October 16th, 2021...A Night of Great Productions! Kudos to the Warner Theatre's International Playwrights Festival...Year 10 and to all creating beautiful things (and kids too!)
After ushing for over a decade at the Warner Theatre, I couldn't keep from going to the 10th International Playwright's Festival which wrapped up tonight (a two night event.) This year was a review of about 10 plays selected from the 111 over the past ten years! Talk about "Awesome!"
They covered characters of all ages, (child to adult but even a young adult questioning where her birth father 'who loved her mom, wore a red bandana and wanted to name a daughter Sara Lee ...which was the name of the girl he met at Magnolia and Pine in his old stomping ground. So 'birth stories were touched upon'.
One of the folks shared during the 'after talk' that they are expecting 'their first kids...as in twins' and I met another set of twins about ten years old who were watching a play their Mom directed. I know a nice couple who welcomed their first child as well today, about the same time the production of the plays wrapped up! So kudos to 'all in production mode'...and art does reflect life! Every person is a miracle for 'showing up and playing their part'.
Difficult topics were explored by the characters and stories or others they shared. One Dad got 'called to be a balloon handler.' Another character met a difficult end on a simple rollercoaster ride (not based on a true event though there are things along those lines to be mindful of.) The play 'Skirting the Issue' or thereabouts, was based on a true story of a Dad wearing a skirt to work each day his son wore one to school (in Ireland) to show support for his honest journey of self-expression.
Another challenging tale explored the dire situation of a depressed sick woman ending the life of her sister who was mentally challenged rather than make her go to a nursing home she said she would not want to live in. While extreme, the reality of many nurses retiring and few caregivers in families or communities planning ahead highlight the need to consider that people are facing more struggles than most can imagine. I'll mention too that there was an Evangelical Association Conference for Pastors held in Torrington CT also
. I stopped by and learned that the conference is available online for $35, so may look that up (12 talks.) I knew a few folks and saw some old friends. The Get An Answer TV fellow was the main speaker. While saying 'there's only one path' I would hope in this day and age we would realize 'there's only one world and there are almost 8 billion people to help get along." Since the Pope eased up on the idea that the Jews should not be singled out for 'killing Jesus' since 'that was then and this is now' and let's not make things harder than they are.... I think there needs to be a part of every faith that seeks to 'get along well and play nicely with others' in terms of sharing values of kindness and compassion, equality and spiritual healing and helping one another. I'd say the jury may still be out about 'what the Bible actually said in its original..which was written a couple hundred years after Jesus lived I believe.
' I am no scholar in that area but learned a bit from many programs over the years and would hope we really could seek that inner peace and trust we humans all have a 'spark of God' dwelling within us to guide us through our lives and help one another in ways akin to what Jesus ...and many other taught. The idea of a lifetime path with permission to 'change lanes' whether genders, roles, relationships, capabilities and so on might be worth promoting as not only 'possible but necessary' (to keep people from hurting or killing one another over things that may be partly biological or related to a life journey or experience....or to social norms of a modern age rather than insisting on traditions 'for no particular reason.' We do have laws to protect people's right to 'choose' how to make legal agreements about finances, living arrangements, businesses, parenting and much more.
Those may need explaining and tweaking since they vary in many states (and of course countries...) What is going on in Texas regarding disallowing abortion after six weeks is something we all need to think about seriously as though that were happening in every state, to every woman (and young women at that...) Would that really work for no person to have a way to end a pregnancy that was unsafe, unplanned or otherwise not working for the pregnant person (and that is the terms used on NPR.org, that National Public Radio station which has many timely topics explored...Including the 100K kids in Foster Care in the US who need families!)
Okay hope that's not way too much. I hope everyone can have support to be in a safe home, safe relationships whether a romantic one or part of a family or close group of people caring for one another, living together or counting on each other etc. With patience and consideration, making plans to live and act accordingly with respect to each person's needs and wants, hopefully checking in with a few others to keep things more clear and agreed upon in a group not just two people, fewer problems would arise.
I'll explore more of that another time, but for now check some of the other posts and consider writing a one act play, a ten minute play or even consider one is living in a play and tune into the characters in one's life and part one plays in the production! As for those having offspring, the possibilities of 'who they are' and who they will become over time with love and nurturing from many in their circles is a big set of miracles~ which more can intend to assist with good will and small acts of kindness and lots of help as each can manage. 'Many hands and helpers make light work and happy families and clean houses and good food and happy kids too!"
