20-Word Fiction (7/10): Help with Math

Today, we are going with an image of Michael Caine from "Educating Rita" (1983), which was based on a play that we were fortunate enough to see at Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC, a few years. Caine lost the Oscars that year to Robert Duvall who won for "Tender Mercies."

Here is today's 20-Word Story of the Day, which we wrote ourselves:

"Suzy wanted help with her algebra homework, so she hired a Yale professor. He didn't know one freaking thing. Pathetic!"

To those of you who are Yale University alumni, this is a work of fiction!

http://www.triadstage.com

Presidential Quotes (3 of 16): William Howard Taft

Today, we are quoting William Howard Taft (1857-1930), the 27th president of the United States, who also the governor of Cuba (?!) before becoming prez, and a Supreme Court Justice after he was prez.

Taft also became the fifth presidential mascot for the Washington Nationals baseball team. But, he finished tied for last in the Presidents Race with Teddy (Roosevelt) as both had 11 wins. But, George (Washington) topped the victories list this year with 25 wins. The other two presidents represented by the mascot are Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

Speaking of which, the Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, where Lincoln was unfortunately assassinated is performing their annual production of "A Christmas Carol" based on the famous novelette by Charles Dickens.

Triad Stage will also be producing their production of "A Christmas Carol;" the Greensboro, NC-based theatre company will have productions of the play at their new second stage in nearby Winston-Salem.

Here is Taft's quote, which makes us think of Clarence Thomas (forgive the political humor):

"Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever."

http://www.fordstheatre.org

http://www.triadstage.org

Highlights from My 40 Things To Do List

Those of you who are jumping from our sister blog "The Daily Vampire" are perhaps more keenly aware than the rest of you about what I am doing here. Yes, I am simply posting things from an actual 40 Things To Do List that I made yesterday. Hopefully, at least six of the things will get completed!

Hopefully, you can also match the item posted with the proper image. The clothes line is from a couple (I presume they are Americans) who decided to get away from it all and go to Mexico. Hmmmm....yes, I hope they don't get held hostage by armed drug gangs either!

Here are highlights from the mega-list; the number in parantheses is where the item actually was on the real list:

1. Copy resumes (#10)

2. Go to Sweded Film Festival at the Shadowbox Cinema (#19)

3. Oil Change (#20)

4. Laundry (#21)

5. See the Henrik Ibsen play at Triad Stage (#25)

6. Write a piece of flash fiction, whatever that means (#27)

7. Try to get more organized (#37)

8. Find missing headphones (#35)

9. Take a very long walk (#39)

10. Listen to BBC (#40)

Greensboro vs. Roanoke_ Thespian Showdown (Entry 5 of 6)

For starters: There are two conflicts of interest here as I have performed for No Shame Theatre in Roanoke, Va., though my last stage appearance was when George W. Bush was president, and I am a Facebook of Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC.

The two cities are separated by a vast stretch of Route 220, also known as the Moonshine Highway, for the vast number of moonshine stills in Franklin County, Va., which one passes through on the journey between the two zip codes.

Mill Mountain Theatre was the main stage company in Roanoke, but it abruptly shut down some five years ago though reportedly it will back within the next two years. So, I can not directly compare one stage company in one town with another's.

But, I can compare No Shame Theatre, in Roanoke, which is actually a group of either stage amateurs, master thespians, stand up comics or jugglers, who grace the stage each and every Friday night at 11:00 p.m. with their talent (or lack of talent!, oh did I just say that!).

No Shame Theatre started with a performance in the back of a pickup truck in Iowa City, Iowa, which included No Shame Theatre Roanoke's founder Todd Ristau, on Oct. 3,
1986.

There are also No Shame troupes in other parts of America, including Minot, North Dakota- of all places. I was surprised to see there was a No Shame in Athens, Ga., when I visited there last year. And, while there is a No Shame in Asheville, NC, there is no such entity in Greensboro.

But, there is Triad Stage, which is currently performing the Frederick Knott thriller "Dial M for Murder" that was the basis for an Alfred Hitchcok movie of the same name. According to the Triad Stage web site, Lenise Willis of "Yes Weekly," an alt weekly in Greensboro, said the production 'submerges the audience into a sinister world of perplexities and suspense.' Many performances of the production are selling out.

Triad Stage was co-founded by Richard Whittington and Preston Lane, who is also directing "Dial M for Murder." The stage company opened in 2002 at the old Montgomery Ward Building downtown (where they are still located) with a production of the Tennessee Williams play "Suddenly, Last Summer."

The Greensboro stage company was also named 'one of the ten most promising theatres in the country,' and with the excellent production of the William Inge play "Picnic" I saw at Triad Stage in 2009, I would have to agree.

But, now is the time for the hard part of the entry, where I make a statement of personal preference. I certainly admire the fact that Triad Stage keeps their prices considerably lower than theatre venues in Washington, DC, or Atlanta, Ga., as the tickets range from $22-44. But, we are living in a recession. And, No Shame Theatre has maintaned its five dollar fee since it first started in Roanoke in 2003. So, I will have to slightly, by the thinnest of margines, go with them.

However, for those who have the opportunity to see "Dial M for Murder," I highly suggest going to see it. Though I have not seen this particular show, I know that anything directed by Preston Lane is guaranteed to be quite well-done. There will be wine-tasting after tomorrow's night show, which begins at 8:00 p.m.

Quote of the Week- Harold Pinter

In conjunction with my quote from David Mamet on "The Daily Vampire," I am posting a quip from another controversial playwright, the recently deceased Harold Pinter.

Unlike Mamet, Pinter was no conservative and he was very vocal to the Iraq War which he saw as an act of imperialism.

Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, just finsihed a run of Pinter's play "Moonlight" (pictured here), but the stage company will open with "The Solid Gold Cadillac" on Dec. 2.

'Cadillac,'a comedy play was first staged in 1953 and it was written by George S. Kaufman and Howard Teichman. The Studio Theatre production will be directed by Paul Mullins.

Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC, is currently running a production of Mamet's controversial play "Oleanna" through Nov. 8.

Here is a quip from Pinter's play "Moonlight:"

"I would never use obscene language in the office. Certainly not. I kept my obscene language for the home, the one place where it belongs."