at long last a photo post...

The first year at Gustavus is a good one. We've opened two of three theatre productions for the year, and the dance concert this past weekend. It's a good place to be.
Jacob's been here since September, our 2 bedroom apartment in the southwest suburb of Prior Lake is cozy. He's on tour as a sound engineer right now, and I'm headed to Phoenix for the rest of the week to attend the USITT conference and see many friends and teachers and colleagues and be in 90 degree weather. So we're busy and life is good, better still with the thaw this week.

It's kind of a "Christmas card" summary, but it's been a long time, and this way you've missed the constant weather report of last winter (seriously, thought, 11 days in a row with temperatures below zero will mess with your morale...but two snowstorms in a week will result in two snow days and a snow angel in our backyard will brighten the landscape significantly)... no pictures of the snowstorm (or the snow up over the seat of a deck chair on our back deck for two or three days), but the icicles on the front side of the house were documented

the water ran down the icicles so slowly that they formed like flat ribbons of pulled taffy... then when they started melting and the water ran faster, they looked like stalactites. It was pretty awesome.

This is the Anderson Theatre Stage, our 300 seat, 3/4 thrust space. We have a tiny black box too



My costume shop, out of focus and messy looking....which likely surprises no one. That's a Tempest idea on the dress form.


a Cherry Orchard dress, which I designed and patterned. My gracious predecessor came back to help, she did all the velvet bias cut trim... The blouse fabric came from Berkeley, and the suit wool from SR Harris here in Minneapolis. (Pattern based on one from Truly Victorian, which is a company I recommend heartily)

the supply cabinet and the record collection that came with the shop

At Gustavus there's a January term, which is an intensive course --in our case a production. These are photos from The Cherry Orchard... it was the final directing project for a faculty director who is retiring after 36 years of shaping the department. He brought back alumni from across the country to act with students in the production.

(no... that mustache didn't stay...)

The matriarch's brother, Gaev, was played by Peter Breitmayer ...on the left is Tasha Carlson, as Anya, and on the right, Taylor Granlund as Varya. Anya's totally amazing wig was fronted by Heather Fleming. It is so great to be able to connect with classmates and friends from grad school as problem solvers and professional connections.


Alum Alissa Pritchett played th eccentric governess, Charlotta... For those of you who think like this, this is that totally awesome Folkwear Pattern for a Big Sky Riding skirt that buttons open to be pants (complicated...not really recommended for beginners or people who don't have a lot of time to figure out what they really mean)

The aged Firs, the manservant who did not consent to the emancipation... the singularly phenomenal Kevin Kling ...an honor and a priviledge to work with this man. The hair and makeup for the show was done by alumni Jenny Kelly
The set was white carpet... the cherry trees were real trees (cut down on campus in the fall for stadium construction), painted white, with paper leaves. The student lighting designer did an outstanding job with this palette...
Karen Esbjornson as the impenetrably graceful Lyubov, pleading for mercy and understanding from Trofimov, the perpetual student (Dan Jackson... I shaved that baldspot on the back of his head) ...this ballgown is another design and pattern that I'm especially pleased with.


The first show of the season was An Experiment with an Air Pump, a play taking place in 1799 and 1999, with the same actors in both stories.




It's a great play for a liberal arts college... ethical questions about how far science can go and how to consider consequences, humor and wit, great language, and an allegory about Britain and industry. And, you know, challenges like "how to make a chimney smoke for exactly 20 seconds so it goes out on cue" (THANK you, helpful helpful playwright!)


I'll finish off with a Prospero and a Miranda rendering for The Tempest, our final show of the season, running the weekend of Mother's Day... thanks for looking, and for being patient with the long delay in posts... be in touch!