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Philosophy of Trees

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In her book “Big Magic”, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about how inspiration may appear suddenly and unexpectedly. She describes dreaming an entire short story while she was napping on a commuter train. She awoke, grabbed a pen, and wrote as if some channel had opened up and all she had to do was transcribe it. When I read this, my reaction was a bit skeptical – it seemed to fit a little too well to the theme of her book. Then one early spring day, on a walk through a nearby forest, this tree beckoned me. As I stared at it, the story in this post burst upon me essentially complete. I rushed home and started writing. Sorry I doubted you, Lizzy.

Always Something New To Learn

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When I started my University studies, I was quite certain that I wanted to be a medical doctor and that my undergraduate study focus should be on math and science. I thought that Freshman English was unimportant, irrelevant for my career goals, and a waste of precious time. My arrogant certainty was shattered by a great writer and a gifted professor in the first week of the second semester.

A Strange Dream

Sarah was distraught when Paul died, worried about the consequences for him because he was uncertain about the teachings of all the world’s religions and never accepted Christianity as the eternal truth. A strange dream offered comfort.

The Awkward Beauty of not Knowing

What happens to us when we die? Paul had explored the answers offered by many of the world’s religions but found them all incomplete, somehow. Now time was up and he needed to pick one – or did he?

Now What?

Childhood trauma can have an enormous impact on the choices we make throughout our adult lives. Alcohol and physical abuse are among the chief causes in our society today. This fictional story incorporates many real experiences and suggests how love, empathy, and the support of others can offer a path to a better future.

The Morning After

The counting of the votes in the US election didn’t even begin until I was already in bed and asleep. The next morning was when I would find out who had gotten the most votes. This is my story of that morning.

Being Prepared for the Unexpected

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In this podcast Inajá Wittkowski, and actor with more than 15 years of acting and improvisation experience, talks about tools to learn flexibility and responsiveness on the stage and in real life.

The Power of Authenticity in Movement

In this workshop Natalie Bury, a professional dancer, choreographer and actor, guided us in exploring the power of authenticity in movement. Physical authenticity is a powerful means to establish our character’s connection with the audience. As the day progressed, we became more connected to our our vulnerability and the importance of bringing movement out of our authentic self. We gained a better understanding our need to both be seen and not seen. At the end of the day, each of us was more aware of the space we are moving in and the many ways we can use that space.

Podcast with Susan Voight

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Today we will chat with Susan Voight, one of the founding members of WUT. Susan is acknowledged as a gifted actor and took on the challenge as director to bring Nobel Prize winning Harold Pinter’s play, “The Dumb Waiter”, to the stage at Pepper Theatre last November.

Henrik Ibsen – A Doll’s House

This month we read a play written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House, that deals with the fate of a married woman, who, at that time in Norway, lacked reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world. Despite the fact that Ibsen denied it was his intent to write a feminist play, it was a great sensation at the time and caused a “storm of outraged controversy” that went beyond the theater to the world of newspapers and society.
Ibsen had completely rewritten the rules of drama with a realism which was to be adopted by Chekhov and others, and which we see in the theater to this day. He is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare, and A Doll’s House was the world’s most performed play in 2006.

Exploring Vulnerability On Stage

This workshop gave each of us an amazing opportunity to become a little more aware of the social face (or “mask”) that each of us have unconsciously chosen to present to the outside world. Bogdan Tabacaru, an experienced and talented director, used Sanford Meisner’s teaching on text and improvised scenes to help each of us begin to set aside our mask just a little bit so that we could authentically step into the shoes of vulnerable characters on stage. Each of us left the workshop with a sense of having gained a bit of insight into living more truthfully in our real lives.

David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole

This extraordinarily well written play involving family members dealing with deep loss in their individual ways – and in ways that we all can recognize in ourselves and in our own families. The play was adapted to make a successful movie starring Nicole Kidman in 2010.