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OK, I'm taking a little risk here. This is not your typical "what's on tap" newsletter, although there's a little of that. This is a blend of shameless self-promotion, an update on our downtown gallery project and a reflection on a life on the stage. Please don't unsubscribe from our newsletter for this one transgression. You might even enjoy it!
So a month or so ago, Kathleen Godwin, aka Arts YOUniverse, and I got to talking about this idea for a storefront gallery in center city. To make a long story short, the "Art SEEN Gallery" will be opening on Public Square (next to Blue Wireless, just down from Circles on the Square) within the next couple of weeks. Rob Finlay offered us the space for the price of an old song and a bad dance, and we're going to make him proud. We have about 50 artists taking part, and the place is painted and the artists are beginning to bring in their work. We're going to open in time for the Big Downtown Parade on the 21st, with maybe a Grand Opening the day before - we'll keep you posted on that.
During one of our many talks about getting this thing off the ground, Kath casually mentions that she's staging a play at Arts YOUniverse and she wonders if I might be interested in playing a part. "An easy part," says she, "A Lawyer in a trial scene who reads from a short document he has written." Kathleen can be very persuasive, in a charming sort of way, and so as not to abuse your time, let me just say that the reading part morphed into one wherein I have to memorize my lines (she having found a real lawyer - Jonathan Spohrer! - for the court room scene) and, oh, by the way, "How about taking this non-speaking walk-on cameo and then a few lines of dialog in the last scene? Can you do an Irish accent?" So I find myself in three roles.
The last stage role I had was as the title character in Bartholomew and the Oobleck, a masterpiece by Dr. Seuss, when I was in about fourth grade. Prior to that I played Prince Charming in Sleeping Beauty and had to kiss my third (or is it fourth?) cousin to wake her up! Prior to THAT I was always a shepherd (never a king) in the annual Christmas Pageant. That's the sum total of my stage experience up to now, and HERE'S THE BIG LESSON - It's a LOT harder to memorize lines as a 50-something year old man than as an elementary schooler! But it so happens I CAN do a creditable Irish accent. I thank the stars that I'm only on stage for total of about four minutes.
But the real magic of this experience, and a lesson for me in my role with the Cultural Council, has been watching this thing gel. In a few weeks, a group of people of all ages and walks of life have come together and, under Kathleen's able direction, morphed from a ragtag bunch of disorganized ne'er-do-wells into a Cast in a Play! This is a great play - based on fact, fairly intricate, and largely written in ballad form. Now I never heard of the Loomis Gang, but if you Google Loomis Gang - wait, I'll do it for you, you'll be amazed! With this cast, it's probably not going to win this year's WOBIE award (WAY Off Broadway), but I think you'll enjoy it.
Here's the official scoop: The Ballad of the Loomis Gang dramatizes historical materials relating to the family of George Washington Loomis (1779 - 1851) of Sangerfield, New York, south of Utica. The Loomis Gang he founded was led after his death by his wife, Rhoda, competing with their son, Wash. They would corral horses in the maze of the nine Mile Swamp near the Loomis Farm and drive stolen horses south to the mountains of Pennsylvania for sale. They shipped stolen goods by canal boats to reach markets further off. The Gang terrorized Upstate New York from the 1840's until a mob burned the Loomis Farm in 1866. Neighbors were among their victims, and when the Gang resisted legal prosecution, neighbors attacked them. Blood was shed and buildings burned, before the rule of law was restored and neighbors reconciled. Written by Richard Loomis and ably narrated by Carl Wagner.
It's at Arts YOUniverse, 47 N. Franklin St, across from the Irem Temple, on Friday (today) and Saturday (tomorrow) at 7pm, and Sunday at 2pm. General seating. All tickets $10.00.
I'll be back soon when I don't have to worry about memorizing my lines with more news about the Art SEEN Gallery and our usual selection of upcoming events highlights. In the meantime, you can do your event shopping on WVIA's Events calendar as always. I hope you'll stick around!
The Cultural Council
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