1. Our Marketing Director, Isaac Bont says, “My Festival Fave: Free Online Courses!
All this time cooped up has had me doing a good chunk of personal development! There are education systems dabbling with online courses now for obvious reasons and you can take a lot of these courses with prestigious schools and professors for absolutely free! Personally, I've studied marketing, photography, writing, video editing, graphic design, and IT! During COVID, along with my job, it's given me measurable goals to work on and cool information/knowledge at my own pace! If you're finding boredom during these cooped-up times, learn something new for free! Some great sites for it are coursera.org and edx.org!”
All this time cooped up has had me doing a good chunk of personal development! There are education systems dabbling with online courses now for obvious reasons and you can take a lot of these courses with prestigious schools and professors for absolutely free! Personally, I've studied marketing, photography, writing, video editing, graphic design, and IT! During COVID, along with my job, it's given me measurable goals to work on and cool information/knowledge at my own pace! If you're finding boredom during these cooped-up times, learn something new for free! Some great sites for it are coursera.org and edx.org!”
2. Board Member and Director, Mark Baer says, “I recommend The Walking Dead television series from AMC available on Netflix. While too violent for children and some adult viewers, a re-watch of this series has really resonated with me in the context of the pandemic and current political climate. The show is not just a zombie horror flick - it is a profound meditation on the definition of leadership in crisis and the price of trying to retain your humanity in an inhuman world. If you give it a try, and can stomach the graphic zombie gore, you will be surprised and moved by the vivid drama and smartly plotted ethical dilemmas faced by the rich and complex characters. The series began in 2010 (seems like a lifetime ago, right?) but it feels all to prophetic now. In my opinion, seasons 1-4 are among the best television has to offer.”
3. Actor Faith Klick (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Fools, and Crimes of the Heart) says, “My faves this month have been Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and Scotcharoo ice cream.
I’ve read almost everything Sarah J. Maas has released! I highly, highly, recommend her series A Court of Thorns and Roses. She writes new adult fantasy novels that are geared toward college aged individuals. Throne of Glass is the first book in her first series. It tells the story of an assassin who is forced to fight in a competition to become the top warrior of a tyrannical king. The series is full of action, fantasy, wit, and a little romance. She is great at world building, so if you're missing getting swept away to a far-off land with theatre being away for a while, read Sarah’s books!
My Wisconsinite friends will know what a Scotcharoo bar is. For those who don’t, try it. It’s a butterscotch Rice Krispie treat with layers of peanut butter and chocolate. The ice cream tastes EXACTLY like the bar. If you’re a fan of this Wisconsin treat, you should try this flavor. It just came out this year and it has been selling like hot cakes where I work.”
I’ve read almost everything Sarah J. Maas has released! I highly, highly, recommend her series A Court of Thorns and Roses. She writes new adult fantasy novels that are geared toward college aged individuals. Throne of Glass is the first book in her first series. It tells the story of an assassin who is forced to fight in a competition to become the top warrior of a tyrannical king. The series is full of action, fantasy, wit, and a little romance. She is great at world building, so if you're missing getting swept away to a far-off land with theatre being away for a while, read Sarah’s books!
My Wisconsinite friends will know what a Scotcharoo bar is. For those who don’t, try it. It’s a butterscotch Rice Krispie treat with layers of peanut butter and chocolate. The ice cream tastes EXACTLY like the bar. If you’re a fan of this Wisconsin treat, you should try this flavor. It just came out this year and it has been selling like hot cakes where I work.”
| 4. Our Executive Artistic Director, Jason Richards recommends…, “When you have a few minutes checkout NPR’s podcast Kind World. These podcasts range from two to 15 minutes. It’s a series of uplifting true stories and a quick reminder that we still live in a kind world. Ironically, 2020 is the last season for Kind World. But you can still check out the old episodes. I hope you enjoy it. Here’s a link. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/522612822/kind-world |  |
5. Our beloved friend, actor, director, writer, and all-around good guy, Ed Moersfelder says, “Following closely on the heels of Benjamin Dreyer's 2019 book "Dreyer's English" (The title of which I know should be in italics, here and for the book titles below), comes his new game "Stet! Dreyer's English," described as "A Game for Language Lovers, Language Geeks, and Bibliophiles." The book, a welcome addition to one's library shelf holding "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss, and "Woe Is I" by Patricia O'Conner, styles itself as "An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style." (Had enough quotation marks yet?) It contains uncompromising adjudications of correctness such as throwing the rule to never split an infinitive (there, I did it) out the window and, my favorite, "only godless savages eschew the series comma." (The series comma is also commonly known as the Oxford comma, but you knew that). ((Had enough parentheses yet?))
But let's get to the game. It consists of one hundred cards. Fifty are Grammar cards which are shuffled and one card is laid face up on the table. Players review the sentence on the card for punctuation, spelling, grammar, and syntax (there is the Oxford comma for you) to decide if it's correct. When a player thinks they (yup, perfectly correct singular pronoun) know the answer they slap the table. If they think it's correct, they say "stet" (Latin for "let it stand," but you knew that, too.) If they think it is incorrect, they say why. If they are right, they get points; if they are not, no points. (Is that a good use of that punctuational outcast the semicolon?) Even more exciting is the game with the fifty Style cards (which can be combined with the Grammar cards for an even more mind-blowing romp). Players are given strips of paper. A card is laid face up on the table and each player's job is to decide whether they can improve it by tweaking the grammar, syntax, or style. If so, they revise the sentence. When all players have finished, the dealer reads the revisions and chooses the best revision (or selects the answer of "stet") and awards a point. If a player challenges the dealer's decision, the card is turned over to reveal "the expert and final opinion" and the point is awarded to the closest written answer, including "stet."
I have not played this game. I'm waiting to do it with friends. I'm dying to read the cards, but that would be cheating. This is not to say I won't read the cards, it's just to say that I intend not to--until I can't help myself. Meanwhile, I may just reread "Dreyer's English."
If you have persevered through this excruciating (though brief) ramble with respect to the vagaries of grammar, punctuation, usage, style, syntax, and bald-faced preferences and you are still reading, this game (and Dreyer's book) ((enough parentheses already!)) might be for you.”
But let's get to the game. It consists of one hundred cards. Fifty are Grammar cards which are shuffled and one card is laid face up on the table. Players review the sentence on the card for punctuation, spelling, grammar, and syntax (there is the Oxford comma for you) to decide if it's correct. When a player thinks they (yup, perfectly correct singular pronoun) know the answer they slap the table. If they think it's correct, they say "stet" (Latin for "let it stand," but you knew that, too.) If they think it is incorrect, they say why. If they are right, they get points; if they are not, no points. (Is that a good use of that punctuational outcast the semicolon?) Even more exciting is the game with the fifty Style cards (which can be combined with the Grammar cards for an even more mind-blowing romp). Players are given strips of paper. A card is laid face up on the table and each player's job is to decide whether they can improve it by tweaking the grammar, syntax, or style. If so, they revise the sentence. When all players have finished, the dealer reads the revisions and chooses the best revision (or selects the answer of "stet") and awards a point. If a player challenges the dealer's decision, the card is turned over to reveal "the expert and final opinion" and the point is awarded to the closest written answer, including "stet."
I have not played this game. I'm waiting to do it with friends. I'm dying to read the cards, but that would be cheating. This is not to say I won't read the cards, it's just to say that I intend not to--until I can't help myself. Meanwhile, I may just reread "Dreyer's English."
If you have persevered through this excruciating (though brief) ramble with respect to the vagaries of grammar, punctuation, usage, style, syntax, and bald-faced preferences and you are still reading, this game (and Dreyer's book) ((enough parentheses already!)) might be for you.”
6. Here is a fave from actor Madison Fairbanks (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Fools, The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood), “My Festival Fave this month is Talkspace! I had danced with the idea of going to therapy for years, but always stopped myself due to the stigma behind mental health. I am so glad I took the leap to sign up for Talkspace. After doing some research and hearing testimonials from various sources, Talkspace seemed to best fit my situation and lifestyle. Following the standard "paperwork" process, the app prompted me to look through and choose topics I wanted to discuss and matched me with several licensed professionals. Being able to see photos and read each individual's qualifications made the decision personal and gave me a great sense of control. I chose who I wanted to work with. All communication is done online, through the app; I can message my therapist whenever I want and we have weekly video chat meetings. It's been such a relief having someone I can talk to without risking exposure to COVID-19. I recognize that I'm coming from a position of privilege because I have insurance that covers mental health. If you are in a place where this is accessible, I highly suggest Talkspace. They offer individual and couples’ therapy, even a program specifically geared towards teenagers. Therapy can be beneficial to anyone. We all have stressors, worries, trauma, insecurities, or simply daily annoyances that we should work through to be our best selves. Check it out: https://www.talkspace.com/
7. Emily Ahrens (Actor – The Fantasticks, Elephants Graveyard; Director- The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood) says, “Hi fambam! Since my last Festival Fav was rather lengthy, I figured I’d keep this one short and sweet, while also doing a little shameless self-promotion :)
This past month, I put together a virtual concert that featured lots of talented performers whose jobs were cancelled or postponed due to COVID. The concert is called “Booked.” and it features the songs these performers were supposed to sing in the shows that they booked. (Basically, I created a virtual concert because I missed theatre and I have really talented friends that I missed hearing sing LOL. #makeyourownart)
So, if you’re missing live performances too, check out the YouTube link listed below to view the full concert of “Booked.” below! You may even catch a Festival Theatre performer or two. :)” Link: https://youtu.be/nnuMZSmhUr8
This past month, I put together a virtual concert that featured lots of talented performers whose jobs were cancelled or postponed due to COVID. The concert is called “Booked.” and it features the songs these performers were supposed to sing in the shows that they booked. (Basically, I created a virtual concert because I missed theatre and I have really talented friends that I missed hearing sing LOL. #makeyourownart)
So, if you’re missing live performances too, check out the YouTube link listed below to view the full concert of “Booked.” below! You may even catch a Festival Theatre performer or two. :)” Link: https://youtu.be/nnuMZSmhUr8
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