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Showing posts with label Finding You At Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Finding You At Christmas. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Theatre 101: The Dreaded First Rehearsals
Fun and perhaps
little-known fact about me. I was a theatre major in college at Florida State
Univ. I was also in a community theatre group with my church. We did some great
shows, including Beauty and the Beast,
The Mousetrap, Harvey, and The
Imaginary Invalid.
This summer,
Dinner Theatre was revived at my church, and I was in my first production in over
10 years, a really funny play called Oh,
What A Tangled Web. Now, we’re working on a new play, a Western Melodrama
called The Vile Veterinarian, Or How Much
Is That Doggy With The Widow. The show is as crazy as it sounds. It’s full
of horrible (and horribly funny) puns, which are usually a “no-
no” in most
writing circles. The characters have quirky names like Polly Purina (the
heroine), Hugh Kandoit (the hero), Dr. Ray Beeze (the villain) and his
assistant, Kitty Litter. I play Miss. April May June, a noted opera singer and hat
connoisseur. I get to sing (badly).
 |
| April May June hat connoisseur |
Right now we’re
still in the early stages and working on blocking (where your character moves
on stage). It’s a bit of a mess at this point, frankly. Most of the actors are
still “on book”, which means we haven’t memorized our lines yet. The director
(and actors) are still trying to figure out where all these people need to be
so they don’t block someone else or end up with their backs to the audience.
Nothing seems to work, and at times, we all wonder if it will ever come
together. Actors go through times of feeling like they are the worst ever.
This stage
reminds me a lot of writing the first draft of a book. Most authors will tell
you that their first draft is utter trash. The plot is shaky, the characters
haven’t figured out where to go yet, the motivation is sketchy. There are times
when we authors wonder if this isn’t the worst book ever written. But then we
go back for a second or third draft and fix all those dangling plot points,
dead scenes and useless fluff. We tighten the prose and dig deeper for emotion.
Eventually, we do end up with something we can be proud of, but it only happens
after a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
A play is like that, too. It's a mess until you learn your lines, where you're supposed to be, and practice enough so that everything seems natural. Then you have a play (and hopefully a book) you can be proud of.
Any of you ever done any acting? What were you in? Ever have the urge to get back into it?
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Tuesday, November 22, 2016
My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Since it is Thanksgiving week, I wanted to share a couple of my
favorite recipes that we make every year with my family. Both of my parents
cook, but Thanksgiving belonged – still does belong – to my mom. Her family
grew up in Kentucky so a lot of our Thanksgiving dishes have Southern roots. It
is certainly the case with these recipes.
Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potato
1cup sugar
½ cup milk
1/3 cut butter softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Blend everything together until it is smooth and creamy. Pour
into a oven safe baking dish.
Topping:
1 cup chopped nuts (Use pecans or almonds. I prefer pecans.)
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the melted butter and
stir until it is moist. If it’s too runny or goopy add a little flour to
thicken. Crumble the mixture in chunks on top so it covers the entire surface.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes
Smashed Potatoes
What is Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes? We make these in
my house every year, and they are delicious!
Ingredients:
1 -1½ lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes (unpeeled)
½ tsp. of salt
4 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. milk
Salt & Pepper
Boil potatoes in a large pot, with a little bit of salt. Cook
for about 15-20 minutes until you can poke them easily with a fork.
Drain water and let the potatoes sit for a few minutes. Peel the
potatoes, leaving some of the skin on as you go. Cut up potatoes and put them
in a large bowl. Add the butter, milk and cream and beat until everything is
smooth. Use salt and pepper to taste.
For Your Sweet Tooth
Ingredients:
½ cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup chocolate chips
¾ cup nuts (walnuts or pecans)
9 inch unbaked pie crust or shell
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into the pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the top is browned. DEVOUR!
Hope your holiday table delicious!
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