Humana Festival 36: Locals Week March 1 - 11 #hf36

I know I throw around the hyperbolic "most wonderful time of the year" a lot. And mostly, I mean it. One of the great things about living in Louisville is that you have a "most wonderful time of the year" for all your varied tastes and interests. IdeaFestival. Bats Season. Some of you may fancy Derby Season...

But really, it doesn't get much better than Humana Festival. Last week I was able to attend the Humana Festival preview at the Loose Tie Happier Hour; the preview featured the Apprentice/Intern Company performing 3-5 minute snippets from all of the Humana Festival plays. If I hadn't already been hooked... it would've hooked me. What a range of subjects, moods, and settings!

If I were to bet on the plays I am going to enjoy the most, my money would be on (italic descriptions are from the Actors website:

A) MICHAEL VON SIEBENBURG MELTS THROUGH THE FLOORBOARDS (Greg Kotis)--Meet Baron Michael von Siebenburg: a 500-year-old Austrian bachelor living in an American city, whose secret of eternal youth involves endless first dates and a special meat tenderizer. But when his landlady gets suspicious and the ghost of a medieval comrade commands him to take Constantinople back from the Turks, Michael finds himself haunted by past and present. A hilariously dark comedy about the rigors of vampiric immortality. The snippet that we saw was pretty Monty Python-y.  And... what's not to love about that.  The particular interns who performed this piece were so good, I can't help but wish they were the actual actors for the play.  Kotis is a member of the Neo-Futurists and also wrote the acclaimed URINETOWN.

B) THE VERI**ON PLAY (Lisa Kron)-- When Jenni called customer service, all she wanted was to fix a minor problem with her cell phone bill. Instead she was sucked into a vortex of unimaginable horror. Now she wants revenge—or to get her cell phone service turned back on. Part thriller, part screwball comedy, part inspired by events that have undoubtedly happened to YOU.  I love screwball comedies, and the scene we saw at the preview was a delicious send-up of customer service departments and group therapy sessions, two pet peeves of mine... so this is bound to be good. If I am remembering correctly, Kron is not only the author but she is also set to star (correct me if I'm wrong, theatre types). I get to see this one in a few days... psyched!

Check out the entire line-up here.

If you're a local-- and by golly, I bet you are if you're reading this-- we are lucky ducks when it comes to Humana Festival.  Locals' Week is March 1 - 11, and locals can purchase a pass to see SIX of the Humana Festival plays for just $99.  See the website for more details.  Remember though, this deal is only good for those ten days, so start blocking off your evenings now.

Don't forget, there are also discounts for industry professionals and students. Lots of different package options.

As always, this Lou will keep you informed about the "can't miss" shows for Humana Festival 36.  Watch the blog and follow me on Twitter @loueyville. I'm so excited, I'm already giggly about it.

As the Doctor would say, "GERONIMO!"

Loose Tie Happy Hour for Actors

Who would have expected there to be two great events on a random Thursday night? 

The good news is that #FACETIME starts a half hour earlier, so I can probably squeeze both of them in. 

I just recently joined the Actors GoBoard (shame on me for waiting so damned long!), so I am looking forward to checking out this event.  

Here are the details for the Loose Tie Happy Hour: 

Loose Tie Happy Hour Benefit

Celebrating and Supporting the Upcoming 36^th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays and the Actors Theatre Apprentice Company

The Green Building | 732 E. Market Street

Thursday, February 23, 2012 | 6:30-8:30p.m.

$25 GoBoard Members | $35 Non-Members

Enjoy tasty bites and delicious beverages from lots of great NuLu and surrounding area restaurants. Get the inside scoop on the upcoming 36^th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays with excerpts from the upcoming shows performed by the Actors Theatre Apprentice Company. 

Tickets available at the door or through the Actors Theatre Box Office- Call 502-584-1205.

Whitman in Louisville: Gray, Jake, and Jaylen's "Song of Myself."

Last week, I introduced y'all to the Whitman Film Festival that my students create each year. For full details on the assignment, click on the link and read up on the project. With the students' permission, I'm posting a series of these films on the blog. It's not just that I'm a proud Mama (but I am); some of these films pay tribute to our city in truly remarkable ways.

First up was Samantha's "I Sing The Body Electric" shot in Cherokee Park.  Girl power, indeed.  But just as Sam's film captured a beautiful aspect of young womanhood, this next film is a gorgeous portrait of young men.

Next up: Gray, Jake, and Jaylen's "Song of Myself"
When I first watched this film alongside my students, I had to stifle a gasp or two. The cinematography is just that stunning. The editing. The settings. The emotions invoked. The use of the music.

But as an English teacher, perhaps what I admire most about this film is how expertly and thoughtfully (I'm running out of gushing adjectives here, folks) these guys edited Whitman's 52-part epic poem to create a compact synopsis of Whitman's intentions for "Song of Myself."

Here's their film:

Enjoy. Share these. And it really is true: the kids are all right.

Young Survivors Benefit and Silent Auction 2/17

Once again, dear blog readers, you've come through with some fantastic donations for the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit and Silent Auction (hoo, that's a mouthful).

This year, donations from Friends of Loueyville have included:

• 4 baskets of romance novels from Shiloh Walker and friends
• two sets of handmade pushpins from Sweeter Lemon
• A portrait session for up to 5 from Shutterboo 
• two pairs of earrings from the Daily Earring
• 4 tickets to Walden's Shakespeare Festival

There's still time to donate (although just barely...)!  Shoot me an email if you're interested.

In the meantime, mark your calendars: this fantastic event (really, so much fun every year) takes place THIS Friday, 2/17 at the Frazier Museum from 630p-10p. Admission (including food) is just $10. 

I hope you'll join me!  I'll be the one wrangling the team of 26 teen volunteers!  (Love my kids!)

#FACETIME: Tweet-up on 2/23

I just passed up my three year anniversary on Twitter. I wasn't an early-adopter, by any means, but I didn't drag my butt too long after realizing how it could effect my life. And I've spent the better part of those three years as a Twitter evangelist.

Twitter has changed my life.

Can I get an "AMEN"?

Yeah, yeah I know how ridiculous that must sound to you people who won't even touch the Tweetybox. And it probably sounds ridiculous to even those of you who have.

But Twitter is a tool. And it turned out that it was just the tool that this socially-awkward introvert needed to connect to people with similar interests and make friends.

Skeptical? I laid it all out in my 600th post, the transcript of a speech I gave at the Louisville Public Library Technology Boot Camp. Read it here.

One of the first Big Events in my Twitter life was a Valentine's Day tweet-up at Ramsi's in 2009.  I was sweetie-less, living in a hotel, recovering from chemo, working on getting my hair to grow back.  And instead of wallowing in all that on that Valentine's Day night, I accepted a tweet-up invite to meet some people I'd chatted with on Twitter. I don't know how many people came out that night (if I remember correctly, it also served as a cast party for a Pandora show), but it was there that I met "in real life" some people who have gone on to become my closest friends in the city.

Tweet-ups happen all the time.  Sometimes even on ice.  But next week, we've got a tweet-up with its very own POSTER. This is the big time, folks.

Thursday, Feb 23 @ 6pm
Against the Grain Brewery
Tweet @AlexPorter82 or @TommySpalding if you have any questions.

I'll be there (see the little acorn on the poster?). Hope to get some #FACETIME with you, too!

Chocolate Insanity @ Gelato Gilberto

I might be slightly more inclined toward Valentine's Day events this year... if I play my cards right and don't booger things up in the next two or so days, this could be my first Valentine's Day with a sweetheart in a really long time. Really. Long. Time. (Okay, to be fair, the Guy I am Currently Dating could likewise booger things up. Boogering things up is not my sole province. I understand that.)

I don't know how you coupled up people do it sometimes. I've been giving myself ulcers about what to get the Guy I am Currently Dating for Valentine's Day-- I agonized over Christmas too. Damn you men; you're hard to shop for. (And when I asked the Twitterfolk for advice on what to get him-- boy was that a mistake!  You people are dirty!)

Unfortunately, gelato from the lovely people at Gelato Gilberto in Nortons Commons is not the answer.  But they're having an event today (Saturday), Sunday, and Tuesday that might just solve some of YOUR Valentine's Day problems-- even those of you without sweeties.  Here's the description:

4th Annual Cioccolato Pazzo:  Chocolate Insanity Valentine's Event this Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.  We'll have over twenty different varieties of chocolate gelato especially crafted for this event as well as locally made Valentine's cookies and pink paper and glitter for making Valentine's cards. 

Twenty different varieties of chocolate gelato? That IS pazzo! Just like love. :)

Click on their website for store hours and location.  

Whitman in Louisville: Samantha's "I Sing the Body Electric"

As I have said before, I kind of have mixed feelings about hanging up my teaching shoes at the end of this school year. But there are a lot of reasons why this is the right decision at the right time.

One of those reasons is NOT the kids. It's almost never the kids. Maybe one out of every hundred days I have a bad day because of a kid. Every good day I have at work-- every. single. one.-- is because of the kids.

So, I thought I would share-- with their permission, of course-- some of my students' work on a project called The Whitman Film Festival. We spend about two weeks deeply immersed in the poetry Walt Whitman after we've already spent three weeks or so reading the works of the American Transcendentalists (Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott). At the end of this intense study the students are asked to create a film of a Whitman poem or an excerpt from a Whitman poem; every aspect of the film should reflect an understanding of the character and style of Whitman's works.  Students may work in groups of 1, 2, or 3. The film may not exceed 3 minutes.

I'm not sharing just because I feel like a very proud mama (but I do feel like a very proud mama). I'm sharing because in addition to capturing the tone and style of Whitman's words, many of these films have captured the character of Louisville.

Enjoy. Share these. And it really is true: the kids are all right.

First up: Samantha's "I Sing the Body Electric"  
I've watched this film probably a dozen times over the course of this assignment, and only recently have I stopped tearing up every. single. time. We just showed this film at a school assembly, and I watched as colleagues wiped away tears. Not only is this film exquisitely crafted, it's also courageous. I am so proud of Sam and the other young women who agreed to participate. For all of you who are frustrated with princess-y pink girl culture, know that there is way more to teen girl culture than that.

Here's Sam's film:

And when you visit it, please "Like" it or leave a comment. It's unsettling to see six "dislikes" on this page. The kids are all right, but that doesn't mean they're not mean or jerks sometimes. As we all are.

UPDATED: Le Petomane PSA: Once in a Blue Moon Postponed

UPDATE: The show WILL go on... it will just open FRIDAY 2/10 instead of tonight.  Good news, everyone!

Unfortunately, this week's opening of the new Le Petomane show has been postponed.  From the Le Petomane Facebook page:

Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble's Once in a Blue Moon - Venue Change Due to MSD Work on Oak Street!

The combined Unstoppable Forces of Tuesday's full moon and the Metropolitan Sewer District have thrown us a challenge we heartily accept. Due to unforeseen circumstances that will make safe parking and restroom access problematic, it will be necessary for us to change the venue and dates for performances of Once in a Blue Moon. 

We are looking at options and will share more details about performances as soon as humanly possible. You can also reach us at Us@LePetomane.org or input your own sewer jokes on Facebook.

I know how much love, time, and art went into crafting this new production-- one created with this particular space in mind.  Let's make sure we support one of our favorite local theater ensembles and come out in droves when they open.  I'll keep you posted. Good luck to them!

Humana Illustrator @ Green Building

The Louisville Graphic Design Association sure has a snazzy website. Which makes sense. Of course. If you're in the graphic arts/design biz, this site also has a fairly nice-looking job board.

The LGDA also sponsors regular events: speakers, shows, screenings. Their first event of the year is tomorrow, and it features Wayne Brezinka, the illustrator of this year's Humana Festival Poster.

6pm: cash bar & appetizers
7pm: event
At the Green Building.
Thursday, February 9
RSVP HERE

About Brezinka:

Wayne will be sharing his personal story of how he became interested in art, share his work and give an in depth behind the scenes look into his process. As an illustrator and contributing artist, Wayne Brezinka has been commissioned by The New York Times, Neiman Marcus, The Johnny Cash family, The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. He has also illustrated for many ads, posters, music and consumer packaging, and is always looking for new venues for his work. His illustrations have appeared in Communication Arts, Print Magazine and most recently, the Society of Illustrators 52 in New York.

Great Oaks, Tiny Acorns

Acorn commissioned by Roommate by David Landenwich

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating: I hope all y'all have a friend like Roommate in your life. This Christmas, the only thing I asked for was "some kind of jewelry with an acorn on it" -- because of my blog symbol, because I knew I was getting ready to make a big life change, and I thought it would be a good reminder of why I chose the acorn as the symbol for this blog.

Side trip: Why the acorn, Lou?  I'm a literary nerd, to be sure. But one of my favorite sayings is one that I can't attribute to Shakespeare or Yeats or Whitman. In fact, it's tough to figure out where it came from.  But for years, I've had a little decorative dish that I bought at one of the Vanderbilt estates in Newport, and it says: "Great Oaks from Tiny Acorns Grow." That's Loueyville, the blog. Not quite a Great Oak yet. Neither am I. But hopefully we're getting there.

So, I asked Roommate for acorn jewelry, and he scoured our local stores to find me something.  And when he couldn't find the right piece-- this is where the BFF part comes in-- he commissioned a local artist to make me one.

Turns out this local artist is also a bartender at Roommate's (our) home-away-from-home, and Metromix's "Best Bar in Louisville," the Back Door.  David Landenwich has been working with glass for three years. When Roommate gave me the acorn necklace, I immediately said, "I've got to get Dave on the blog." So after a few text messages, I got his email; I asked him a few questions, and here was his response:

I'm glad you liked the pendant that [Roommate] asked me to make for you. I kind of got carried away and made about ten of them. My friend and co-worker Gail Oyler introduced me to "Soft glass." Soft glasshas a lower melting point than other glass. A lot of the glass earrings and necklace you see are of this variety. With the right amount of control you can do incredible things with soft glass. Unfortunately for me, soft glass melts too quickly and usually  ends up in a puddle in front of my torch.

After a while, I got into using borosilicate glass, more commonly known as Pyrex. It is considered to be a harder glass with  a higher melting point so it works a little slower. The colors you can develop with Boro can be very intense depending on  how you "Strike" the glass (working the glass with greater or lesser amounts of oxygen). I know, technical, smecknical.

Anyway... Gail and I do shows at art fairs and farmers' markets. She does all kinds for bead work. necklaces, ear rings, blown vessel, you name it. She has done many commission pieces for clients. I tend to do more pendant work. Like I said, I have only been working with glass for three years. I have a lot to learn. But that's the fun part.

Gail displays her work on ETSY.com. I don't have a website or page, but you can reach me at dlando1@mac.com. 

I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten on my new acorn necklace. I wish Dave had a website or an ETSY shop, but I will keep in touch with him and let y'all know if that changes. In the meantime, Dave seems willing to try new things and work on commission (according to Roommate, when he brought the 10 or so acorn pendants to the Back Door to let Roommate choose one, he actually sold at least one more that night). So if you have a glass pendant need, hit him up at his email address. Or ask for him at the Back Door. 

Pinterest: Pins from Louisville

If you've ever stopped to think, "Gee, I just don't have enough Loueyville in my life these days"-- you're in luck!

Now, in addition to following Chatty Cathy... I mean Lou... on Twitter (@loueyville) and on Facebook (search for: Louey Ville) and reading her articles for The Louisville Paper and reading this blog, you can now follow Loueyville on Pinterest.

I'm still getting the hang of this Pinterest thing (SO. MUCH. WEDDING STUFF.), so grant me a little grace for a while.  But more than half of my "boards" are Louisville-centric.  Boards include:

• Stuff to Do in Louisville
• New Places in Louisville
• Louisville Restaurant News
• Louisville Products
• Images of Louisville
• Recipes Easy Enough For Me
• Crafts I'll Never Make
• Things I Just Love

You can follow me, or you can choose to just pick a board or two and follow it. But this is where you'll find stuff that I think is great in Louisville but that might not make it on the blog. 

Loueyville, "neither here, nor there"... but somehow still everywhere... 

Le Petomane: Once in a Blue Moon

For the past six months or so, I've been so thrilled to do some reporting for The Louisville Paper.  It's a beautiful publication with thoughtful and interesting coverage of the Louisville that makes me proud.

The very first article that I wrote for The Paper, "Marooned Five" was about Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble and their production, 5 THINGS. I'd heard all kinds of good things about Le Petomane-- how could you not when they'd won the LEO's Readers' Choice award for best theatre group in 2010 and 2011? -- but I'd never seen a show.

Here we are, six months later, and I'm a Le Petomane convert... maybe even a groupie.

Not only did 5 THINGS knock my socks off, so did their next show, A VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL. And now I'm one of those people who will see any show with the Le Petomane name attached to it.

Their next show, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, opens next week at the Rud. Here's what their promo material has to say about the show:

Filled with original music and laughs a-plenty, Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble's latest original play revolves around Ruby Blue-- a gem of a girl. Ruby is special-- why else would we tell her story, right? Everything is just peachy until a piece of her is stolen, and it's up to our intrepid hero to go get it.  

This show features four members of the ensemble: Heather Burns, Tony Dingman, Kristie Rolape, and Kyle Ware.  ONCE IN A BLUE MOON runs February 9-11 & 16-18 at 730pm at the Rudyard Kipling (422 Oak Street). Industry night is Monday, February 13 at 730p. Shows are $8-$20 on a pay-what-you-please sliding scale. For more information email US@LePetomane.org.