Tuesday, November 11, 2025

The Ghostly Plantation

 Gloucester Va isn’t bereft of deserted mansions dating back to post revolutionary times. Rosewell Plantation was built with the intent to outdo the size and opulence of the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg just across the York River. Unfortunately that “intent” was never brought to fruition. The photo shows the current remains of the main house at Rosewell. Unlike in historic Williamsburg VA there was no Rockefeller Foundation money available to restore what was lost to time and flames. The plantation was inhabited by the Page family and their hundreds of enslaved people. The main building burned down in 1916, but what was left was a photographic history of the interiors and some items of furniture and furnishings recovered from the ruins. The Rosewell Foundation museum on the grounds details the turbulent history of the place and that of the family who built it. The docents were very knowledgeable and even opened an hour early to walk with us through the grounds while providing insights into what we were seeing. They truly added perspective to the life experiences of those who lived and toiled in that mansion and those fields.

At the time of this post Rosewell Plantation is closed for the season, but if you’re in search of an off the beaten path historical adventure next spring keep Rosewell in mind. Visit their website (Rosewell.org) for more information.


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Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Bing. Is it a sound or just a pain in the arse always taking you where it wants you to go when you search for something?

Search engines are just supposed to allow you to find the crap you are looking for on the world wide web...right? Remember Ask.com or how about Ask Jeeves.com? There was a rendering of a plump butler (Jeeves) and a browser box in which to input your search parameters. That was all and it was enough.

Google got in the act and suddenly you are flung into the world of invasive e commerce feeding you offers and sites based on previous browser data which has nothing to do with your research of mountain climbing or how to tie your shoes. That is the proverbial "but" to the vast amounts of information you are now able to access via your fingertips. Enter Chrome and Opera and Firefox and Microsoft Edge and Apple all sucking up your personal data and likes and interests and shopping patterns and contacts...the list of stored intrusions into your life is endless. Then it becomes a commodity and is sold (don't let them fool you...no matter what you are told it gets around) to those who will use it to attempt to steer your searches to their partners or their own enterprises in hope of capturing your business along with more data to sell...I mean share.

Have you ever noticed when you search the ads pop up before you ever get to the place you were asking for? Bing is the worst. If I key in the search blogger.com this is what I got: ...






  3. Now, to be fair there was a big ad with the blogger logo to the right side of the list and it appeared more as a info center rather than direct access but my point is it tried to get me to go through all the other sites before I even saw what I expected in the list. You never seem to be able to get where you want to go without being subjected to attempts to bend you to their will. 

  4. Chrome seemed like a good idea until the scammers figured a way to trick your computer into adding fake extensions and addons to the browser that actually slip past spam filters and are not susceptible to your security software. 

    We need to get back to simpler times. We need to go to the store. We need to interact with people. We need to help each other. We need to play ping pong and not just pong. We need to stop living vicariously through the trials and tribulations of others via social media. We need to read a book. We need to...we need...we ne.... Just a minute.  Got a Facetime call and messenger just pinged. Hey, I'll hit you back in a few. Just remember...Bing sucks. TTFN!

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Monday, August 9, 2021

Interview With The Director Of Peninsula Community Theatre's Production Of The 39 Steps

 August 9, 2021 Off Top Of My Head Interview with Mike Diana the Director Of Peninsula Community Theatre's production of “The 39 Steps” live onstage now for the next two weekends (www.pctlive.org for tickets and information). 

OTMH- Good Morning Mike 

MD- Morning, I must say feels like I am talking to my mirror. 

OTMH- Get over it. 

MD- Right. 

OTMH- Your show opened this past weekend and garnered rave reviews from those who attended. 

MD- Yes it was great to have an audience and they certainly did enjoy themselves. 

OTMH- Why The 39 Steps?

MD- I've always wanted to do the show, but the technical aspects of mounting it as well a finding the right 4 actors to pull it off has always been a concern. With the COVID mandates making open auditions somewhat perilous due to gathering restrictions as well as the possibility we could be forced to shut down at any moment (no audience more than 10-20 would make it fiscally impossible to succeed) put added stress on the enterprise. 

                                        

 OTMH- But you did find the 4 actors you wanted?

MD- Yes. With the assistance of my production manager we were graced with two perfect additions to our cast based on her recommendation. She also was instrumental in our indispensable Stage Manager and Lighting Designer joining the company. We were ready to get going. 

OTMH- What was your overall concept for the show? 

MD- I wanted to give the audience the feeling of watching a 1930's film. I felt that in noir movies of that period the music and sound effects enhanced that experience so I wanted to add a soundscape to what was taking place on stage. 

OTMH- Isn't that an unusual addition for a stage play?

MD- The usual things like birds chirping or bells ringing or gun shots find there way as sound effects, but I wanted a soundscape with film and related period music. I also asked for foley-like FX, along with “stings” for dramatic moments and swells of strings for romantic moments. It was undertaken by Brian Murray and over the months we crafted a wonderful soundscape that lifts the production to new heights. It certainly adds to the experience. 

OTMH- How did you manage to cover all the scene changes and locations in the movie? 

MD- My creative team was crackerjack. After my initial design was completed I enlisted the aid of my Stage Manager, Lighting Designer, Costumer and Assistant Director to bring those designs to life. And they did a hell of a job. We managed to cover just about every theatrical convention with a few surprises thrown in to boot. Very happy with result. 

OTMH- It sounds like it. Has COVID changed your approach to performances and cast interaction?

 MD- Actually all of our cast, crew and staff have been fully vaccinated and the theater has gone through extraordinary additional steps to ensure cast, crew and audience will be in a clean environment, even to the point of using commercial grade disinfectants and equipment to treat the bathrooms, lobby and auditorium between each performance and ensuring all CDC guidelines are followed. We feel good about being in the building. 

OTMH- What about distancing? 

MD- The house is only being sold at 65% capacity. Seats are being reserved for those who would feel more comfortable with a bit more distance in the seating. Anyone can move before the ` show. 

OTMH- So, what are the 39 steps? What is the plot of the play? 

MD- What are the 39 steps? That's why one needs to see the play. It's all about finding out what they are. Let's just say it is a 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller based on the novel written in 1915. In the early 21st century it was adapted (taking great license) as a comedic stage play(multiple award winner) and has been performed on the West End as well as on and Off Broadway.

OTMH- What we can expect watching the show?

MD- Oh...well...there are surprises galore and some great bits of slapstick and, while homage is paid to various Hitchcock films, anything and everything is fair game for a laugh.

OTMH- Sounds great. Thank you for playing along with this bit of tomfoolery and taking the time to offer some insight into your production of The 39 Steps to potential readers as well as potential audience members. See you in the mirror real soon.

MD- It's been my pleasure. It would be grand if everyone came to Peninsula Community Theatre to
see our production of The 39 Steps. I guarantee a belly laugh or two.

GO TO WWW.PCTLIVE.ORG FOR TICKET AND INFORMATION

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Wednesday, November 18, 2020

ZOOMing In On Live Entertainment COVID style....

My how things have changed since the first of the year. When did you last go to the movies? Have you been to see live theater lately? Those trips are rarer than a serving of beef tartar and that hard to imagine! (look it up) Theater regulations for operating are more stringent than restaurants and bars have ever been mandated to observe. Live theater presents an even more restrictive set of requirements than the others. 

A 25% occupancy maximum will never support royalty based productions. A 300 seat house would allow up to 75 seats to be sold, however the distancing requirements might mean only 50 seats could be occupied. There's little chance of recouping expenses if one could stage even a non musical production.

Don't forget. Distancing goes for those on stage as well. Actors, in the act of speaking with their mouths wide open, can inadvertently spray saliva into the air in the direction of either their cast-mates or the audience. (I've been told that while singing from the stage the spray can reach distances exceeding 10-15 feet.)

Years ago my wife and I watched Gary Morris, as Les Mis's Jean Valjean, emotionally spray the front row and beyond with glinting arcs of spittle when he sang "Bring Him Home" from the apron of Broadway's Imperial Theater stage. Yup. It's a real thing. Those droplets you imagined having felt on your cheek or head at a show could have been ingenue or chorus spittle. Might want to wear a hat or scarf when next you go.

The on stage distancing makes life difficult to actors, directors and crew. It does, however, present opportunities ("Desperate times call for desperate measures" Sweeney Todd) to explore performance from outside the proverbial box. 

Hello Zoom and applications of a similar ilk. Virtual shows done via streaming...kinda like PBS and  others have done. Now production values wl not be the same but professional and even theaters need to keep their doors open. The bills haven't stopped coming due for those mega million dollar productions whose theater marquees went dark back in late winter/early spring 2020. There is no subsidy for community playhouses to assist in keeping the lights on and the rent paid. Hundreds of theater groups have shut down...closed up shop...given up the ghost. You have to adapt to survive.


Welcome to the world of streaming on YouTube! Breaking out of the proverbial box and being open minded when it comes to approaching producing entertainment as media.  It requires finding material within your capabilities to afford, rehearse, stage, record and edit as viable content for streaming. Once that's been accomplished creating a channel to upload your content comes next and then you must be able to promote and "sell" your new approach to your patrons.  Sounds daunting but in truth it's something that should have been on every theater group's radar for years. 


Content is rather easy to find and some playwrights will even forgo royalty if you follow certain guidelines when doing their material (of course you must make sure they own the rights to what you want to produce). There are also tons of radio scripts from the golden age floating around. Some could be available in the public domain but it's always smart to contact the rights holder for permission.  You do what you have to do. 

I'm in the process of editing three shows for streaming. The process is the culmination of the efforts of cast, crew and production staff who were willing to suffer through Zoom rehearsals, mapping out the technical details for filming, editing and promoting the production. Without the COVID restrictions this would be a breeze and the community groups that have the capability should see this as an avenue for the future. Sometimes you gotta color outside the lines.

The arts are the first cuts in funding when times get tough. That's the American way. In Europe and other regions of the world arts make up a large percentage of their national identity.


That reverence isn't shared here. We have classic plays and films we might include in our lexicon of things "Americana" but nothing that can define us as a nation. Are we too diverse for that notion? We just went through the MAGA propaganda period, but I don't recall feeling we were in need of that hype to start with. We don't refer to this as the "motherland" in our culture (whatever that is). So entertainment is just that. Something to keep us occupied in our unproductive periods during the day, week or month.

In this the worst of times we need the release of tension. Our fears come alive daily whether in the news or via social media. Political unrest and a relentless viral attack have been the focus for most of us for months. If you hear about one of your local playhouses streaming a show tune in. Most of the time there is no cost to a ticket. Donations are certainly appreciated. Help keep the lights on and the stages lit.




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The Ghostly Plantation

  Gloucester Va isn’t bereft of deserted mansions dating back to post revolutionary times. Rosewell Plantation was built with the intent t...