At The Dietrich by
Hildy Morgan Okay. Not much in this life is perfect. (But some things really really
are, or a close enough facsimile that it ‘s the same thing.) But this
weekend had to be a pretty good stab at perfection. First of all, Founder’s
Day showed off the town to thousands of visitors! And, as always, T’town
had on its best summer frock and was completely and utterly charming. The
food stands were wonderful (although I missed those incredible potatoes by
Simply Savory, and therefore had to comfort myself with Marie Nice’s potato
pancakes which are, I’ m sure, the closest thing to heaven we’ll get on this
earth!)
Jennifer Jenkin’s children’s theater tale about a wily coyote who
falls victim to his own trickery was delightful and I’m sure the children
took home some valuable lessons from this Native American story. Thank you,
Jen, for all you do for us.
Then there was Shakespeare in the Park which was perfect. No threat of
rain, cool, and thanks to Fern and Bob bringing bug spray it wasn’t buggy,
either. Plus there was Bill Chapla’s super intro to Hamlet (he’s sooo
smart, even if he did totally misinterpret GWTW) and then there was the
performance itself which was so interesting and fun that even the small
children in attendance watched without saying a word. Oooh. And here’s a
cool thing. Next year instead of Shakespeare in the Park it’s going to be
Poe in the Park. Shiver. How’s that for something fun to look forward to?
Oh, and before I forget – a big, big thank-you to Ryan Zelnick and T’town
High School for use of the risers in the park, and thank you Ronnie
Vieczorek and Omar Comacho for your help getting them and putting them in
place and a huge thank-you to the kids who took time out of their Saturday
and Sunday to put the risers up and then to take them down. So big kudos to
Nick Ide, Lydia Carlin, Caleb Carlin and Adam Wood. You’re just the best!
And then, finally, there was Bridal Bliss. It was even more perfect
than perfect. It was so sweet, and so touching and so sentimental that I, a
major cynic about that sort of thing, was blinking back tears! There were
so many dear anecdotes as well as little things like Ruby Sands’s
granddaughter modeling her (Ruby’s) wedding dress. Or little Sarah
Armstrong, looking so adorable and obviously completely at home on the
stage, modeling her tiny dress as her mother, looking very elegant in her
own wedding dress, held her position while trying not to laugh at her
daughter’s success on stage. There were stories of sixteen year old girls
who had to wait until they were older and received their parents permission
and then went on to be married over sixty years to the loves of their lives.
It was just sweetness topping sweetness, topping sweetness. And as I said,
I was blinking back tears at the beauty and love represented on the stage.
So, thanks for the memories, Annette Sheldon. Your organizational skills
are astonishing! Your creativity is beyond compare. After all, you not
only organized this, but you created all the “vignettes” on stage, chose the
gorgeous gowns and worked with dozens of people in perfect harmony to bring
this all about. We are awed and amazed by you and very, very grateful.
Thank you to all your wonderful helpers, too, and to the models who wore the
gowns, the women who lent the gowns, and to the gowns themselves which were,
really, the shining stars of the show. Sigh. What a day!
So, I’m assuming you might want to know about the movies this weekend?
Paramount wouldn’t give us Transformers because we don’t have enough 3D
screens, so we are bringing in Larry Crowne which looks to be delightful.
Really, ladies and gents, how much fun will it be to see Tom Hanks and Julia
Roberts inhabiting the same screen? I can’t wait! And for the kiddies, we
still have Cars 2 and other goodies.
Happy Fourth of July dear friends. See you at the Dietrich.
| Now Showing www.dietrichtheater.com/movie
or (570)836-1022 for times LARRY CROWNE
July 1, 2011 -July 7, 2011CARS 2
June 24, 2011 -July 7, 2011GREEN LANTERN
June 17, 2011 -July 7, 2011Mr. Popper's Penguins
June 17, 2011 -July 7, 2011Super 8
June 10, 2011 -July 7, 2011
Coming Soon www.dietrichtheater.com/preview
or (570)836-1022 for times HARRY POTTER:The Deathly Hallows,Part 2
July 15, 2011 -July 15, 2011ZOOKEEPER
July 8, 2011
Events www.dietrichtheater.com/event
or (570)996-1500 to reserve Songs & Games for Tots
June 18, 2011 - July 16, 2011
Bridal Bliss Exhibit
June 1, 2011 - July 31, 2011
Everhart Museum Bus Trip
July 9, 2011
Celebrate Our River Day
July 23, 2011
Life on the Susquehanna River Exhibit
August 1, 2011 - September 30, 2011
Gathering of Singers and Songwriters 10
August 24, 2011
Classes www.dietrichtheater.com/class
or (570)996-1500 to enroll Acting Camp for Kids
June 20, 2011 - July 29, 2011
All About Pottery & Sculpture Camp - Filled
July 11, 2011 - July 15, 2011
Dino-Mite: Theatre & Visual Arts Camp
June 27, 2011 - July 1, 2011
Jammin' in a Jugband
July 18, 2011 - July 22, 2011
Mask Making Camp
July 18, 2011 - July 22, 2011
Mixed Media Camp
July 11, 2011 - July 22, 2011
Move It! Theatre & Visual Arts Camp
July 25, 2011 - July 29, 2011
Quilting for Kids
April 6, 2011 - July 20, 2011
Swing from the Tree Tops Camp
August 1, 2011 - August 5, 2011
Things in the Sky
July 6, 2011 - July 27, 2011
Intergenerational Quilting
April 6, 2011 - July 20, 2011
Jammin' in a Jugband, ages 13 to adult
July 18, 2011 - July 22, 2011
Open Studio: Painting, Drawing & Pottery
April 12, 2011 - August 23, 2011
Decorative Painting
April 13, 2011 - August 31, 2011
Introduction to Stained Glass
August 8, 2011
Jewelry Making: Introduction to Glass Fusing
July 11, 2011 - July 25, 2011
Knit a Mobius Scarf
July 14, 2011 - July 28, 2011
Pottery & Sculpture
April 4, 2011 - September 12, 2011
Writers' Group
April 14, 2011 - August 25, 2011
Yoga for You
April 13, 2011 - August 31, 2011
| Live at The Dietrich by
Erica Rogler What a day for live theatre! The Dietrich started out Founders’ Day with two free performances of children’s theatre. It was so much fun to see Coyote: A Native American Trickster Tale come to life on the Dietrich stage. Director Jennifer Jenkins and her actors did an amazing job. I especially enjoyed when the audience sang along with the cast at the end of the play. This production was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Stay tuned for more performances in the fall by the Dietrich Children’s Theatre.
We finished Founders’ Day with Shakespeare in the Park. Over one hundred fifty children and adults came out to experience Hamlet in Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park. I tell you there is no better setting for Shakespeare than in the great outdoors. As always, Bill Chapla did a wonderful job of preparing us for the production with some insights about the Great Bard and Hamlet’s character. His excitement about Shakespeare is contagious.
And for the fourth year in a row, Gamut Theatre Group of Harrisburg gave us a wonderful performance. In just 90 minutes, they were able to capture the essence of Hamlet. They are a truly energetic group of actors. Their sword-fighting scene was fantastic! The kids in the crowd just loved it.
After the play, Gamut Theatre Group took some time to answer audience’s questions. We learned about stage combat, the actors’ favorite roles, and so much more. Next summer we hope to bring Gamut Theatre back for more Shakespeare and possibly even Poe.
Then on Sunday, we were just delighted with Bridal Bliss. There were so many gorgeous gowns and so many heart-warming stories about local wedding through the decades. We would like to thank Annette Sheldon and the many hands that helped make the event possible. All of the shows proceeds will be used to help support classes and events at the Dietrich.
One of the events that I am looking forward to this month is our annual Everhart Museum Bus Trip. This Saturday, July 9, we will take a private activities tour of the Everhart Museum, enjoy box lunches in Nay Aug Park and visit the park’s gorge and tree house. I go at least once a year to the Everhart and always learn something new on each trip. We will depart from the Dietrich at 9:30 a.m. and return at about 2 p.m. Admission is only $10 per person and box lunches are included. What a good deal, right? Call us a 570-996-1500 for more information or to register. It’ll be a great day of fun and learning. |
