time involves me trying to stay cool. It has been in the 90's all week and humid. I think it is the humidity that really puts me over the edge. You just can't get away from being sticky ALL the time. Thank goodness for swimming pools, glasses of ice water and fans.

This is a picture of the Seussical Cast and Crew: 

We had a great opening weekend - 4 houses that were all really close to being sold out. The opening show was a little crazy - things happening on stage and off that had never happened before. Costume pieces falling off, set pieces falling apart, students missing entrances, an usher trying to stop an actor from going on stage, kids missing costume pieces after a quick change - the list is longer but those are a few of the mishaps. We on the deck crew were definitely pulling our hair out but we survived and moved on to much improved second, third and fourth shows. With the exception of the air conditioning not working properly it was a pretty successful weekend. Click on this link to read a blog post from the perspective of one of the student cast members and see some behind the scenes photos.

We have 5 more shows - one Friday, two on Saturday and two on Sunday and then I'm headed home!

Reflections of OSF

I made it back to Orange county after an extra 14 hours in the San Francisco airport. Thats right 6:55pm  Saturday until 8:55am Sunday. It's not a bad airport to be stuck in. There is a fair amount to look at but it gets pretty lonely after midnight which is when all the shops close. I at one point found myself in a terminal that is incredibly reminiscent of the expensive part of South Coast Plaza. Needless to say I have spent more time than I ever need to in the San Francisco Airport.
I figured I better review all the shows I saw at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before I dive headfirst into tech week tomorrow. I was lucky enough to have saved enough pennies to see all nine shows that were open while I was in Ashland - typically the season consists of 11 plays but two close early in the season. The shows I saw, in viewing order, were:
Henry V
Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella
The Very Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa
Party People
All the Way
Animal Crackers
As You Like It
Troilus and Cressida
Romeo and Juliet

The following are my thoughts on each of the shows in order from least favorite to favorite. All of the shows were great and I had a really hard time ranking them this year. Harder than all other years likely because the quality of shows were just so high.

9: Romeo and Juliet ranks last in the nine shows I saw. Which is surprising to me because I love this play. I have now seen it three times at OSF and it is not 9th because it was a bad play it just wan't the best I saw this visit and I was a little underwhelmed by much of the acting. I thought the actor playing Romeo was incredible and very much appreciated the choices he made with the character and how he used Shakespeare's words - finding new meaning in an old story. The costuming, lighting and set design were all beautiful but as a whole it just seemed to fall a little short. There seemed to be a theme of "I"m GOING TO BE ANGRY AND YELL ALL MY LINES A LOT!!!!" which really over shadowed the poetry in of the words and lost a lot of emotion. It was good just not the best.

8: The Very Merry Wives of Windor, Iowa comes in 8th place. I was very amused with this production and thought it a very funny interpretation of Shakespeare's original "Very Merry Wives of Windor." It was clever and even though it was an original script Shakespeare's themes and story certainly were not lost.

7: Troilus and Cressida This is the first time I have seen Troilus and Cressida. It is certainly one of Shakespeare's lesser produced shows and having seen it I understand why. Director Rob Melrose says "unlike most of Shakespeare's plays, which come from obscure sources known only to scholars, T & C boasts a rich literary history: Homer's Illiad, Boccaccio's II Filostrato and Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde. In many ways this play is a collaboration among Shakespeare and his three literary equals across time. The result is a richly layered text that constantly revises and comments on its source materials. Like the layers of Shakespeare's sources, we are seeing the Trojan War as the beginning of a long history of East-West conflicts. In the detritus of war are reminders of the cultures that were here before." It was a beautiful production and a new(old) story to see played out on the stage.

6: Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella. I had hoped this particular show would land a little higher on my list but after thinking about it for so long I really do think it lies right about here. This show is exactly what the title says it is. All three shows, onstage, at the same time. The whole show is an interesting comparison of how power is attained, used and abused. Cinderella was a tiny bit darker than normal but overall the original styles/intentions of each show remained intact. It was really interesting to see how the three shows overlapped: royal ambition, magic, transformation, parent/child relations and the roles of women in male-dominated societies. The major question the show asked was "How do we choose to use the limited time given to us on this earth, and how are our decisions shaped by our awareness of those around us, even those who have come before us and those generations yet to come?" While it was serious in tone most of the time it was sprinkled with elements of humor - Shakespeare's Weird Sisters onstage with Rogers and Hammerstein's Ugly Step Sisters or the Ghost of Banquo becoming a guest at the royal ball. An interesting experiment to be sure but not the most profound or moving theatrical experience I've ever been a part of. Interesting to note that this was the first time I've seen something go "wrong" on stage. One of the characters spilled quite a bit of water on stage and it wasn't cleaned up in a timely fashion - the stage manager in me was really nervous for the actors and rightly so because one of them slipped and fell really hard, twisting his ankle, luckily he had made a full recovery by the time I saw him in Romeo and Juliet.

5: The fifth spot goes to Animal Crackers. This show was simply hilarious. I laughed so hard my sides hurt and tears stained my cheeks. It was a master class in improve theatre. The show was originally performed by the Marx Brothers. Director Allison Narver says "As much as theatre must challenge, provoke and deepen our understanding of the world, it has an equally pressing responsibility --- to engage us in the exuberance of being alive, reminding us that a little frivolity can be serious business." The show is never the same twice and on the night I was in attendance I was seated 4 seats away from a grandson of Chico Marx and the actors were definitely aware of it. The show was so unpredictable that even the stage manager intervened at one point. It was crazy and so fun to laugh so hard.

4: As You Like It. I was surprised this show ranked this high. I have seen it before and never been very fond of it but this was a beautiful production. The mostly classical interpretation of it allowed me to really hear the story for the first time. The acting was great and the simplicity of the staging really added to the tale. Technically speaking it was beautiful - there was a scene where the stage was graced by fireflies and it was truly beautiful.

3: Party People. This show was unlike anything I've ever seen before. A theatre group known as Universes was commissioned to write a chapter in OSF's "American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle." The story they chose to chronicle embodied the histories of the Black Panthers and Young Lords. Universes spent time researching and interviewing men and women from both parties. The show itself paints a portrait of life in the party, their tragedy, their triumphs and ultimately their heroism. Universes uses dance, song, rap, poetry, live video and just about every form of live entertainment you can think of to tell their story. After each matinee OSF hosts post-show discussions with one of the actors. The post show discussion for Party People was attended by the writers and one of the actors. It was a particularly interesting discussion from the start - people ask questions and the actor/writers do their best to respond. These writers were particularly good at turning questions around on the audience and eliciting responses to help them better understand the way their play is being received. Towards the end of the discussion and woman at the back of the group stood up and said she'd like to make an announcement. It was at the moment that one of the writers introduced one of the founding members of the Black Panthers. I sat in awe listening to the man thank the group for "telling the truths," the good, the bad and the ugly. I found myself moved by his emotion as he shared with us his story and his passion for doing good in the world.

2: Number two on my list, and not all that far behind number one is All The Way. I loved the history portrayed in the play. It is a new play that is part of the "American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle." The author Robert Schenkkan has devoted his playwriting career to uncovering truths in American history. No matter what the canvas he often tells the story of how we aspire and how often fail as a nation to meet up to our ideals. All The Way chronicles the first 11 months in LBJ's presidency. Illustrating how nation-shifting legislation was accomplished and how the presidency was won in 1964. Director Bill Rauch states "the relevance to 2012 election is stunning, like so much of Shakespeare's work All the Way examines power and morality." As I walked to my car I couldn't help but think how far we've come as a nation and how far we still have to go.

1: Henry V on the outdoor Elizabethan stage was my favorite. It was simply stunning. I loved the language of the play coupled with the directors clever staging one a relatively simple set. Director Joseph Haj states "With Henry V, Shakespeare delivers one of the spectacular heroic narratives, while simultaneously undermining the very heroic ideal that he sets up. Henry V is one of the great military leaders in world history. . .and Henry, like most of our great military leaders in history, could just as easily have been hanged for war crimes." A striking portrait of power and how power can corrupt. Definitely a 5 star production.

Three more shows

Three more shows and it's back to California I go. I will write more about all of the shows I've seen after I've watched the last three. It has been a pretty wonderful week of theatre so far and I'll finish out my shows with three Shakespearean works: As You Like It, Troilus and Cressida and Romeo and Juliet.

I was organizing my suit case this morning and came across a piece of paper I got in Seussical rehearsals. It is titled "A few 'Thinks' Fro the Authors" and I absolutely love what it says:

"Dr. Seuss believes in helping a friend, in not giving up, in keeping a promise. He believes in the value and dignity of others, in working to preserve the fragile sweetness of the natural world, and he believes that peace is the ultimate ideal, among nations and in every heart. He also believes in the pure power of the imagination. You will find all these serious concerns at the heart of 'Seussical'."

I just love that.

VACATION!

I am on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N !!!!! Yesterday my dad started at 5:00 AM in Costa Mesa, CA. I watched Olympic qualifying heats in swimming while I got ready to head to the Airport. The shuttle left at 5:45 and I got to John Wayne International Airport in Orange County by 6 am to find a LONG line of passengers that I was told by at least 6 people never existed. My flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 7:19 so I decided not to panic. I watched one man argue with the counter agent because he had been late for his flight (by 3 hours from what I could discern) and because he didn't call and say anything the airline canceled his ticket(s). All I know is the man was mad and holding up the line. It took almost an hour to get through check-in/security and I was passed by 3 people whose "gates are boarding RIGHT NOW-I need to get through the line . . .". Apparently those people had also heard that the O.C. airport is a breeze to get through. Lucky for me when I got to my gate our flight was delayed because we were waiting for our aircraft go navigate construction on the run way to get to the gate from its overnight parking spot. I guess it doesn't matter where you are - construction is always a pain. My flight was also delayed because of fog in San Francisco. I learned that this is usually the case so if you plan to fly through San Francisco try to avoid the morning when it is most likely to be foggy. It was a short flight up to the bay city and when we got there, there was definitely a wall of fog that appeared to be surrounding the airport. I took the shuttle bus to the terminal my gate was in and waited. I was shocked by the rudeness exhibited by the gate attendant towards some passengers. One man couldn't find his gate and got snapped at and another woman was apparently being to needy. A man in line for a sandwich at the deli next to my gate was mad because they were out of a certain kind of cheese. I was eager to get out of the negative atmosphere and on to the plane. The plane for the last leg of my trip was TINY! The rows of seats were arranged like this:
(seat) aisle (seat) (seat)
I was in the seat by itself and glad to have my own little corner. A little bit of a bumpy plane ride but I survived enough to successfully rent my first car on my own and navigate I5 to get to Ashland. My hotel - though not the fanciest has everything I need. I checked into my Super8, took a quick nap and headed into the heart of Ashland. I spent 20 minutes sitting in the park basking in the sun and was told "you look like a local, could you recommend a place to eat?" I am not sure what "local" in Ashland actually looks like but I am happy I fit that bill and "yes I could recommend a place to eat what do you feel like eating?"  I ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants - Martollie's Pizza where it is $6.95 for a LARGE slice of pizza, half a plate full of salad and a refillable drink. I always sit at the bar that faces the street and "people watch". Ashland is one of my favorite places to people watch. There are artists, tourists, hitchhikers, packs of children, people with dogs. It is a kaleidoscope of people.
I saw Henry V last night in the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre and it was pretty amayzing. The weather was perfect. I was comfortable the whole night in a skirt and tank top. The starts were pretty brilliant and I even had descent patrons watching the show on either side of me. Having seen Henry IV parts one and two here at the festival the last two years it was really fun to see the triad completed. I was particularly struck by the word play in this script. Shakespeare, whom I have always thought to be a great writer, was particularly clever with this script. The acting was superb and there were a few choices made with the script that particularly intrigued me. Nothing like starting out my first day in Ashland with an amazing show.
Today I will see two shows - Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella and The Merry Wives of Windsor Iowa. Both new plays or new ideas of a plays. Happy Sunday! Hopefully I'll have a picture or two to post soon :)

The Hummingbird Tree and new rules for "Hide and Seek"

So I got around to taking a photo or two of the enormous Hummingbird tree I mentioned before. It is crazy how many of these birds swarm this tree. I never got a good picture of the actual birds themselves as they are a bit too far away for the lens I have with me but the tree is still nice to look at.

Humming Bird Tree in the morning

Humming Bird Tree in the evening after rehearsal

Today while sitting on my tiny little porch a storm of boys on bicycles parked themselves beneath me and began arguing about the rules of hide and seek. The intensity of the argument seemed to be fueled by the fact that the boy on the orange bike, who was the apparent outcast of the group, insisted on tagging along. By group decision the boy on the orange bike was prounounced "it." Did you know that if you are "it", also known  the one who is doing the seeking, you are not allowed to speak - ever, you must walk your bike while seeking - no riding allowed and to successfully "find" a person you must successfully throw them into the pool.

I'm not sure about these new rules but after about 20 minutes of arguing the terms were deemed acceptable and the pack rode off to hide leaving the boy on the orange bike in the shade of a tree to count to 300.

This is my house for the next five days. I've spent a week here already. It's not so bad. A little warm for my taste but as I said before it is within walking distance of everything I need for the first two weeks of my employment. The whole place is small enough that it fits in my 8-16mm lens quite easily. The door on the other side of the television leads to the bathroom/dressing room/closet area. The bed is in the dark cave on the left side of the picture, and the kitchen and front door are behind the bar. 

This is the view from my patio with out hide-and-seekers. I can always tell when it has reached the hottest part of the day because the tennis players abandon the courts.

Happy Sunday! 6 days until a plane takes me to Ashland!

Back down south in C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A!

Last Sunday I flew out of Montana and into Orange County. In May I was offered a position post-internship with the South Coast Repertory Youth Conservatory. For the first two weeks I will be the Assistant Stage Manager and the last two weeks I will be the Production Assistant.
We are producing Seussical: The Musical with 31 students ages 10 thru 22. It is a HUGE cast and lots to keep track of. My first few days have mostly be comprised of making massive amounts of paperwork that track props and people as they move throughout the show. It is a fun little musical filled with all of Seuss's subtle social and moral issues. The music is whimsical, brimming with joy and innocence and in a few moments quite beautiful.
While I'm not overly thrilled about spending 5 weeks away from Montana in the summer it seemed like a good opportunity and I do get to work with some of my favorite people from SCR. For the first two weeks I am living in a studio apartment that the theatre owns. It is almost exactly a mile from work which is handy because I no longer have a car in california. While the apartment warms up quite a bit while I'm gone during the day I can usually get it cooled off by the time I go to bed. I have a nice view of the tennis courts and a particularly tall tree that has these big yellow flowers on it. The hummingbirds seem to frequent it in the evenings. Maybe I'll take a picture of it this weekend - though I might be too busy as I have plans to spend most of the day laying at the pool. I am currently listening to the Harry Potter series on audio book - I read them all myself a few years ago but it sounded like an easy thing to do in my spare time and I am reading, reading (out of an actual book no batteries required) The Red Tent. So far I am enjoying both and having a hard time trying to decide which one to dedicate time to before bed. Hard choices I know.
I am counting the days until I get to visit the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR. I am taking a mini vaction in the middle of Suessical. The way they hired me was weird so I ended up with 9 days of unemployment right in the middle of the rehearsal process so I decided to take advantage of that time to go watch plays. It is my "continuing education" and I'd rather spend money at the Shakespeare festival than in Orange County.
Maybe now I'll be a little bit better about posting. Not that I have a huge fan base - but I do know there are a few of you out there. Happy FIRDAY! (or it likely will be by the time you read this) :)

R Family

I met this family at a bridge next to a blossoming canola field in the RAIN! I love the colors from this shoot - and the Montana mountains in the background are phenomenal! Thanks for making my job so easy!

Thanks R family for enduring the rain! You all get A's for being great smilers :)

Baby F

I have been rather lazy about posting on this blog since I returned to MT. I am however back in California with extra hours of free time so I figure it's time I catch up. I have known Baby F's mom since I was a senior in high school. It has been so fun watching her little family grow. Her second was the first newborn I ever did photos of. The latest addition to the family - Baby F - is just as sweet as can be. Thanks for always indulging my crazy ideas! Your girls make me smile!

Baby A

I am so lucky! I got to spend TWO sessions with Baby A. Day one she was a little camera shy but by day two she had warmed up enough that we got some really great individual shots. Such a sweet little princess!

Enjoy!

I LOVE her little lips on this next one . . .

So tiny on dads hand!

Look what I found . . .

I was working on packing things into my car today when I noticed this little guy . . .

dozing in the sun and whom I presume to be a sibling cooling off in the shade

They sure a cute when they are tiny and sleeping - no mama in sight but the pigeons seemed to be keeping close watch over them.

ONE WEEK!

One week until the road trip home begins! By this time next Thursday my dad and I will be well on our way back towards Montana. I am picking him up in Vegas and then he gets to take the wheel. Sounds like quite the adventure!
I disassembled my book shelf this morning and started packing some boxes into the trunk of my car. Half of my closet is empty (the other half is still pretty full) but it is starting to look like, just maybe, everything will fit. I sold my bed a week ago and am in negotiations with a single mom over my desk. I am just happy to have found someone who will appreciate how nice it is and actually use it.
There are four more shows of "Snow Angel" left to be seen, one Friday, one Saturday and two on Sunday. As excited as I am to head home for a bit I am just as excited to officially mention that I have been asked back to SCR for a summer show. I will be working with many of the kids I worked with on Snow Angel and A Christmas Carol. It will last about 5 weeks from the middle of July to the middle of August and even though I won't be a millionaire (or even a thousand-aire) when it's over I think it will be a good addition to my resume.
I will be spending Memorial Day up in Ventura, CA with Maggie and her family, we are crossing our fingers for nice weather - the weather man seems to think it might not be the best day for boating - reminds me of the weather man in Montana.
I am in the mean time getting really excited to spend some time with this furry face:

She is SOOOOO CUTE! 

Hopefully I'll have some more recent pictures to post after my excursion to Ventura. Until then HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY and Happy Anniversary to my brother and sister-in-law!

Tech Week Begins

I find myself embarking on my final week of tech as an intern at SCR. I find myself in the same space I started my internship in - The Nicholas Theatre - but in a more prominent chair. I began my internship working on "How the World Began" at a music stand on the end of the first row in the Nicholas as the #3 on our three person stage management team and I now finish my internship as the #1 on a two person team at the stage management table in chair #1. It is vey exciting. My production assistant starts today, she was a freshman at Harvard this year and an alum of the SCR acting conservatory and I am very excited to have an extra pair of hands, eyes and feet. The director was laughing at me on Saturday as I was multitasking during a run through of our show. I was running sound from two separate boom boxes off of two CD's and an Ipod; reading lines for a student that had to leave early, writing down blocking and trying to update the run list all at the same time. I'm sure it was quite hilarious. I have thus far enjoyed the process of working on "Snow Angel" - it takes me back to the Wolfpack. The actors are 8th - 12th graders and all of them WANT to be there. I am comforted that it is more a process about process vs. a process about the end result. I find it interesting that the high school aged kids here are afflicted with the same "elephant foot syndrome" as those from the Wolfpack and Flathead Theatre companies. This condition is defined as the inability to move ones feet in a quite manner so as not to sound like elephants tromping across a wood floor.
Speaking of elephants I read an interesting article this morning about the giant creatures. You can read it here: Wild Elephants Gather to inexplicably Mourn the "Elephant Whisperer"

and then I read this commencement speech Paths are Made by Walking and promptly emailed it to the speech team. An interesting idea. To WALK - witness - accept - love - know thyself.
This last article came from a website called Daily Good. It looks interesting enough that I might continue to check it out. Lets be honest we all probably need a little more good in our day.

17 days until I meet my dad in VEGAS! to journey back to MONTANA!

Baseball & Boating

I have been to TWO baseball games in the past week and also managed to hitch a ride on a boat out on the Pacific Ocean. The first baseball game I went to was by far the more exciting of the two. Minnesota Twins vs. Anaheim Angels. The Angels ended up winning but it was still pretty fun to watch. There was an avid Minnesota fan sitting not to far from where we were seated who eventually got one of his signs taken away AND a security enforcer posted next to his row. I can't say I blame the guy for his enthusiasm to get Torii Hunter back in MN. That was Monday's adventure. Thursday I found myself out on a boat. It was pretty fun to see the Long Beach Harbor from a new perspective. We ran into some Sea Lions who were sunning themselves on a big barrel - you'll see it in the photos - and various other birds. After we had raced around on the ocean for a bit (quite literally raced, our driver seemed to have a need for speed and I swear I haven't held onto a water craft so tightly since I've been inner-tubbing with my Uncle Dave on Lake Waconia) we headed back to the marina but made a quick stop to get some tacos before heading back to the ballpark to watch the Angels play the Toronto Blue Jays. Nothing like being out on a boat, docking and walking less than a block to get some tasty dinner. I think if I ever find myself living this close to the ocean for an extended period of time again I need to invest in more friends with boats; but back to baseball. This game wasn't nearly as exciting unless you count all the bonehead plays the Angels seemed to be making - missed catches, underestimated throws - it was a little ridiculous and I sort of wished the Angels were playing the Twins in that game but it was still fun to get out of the house and hang out with people. Here are a few photos from the adventures:

some Twins warming up before the game

Twins on the field

Our seats weren't to bad either - the second game I went to were were in almost the same spot on the opposite side of the field - which worked out well in turning my head the other direction for a solid 3 and a half hours.

Out to sea! It was fun making our way through the marina and looking at all the fun names people have for their boats.

This is the Naval Weapons Station at Seal Beach, if you get to close they come out on boats with guns to chase you away - at least thats what they told me would happen

Sea Lions with downtown Long Beach in the distance

As we got closer these guys seemed to be pretty good at posing for cameras and weren't to bothered by our intrusion on their evening relaxation.

I really wanted to watch one of these guys get up on the floating buoy thing they were on - it looked like it would be quite a task.

Downtown LB 

The Belmont Pier and the beach I walk to is on the left. 

I am counting down the days (25) until I head back to Montana!

And then possibly back to California . . . but more on that when I have more details!