Theatre Thoughts: The Secret Garden

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Performance Name: The Secret Garden

Location: Bush Theatre – Central Michigan University

Date/time: Friday, November 13, 2009 – 7:30 p.m.

Performance Type: Dramatic Musical Play

Websites: Wikipedia Entry, CM Life Article

Thoughts: The topic of secrets can bring a lot to mind.  My first thoughts of secrets this evening began when the orchestra were taking their places in the pit.  I thought about what talented musicians these people are and how they don’t really get noticed and they blend in behind the scenes.  That made me think about all the people who are behind the scenes for a theatrical production, who basically remain a secret from the audience.  The make-up artists, the lighting designers, the costume crew, the set builders, the director, the set crew, and the list goes on and on.  These people get little more recognition than their name in the program (if anyone even reads their name). Yet they are an integral part of the production and they are happy to go about their work all in secret to put on the show.

This doesn’t just apply to theatre productions or even the entertainment industry. Everywhere you look you (don’t) see all the secret people working to keep things moving.  When you turn on a light – there are the secret people working at the power plant. When you take an item off the shelf at the store – there are the secret people who stock that shelf. When you call a company and they look up your information in their computer – there are the secret IT people (my favorite!) working to keep those computer systems going.

Just like secret people are important, other secrets can be too. Should you keep a secret or not?  Based on what I gathered from the play – listen to your heart and follow it – on whatever wonderful journal it may have in store for you.

Pet Peeve of the Evening: This evening’s pet peeve is when they tear my ticket wrong. I’m a saver of my programs and ticket stubs, so I like having a nice neat ticket stub.  I will usually prefold the ticket at the perforation so that it tears easily for them.  So I dislike (like tonight) when they tear the wrong stub off and thus the other stub is already bent and ready to fall off or when they don’t make a clean tear.

Repeat Rating: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being calculating pi on an abacus and 10 being having a lot of pie to eat, the chance I’d see this performance again is a 9.

Veterans Day

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Did you wake up today feeling safe in your bed?  Thank a Veteran.

If you were able to pray to the God of your choosing (or no God at all) today without fear – Thank a Veteran.

If you could speak negatively about our government without worrying about getting caught – Thank a Veteran.

If you read someone else’s views about the state of the economy even if it’s not what the government says – Thank a Veteran.

If you didn’t have to fight to defend your freedoms – Thank a Veteran.

There are so many aspects of our daily lives that we take for granted. We have so many freedoms that allow us to lead our lives as we do every day.  These freedoms are not free – they come because of the thousands upon thousands of brave women and men who currently serve and have served our country to defend what we believe in.

Today is not the day to thank our Veterans.  What?!  Are you surprised that I just said that? Today is the day that the government has set aside to recognize the invaluable contributions of all the veterans – both those currently serving and those that have served in the past.  The day to thank our Veterans is every day – unfortunately most people only think about it a few days of the year – myself included.

So thank you to all Veterans, today and everyday.

Also, thank you to WKAR Public Media for recognizing Veterans today.  From announcements on the Radio to re-airing the Michigan Voices WWII stories from vets on TV and keeping their stories alive on the Michigan Voices website.

So remember – thank a Veteran tomorrow, and the next day, and the next…

Website Wednesday: AAFES Gift Cards for Troops

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Site: AAFES Gift Cards for Troops

URL: https://shop.aafes.com/gcs/default.aspx

Brief Summary: Want to send a gift to our troops?  You can through AAFES!

More Info: This week I begin a series of websites that you can use to send gifts to support other people.  These are great ideas for when you want to get a gift for someone but don’t know what to get them or they already have everything. These ideas allow you to send a gift to someone who needs it and will help make the world a better place.  Just let the person you wanted to give a gift to know that you gave a gift to someone who really needed it.

This week is a service through AAFES and the Red Cross. For those who do not know AAFES is the Army and Air Force Exchange Service – the main shopping place for the military.  Normally only military members can shop at their stores and their website. There is an exception for gift cards though – that anyone can buy them.

The first option would be to buy a gift card through them, have it shipped to you, and then send it to a soldier you know.  My sister knows all about this – right? 🙂

The other option is for those of you who don’t know a military member personally but still want to help out.  You can purchase a gift card and the American Red Cross will get it to a person who needs it.  You can designate your card to go to military troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, Air Force members and their families, wounded or ill service members, and a variety of other options.  Check out the website for all the options you can use to donate a gift card.

So, when it comes time for Christmas shopping this year, remember the best gift you give someone, may be the gift you give to some other person.  Today’s option and the ones I will cover in the following weeks, I would be perfectly happy knowing that instead of getting me a gift, you gave someone else a gift who needs it more.