In Seattle, there were floods. There was severe icing, unending snow, and only 16 city plows to respond. There were avalanches. Whole parts of interstates were vanished, houses drowned, and temperatures hovered just above freezing. My actors were skiing to work because buses weren't running. The sun came out twice in December. When this happens, traffic on I-5 slows to a crawl while residents wonder what the bright, gaseous orb in the sky is.

The actors and audiences in Seattle, a town I like, are plucky. We opened "The Servant of Two Masters" last week to positive response, largely due to one of our founding TSC actors, Chris Ensweiler, who played TSC's Touchstone in "As You Like It."

In Memphis now for three days, I note the orb in the daytime sky has been out constantly, the smiling faces of our friends here, and the feeling of home back in the Depot. And I note that our Board member Nancy Copp and Company Manager Caroline Harrison have been up to something. Read below.

But before I leave the dark gloom of Seattle's winter, there is a meditation to be observed during this season. The imagination is prompted because there is so little action that can or must in reality emerge from it instantly. We perhaps feel a little safer in casting our creative minds further.

During this time, I have been considering transformation, the integration of opposites, Carl Jung, astronomy, and Marc Chagall. These inspire me toward a specific Shakespeare play. Can you guess which one?

And I wondered at our national political landscape and how it reflects who we are. I was less drawn by the politics than by the faces: female and African-American, in particular. How would these representatives of demographic majorities in Shelby County govern differently in times of extraordinary domestic and international crises? I don't know, but I am intrigued to discover it. Can you guess the Shakespeare play in which this question might be entertained?

Yes, we're thinking about the 2009-2010 season.

It is a joy to be back in the constant sun of home, and I hope to see your smiling face on January 26. Please come join us!

Much love,
Dan

Tickets are selling fast for our DINNER A LA SHAKESPEARE event, but Board Member Nancy Copp and our Special Events Committee want you to know there is still room for a few more friends to join with us.

DINNER A LA SHAKESPEARE is a new event created by TSC and hosted by The Grove Grill in Memphis.

Our enchanting musicians from As You Like It (Barry Gilmore, Jannell Canerday, and Robert Johnson) will rejoin us to play through the night, but the entertainment won't stop there!

While you dine on a 3-course banquet, actors from As You Like It (including Darius Wallace and Jason Hansen) will join actors from the Memphis area to perform their favorite Shakespeare monologues and sonnets. Copies of some of Shakespeare's most well-known speeches and sonnets will be close at hand for you as well.

During desert you will have the chance to "stand and unfold thyself" with your own Shakespeare performance. For those bold enough to woo the audience, you could win tickets to Tennessee Shakespeare Company's fall production. Tickets and prizes will be awarded by audience applause, so bring your most enthusiastic friends!

This promises to be an evening of good food, great friends, and wonderful poetry. With a majority of the proceeds benefiting Tennessee Shakespeare Company, this is also a delicious way to show your support. So: