Coming Home

The lovely Emily Trask, and the equally lovely Michael Brusasco were in Manitowoc for several days.  Catching up is wonderful and so is finding new friends with whom to catch up with in the future. Why is it when I meet new people who I feel will be important to my world, I get all tongue tied and find myself acting like someone I don't know?

 All during dinner on Saturday night, a tiny voice kept saying "Why did you say that?  Did you have to laugh at that?  And what was with that dumb laugh anyway?  Can't you say anything intelligent?"
The good news is now that the first Michael meeting is over, when he comes back, it will no longer be the first time we meet and I will be better at being myself. Make sense?

 Emily and Michael just finished a run of "Twelfth Night" at the Folger Theatre in Boston.  The world renowned  Folger is regarded as Broadway for classical actors.  That tells you how talented these two are.  Next, they will be recording several Shakespeare Cd's for Simon and Schuster.

The picture at the top is our little hometown ET.  That's the face I remember so well - bopping in to work at LaDeDa.  Whenever that wry grin appeared, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would hear "Hey Bev, I have an idea."  Within days, we would be off happily planning another theatre project.  We both needed regular creative fixes.  I am thrilled for her success.  Emily worked hard, studied hard, and now has the stubborn determination to continue doing what she loves most.  Take a look at her website to get a feel for the range of roles she has played.www.emilytrask.net.

Michael is the bloodier of the two in the second photo.  Of course we all know that the bloodier the costume, the better the actor.  He  looks real cute in the picture too, and, as a bonus, you get a little glimpse into the backstage area of a professional theatre.  For a look at more handsome pictures of Michael work go to www.michaelbrusasco.com.

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What am I reading?  Currently, I am working my way though The Hangman's Daughter, my book group selection for this Friday.  It's a translation from a German work about the witch hysteria in Bavaria.  Having taught "The Crucible" for more times than I can count.  I was interested in seeing the situation from another perspective. After struggling for a while with the novel, I checked out a couple reviews.  They are generally good, glowing, in fact, and there are two sequels to the book.  For me, it;'s not the right book.  I find it repetitive.  The language is flat, little to no musicality, but that is most likely the Germanic style coming through..  At any rate, I will finish my assignment, and then it's on to Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout, author of one of my all time favorite books, Olive Kitteridge.