Image of the Mind Studios

A Summary of IMS Producing Partners

2012-01-11T12:49:00.003-05:00

Introduction

This essay/outline is intended to convey the IMS Financial Approach to producing work of various types by using the internet to disseminate the necessary information.

The information outlined here can be construed to apply to any number of projects although in this instance reference may be made to The Gnomes of New Hope, since that is the principle project which is being pursued at the time of this writing.

IMS Producing Partners - an investment website, overview

The current philosophy is to manage the dissemination of investment information and the relative updates thereto by way of the web site IMS Producing Partners.

This web site is intended to provide all the relative contract, budget & management information to our partners, whether they be investors, creative/managerial, or licensing participants.

IMS Producing Partners is designed to encourage investment in any number of projects through progressive levels of access to information depending upon the degree of investment and/or level of membership.

The premise is that greater levels of investment deserve a greater degree of access and benefits for that investment and as such membership in IMS Producing Partners provides not only the foundational capital for further development as a whole, but is the basis for a developing network of people who are partnering to help IMS achieve the goals outlined.

In today's world of international engagement, there ought to be a way for interested people of sufficient means to become part of the production activity thru the use of the internet and so IMS Producing Partners is being developed as a vehicle for that to happen, to some degree via the internet, and to disseminate the required information for that to happen by use of more traditional and direct methods of fund raising.

All investment procured by this means (internet) shall be controlled by the terms outlined on the website.

In all instances, hard copy confirmation must exist prior to investment for amounts larger than one thousand dollars. Larger investment amounts via the internet may be possible, once the contractual agreements are in place which confirms the suitability of the investor and the relationship is established. These terms may be altered as the implementation of this web site progresses.

Other means of procuring investment exist and will continue to be pursued.

Access to this web site is by membership only and the cost of membership is $120 per year, on the assumption that a person who is capable and willing to become a member of the investment group will not find that unreasonable. Such membership funds are not considered an investment and therefore would not be returned.

Membership is contingent upon specific terms and conditions which must be adhered to and as such will be considered a binding contract enforceable by law.

Contents

The structure of IMS Producing Partners is being developed as it is being conceived.

Therefore the initial membership will include access to this process and the external structure elements which are generally accepted operating procedures for a membership oriented organization.

Aspects of this membership structure will be applicable to The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park and The Alpha & Omega Society as well.

The structure of IMS Producing Partners is tiered so as to allow greater degrees of information to be available to members, partners and employees.

Licensing information and management operations for the Ancillary Markets will be provided via this web site and therefore membership is required for all licensees as well.

IMS Producing Partners will be developed to a certain degree on this site and then converted to an internal server where it will be further developed and maintained.

There will be benefits offered to members which will not be available to the general public, those benefits pertain to both Individual Productions and the overall IMS Studio Operation.

Investment opportunities will be presented on IMS Producing Partners.

IMS Producing Partners, at a certain level will contain the IMS Operations Manual and therefore all employees of IMS must be a member of IMS Producing Partners in good standing.

Al new partners or employees functioning in the upper level operation, including creative and management, will be derived from the membership roles of IMS Producing Partners.

In addition to more detailed discussions about IMS Operations & Investment in the Studio Compound, the first level of membership will provide access to Individual Production Approach Summaries, containing: Budget elements, discussions about licensing, the Front Money Agreement.

Certain elements of the production management system will be provided to partners on request off-line and not all elements will be posted. Those items not posted will be referred to, so that members in good standing may request those elements, if they are part of the benefits of their membership level.

This entire operational system is currently being reviewed
and revised for the present situation

Therefore, in terms of it's presentation on the web,
it is in development and may seem incomplete.

The Southampton Park Trolley

2011-12-08T11:08:00.002-05:00

Update: 1/12

There has been extensive dialogue on this subject and I have concluded that I will coagulate the emails I have written and post them here for the benefit of your broader understanding of the concept. Please understand that all of this is a "concept". It is a vision of what could be... but it could only be if there is a collective communal desire for such a thing to happen. Look for me to post a new summary in the coming weeks. AG

Archive postings

I have been promoting the idea that the Rail Line which runs through Southampton be reconstituted and operated as a Trolley Line, which primarily will service the Park Systems along the line. This trolley would accommodate bicycles so that those who use the line can travel between the parks, as well as the communities in-between.

In my mind an antique trolley, slow moving and uniquely quaint, would be an excellent tourist attraction for Southampton and part of that plan would be to restore the train station for use as a museum. As I understand it, The Southampton Railroad Station Society is thinking in terms of making the train station a museum which will highlight numerous aspects of the rail line history, including the train wreck of 1921.

So it is that I am going to begin to post further on the subject here. I have posted on this subject and been writing emails to this effect for some time, but not on this site. There is an essay with a link in the right panel titled "On the Improvement of the Community" this is an older essay and may be outdated, but it is worth looking at. There is also something of a summary of my work experience, as means of justification for the perspectives presented there.

If you have thoughts on a trolley line, please do enter the dialogue on the subject. AG

"Gnomespheres"

2011-10-12T13:49:00.001-04:00

Work is continuing on the instrumental album of the music from

"The Gnomes of New Hope"

Some of this collection can be heard by following this link;

Gnomespheres

In addition to the Music and the Stage Show

we are working on the following aspects of this project;

Gallery Exhibition of the Illustrations w/Puppetry Storytelling

Puppetry & Toy Manufacturing

A Concert Version of the Musical

Publishing Numerous Items;

Illustrated Storybook: Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure

A Dictionary of Gnomenclature

The History of Gnomeville (published by a random gnome)

Reproduction Artwork by Gnomen Rockpile

Animated, Stop Action, & Puppetry Cinema

Theme Park Elements w/Animatronics

Investment and Licensing opportunities exist

refer to this essay on the subject.

Continuing Production efforts for "Nunc Licet" : link to script

2011-10-03T11:43:00.004-04:00

"Nunc Licet" was presented with some success at

The 2011 World Assembly of The New Church

For the advancement of the play, I offer the most recent edition of

entire script of Nunc Licet for your review.

An assessment of the presentation at the Assembly;

During the Assembly, we drastically edited the script reducing the size and eliminating much of the subplot elements in order to fit it into the one hour time frame. We felt that since we were addressing a New Church audience, that certain points in the play did not need to be dealt with, since most of our audience already had a foundational knowledge of who Swedenborg was. In addition we were limited in our rehearsal time and production values, so a significant number of subplot elements were removed. I was not too please about needing to do this, but it had to be done. You will note that the script provided here for your review has all of the staging instructions included. When I removed the assorted descriptions, instructions and the directions to the actors, leaving only the lines to be spoken, the script is reduced to 126 pages (with some of that material removed simply by crossing it out bringing it down close to 100 pages double spaced). So here is the unedited script for your review.

Please use the search function above to locate other posting on the subject.

I do expect that we will present another reading in the beginning of 2012.

If you are a producing organization and would like to consider mounting this production as a reading or a full production, please do feel free to contact me in that regard.

I am removing the postings which refer to the production efforts for the readings that have taken place. If you need that information let me know. I expect to move it to the "Nunc Licet" Archive.

Nunc Licet... a stage play

Download a READ ONLY copy of the full script

On-line Synopsis of Nunc Licet
Slightly different than that provided in the script

Purchase a Printed Hard Copy or CD of the Script

This is a limited production custom order item.

Poster for the upcoming Gilbert & Sullivan show on October 1. 2011

2011-09-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

Please post this in your window or hand it out to people.

The Gnomes of New Hope: general activities

2011-08-04T12:13:00.006-04:00

8/30/11 UPDATE;

We have mustered a budget and are proceeding with the illustrations for the Storybook with the goal of publishing the final product. We expect to assemble a package of the Audio Narrative with music as a companion CD to the Illustrated Storybook- Coloring Book Edition. Hence we will be advancing with black & white illustrations. The coffee table book edition will follow in due course and will have the companion DVD. These illustrations will also serve as the storyboards for the animated film, which we expect to move forward with as a classic animation. We are also working to create articulating dolls for the stop action animation film version and ultimately for retail distribution.

The Cover to the Illustrated Storybook

These illustrations will also serve as the sketches for the set & costume design for all of the manifestations of this project on stage or film. In addition to proceeding with puppet construction, we are beginning to plan set construction for presentation of the show at Tamanend Park's Meadow Amphitheater (see The Shakespearean Journal for images of the stage). We are currently making the bodies to the marionettes and costuming them. The appendages will depend upon our advancement with sculpting and casting the figurines. We have intention to move forward with that as we finalize certain illustrations, particularly the characters.

With that in mind, we will be creating an array of collectible characters of The Gnomes of New Hope. We are starting with Constable Warren, who can be seen on this web page. I will take pending orders for the figurines, should anyone desire to have the first production lot. The Limited Edition Collection will be signed and numbered and likely made of porcelain. Final pricing on the finished product is not yet determined, but I expect that it will be under fifty dollars for the signed editions, depending on the detail work involved.

There will also be an unlimited edition produced from resin. The puppets/marionettes will also be produced as a limited edition, but that edition will not be released until after the show has been successfully filmed as planned. The first 35 numbers in all editions are reserved for our front money investors. We have not yet located a publishing distributor. All production management, manufacturing and inventory will reside with IMS. Purchase orders for production runs of any prototype item must be for acquisition of the entire production run required to bring the unit price into a marketable range.

Therefore, we seek relationships with wholesale distributors. IMS reserves the right to distribute to retail in any region if necessary or desirable to support the exhibition of either the stage show or the film. Exclusive distribution of product is available to the organization who provides 25% of the production budget for the stage and the film, under the standard terms of the investment agreements and can show evidence of worldwide saturation. All Distribution Contracts extend for a period of two years and are contingent upon performance. Other terms apply. Inquire directly.

Post Archive

8/26/11 UPDATE - We submitted the first song from the show to The John Lennon Songwriting Competition. We discovered that one of the flute voices in the piece was accidently left as a Pan Flute instead of the Soporano Flute which it is supposed to be, so I will be trying to rectify that. We are quite pleased that we started to release the music. Our plan is to produce the Audio book of the show and we are actively moving forward to publish the Illustrated Storybook as a coloring book with the companion CD of the music and story narrative.

I have decided to build a puppetry bridge at The Meadow Amphitheatre in Tamanend Park and we are also moving to build the puppet show for presentation in the Park and at other outdoor venues. The interesting point about this approach is that the stage in the park will very nicely serve as a model for little theatre and the size of the sets will fit well into a few theatres I have in mind, in particular- Phillips Mill in Solebury.

We are also beginning to film the events in the park and I anticipate posting those events on my YouTube Channel. I expect that we may film The Gnomes in the Park as a preliminary to a more refined shoot at Phillips Mill.

8/5/11 UPDATE;

Today I am thinking that the associations I need to foster, are the ones which are centered around the internet in terms of communication. Other methods are less efficient and have proven to falter to a greater degree. If you are interested in the subject of Gnomes and the mass-media elements I am discussing on these pages, then I would invite you to open a dialogue on the subject with me. Clearly, I am pursuing all avenues opened to me for this project, but I would prefer to encourage use of the internet and the IMS Virtual Studio for the advancement of this project and all other management functions. I expect to spend more time on the IMS Producing Partners pages.

Further discussions;

We are nearing completion of the music for the first half of the show.

The first half of the show contains approximately 18 songs that are both lyrical and instrumental.

We will be producing The Music Album in a two disc set- Act One & Act Two and I am moving forward to design the liner notes and the cover for that.

Our game plan is to post one song as a sample and possibly make some of it available for purchase.

We are striving to have the instrumental versions played by a professional orchestra and we are talking to a few people about this.

I am continuing to seek representation for this show and have not yet confirmed an agreement.

We have the text for The Illustrated Storybook laid out and are proceeding with creating the artwork for that edition.

We will be moving forward to begin recording the lyrics to the music in the expectation that this will serve as the sound-track for the animated film version and the puppet show.

We are proceeding with construction of the puppets and exploring some animatronics which may be applied to both the puppet/marionette shows and to the Gnomeville Theme Park aspect of this project.

I expect that I may start a new blog that is dedicated to The Gnomes of New Hope.

PRESS RELEASE, "Nunc Licet"

2011-05-23T10:54:00.010-04:00

8/30/11 UPDATE:

We will begin working on Nunc Licet again soon, with the anticipation that we will do another reading in Pendelton Hall sometime in the fall after The Autumn Leaves Performance Festival in Tamanend Park is over. If you worked on the reading before and want to do so again, please let me know. If you have read the script (which is posted on this web site) and would like to be included, please let me know. We do intend to proceed as best as we can with the goal of a full production. All the information posted on this blog still applies, just change the dates. AG

PRESS RELEASE;

Subject: Nunc Licet: a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg

All are invited, participants or observers, to attend the "Official Workshop" to develop and prepare a script-in-hand reading of

"Nunc Licet" at the 2011 World Assembly of the New Church (link)

It will begin on this Wednesday, May 25th and take place from 7:00 to 9:00 PM on the campus of Bryn Athyn College in Pendleton Hall. Entrance to Pendleton Hall can be gained from the North Parking Lot behind the Brickman Centre.

A sponsorship program has been developed for those who would like to help financially, as we try to bring this play up to a full production at MPAC (and ultimately a feature film version) and there is advertising available in the program that will be handed out at the Assembly.

We will be videotaping the Workshop and reading, for which we need two camera operators and other technicians.

Stop by the Workshop to gain the necessary details or check the web site www.imagemindag.blogspot.com.

A very special thank you to those who have already been helping. Your participation is more valuable than you can imagine. AG

Please feel free to forward this notice as you see fit.

Arthur Greisiger
Artistic Director / Proprietor;
Image of the Mind Studios

Founder / Administrating Director;
The Alpha & Omega Society

Founder / Executive Producer / Artistic Director;
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

"Nunc Licet" Sponsorship program

2011-05-20T10:35:00.006-04:00

I am looking for folks who want to contribute to the cost of presenting "Nunc Licet" at the Assembly.

Funding is being sought to assist in: * the publication of 120 copies of the script *costs of renting the performance space *supplies required to make the presentation *costs involved in advancing the production *operating expenses incurred during the scriptwriting & production management time-frame.

I need to raise a few thousand dollars for this purpose. I don't have the specific budget, simply because whatever I can muster will be a great help and ultimately a full production of this show will be many thousands of dollars anyway.

There will be a program booklet with advertising and various degrees of sponsorship. Publication will be done in-house.

Advertising and sponsorship will be published in all editions of the Playbill for each presentation of the play produced by Image of the Mind Studios and productions by other companies will be required to make reference in their playbills to those who have helped make this possible.

For this presentation at the Assembly we will be publishing 100 copies of the playbill. If the show moves up to the next level (meaning a production at MPAC) then advertisers will be included in that playbill as well.

If you'd like to be a sponsor or purchase advertising in the program booklet, talk to me directly, send me an email (imagemindag@verizon.net) or call me if you have my number.

I have the sponsorship program designed and the details available in hard copy, which I can provide to you, but I need to convert that layout for presentation here on the web. It is much the same as the program for The Shakespearean Journal and the Cinema Under the Stars program, so you might review those web pages.

It would be a help if you purchased a copy of the script in advance (to be picked up at the reading).

If you care to donate via PayPaL please do so here;

If you do make a contribution in any amount, send me an email to confirm that you have done so and assure that I list you as a sponsor. I thank you in advance for you help to making this happen.

Look for me to post the Playbill advertising specifications here within a few days, if possible. AG

NUNC LICET Handout Card

2011-04-15T09:31:00.004-04:00

For those of you who are helping with this effort;

These images can be printed on front and back an 8 x 11 letter size

to create hand out cards.

Sorry about the misspelling of Pendleton Hall, too late to change it now.
I saved the image to a test file and printed this out from Preview on a Mac and it works pretty good.
If you want a copy of this email me and I'll send it as a n attachment.

The Workshop and Progress Reports are below the Character Listing.
I'm trying to post there weekly.

Character Descriptions: Nunc Licet

2011-04-05T05:55:00.001-04:00

For those of you considering reading in the upcoming workshop,

here are the character descriptions from the script;

Appendix

Character Descriptions;

General Notes: This background information is provided mostly for the benefit of the actors who are chosen to perform the roles. Further descriptions may be required for designers & casting. Character traits & idiosyncrasies are further defined throughout the script.

If necessary, most characters can be altered to accommodate the available cast or production values. Ages are not critical, however key elements in the script may not work properly if the age range is changed too drastically. Swedenborg’s age is fixed. The character relationships, relative to age, are based on life experience. With this in mind, a primary objective in the characterization has been to exhibit as wide a range of human experience as is possible within the context of the script. The physical characteristics herein described are for the benefit of the representations the author has envisioned for the play. It is not critical that they be adhered to and they are not intended imply any particular bias of mankind generally. The individual character traits can & ought to be adjusted for the cultural needs of the people for whom this play is being presented. Although in order to represent the time period they are recommended. If the character traits are changed, such changes must be conveyed in the program for the show.

Casting Notes: the hair color of the characters must represent their diversity. This is particularly important for the women, as their dialogue is not as predominant in the play. Beards are not critical but are described to create contrast.

William #2

The primary antagonist of the play, William is 37 years old. He is a close childhood friend of John. William’s stubborn; egotism is prevalent in his crass, obnoxious attitude. John tolerates him mainly because they were very close, as children and they have not seen much of each other in the past few years. He has stopped in to visit with John as he is on his way north. The foundation of William & John’s relationship is weakening rapidly because of their differences. William is a rogue and a mercenary. He is a husky rough type of character and dresses in a rather mismatched coarse way. Women of culture are generally leery of him. He has little respect for women and considers them to be objects of his desire. He weighs approximately 200 lbs, has red hair & a beard. His eyes are green and he is of Irish descent. His hands are callused from his work with horses. William tries to project an air of culture, however he does not have a firm enough background for it to last long into a conversation. His focus of attention is brief, but as he moves from subject to subject, he is able to regain the ironic appearance of refinement. He manages to contain his anger but he has a short fuse. If he remains in a disagreement with someone, there is the risk of his becoming violent. He does not respect others and the subject of other people’s intelligence is one of the ongoing arguments that he has with John. He respects John more than most others, but he is beginning to give up on John. Return

Sir John Gabriel #3

Is 32-39 years old and the host of the gathering. Living in established wealth, he need not exert himself, although he does so, much to the bewilderment of his family & friends. He keeps an even pace about his life and takes the time he needs to relax. Much of his time has been spent in universities studying a wide spectrum of subjects, with a particular emphasis on trade. He carries himself well, and is a successful businessman dealing in imported goods. As a child he spent much time living on the estate that has been left to him by his grandfather. The older servants who remember his youth have a warm and loving relationship with him. His thirst for knowledge & intellectual challenge continues to provide him with inspiration and an abundance of energy. He dresses comfortably but retains the air of his cultured upbringing. The style of his clothes is generally one of subdued elegance, however, that elegance is by no means fragile. His hair is light brown. He has no facial hair. He weighs approximately 180 lbs and is of Saxon/Teutonic decent. He is in good health, even strong. He is not married. He treats people with much respect and clearly supports a belief in God. He generally projects his thoughts in a clear manner but sometimes drifts into aloof thoughts. Return

Victoria #4

A female servant in Johns home, Victoria is an attractive woman. It seems possible that John may have chosen to employ her for her looks because she compliments John well physically. She is subtly flirtatious, a fact that is quite delightful for John and his male guests. She carries herself well and she is rather coy. Her flirtatiousness becomes much more outward “one on one”, particularly with Thomas. She is 28 years old and is of medium height (5’10”±). She is a slight woman, maybe 110 lbs, but she is shapely. She wears her hair up when she is working on preparations and lets it down in a ponytail when she is encouraged to do so by John. When her hair is let down, it is a long, silky brownish blonde. Her attire is that of her position, however she has a number of changes of clothing, as this is her subtle way of catching attention. She also has a more formal change of clothes for when she is invited to participate in the gathering. Her work clothing is conservative but attractive, whereas her formal change is considerably more provocative. Return

James #5

James, the butler, is approximately 70 years old. He has taken on a surrogate role of guardian for John as a result of watching him grow from childhood. A slightly larger than normal man, he is balding & grey. He is a quiet man. His clothing is quite refined and he takes pride in the way he looks. Once married, his wife died of an illness a few years ago, he generally feels lonely as a result of this. He seems to feel protective of Victoria and she looks up to him. Deep in his thoughts he is attracted to her as a woman but his moral sense does not allow him to manifest his affection in any way other than a fatherly one. Whenever he begins to feel attracted to Victoria he remembers his wife and becomes flustered. He likes to think he can do more than he can and he often appears feeble. He is in good health however, and actually is stronger than he appears. Most of the guests are familiar with James and are comfortable being friendly to him. When the formality is let down he is quite frank. He is, for the most part, unimpressed with John’s gathering. Return

Thomas #6

A long time friend of John’s, Thomas is well traveled in high society circles throughout Europe. He has spent a good amount of time in studies, however he doesn’t seem to use what he has learned. Apparently, his university days have been overruled by his jaunts with High Society & the lustful oblivion that it has fostered. He mostly appears to be a fragile man when left alone to his thoughts, but when he is putting on airs for women & men alike his stature gains strength. At first impression, it is unclear if his sexual orientation is toward men or women. His actions & appearance seem contrary to his dialogue & intent. His gate & level of intensity seem to fluctuate as though he is bordering on sensuality & spiritualism. In his initial entrance his attire is riding gear, which gives him an air of a swashbuckler. He is an excellent horseman. He has come to stay with John for a while and so he has an assortment of clothing & supplies. Later, when he makes his formal entrance, at the gathering, he is wearing a wig. His attire is shockingly frivolous and he appears quite feminine. He is quite immature. He has never settled into responsibility. Thomas thinks himself to be highly educated & refined, and it seems that this may be so, except that his span of attention regarding complex issues does not hold up. His age is approximately 34. His hair is blonde. He weighs about 160 lbs and stands about 6’ tall. Return

Baron Frederic Von Greisiger #7

The Baron Frederic Von Greisiger is in attendance as a result of his long time association with John Gabriel’s family and his timely arrival in England. He is a wealthy man about 60 years of age. He is unkempt in his appearance, not so much because he doesn’t try to keep himself looking well, but rather because he keeps falling apart. His actions are clumsy but he has managed his business dealings shrewdly enough to compensate. He uses money to buy favors and is always looking for ways to gain more. His attitude about matters of the spirit is non-committal, but he is not adverse to discussions, even though he does more listening than speaking. His clothing is rich but his tailor is not very talented. He is a medium sized man, more round than tall. He has a beard which tends to capture debris. Return

Baroness Hildegard Von Greisiger #8

The Baroness Hildegard Von Greisiger is a stealthy woman in public when it comes to her husband, but quite the reverse when they are in private. She is a domineering German wife who has clear control over her husband. In public she is able to secretly convey her messages of control to him whereas in private she is outwardly physical toward anything that dissatisfies her. Her secretive manipulations surface occasionally in her actions. She is a well rounded woman slightly larger than her husband. At times, when she is with women she appears quite feminine, but when she is around men she becomes quite defensive and almost masculine herself. She is 58 years old and dresses

in a rather gaudy fashion, which she believes to be quite fashionable. She is very intimidated by Christine (because she is a fashion designer) and she acts out her role as a Baroness in a very animated way. Her overall appearance & behavior borders on offensive. Return

Lord Perry Eevanwald #9

Lord Eevanwald is a neighboring landowner. His attendance is by virtue of his mutual association with the Baron & being friendly with the elders of John’s family. He is a thin weakening man and has been declining for a number of years, ever since his wife Johanna died. At first he appears to be in fair health, but his endurance over the course of the evening is not good. He is a conservative man, quite indoctrinated with the teachings of the Protestant Church. He finds himself in the position where he must be tolerant of new ideas and is somewhat resistant. He is not quite certain why, but he finds himself making an effort to be flexible, until it reaches the point where his beliefs are challenged too deeply. When this happens he takes over the role of antagonist. He has a very bad heart condition which gives him cause for grief from time to time and this has severely limited his activity. He longs for the company of his wife and he has a generally sad demeanor when he is thinking alone. When he is about other people he is somewhat uplifted. He is 68 years old. He clearly has unfinished business with William, something that occurred many years before. Return

Lady Carolynne Eevanwald #10

Lady Carolynne is Lord Eevanwald’s sister. She was very close friends with Johanna and came to live with her brother when she died. She feels it is her duty to help raise Sara and has taken on a surrogate mother role. She is very high pitched in her emotional reactions to everything, particularly those things she considers to be even slightly in difference to what is “normal”. In this sense she is rather schizoid, however when she is focused on something which she is knowledgeable about, she is quite confident & persuasive. Her ability to endure is limited. She seeks confirmation from the other women about her own self worth. She is 53 years old, fairly attractive, and dresses well, albeit conservatively. She tries to be an example for Sara, even though Sara doesn’t seem to pay much attention. Her relationship with her brother is rather odd. It is not clear how deep her affections go for her brother, although it is quite apparent that she is greatly concerned about him. At times she seems to be living in a fantasy world. She has never been married and she is deeply embarrassed by this fact. Return

Sara #11

Sara is a vision of innocence. At 17 years of age, she has been protected by her mother and also by her aunt. She loves her father very much but is at the age where she wants to avoid his dominance. She is a petite girl, fragile with fair hair & skin. She is unknowing about many things, but she has an inner sense that projects a certain quality which seems to inspire a sense of awe. She is unaware of the evils that beset her (IE: William & Thomas’ lust) because her thoughts & actions are focused on the young love that has appeared between her & André. She dresses in white lace in a very conservative, yet somehow provocative, manner. Her presence tend to bring others into a more “aware” state of mind and they generally feel more rejuvenated. She is quite giddy & sweet and tends to delight those around her. Return

Christine #12

In contrast to her distant cousin Sara, Christine dresses in a outwardly provocative manner. Her attire is of her own design & is quite diverse in the way she has used various textures & colors. She has very long straight black hair which stands out from the wigs of some of the older women. She is a tall, slender, but quite shapely, woman and she wears rich jewelry to accent her clothes. She holds herself very well & even though her clothing is very sexual, she has a distant, upper crust, air about her that prevents the men from approaching her. She is very much in control and chooses who she allows into her sphere. She is 29 years old and has spent most her life in France. She therefore behaves in the manner of a French woman, but looks more Teutonic (Spanish/Moor). Return

André #13

Of French origin, André is a 23 year old student of philosophy & medicine. He is an energetic young man who is quite interested in the young ladies. He has never been abusive in his relationships with women, & so he represents the masculine innocence that balances out Sara’s presence in the play. He is good looking & he knows it. This fact is apparent in the way he holds himself, at least until he sees Sara, at which time he becomes much more humble and even shy. André is confident in supporting his positions. He is not very tolerant of the attitudes projected by William, Thomas & Nicholas, primarily because he considers himself superior intellectually to them. He avoids conflict if it appears that it may become physical, but he is inclined to entice an argument- if only to be participant to the resolve. He dresses in a smart fashionable way that is intrinsically practical. (NOTE: it may be appropriate for him to enter with facial hair but then remove it during intermission because of it’s effect on Sara, this could provide good business). Return

Nicholas #14

A commander in the Calvary stationed in India. Nicholas is currently in England to report to his superiors about the situation. He is beginning to loose his loyalty to the crown and so has become distant about matters regarding politics. He is a private man and has known SirJohn for some years, primarily because of his sister Cassandra’s relationship with John. He is 43 years old and weathered in appearance. He dresses in a conservative manner, not one for frills. Right off the top he finds that he is rather adverse to Williams presence and so he more or less avoids him. He is interested in the women, but not enough to be blatant about it although he has made his attraction clear to them at various points of contact. It is not clear if Nicholas is a violent man or not. He is obviously strong and appears at though he may be rough, however during the course of the play he is mostly gentle. His hair color is not critical but dirty blond (of Viking descent) is preferable. Return

Cassandra #15

A conservatively attractive woman, she is working very subtly at trying to convince John to marry her. She carries herself decidedly, in order to attract John’s attention. She carefully selects times when her conversations with other men will help her cause. In this way she is devious, but because of her age and her need to marry, she feels justified in stirring jealousy. She does not use it in an abusing way and when she can soothe John she does so. She is comfortable in John’s home and he is comfortable having her there, except when she and Victoria get together, at which time he gets nervous. Cassandra plays on this nervousness to playfully keep him in line. She is an intelligent woman, who can be quite strong, but prefers to allow her fragility to predominate. She is in her early thirties and has long wavy hair somewhat darker than her brother’s. Return

Angel #16

An uncouth woman in her late twenties, who unconsciously has become a harlot, her condition in life is a result of depravity and not so much a result of choice. She has an innocent goodness about her, which is not readily apparent. After she has been engaged in conversation with someone for a period, there seems to be hope for her. She responds sexually to men if they initiate the action, but not overtly in a group of strangers. She does however project more sexuality than is proper for any gathering of this type. Until she realizes that it is not necessary for her to be that way in order to gain acceptance (ie: after her song) she acts in a generally unacceptable fashion. Her clothing is rather plain and soiled but she changes after Cassandra offers to help her. She is completely blind to William's abuse of her because she finds him fascinating. Her fascination for William becomes enlightenment to his real qualities as the play progresses and he is unwilling to contribute in a positive way. She becomes quite comfortable with allowing Swedenborg to take on a surrogate father role for her. He in turn responds favorable to her new found awakening. Return

Emanuel Swedenborg #17

A gentle man, Swedenborg is portrayed at age 83. He is quite lively and alert. His stature is upright and he moves quite easily for his age although it is apparent that he is approaching the end of his life. He is quite secure in his opinions and has no fear of what may occur in any circumstance. He wears a wig and his attire is quite plain. History tells us that he often wore clothes that were unintentionally mismatched and this is the case in regard to his shoes. He carries a sword. He is quite delighted by the young ladies, as they are enamored by his curious sphere of gentleness & eccentricity. He is not generally eccentric except that from time to time he drifts off into a world of his own, as if he were speaking or listening to someone who was not visibly present. He seems to have a protective sphere about him, as the antagonism of the play arises. He looks toward the good in every situation and therefore places a positive interpretation on most all circumstances. He is, however, quite cognizant of when a situation is negative and generally tries to remove himself from the conflict. He is not afraid to confront a situation if it is required to protect the values of innocence or truth. When standing his ground he has a confidence & power that defies explanation to anyone who is viewing things from outward appearances. He tries to remain “regular” and does not look down on anyone. Sometimes he intentional feigns confusion so as to not seem too all knowing. Return

Celestial Angels Male #18/Female #19

Their brief appearances at the opening of Act III are described at that point in the script. There is one male & one female, who can be portrayed by the other actors. Their attire & look is such: Both wear long flowing white gowns which are intended to reflect both the intense hues of the scene & the black lights to be used for highlighting. The male wears a purple waistband & silver jewelry (jewelry which does not clatter) The trim & undergarments use the same color scheme although the undergarment colors are closer to pastels. His hair is of medium length and is fiery red. The female has long wavy hair of the same color. Her attire is much the same although it is cut more femininely. She wears a waistband of deep Ruby trimmed in gold. Her jewelry is gold as well. She wears a headband of gold inlaid with pearl. They wear no shoes. Both are of tall & powerful stature although the female is quite a bit smaller that the male. The lighting in the scene is deep purple & lavender hues so the actual colors must be able to reflect the proper balance in the costuming. Return

Spiritual Angels Male #20/Female #21

Likewise, their appearance is described immediately following the Celestial Angels in the beginning of Act III. There are also two performers- one male & one female. Other actors or possibly the musicians can also portray these characters. Their attire is as such: They are dressed in long flowing white gowns with minimal trim and no apparent jewelry. Their undergarments are colored in rich hues that complement the rich amber hues of the lighting. Their hair is (preferably) of light color but this is not critical. Return

Ariel #22

Is one of Lord Eevanwald's guardian angels. He appears to be about 25 years of age. He is a fair skinned young man with a bright, lively look in his eyes. His hair is light color (Blonde, implying his purity by the reflections of light off his hair). He is dressed in a full length pale blue, hooded undergarment covered by a white frock. Around his waist is a braided rope of crimson & gold. He is wearing sandals of gold. Ariel is a jovial type who enjoys encouraging Lord Eevanwald to be like a happy child and he freely jokes with him, making it clear to him that he is doing so by his expressions. Ariel projects a confidence in the providence of God and he is very good at instilling that confidence in Lord Eevanwald. He reacts with Lord Eevanwald as if they have always been close friends. Return

Johanna #23

Lord Perry Eevanwald’s wife of many years, she has now grown younger since she has gone to Heaven. She appears to be in her twenties, in contrast to her husband’s being close to 70. This does not seem to bother her, in her being close to him when they meet again, although it is stunning to him. She is very gentle & caring but she is also somewhat cautious, not being certain about how her husband will react to the spiritual world. As she speaks to him, she seems to examine him because she is anxious to know if they will be together. As they spend more time together they begin to draw closer. Johanna, is a woman with long fiery red hair, her complexion is fair and she is a slight woman. Her attire is a flowing lacey gown, almost like that of a wedding dress, but much less formal. The colors of her dress are white highlighted with yellow and she is wearing a gold headband and a golden necklace. A further description of her attire is located in Act II of the script. Return

Two Musicians

Cello & Violin (harpsichord or recorder players optional) Musicians attire is refined and conservative and must stand out in its simplicity from the reset of the characters. Their costumes must be coordinated. Other musicians may be added as desired. Return

Production Note: More musicians are advisable and suggested. The specified musical numbers require woodwinds, which can be conveyed either on stage or in the pit. An Overture/prelude, interludes within the show and a postlude for the curtain call are desirable. This material may be provided in future editions.

Additional performers

Should the staging format expand to include abstractions of time & space, in the form of asides, additional performers & text will be included to accommodate the expansion. When reading this version of the script, keep in mind that an expansion such as this will occur in those areas where descriptions are given about Swedenborg’s activities in the context of hearsay. A possible scenario includes Swedenborg breaking away and seeing spirits & angels interacting within the gathering.

Camera Systems for Tamanend Park

2011-01-05T13:46:00.000-05:00

In part because of the vandalism at the stage in The Meadow Amphitheatre, we are reviewing the practicality of installing a camera system at the stage. This will serve multiple purposes- in addition to security (the police can access the cameras remotely), the cameras will function at night and be motion sensitive, they can be used for recording performances and the system can also provide a live feed of performances from the stage or any given moment monitor the stage area on-line.

The budget is being developed for this and we may be able to provide employment to a few people. If you are interested in this project, please contact me. AG

An Essay on the Improvement of the Community

2010-12-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

On the Improvement of the Community, Southampton Pennsylvania

dialogue has been taking place on this subject, here, via email and on Facebook.

I am gradually improving this posting and adding material

because action within the community is taking place

and my only way to participate is to post these opinions.

Please feel free to offer your comments

on the facebook discussion

which is linked to the left

or via email.

Nunc Licet Readings @ The Swedenborg Library

2010-12-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

We will be meeting in downstairs in The Swedengorania Library not in the AV Room. The library opens at 7pm so we may start a little later and the first meeting for the Tableaux is also tonight at 6:30 pm. I will be attending that meeting and then running over to the library at 6:55.

Hope to see you there. AG

Nunc Licet Production Notes;

2010-11-23T08:45:00.003-05:00

Scripts for the Reading Workshop:

The scripts we will be using for the readings are available at the Swedenborg Library front desk for your review.

They are not to be taken out, as we have- just what we need for the readings and these scripts will be kept at the library.

The script edition that we will start with is not the most current edition. It is Revision VIII-G, whereas the current edition is Revision X-J-G. I hope to be able to replace this older edition with a set of the newer ones as we proceed. (if anyone cares to help with the cost of that as an investor, I welcome that kind of participation as well).

I am also thinking that at some point in the future, I will create an edition that eliminates all but the dialogue from the pages, but this seems to be very difficult for me to do

The differences are not so significant that we cannot use the older ones to get a feel for the material. I suggest that if you would like a new edition that you purchase one. I've given away so many scripts over the years, I just can't do it anymore. They are available here on-line, at the Cathedral bookstore, and at the Reading Workshop

I am not providing it online, because after twenty-five years of agonizing work and expense, I am unwilling to make it available for free, until the production goes up and the film is completed.

I also will not be providing scripts to people free of charge. I will provide both the CD ROM and the current version of the script to people who participate at my wholesale cost. That's the best I can offer. I will have a sign-up sheet at the readings for people who want to avail themselves of this offer.

The first night of Reading on Wednesday December 10th will take place in the Swedenborgiana Library as opposed to the AV Room and if that works out, we may continue there.

I will be attending the first meeting for the Tableaux Choir at the Cathedral and the Library opens at 7:00 pm, so do not be distressed if we start a little late. If you are the first to arrive feel free to get a script from behind the desk and look it over.

Here's hoping we can succeed at gathering a group of people who want to get serious about doing this. If we are very lucky and the show seems to work, we may have an opportunity to move this show to Philadelphia, New York or other cities nearby. But don't let my goal of doing that prevent you from just helping to get it up for the Assembly.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

Nunc Licet, purchasing a script

2010-11-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

Purchasing a copy of

"Nunc Licet"

If you would like assist
in moving
the production forward

by purchasing
a copy of the play

it is now available
using PayPal.

Synopsis of the Play
(being reconstructed and will be available shortly

Available Products:

Spiral Bound Printed Edition: $24.95 (available from the New Church Book room for $20)

the most current edition at the time of ordering. Currently that is Rev VIII-H. This edition has been reduced to 5 x 8.5" and bound with a metal spiral spine. The cover contains a full color glossy reproduction of "Swedenborg Designing a Flying Machine" as shown above.

This edition has the technical notes reduced in size and presented in a different font, so that one may easily skip over them and read just the dialogue. This greatly helps to make the script easier to read.

Also in this edition: the characters are presented in bold, making it also easier to separate from the technical notes and the staging directions. Staging directions to the performers are greatly reduced in size, separating them further.

Pages are printed back to back, and there is less room provided for performers to make notes then previous editions.

Text changes include expansion of female dialogue, a small degree of sentence restructuring, and a few changes in vernacular.

CD-ROM Read Only Edition: $14.95

a digital version of exactly the same script on CD-ROM. It is a locked PDF file that is read only and may not be altered, copied, or printed

It is offered for reading on your computer or other devise that reads CD-ROM

Read only Download Edition: $7.95

a Read-only copy delivered digitally thru email

NOTE: Depending on the size of the finished files this may be delivered as more than one file.

These items are produced on demand,
so you will receive an email
to confirm your order
and let you know about the shipping.

Thank you in advance for your order.

Your purchase will help to advance the production
and you will receive special offers and benefits
when the show premieres.

Versions available

Nunc Licet, current activity

2010-11-16T09:41:00.006-05:00

Production Approach Summary

Purchasing a Script
This link will allow you to purchase the script via PayPal.

Synopsis of the Play

Current Activity

2/11- Readings at The Swedenborg Library We have had a few reading sessions that went very well, but I found that the notes have been causing people to pause to 1) read the notes and 2) try to find the next line of text. So I am removing all the notes from this version so that there are no instructions whatsoever in the script. It seems strange to me because there is no point of reference to understand what is going on, but then the version of the script with the notes can be referenced in that instance.

1/11- Submission to The Public Theatre: One more rejection slip although this time they said they enjoyed reading the work, which seems to indicate that they may actually have done so. You'd be surprised how may people can't get thru this play, myself included at times. What can I say, it's a big play with religious subject matter. I have found that the biggest hindrance to reading the play are the staging notes which I have been spending time removing for an actors version.

(2010) ;

11/10- Objective for the Reading Workshops- The latest workshop will begin on Wednesday, December 10th at The Swedenborg Library on the campus of Bryn Athyn College. Times are from 7 pm to 9 pm in the AV Room.

The show has been work-shopped four times before, during the writing process and this is intended to be the last time this will take place. The goal for this workshop is to prepare the play to be presented before the World Assembly in June. Confirmation of the use of the Pendelton Hall Chapel in the main college building has not been given and will likely be contingent upon the success we achieve with these workshops.

Film & Video- The larger goal is to shoot the film version of this play at Cairnwood, as it is a nice location which represents the atmosphere of the play quite well and it just happens to be across the street from everybody, the campus, the theatre, and the church.

But in the mean time, it was suggested that we might just shoot some snippets of the play as a test. Well, that sounds like a great idea. That will require less memorizing the lines of the play than a stage show and I have the equipment we need to do tests. It would be better to have higher quality equipment than I have, but for now we can move forward with my equipment.

I have S-VHS equipment that I use for documenting various activities, so we can us that for now. My 16mm film equipment (Beaulieu) is not really appropriate for this because of aspect ratio issues, because I don't really trust the mechanical stability of the cameras, there are issues with sync sound & camera noise and it is very costly to produce the desired results. Not to mention the cost of servicing the cameras, lenses and sound recorder before we engage in a serious shoot. If the opportunity to buy, use, or rent better equipment comes up then we will explore that when the time comes. But for now samples using S-VHS will have to do. I'm working to acquire two Canon XL-HD cameras, but my editing systems are not yet set up for HD.

Of course there are numerous production issues that need to be addressed if we are to proceed with shooting some scenes. We could do it in contemporary garb, but I'd rather do it in period costumes, so we will need a costumer who can coordinate that. Then we have to determine the locations for the scenes. If we do it in a contemporary format, then we can shoot it anywhere, but how boring is that? I'm really very less inclined to desire any contemporization of this work, but we'll do what we have to to advance the cause.

A Staged Reading- The least of the goals we have is for a presentation at the Assembly as a staged reading, script in hand. Since this appears a first glance to be a rather long and complicated play, that might be the best we can hope for. I say appears to be, because in reality- the play is much easier and shorter, if the technical notes and directions are removed from the text. I have attempted to do this, unsuccessfully, numerous times. They are just too integrated into my thinking on the material. Someone else might be able to do that, but I can't seem to. I will make one more attempt at it, as painful as that might be.

If the participants in the workshop are willing to work at getting off-script, then that will go a long way for a larger more detailed presentation. But if we find that the lines are too voluminous or difficult for the actors to memorize then we will need to rethink how we will approach this project. I am not expecting to edit the play down, as I have been refining it for the past twenty-five years trying to make it easier to deliver and understand. Chopping it up is not a good idea, not a good idea at all. But if it has to be cut, I am the only one to make that decision (of course I will accept suggestions, I may not listen to them, but I will accept them).

I have tried to break up the dialogue into smaller manageable segments for the sake of the actors. I know that the material has a certain philosophical complexity to it and so for both the sake of delivery and comprehension I have broken the thoughts into a more conversation style. I hope that this will prove to make the play flow more easily. As I have mentioned before elsewhere, the sub-plot and non-verbal expression in the play are- as, if not more, important to the success of the play. Much of that sub-plot has to be extrapolated by the actors who will portray the role, because only so much has been conveyed in the script and support materials. I apologize to the secondary characters who are left to their own devices to fill their space on the stage at times.

A Full Stage Production- Although I hope for a full stage production at some point, I am not expecting to see this happen for June- unless there are logistical folks who sign on to help make that happen. Yes, I am working toward that ultimate goal, but the reality is that the budget for a full production needs to be determined, the necessary funding acquired and many other details implemented. It is all I can do to think about the core material and to document the process of refining the material, so that it becomes a workable stage presentation which the audience will accept and enjoy.

So this is some preparatory material for the Script Reading Workshop which will begin on the 10th of December. Hopefully we will have a reasonable group of people who will assist us in these goals and we will determine what it is that we can in reality achieve when we find out who is willing to join the effort.

"When Preparation meets Opportunity, Success occurs"

contact Arthur Greisiger at: imagemindag@verizon.net

Refer to the

"Nunc Licet" Archive

for prior postings

Revised Press Release for "Nunc Licet"

2010-11-15T08:01:00.004-05:00

11/15/10 Press Release;

Readings of the play "Nunc Licet: a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg"

will begin on

December 1st, 2010

in The Swedenborg Library on the campus of Bryn Athyn College.

Work will take place in the AV Room of the library from 7-9 pm
and continue weekly

with the goal of presenting the play during

The World Assembly of The General Church of The New Jerusalem in June.

We have a number of goals which include film and video as well.

These weekly sessions are production meetings intended to gather participants who can be counted on to help to advance to goals of the show. Observers are invited to sit in, but anyone attending may be called upon to read and will be expected to do so.

In addition to actors & technicians, we also are also seeking to build a production team of folks who can assist with implementing logistical matters, both locally and on a larger scale.

We will also need to engage in fundraising for this project which will lead to paying positions, but for the time being- we are all working on a volunteer or deferred basis.

For further discussion you may contact Arthur Greisiger via email at imagemindag@verizon.net or use Facebook.

Information and a synopsis of the play can be had by using the search function above to search for "Nunc Licet"

Arthur Greisiger
Artistic Director / Proprietor;
Image of the Mind Studios

Founder / Administrating Director;
The Alpha & Omega Society

Founder / Executive Producer / Artistic Director;
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

Nunc Licet Readings @ The Swedenborg Library

2010-11-04T17:19:00.006-04:00

Beginning December 1st, 2010 we will begin to conduct readings of the play at The Swedenborg Library on the campus of Bryn Athyn College. Readings will continue to take place on Wednesday Evenings from 7 to 9 pm in the AV Room.

Anyone interested in helping to mount this play is invited to attend. These meetings are intended to achieve a few different goals. They are production meetings, they are not entertainment for observers. That will come when we present the play to the public. Most importantly, we need to open an ongoing discussion and and action plan regarding the logistical matters pertaining to mounting a presentation of Nunc Licet at the Assembly in June.

We need to build a producing team. It is my distinct opinion that we need to divide the producing duties between three principle producers and a number of Associate Producers. The specifics of that organizational structure will be presented to those persons who would like to serve in the role of producer and will be refined at these meetings by those individuals. In addition, the producers will be responsible for raising money for the production. This is not- Here's the money go do it... rather it's Here's a show, let's get the money, or find ways around it, and do it. We need self-starting, go-getters in order to get this done. There is much to do and we need committed people that everyone can count on. So if that's the type of person you are, then please do get involved.

Certainly, finding the people who can perform is equally important, but without the logistics backing up the performers the effort to produce a crafted piece will be frustrated.

Persons wishing to walk-the-boards are invited to participate, but there will be no promises in that regard. We need people who will not only fulfill the roles, but will do so- well... and will want to continue on with doing the show more than just once or twice.

We have intentions of filming the show and will document the process with video, so we need technical people who are interested in this aspect as well. On the subject of filming- if all works out well, we will want the same performers who work on the stage show to participate in the filming, hopefully at Cairnwood. This will depend on how many people become involved and are serious about helping to make this happen.

Those dedicated persons who do become involved to help get this show up, will become part owners in this show, which is intended to be presented around the world, hopefully on an ongoing basis as both a stage play and a film.

More dialogue will follow ... AG

"You're Not Getting The Point"

2010-10-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

An serendipitous impressionistic documentary, with elements of expressionism

(the photo is linked to a discussion on Facebook)

Recent thoughts;

October 2010 - I recently showed a copy of this film at "Cinema Under the Stars". It was an experiment to see how it projected from an S-VHS machine. The copy was actually an old dupe of a VHS copy. It projected rather poorly. I found that it was very dark and the outside borders of the projected image were quite different that what is seen on the monitor, but interestingly enough, now that I have the exhibition capabilities, I am finding myself more encouraged to finish a number of the films I have laying around.

I'm also thinking that I will start a film festival of some sort at the Park.

This film needs a lot of work to make it presentable. I think, however that I will be able to do that once my editing bench is working properly. It is unfortunate that my equipment is older and lacks the simplicity of the newer programs and cameras (that may very well be an illusion, because nothing is ever simple). I have been having interface difficulties for some time now, because I feel as though I need to have a functioning composite interface, which I continue to hope will be a G3 that I have intended for that purpose, yet cannot seem to get working. A good deal of my older projects require the interface for transfer into Final Cut Pro (if I expect to do that transfer in-house and judging from the cost involved that is most desirable). I've been hung up on this issue for a very long time. Add to that the fact that my Uher 1000 Pilot needs rebuilding and (to the best of my knowledge) my material for this film needs to be transferred to ADAT using that particular machine. AG More later...

Synopsis: The film was initially intended to be my contribution to the events that were occurring in Buck County, Pennsylvania during the time period of 1982-85. I became aware of the plan to pump water out of the Delaware as far back as 1979 when I went on a tube float down the river to protest the plan.

Sometime later, when I found myself walking down the street in Doylestown, I took pause to watch a large group of people being herded out of the paddy wagons into the courthouse. I soon found out that they were arrested for protesting at the site of the proposed construction in Point Pleasant.
I knew that there was no way I was going to let myself get arrested. I had no desire to tangle with the police or the court system, I did enough of that with the Department of Transportation. So I wondered what I could do to help. I looked down at my Ziess Contraflex and knew that photography was the way, at least until I got back to my studio and saw my Beaulieu R-16 sitting there.

So I decided to film the events instead of photograph them. I begged what resources I could to buy 16mm film. I shot like a banshee, knowing I had a limited amount of footage. The way I saw it, 24 fps meant 24 still photographs, so I did not worry too much about how smooth everything was, just so I could capture the events.

My plan was to double & triple frame the areas that needed it. Of course, I never got around to that. Luckily most of the exposures were not too terrible. If you know anything about a Beaulieu you will know why I say that, since I depended on the internal meter.

At first I was viewed with great skepticism, the people involved wondered what I was doing with a camera. Very few people had ever seen a camera like the one I was using and so it was strange for them. It got down to the fact that, other than one friend with a Bolex, who shot a few rolls, I was the only person I could see who was shooting film. There were a few folks who shot some video, and there were numerous people who shot photography, but I shot film. Of course the news agencies, who also shot video, but none of that came from an inside perspective.

It is interesting to note that when Sandy & I were working on fund-raising, one of the places we went was - the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. At first they were very interested in the project and we even had a meeting in their Washington office about it, they told us that they would fund the film, but only if we took a centralist point of view.

HA! I said forget it. Of course I wasn't that blunt to them, but I was not about to spend my energy to give the very people who were using all their political clout, all the public resources (against the public's will), and all the deviousness they could muster behind closed doors to mislead and manipulate the local government into imposing an unwanted boondoggle of a project on the majority of citizens who made their voices known in a "non-binding referendum". This very public company, in cahoots the special interests who served to gain millions from the public coffers, scammed the county into spending huge amounts of money, because they likewise scammed the politicians into binding contracts that were signed without the citizens being informed of what was happening. The legal battles that ensued were a horrendous waste of taxpayers money and the project that resulted was ultimately disposed of by the county and sold to a neighboring county for a loss. The end result being massive over-development of the land and a plethora of other related problems, which I do not care to go into.

As you can see, I still get upset by this after 25 years. This is one of the reasons for my delay in finishing this film.

The shear volume of material that I have, which needs to be reviewed is going to take a huge amount of valuable time, which I am quite hesitant to spend on this subject. I get very emotional about it and I am not sure I want to do so.

Sandy & I spent and incredible amount of energy trying to get this story told. In New York, Washington, San Fransisco and Hollywood. We took the film around to numerous studios, who had the audacity to suggest that they could recreate the events for a film. We went to see Clint Eastwood when he was Mayor of Carmel and took the project to Martian Sheen, who said he was impressed, but too busy. The water issues in California were not what they are today, but we saw it coming and did an interview with Nancy Pearlman on The EcoNews Network and she offered us national distribution of the film if it was every finished.

Before we got married and went to California, I submitted grants to numerous organizations. The Film Fund stole or lost our original U-Matic which we edited at CBS in NYC with the help of Harry Canon. Sam Wells helped me to dupe the materials in preparation for that. In fact, the sample tape that we created from that editing session is the only edited copy I currently have. The footage in that film was duped by shooting the film on the wall in Sam's friends apartment using his Ikagmi U-Matic camera, which is the reason I don't want to release it. There's some ratty shots in there.

I used to belong to the Film-Five Coop and we met at the Bucks County Council on the Arts. Well, they came to us and said that they wanted to help us (meaning the struggling filmmakers) by sponsoring our proposals the the Pennsylvania Arts Council. So I submitted "You're Not Getting the Point" . You'd think I ate their babies they were so hostile. They said "Why should we support this film". Uh... why indeed? What about freedom of speech and artistic expression? What about truth in politics? Ha, what a bunch of hypocrites!

The American Film Institute liked the film and held their decision making process up for us to get the paperwork from the bank, proving that we raised 80 thousand dollars of the 120 we needed for the full film. Little did we know that the bank where we deposited the money was in favor of building the pump and they did not care to assist us in getting the money. They stalled the paperwork until I lost the grant from AFI. Well, that resulted in my giving the 80 thousand back, because that was given to help us raise grant money.

So there are many things that have happened over the years, not the least of which is being harassed by the police and having a car drive through the front of my studio.

This is an interesting story. The police were all over me. They kept issuing me bogus tickets until I lost my license and couldn't afford to keep my truck on the road. But that didn't stop me. I would pack my bicycle and my backpack with my camera and supplies and ride the fifteen miles one way to the pump site to film what was going on. One day I had the very strong feeling that my studio was not secure and that I needed to hide my film footage. So I took all the audio tapes and all the film footage and hid it all around the studio in boxes and in nooks and crannies where nobody who broke in could find them. I then packed my camera and rode over to the site.

We had a camp set up there, which we called "Valley Forge Two" and so I was camping there . It was a long ride and I needed to be there to film what was going on. People would come up to me and give me money for film, that was cool.

So I rode back to my studio the next day. When I got there- there was a giant hole in the front of the building. A car had driven into the building, smashing my antique rolltop desk in the process. Now you have to realize that this was a small cottage sitting in the middle of a field. The possibility that this was really an accident is very unlikely, especially when I had the overwhelming feeling that I was about to be invaded. That is just one more example of how controversial this film was and even still is. I have to confess that I am afraid that if I release this film the assaults will start again. I'm going to do it anyway though and hope for the best.

I'll continue this essay at another time.
AG

Nunc Licet: readings at Tamanend Park begin...

2010-09-20T18:46:00.005-04:00

Arthur Greisiger

is conducting readings of his stage play

"Nunc Licet"
a play about Emanuel Swedenborg

at the Tamanend Park Stage
The Meadow Amphitheatre

beginning this

Sunday September 26th from 2-4 pm

(the regular time for Shakespearean activity)

Work will continue on Sunday afternoons

with the goal of making a presentation
for the World Assembly in June of 2011.

We need to have people willing to read

and others who are willing to assist in planning

and gathering resources for the Assembly presentation.

The immediate goal is to present in Pendelton Hall
on the campus of Bryn Athyn College,

beyond that, there hope to produce a film version.

Contact Arthur at 215-322-1566, or
imagemindag@verizon.net

For further information
or to read a synopsis of the play
use this search link;

Nunc Licet

We need to finance this production and invite individuals willing to assist with this.

Studio Expansion

2010-09-08T09:16:00.001-04:00

Property Acquisition;

IMS is currently located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, but has also had Studios consisting of shop space, studio/offices in Solebury/New Hope, Doylestown, Dublin, PA, Boston, MA and both Beverly Hills & Hollywood, CA.

The current operations are as reduced as possible, but are in great need of expansion.

An opportunity to expand the studio facilities into an additional 5K, or 10K, square feet has arisen. The window for this opportunity is extremely limited and I will need to capitalize such an expansion to the tune of 50K minimum. That number does not leave me any working capital, it is simply the required amount for acquisition of the space. More details will be provided when I do the budget.

But there is also another opportunity which is under review.

Southampton does not have very much open space available. The township is considered built out. However there are a number parcels available. One is located in one of the industrial districts, is raw land and would accommodate an reasonably sized studio compound, but is limited to the two or three acres and does not have room for expansion. There are also a few industrial buildings available, none of which are optimal.

I recently examined a parcel with an industrial building, a house, and additional land. I was surprised to find that this parcel could serve well as a studio compound, but more interesting than that is the fact that there is an adjacent parcel of ten acres which is also available, effectively making nearly twenty acres avaialble. This is under review, but will require substantial financing. Resources that I do not currently have available to me. Hence this posting is set down for the purpose of encouraging those resources to become available, as well as locating a Financial Manger/CFO for IMS.

The long term goal of a Theatrical Development Centre could well be implemented at this location, even though to do so would be locating it in a densely populated area.

History;

Years ago IMS had a scene shop, offices, and a rental stage set up in 2500 sq ft of the rear building of where my current offices are. My intention at the time, was to create a rental stage for photography, film, television and a rehearsal space for musicians. I was well on my way to having the lighting installed and I was doing advertising, modeling photography, and creating display sign-age while I was setting up the facility.

I had numerous requests to use the space for "slams" which I refused and I had come to the conclusion that I did not want to operate the facility during late night hours, which would have been required for the rehearsal space. So I eliminated that potential source of income. My further intention was to set up a peanut gallery so that try-outs could happen and there would be an audience for television programs. I was beginning to build a control booth for the stage area when another opportunity came up.

I had this shop set-up for around nine months, when, at their request, The New Hope Arts Commission asked me to become their Technical Director and help them to survive a major shift in the management of the organization. I took the position, but unfortunately discovered, too late that it did not pay sufficiently, nor in a timely manner, and did not allow me enough time to maintain or further develop the stage facility I was building.

In addition to these factors, I was using half of the building on a sub-let which was not working out, since I was paying too much for the space and the "landlord", who was the other business in the building, was not compatible with what I was doing and causing me grief. I also had issues with the Fire Marshall, who was telling me that I had to install a sprinkler system and install additional fire exits. The cost of operation became too much for me to handle and so I closed down the shop.

Current Status;

As it turns out, our family owns the building and our current tenant is moving out. That leaves 10K sq ft open and available as of January of 2011. Since IMS is intending on producing "The Gnomes of New Hope" as a television special, a marionette show, and a Broadway musical, this is an excellent opportunity to set-up that operation in a most convenient situation. My trucks and current office are locate at the same address and one of my jobs is to oversee the maintenance on these buildings.

So it is that bringing my supplies out of storage, setting up the scenery shop for construction of the sets for The Gnomes, building the marionettes, manufacturing numerous ancillary products for this show, expanding the offices, setting up the animation studio, expanding editing rooms, and employing production personnel to implement this and other projects is a good thing to be doing right now.

In order to do this, the effort will need to be financed and a CFO will need to be located. A long time goal I have had for IMS is to restructure the operation with a more defined and functional corporate ladder. This will need to be the case if the management of the "Gnomes of New Hope" is to remain in-house and reach it's full potential in the marketplace.

In addition to "The Gnomes...", there are numerous other theatrical & cinema projects in pre-production or on the shelf, but there are also a number of product lines that have passed thru the prototype stages and linger on being ready for market. Issues with space for inventory, manufacturing and assembly, as well as sufficient working space to implement packaging and guarantee fulfillment, have caused the delay in attempting to market these products. Expansion would open up the income potential for these projects as well.

Further discussion on this subject will ensue.

The Gnomes of New Hope: current status

2010-08-10T10:18:00.006-04:00

Current Status;

1/5/11

The presentation at Barnes & Noble went well, with discussions about a book signing taking place. We presented a narrative storytelling of the first half of the story and the kids were enthralled. the adults were quite pleased and enthused as well, so it became clearer what direction we needed to move in with the show.

We had four of our Gnome characters enlarged to about 36" and they stood about in a semi-circle surrounding a stool with a copy of the book cover on an easel in the background. We played a loop of the music in the background as I read the story and we displayed our script & music score materials. Overall it looked and played well.

So now, I am working hard to complete the narrative layout for the storybook, but one of the issues with that is the finalization of the lyrics in the musical and trying to work all the scene variations into the second half of the show. With that in mind I have shifted over to producing a Book of Lyrics (which is separate from the stage script or the Libretto). This will help to clarify how many of the numerous little sub-plot items I can include in the stage musical. Even if items are excluded from the stage, they may appear in the film though.

While I am doing this, Shawn is converting the 8-track music files over to stereo and working on mastering the music. At the same time the orchestrations are being refined into the final stages, since some of the songs clearly need enhancement before going into mastering.

We are preparing the material for going into the studio to lay down the lyrics and for me to do the narrative. The initial plan was to have the narrative told by Ferny and that may still be included, but after having done the reading at Barnes & Noble, numerous people have expressed their opinion that I should do the narrative, so I guess I will. That work will also be done at Circle Studios as opposed to at IMS, since their equipment & sound recording facilities are far superior.

We are planning on making another presentation of the show at Tamanend Park in the summer of 2011 and we have opened up discussion in New Hope about presenting the show there, possibly in the Bucks County Playhouse? As you may have seen elsewhere- the game plan includes puppetry so we are now working to develop a larger prototype of the puppets for that presentation. That puppet show is an experiment that is intended to go along with the concert presentation and I am now investigating animatronics for certain of the puppet heads functions. This work is leading to a filmed version of the puppet show. I am debating as to whether or not to bring the subject up with Sesame Street.

Our main issue right now is to increase our investment funds so that we can move forward at a more rapid pace, particularly with illustrations and the construction of the puppets. Obviously there are other business matters which need attention and investment as well, so tending to those matters affects the overall pace of production.

We are also moving toward construction a large balloon(s) for our presence in parades and a construction of a float for publicity is also something we are looking at.

10/16/10

The narrative script has developed thru three revisions of the first half of the show. It is now clear that this must be finished, as we have an opportunity to present the story & possibly some of the music at a Barnes & Noble book fair. I will be working to complete the narrative for the entire story over the next month.

We are also designing the concert presentation, which will include, puppetry, live vocalists and use of the illustrations in various ways. We have determined to present the show at Tamanend Park and Phillip's Mill and are moving forward to paint the drops needed and construct the puppets. This approach will allow for growth out of the resources we have available, rather than put us in the position that we need to raise larger amounts of Front Money...

8/17/10

Publication of the score is moving along nicely and I am now integrating the published score into the Working Script. The Libretto will be derived from this when that process is completed. The Working Script & Libretto is quite voluminous.

The Working Script: contains numerous description elements of each scene- Synopsis, Setting, Summary, Technical Notes, Sets, Lighting, Properties, Costumes, and Character notes. If necessary for a particularly complex scene, another category, such as "Scene Change Notes" may also be included. I expect that notes regarding musical performance may be included at some point.

This Working Script will constitute the primary materials for rental when the show is ready to Franchise as a traveling Marionette show. The plan is to develop the Marionette show before the live performance, principally because of the resources required for a live show, but also because marketing the show with ancillary products, is the current modus operandi for gaining those resources required for a live union based show. In addition, the Marionette show will assist in raising the funds at a Backer's Audition and bringing the audience into the live show by developing affection for the material before the live show goes up.

Further advancement for The Illustrated Storybook has taken place, although work on the illustrations has stalled due to the requirement for us to complete the score. If, as mentioned below, I am able to expand the studio operation, I will be establishing an Art Department capable of pursuing the illustrations and work on the Animated Version of the show.

Work is being done to assure that The Narrative Story, being used for the recorded CD Edition is consistent in their story-telling with the Illustrated published edition, and the stage show versions. A certain degree of divergence is acceptable, but for marketing purposes the story needs to remain as parallel as possible.

All of this runs parallel to my desire to restructure IMS toward a more corporate environment.

8/7/10:

We have been working very hard to achieve two basic goals. One- to publish the score and Two- to remix the music from eight tracks down to two. I have taken on the responsibility to do the score and Shawn has taken on the remix. Our plan is to go into another, better equipped Studio (Circle Recording Studios) to lay down the vocals. In order to do that we feel that it is best that we master the instrumentals to the stereo mix, which will ultimately be required anyway.

The publication of the score is something that is required for furtherance of the project for both publication goals and production goals. Opportunities that exist must be met head on with full preparation and it is my opinion that performance of this music in a live orchestral or ensemble setting will greatly advance our cause. So as a result of my insistence, the job of scoring has fallen to me, which I'm actually rather happy about, even though it is a huge amount of logistical work which does take away from composing.

Marionettes: I am still working on constructing the marionettes and I have now begun an new phase in that construction.

I've constructed numerous chassis for the puppets and have experimented with various sculpting techniques and materials to try to ascertain the best approach. I want the construction to be something that can be implemented in a manufacturing environment for the ancillary markets. I am anticipating that we will need to be doing that in-house and so I will be seeking a distribution agreement for those products.

I am now experimenting with two foot high models of human skeletons. I am not certain if it is required, but my thinking is that the movements of the marionettes with actual skeletons may work the best to emulate bodily positions. As it stands now I believe that the current approach will be able to serve the two purposed required for both marionettes and stop action cinematography.

It is possible to move into the television production and the construction of the sets for both the franchised marionette show and the stop action film. We have sufficient material to advance in this regard.

I have the opportunity to expand the studio into a larger portion of the building I am currently using. This seems like it makes sense, but only if I garner sufficient resources to do so comfortably. I have made mention of this elsewhere, to do this will require substantial financing and I believe that to acquire this financing the show will need to be represented by an agent who can involve major industry players.

We have been discussing the art-work with a number of artists, but progress in that area is moving rather slowly because of other demands on time and resources that do not directly pertain to The Gnomes of New Hope.

Look for further postings or write for more details.

The Gnomes of New Hope: discussion board

2010-08-10T09:19:00.000-04:00

I've decided to post this site for discussions on the production for anyone needing to communicate general ideas on this project. Whatever you post here will be available to all our creative partners to review, so keep it positive. I reserve the right to edit or remove anything posted here.

To contribute Specific methodology or production management details, refer to the IMS Management Blog.

Use the Discussion Bulletin Board to communicate creative aspects of design & implementation, characterization, costuming, animation, documentary activities, scheduling meetings, gathering supplies or other activities relative to actually manifesting the production.

The Bulletin Board has been set-up for posting items which would be good for the crew to generally communicate with each other and express themselves about the project.

Please keep the more detailed and classified information for direct communications and not for posting here.

Feel free to offer your opinions about the way things are proceeding from your end of things.

In all cases, it is best to send a copy of your contribution to me via regular email (in the event that I don't get a notification).

The Gnomes of New Hope Discussion Bulletin Board

CO1600, mobile workshop, touring

2010-07-19T09:53:00.008-04:00

A few years ago I began constructing a mobile workshop on a 1962 International Cab Over 1600 truck. That project stalled for numerous reasons, most particularly an illness in the family. Two other reasons were that - my fabricator went out of business and we never finished constructing the gates on the stake-bed and then I broke the transmission and could no longer practically operate the truck on the roadways. What sense is there in paying the costs of maintaining the truck on the roadway with a broken transmission? It works, but reverse is real bad and I have no first gear. I have not yet been able to find a T-15 Transmission, or even parts. If anybody has one let me know.

My goal with the mobile workshop was to essentially construct a little barn on wheels. I do mean a barn. For some reason I want my workshop to look like an old barn. At one time I was concerned about the weight of the vehicle, but I'm not going to let that be an issue. I now intend to construct the doors out of wood instead of steel.

I am designing the building to be modular, so that it can be removed from the truck in pieces.

Part of the functionality that I have considered for this truck is to have it serve as a mobile stage, although I am not certain that I need to do this.

I have concluded that if I want to use it as a dumping stake-bed for construction purposes, as it pertains to the IMS Studio Compound / Spiritual Retreat (see the Theatrical Development Centre), or a stage, etc. , then I can convert it for that use by removing the workshop building from the truck.

The truck has a crane arm on it, but I have not gotten that working yet. The crane is a European Design that nobody seems to know anything about and I've wanted to find more information about the operating systems, before attempting to rebuild it. I do have some of the replacement parts, but I need a manifold which can be operated remotely from the ground. So far I have not had the need to finish the crane arm and my focus of attention is on the creative aspects of "The Gnomes of New Hope"

The crane arm needs to have outriggers built into the chassis of the truck to prevent twisting the frame. My thinking with the crane-arm has been to use it for moving sets and such.

At one time I maintained a recycling yard for set construction supplies and I killed my smaller truck numerous times hauling materials. This was one very big reason that I constructed this truck. It has always been my intention to reestablish the recycling yard as a member supported facility for area theatres to access supplies at a reduced cost.

I also had the idea that I might like to make a camera adapter for this crane and to use if for camera work. It would go nearly thirty feet in the air, but it would be pretty tricky learning how to operate it smoothly for camera work. That probably will never get done, but I guess we'll see.

Well, I decided to start working on my mobile workshop again and so I am going to post images here on this project as a way to kick myself in the butt and get it done.

One very good reason to do this is the advancement of activities at Tamanend Park and the Shakespeareans. It is ironic that I had envisioned my supplies and equipment being used for remote productions on-the-road... and here I am, developing theatre two miles away from where I live. The surprising thing is that all the supplies that I have gathered over the years are directly applicable to this situation. Go figure.

My anticipation was to establish the ability to tour with productions as a freelancer, which I spent decades doing as a technical director and theatre technician... and then I realized that I don't want to do that anymore.

So, as you can see from other postings and from The Shakespearean Journal, I have been focusing on building a stage and a troupe of players here is Southampton, Pennsylvania. Admittedly this is rather self-serving. Mostly because I just don't feel like traveling around trying to dig up work on a continuing basis. If you are not an itinerant thespian then you don't realize that this is what the life of a theatre artist is (unless of course you are gainfully employed in a full time position in a regional not-for-profit or a school of some sort). Been there, done that.

So as it turns out, if we manage to gather a dependable group of performers who want to tour material, we are almost there with a mobile workshop/hauling vehicle, an RV and (if it becomes necessary) a 35 foot antique house trailer which can serve numerous needs (dressing rooms, bathroom, shower, kitchen, sleeping quarters and an office). It would take a serious project (with some bucks attached) to pull that unit out on the road though.

Well, I thought I'd post something on this subject in the way of getting me moving on completing the mobile workshop and at the same time letting you know about the resources we have available to us as we build The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park.

Look for pictures to appear here. I have a collection showing it's progress from a hulk to an operable vehicle. I think that would be interesting, so I'll post them here in the future. (I used to have a nice web page on this project, until AOL closed down Hometown. I'll try to convert that web site over to here.) AG

The Shakespearean Raffle

2010-07-16T11:35:00.000-04:00

"Tamanend Snowfall"

This image was taken in the mid-seventies.

It was taken with a
Ziess Prontor-S Bellows Viewfinder Camera
which was entirely manual
and required a remote rangefinder
or an educated guess as to focus.

The camera used 120mm film
which produced
a 6omm x 9omm image area.

I acquired the camera as a gift
from my neighbor
who told me it had been
taken from a German soldier

during World War Two.

The film used was an experimental film stock
produced by the US Government
and acquired from an equipment surplus house in Philadelphia.

This image was captured from the top of, what I concluded was
the tallest tree in Tamanend Park, at least fifty feet,
where I used to go to play my flute and meditate.

It happened that this time I was "up a tree" in a snowstorm,
on a well planned expedition with the aforementioned camera.

For a time I was experimenting with this camera,
until it got stolen on a trek to New York's theatre & film district.

The original framed edition of this image is being raffled off for the benefit of
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park.

Raffle tickets may be purchased at any time
by coming to the stage on the appointed days or at performances
or purchasing them here.

The framed image will be on display in the Park Office.

The cost is @$2.00 0r $5/3 in person and @$3.00 or $5/2 online.

The drawing will be made when the raffle ticket box is filled.

Additional copies of the signed & unframed print are available
at any time for a cost of $5o. plus $6.99 S&H

Cinema Under the Stars: an overview

2010-07-15T04:40:00.000-04:00

"Cinema Under the Stars"

go to this link for a full schedule of films

The Next Film;

Saturday Night- July 24th

Academy Award Winning

"Shakespeare in Love"

The trails are nicely lit with Solar lights

and there will be

signs and banners to show you the way...

Come early so you can get settled in.

Bring your own blanket or lawn chair,seating will not be provided.

(at some point blankets will be available for rental)

At times it may be chilly so be prepared for that.
You may like to bring a flashlight (but use it sparingly)

Insect Repellent is highly recommended.

Concessions are available:

Assorted Sodas- $1 Small bag of chips/pretzels- $1 Large bag of popcorn- $3

All the trails from the Pavilion Parking lot and the Park Office are illuminated.
I prefer the walk on the Steven Leedom Trail which is next to the Park office,
but you can also walk to the stage from the Pavilion field.
I suggest that if you do not know where the stage is that you start from the park office;
looking at the door to the office the Leedom trail is 45° to your right.
It is lit and there will be a banner.
Also, along the left column in this blog
there is a photo show which takes you on a tour
of how to get to the stage.
I can't make it any clearer than that.

Anyone wishing to assist with this program please stop by on Saturday or Sunday Afternoons

"Cinema Under the Stars"

Policies:

Due to the possibility of rain; all dates are tentative and will be confirmed the week before the showing based on the Five Day Weather Reports

If the chance of Rain is more that 50% on the day of the film, the showing will be canceled and the rain date will take effect.

In the event that we have other shows booked and there is no rain date, the film will be scheduled for a later date and may replace another film.

The films are being presented free of charge (with donations accepted), however there are still exhibition costs and logistics involved in presenting these films. Therefore, community assistance in the form of financial sponsorship and volunteerism, to set up the showings, is important to keep these film showings happening. You are encouraged to participate in this way.

You should understand that these films and the Meadow Amphitheater are not paid for by the Township or the Parks & Recreation Department, they are being presented by the citizens of Southampton who want to support having this in the community. Their success depends on a co-operative effort to develop programming and to honor the facility that is being created for the benefit of the community.

Tell your friends an neighbors and invite them to visit the stage any Saturday or Sunday from 2-4 to talk about how they can help.

Ungoing events:

Films: An assortment of films shown approximately every-other weekend.

Theatre: Autumn Leaves Performance Festival- the fall time-slot for Shakespearean performances. This year the theme is Hamlet and we expect to have some of this material ready to present. Of course, as always, area thespians are invited to present material in this program. It is not limited

to Hamlet, but it is Shakespearean. The program is always "Scenes & Music"

(until such time as we have a full production prepared)

On July 5th after the Southampton Days Parade

we presented Act 1 Scene 1 of "Midsummer"

a new musical opera (by Michael Dutka)

We hope to continue presenting scenes from this new opera as they are written, possible in the fall.

You can read a review of the performance effort after the parade in;

The Shakespearean Journal
Spontaneous Shakespeare is an ongoing program of script-in-hand readings for anyone wanting
to express their inner Shakespeareans heart. It is presented at all performance time-slots.
But it does need some degree of planning and implementation. You are welcome to
join in the effort to make this program become successful.

The Southampton Days Parade is an annual event and planning for that event should be an

ongoing thing. So if you care to join in that effort to make The Shakespearean's

presence in the parade successful, broach the subject at any time.

The link below refers to details regarding the 2010 parade

Further details about the Parade

Other non-Shakespearean films are also planned.

Your suggestions are welcomed.

Please consider sponsoring a film showing.

Introduction to Shakespeare in the Park

2010-07-12T09:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the site for

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

Planning is one of the ongoing the activities for

Shakespeare in the Park

which is an effort to improve the cultural richness of our community

and our success depends on you participation

It's cool when you realize that

William Shakespeare's

primary sponsor was

The Earl of Southampton

and
Tamanend Park
is in
Upper Southampton,
Pennsylvania

Work is Continuing at the stage:

General meeting times:

Spring thru Fall - Wednesday afternoons working on stage construction from 1-5 pm

Year round - Saturday & Sunday study, reading, planning from 2-4 pm

Times may vary but 2-4pm is consistent.

Other times by Appointment:

All times and events are canceled for rain unless other arrangements are made, or rain dates are posted.

Events;

Winter Planning & Fund Raising Dinner - February

The Spring Awakening - April/May

The Southampton Days Parade - July 4th

Autumn Leaves: Performance Festival - September/October

Information;

*Notice to Performers*

Brief History

Synopsis;

The overall concept: is to develop an annual program which consists of Summer & Winter Workshops, each leading to Spring and Fall performances and touring opportunities.
We continue to make The Southampton Day Parade, The Northampton Day Parade, other area events and the Village Renaissance Faire a part of our program.

Having completed the basic stage in Tamanend Park, we are moving forward to construct a second mobile stage for use at Lake Nockamixon (and other locations), giving us the ability to develop material in Tamanend Park present the material in remote locations.

It is hoped that The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park can grow into an established troupe of performers who can be fairly compensated for their work and continue to present the works of William Shakespeare in repertory.

The Goal;

is to bring the cultural enhancement to the community and to make the opportunity for this activity, a part of life in Southampton and the surrounding areas.

It is very important that this be an effort of the residents of Southampton, the immediate area, and of Bucks County in general.

The presentation of this material is intended to be free to the public and include a passing of the hat for free will contributions.

Local businesses and community members are asked to participate in a Sponsorship program, and so The Shakespearean Journal is being published as part of our sponsorship program.

If it is found that community support is not sufficient, then work will continue but the performances will not remain free to the community.

General Information ;

The overall method of operation has changed some since the establishment of this project. As the Artistic Director, the official times, which are posted, are the only times I (Arthur Greisiger) am available to work on Shakespeare in the Park and therefore anyone wishing to work at other times are welcome to do so, but I ask that you establish a game plan by coming by the stage to discuss what it is you would like to do. I may be available at other times by appointment. You will need to communicate with me via email or leave me a message at the Park office.

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park is an organization that is designed along the lines of an association and the performing opportunities are intended for those people who are part of that association and members of the community. It is not intended for the itinerant theatre artist who is essentially moving from job to job looking to build their career, but that does not exclude these artists from participating, contingent upon dependability first and talent second.

Monday nights (3-7 pm) have been assigned for study and running lines, in the farmhouse , but is not currently being used. If we have enough people who choose to gather on this evening, then we will start that time slot again.

Wednesday afternoons- (1-5 pm) are currently being used for implementation for the upcoming "Cinema in the Park" programs

Thursday evenings (3-5 pm) had been assigned to the work required for logistics of the production activities and organizational management. No gathering is currently taking place on this evening.

Saturday & Sunday afternoons (2-4 pm) often til dusk. These are the days to gather at the stage for all activities you may like to participate in or to simply hang out and watch whoever is there running lines.

The Sponsorship Program is continuing to be developed and materials are available for your review. You can get a copy by coming to the stage or request. one by email. This program will also be available as an on-line edition which will include links to our sponsors pages.

We need persons willing to work on establishing the Sponsorship program, both in locating sponsors and with hands-on publishing duties. This program is necessary in order to make this material available, free of charge, to the public in Southampton, so if you are not a performer this is a way in which you can help.

-------------------------------------------------------

Here's my e-mail address: imagemindag@verizon.net

Return to Index

Gnomes of New Hope, Production Approach Summary

2010-06-10T10:30:00.008-04:00

Production Approach Summary
for the production & management of;

The Gnomes of New Hope

Image of the Mind Studios

theatrical/cinematic project
created & written by

Arthur Greisiger
music composed & arranged by

Arthur Greisiger & Shawn Rose

Musical Performances

Recent Activity and Archive postings;
Current Status / Archive

NOTE; 11/9 - The information in these pages is for the most part accurate, and is provided only as a means of introduction. The most pertinent materials are provided in published form to partners in the production.

History;

"The Gnomes of New Hope" originated from the simple fact that the name sounded good. Back in 1981, I had been working for a troupe called Middle Earth Marionettes on a project titled "Journey to Middle Earth" and had Hobbits in my mind when I began thinking about mythical creatures.

In 1990, I had just returned from California and, having resigned myself to remain in Pennsylvania, I determined that I would work out of New Hope. I became employed by The New Hope Arts Commission as their Tech Director. One day, while thinking about developing a new project, the title "The Gnomes of New Hope" came to me. I imagined hiring little people to roam around the streets of New Hope, disappearing and reappearing, to promote the project. I had no idea what the project was going to be at that point.

It was not long before I determined that "The Gnomes of New Hope" would be a classic marionette show in the form of a street fair. This idea blended well with the roaming little people. I can say with certainty that I was influenced by the marionette show in "The Sound of Music" and by my friend Leon Rhodes being the director of the television series "Diver Dan".

A Marionette Show

I began sketching out the storyline and the characters. At this point, I had spent many years writing a number of film & theatre scripts, so I was well versed in the process. I determined that, since I did not want to get too involved in another "Magnum Opus", I concluded that the story should be limited to the marionette show and designed for a street fair. I thought this would be good publicity for Image of the Mind Studios now working out of New Hope.

The New Hope Arts Commission was interested in the play, but I was too busy being their Tech Director for other shows. Thus, The Gnomes was on the back burner. So I continued to refine the characters and expand the story.

Around this time, I located a company in Germany that makes superb marionettes. I was very interested in having them construct the "actors"(at @$750). However, having worked with Middle Earth Marionettes, I paid them a visit to discuss their construction of the marionettes. They have an excellent shop, in Stony Run PA, and Carl Odhner is open to building the marionettes. So with that supplier in mind, I moved forward to discuss making the character prototypes with a number of sculptors.

I determined that I would produce the marionette show at The Gerenser Theatre in New Hope, so I laid out the Production Approach Summary, Budget and negotiated for the theatre. After preparing numerous aspects of the production, close analysis of the up-front outlay, operating expenses, the risk & income potential, I concluded that further advancement on the marionette show was inadvisable under the circumstances. The margin was too narrow. So I did not proceed with the marionette show.

NOTE: I am certain that the full marionette show can succeed given the right circumstances. Part of that involves amortization of the set-up costs with the Ancillary Markets (those directly related to the marionette aspect of the project) and shared publicity. Integration of the marionettes into the film and television aspects of the project will allow the live show to proceed and defer a significant portion of the set-up costs. The marionette show could justifiably be viewed as publicity for the film/DVD.

Children's Theatre

In 2004, I continued to associate with the Arts Commission and I began to work with The Make Believe Players & Arthur Gerald on his original musicals for children's theatre which he and his wife had created. This got me thinking that I should add music to The Gnomes, possibly modify the script for childrens theatre and use live actors (little people?). I began to expand the script, write lyrics and record some sample music tracks with my flute.

I began to consider producing a version of the show that would serve two theatrical environments- an enclosed venue and a street fair. It was at this time that Arthur Gerald & I had partnered to set-up a scene shop on a ten acre farm in Solebury. It occurred to me that constructing a mobile stage to serve both presentation environments would be a good idea. So, I set about designing the technical aspects for this version of the show.

Claymation Film

Earlier in this process, I spent some time with Selma Burke in her sculpting studio (she told me I was officially an apprentice) and I believe that sparked my interest in Claymation. I had spoken to another sculptor, Marge Rose, about this project a few times and I met with her again to discuss building the heads & hands for the marionettes, but it was about this time that work on the music became a priority. I decided to spend some time experimenting with sculpting on my own with good results.

I was cast as Paravanchinni in "The Mousetrap" at Phillip's Mill in Solebury and found myself imagining a production the marionette show there. As often happens with creative types, we all got talking, and being a filmmaker, I began to think in terms of a Claymation film. The director of the show was also in the injection molding business and offered to help make the articulating dolls I would need for a film. So I proceeded to construct the frame that would be needed for the dolls with injection molding in mind.

With the advancements that were occurring, I was inspired to spend a good deal more time writing and the show expanded beyond a marionette show.

A Television Show

As a result of this, I began to think about producing the show as either a television series or a special. I was working on a few other shows during this time and made a number of contacts which stirred my thinking in this regard. I began conceptualizing the animation, and entered into discussions with an artist specializing in computer animation. He was studying at NYU and was going to construct the first scene in the script in Computer Generated Animation. He got a job elsewhere before that happened, but it got me thinking about what kind of animation I would really like to see done.

Being concerned about how someone else might design the look of the Gnomes, I started to look for an illustrator and began to think in terms of illustrating the script as a childrens book.

A Feature Film

My primary interest has always been to make a show of quality that has the potential to become a classic.

NOTES;

Therefore, if a CG Animation were to be done, it would need to be done by an organization capable of the highest quality. I prefer the three dimensional and crafted feeling that is achieved with Claymation or Marionettes. But one does not preclude the other.
To do a the real marionette show on film has an appeal to it that I would like to pursue, but I also feel very inclined to present the animation in clay... both of which are difficult and complex. Ray Harryhausen... classic stuff! But The Gnomes are perfect for that... and since I have sufficient equipment to do something of this nature, that is our goal.

Toy Figurenes

As mentioned, my conversations with the director, and his willingness to help me get the prototypes built, led me to construct an articulating skeleton for the prototype Claymation Gnome (the Gnomation film?). This process of building prototypes, also encouraged thinking along the lines of constructing dolls for resale as toys.

NOTE: At this time we are involved in the construction of prototype materials for Gnome dolls, figurenes, and a play-set of Gnomeville. A few other ideas are on-the-boards.

New Hope/Solebury Production Activity

Having worked for the New Hope/Solebury School District (running their stage) and at Solebury School with the Arts Commission for a number of years, it was suggested that we should conduct a workshop in association with the library & the elementary school in Lambertville , to show kids how to build and operate marionettes. It was also suggested that this workshop might make a good program for PBS. All those suggestions are very good and remain possibilities.

Around this time, consideration of illustrating the script as a picture book came about. I think this was prompted by the fact that I was involved with a number of children's musical theatre groups including The Make Believe Players, and worked with kids in more than one school system.

I came to believe that it would be advisable to convert the marionette script into a full staged live performance, after having seen how kids reacted to the show.

In 2004 I tentatively booked the August block at The Steven Buck Theatre for the 2005 Performing Arts Festival. By the time January 2005 rolled around I was moving ahead very well with the script revisions, but I was still not thinking in terms of a full musical. I was thinking of musical interludes added to a drama.

Where's The Muse?

By March of 2005 I ran into a wall, non-theatre issues had begun to interfere with my writing and I lost my muse. By spring it was clear that the show would not be ready to go up in August and I had other producers offering me work for the season, which would not allow me to work on my own show. So I abandoned the effort.

By the fall of 2005 I had begun making some notes on the script again andover the winter I made some real strides forward. The script started totake on a new dimension and I began to think of it in terms of a full musical production.

A Revitalized Inspiration...

I started to write lyrics and sing them as I went along. I started to gather samples of what I thought the music might sound like, by recording ideaswith my flute.

By the spring of 2006, I began discussing the project with Shawn Rose, a composer/musician friend. A year before, we started to collaborate on the music for another show called "I am Alpha & Omega" (which went into stasis because of my distress over the muse and because I lived in Upper Bucks County, too far away from Shawn).

With the advancements of The Gnomes of New Hope I suggested we work on that show instead of Alpha & Omega. I figured that the viability of The Gnomes warranted focusing on that project, since the other one is more...difficult. He agreed. So we set about establishing a working relationship with the objective of fully setting The Gnomes of New Hope to music.

Creating the Music

It took us quite some time to get accustomed to each others sensitivities and to develop a good working relationship & schedule, but now we're both totally committed to the process and into a very productive groove.

I set myself on a path to build the studio's audio capabilities and to upgrade the equipment. As improvements were being made to the studio, our knowledge and abilities have greatly improved as well. Shawn has joined the effort to the upgrade the resources available to us, so that now we have a very extensive array of tools available to us for music production. Our advancement with creating the music has developed a solid commitment to completely orchestrate the show. We are currently meeting regularly with very positive results.

Words & Music by Arthur Greisiger & Shawn Rose

People understand the relationship between writing partners as a Lyricist and a Composer, where one person writes the words and the other writes the music. Although that may exist in many circumstances, that is not how we work.

To clarify our methodology, it is thus: I have written the story, developed the characters, write the lyrics, sketch out the designs, and direct the action. When it comes to writing the music, I give Shawn an idea of what I think the music might be like, either from singing or playing the flute, from that: we collectively extract something of a sketch and build it piece by piece in total agreement of every note, beat, instrument, and inflection. On some pieces, Shawn has an idea of what he hears in his head and lays that down, sometimes I lay down some tracks and they all get blended and adjusted to service the script. At any given time either one of us may improvise movements on different instruments, depending on how we feel at the moment or how the direction of the piece is going.

If any part of the script, lyrics, designs, or direction needs enhancement or alterations, we discuss it and if Shawn has a contribution, that we both agree on, it is integrated into the script. In this way the Words and Music are by both of us, because we are both vested completely in the success of this project.

If you are reading this it is because Shawn agrees with what I have written.

The Synopsis of the Story will not be provided over the internet until the show is out of pre-production.

More later...

Fourth of July

2010-05-27T08:57:00.004-04:00

Here's an image I took of Ocean City's Fireworks years ago.

This image has been published a multiple times on the cover of
a few newspapers down along the shore.

It is a time-lapse exposure containing a collection of bursts.

Copies of this photograph are available.
Inquire regarding price/size.

Dealer inquiries are welcome.

Publishing rights are available.

IMS-management

2010-05-25T07:59:00.000-04:00

I have begun a new blog titled IMS Management

This site is dedicated to discussing overall management issues that are not of a secure or classified nature and touch upon management subjects that are specific to a IMS particular project.

All such discussions that are present on other blogs will be moved to this site as a means of isolating these subjects for clarity and improved development of the IMS Virtual Studio.

If you have arrived at this site thru links as a result of an invitation or from the Main IMS page, or any other IMS page link, please feel free to let me know what you think.

I suggest that you become a follower, because I may secure this site if I find that I am putting information here that needs to be secure.

If this site does become secure, then I will limit the viewing and the comments to only those people who are dialoguing with me or contributing to the advancement on the subjects posted here.

The Shakespearean Journal

2010-05-14T10:19:00.003-04:00

Here's a link to

The Shakespearean Journal

on-line edition

All the Shakespearean activities will be moved to this site.

Check The Journal for the most recent schedule of events
and information about
The Southampton Days Parade

This is a companion to the hard copy edition that is being published and distributed to sponsors,
patrons, & subscribers. A reduced version of The Journal will be provided
to attendees of the shows at the park as a Playbill,
but a more expanded edition will be made available to subscribers.
Contributors to the Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park will receive a subscription
as part of their membership.

We welcome writers who would like to submit their material.

Contact me for further dialogue on the subject.

The Southampton Days Parade

2010-03-30T09:36:00.022-04:00

The Fourth of July is a big day in Southampton.

There is a huge parade that runs almost the full width of the township, from the Industrial Highway along Second Street Pike across Street Road and on to Klinger Junior High School right next to Tamanend Park.

At the end of the Parade route is a carnival and festivities at the Lions Grove stage.

*This year the Parade will be on the Monday the 5th of July*

We, The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, have walked in the parade for the past two years. Above is a picture of us the first year in 2008 and below is a shot of our second appearance in the parade in 2009. Look for a video of the parade last year.

Last year's theme was

The Earl of Southampton
presents

Queen Elizabeth

Thanks to the help of 18 community sponsors

we brought in a horse & carriage which carried our Queen along the route to the festivities at the end of the parade, while about 15 folks walked along with her in various costumes, portraying a delightful array of characters.

We won first place in the Neighborhood Division, which had a prize of one hundred dollars, exactly the cost of renting some of the costumes.

I have more images of the folks who joined in, but I need to extract them from the video, which I hope to post here. This photo was taken by Dave Tomlinson. Jacob, our Jester and Liz are two of the Shakespeareans in the background. Heather was our Queen and her mom was driving the carriage, which came down from Bucks county Carriages outside of New Hope. Arthur is the clown in the middle, with fife in hand, portraying The Earl of Southampton.

We had a barbecue at the stage and did readings from Shakespeare. A good time was had by all.

This years theme will be "Robin Hood" and planning is under way for this years festivities. Partly because we are planning on producing Reginald DeKoven's Robin Hood: at Tamanend Park's Meadow Amphitheater in association with The Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society. Robin Hood was America's first great Operetta written in 1884.

Although last year we did not encourage folks along the parade route to come to the stage, because we were uncertain how the carnival might effect the stage, this year will be different.

As it turned out, at the stage we could not even hear the carnival festivities out at the Pike. So this year, we are planning on presenting some staged material and expanding the barbecue, possibly as a way to raise some modest funds to keep the Shakespeareans going.

Although the Spring time-slot is set for April/May, it seems unlikely that we will have a presentation on that weekend. I for one have another vocal performance taking place on the first weekend of May and we have yet to have seen a sufficient number of people willing to voice their commitment to those dates. The work of informing people and bringing actors to the stage at that time is continuing with that goal in mind, but I believe that we will need to focus out attention on the parade again this year. We still have three weeks to go so we will see.

We are hoping that the Midsummer's Night dream operatic production will come together and be ready to present on the fourth. Parade, barbecue & opera... what could be better?

I will post more information & photos here as this progresses and this posting on the parade will remain as the place to find out more about the parade. If you would like to help out with the planning, please join in, we can use all the help we can get.

Come around to the stage on Saturday and/or Sunday from 2-4 pm. Because of my work load on other projects, I cannot dedicate any other time to planning Shakespearean activities. This is why our success will depend on you assistance and participation. AG

Searching this blog

2010-03-29T14:21:00.000-04:00

Although there are links placed within the postings, it is best to use the search function (above) to locate all the postings (particularly on the subject of Nunc Licet).

Spring Performance time slot

2010-03-03T21:09:00.001-05:00

Shakespeareans
are invited to
prepare material...

The Spring performances
are set for the
last weekend in April
and the
first weekend in May

Anyone wishing to present a performance during that time slot are invited to prepare their material.

The program remains "Scenes & Music" with a film showing of "Cinema Under the Stars" After dark.After having review the 1935 version of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" I've nixed that in lieu of the 1999 version starring Michelle Phiefer, Kevin Kline, Calista Flockhart, Rupert Murdock & Stanley Tucci.

Work is continuing for fund raising for these programs so any assistance is most welcomed.

Material for this program of "Scenes & Music" can be any text from Shakespeare, including the sonnets or songs.

We've discussed the possibility that Micheal Dutka & friends
may present scenes from his new Opera based on
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Those of you who have presented at previous performances
are welcome to use the same material.

Script in hand is acceptable, but we ask that you be familiar enough with the material
not to struggle with reading.

We may also continue with "Spontaneous Shakespeare" for one of the performances.

Assistance is most welcome in all areas.

Meeting at the stage in Tamanend Park, Sat/Sun 2-4 pm weather permitting.

Please note that we are having trouble with people vandalizing the stage,
your assistance with this would be most appreciated.

I have initiated a fund raising effort using PayPal.
The goal is to raise sufficient funds for the proper registration of
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park.
This will allow us to receive grant money which has been offered to us.

We've created a wonderful and unique open-air performance space in Tamanend Park.

It is incumbent upon members in the community who care about having an active theatre available to them, to assist with the details of presenting material by helping with logistics, performance, and financing the needs of doing this work.

I consider it my duty to maintain the stage, to continue to develop the facilities, to gather supplies, to develop programs and to continue to encourage participation.

The success of any programs in the Park will depend upon people working together to make it happen and maintain those activities.

It is important that persons wishing to participate take the initiative

and take advantage of the opportunity that has been given to the community.
Without this participation the stage will not remain in the park.

Here a few pictures of the movie screen set up for
"Cinema Under the Stars"

We also have a PA system
for the sound support.

Jennifer is sitting on one of the speakers
in the photo above.

We ran a test last fall using a DVD projector and it worked fantastically.

We now need to have the proper
Illumination on the trails after dark

We have established two performance time frames in the fall and in the spring.

We also have the Southampton Day Parade
as another event.

Other performance times are possible
depending on the need and desire.

The schedule of Saturday & Sunday has been established as a time when people of like mind
can associate, develop friendships in doing theatre together, and discuss the possibilities.

Notice to Performers

Shakespearean Update

Divergence

2010-03-01T18:18:00.008-05:00

"Divergence"

This was a film project that I partnered with Rafe Stoneman to co-produce. I served as the Producer/Director/Filmmaker and he served as the Co-producer/Performer. Together we created the scenario and wrote the scripted portions of the film. I have to admit that many portions of the written script have never found their way to film. As it stands it is a short film of undetermined length, probably 20-45 minutes.

It has become a rather spontaneous expression of the process we went thru to shoot the material. It seems as though the overall purpose, or story of the film, is metamorphosing as it is edited. Which is basically the way I work. So even though I can say the story is about one man's spiritual journey, and there are elements of family relationships in the story, the emotional responses of the character to his environment are clearly amplified by the editing.

Expect to see a version of this on YouTube as soon as I can get the editing system functioning properly again. AG

Nunc Licet... synopsis

2010-03-01T14:11:00.040-05:00

Synopsis of Story

Originally composed in 1997, 

this Synopsis is updated,
 with commentary added;

Nunc Licet...

a stage play

by Arthur Greisiger

The heart of the play is in the title.

It is taken from the writings of

Emanuel Swedenborg.

It is Latin for- now it is permitted,

referring to the permission given

by the Lord God,

for mankind to enter intellectually

into the secrets of faith,

which He has hidden within the Bible.

Swedenborg, an eighteenth century scientist, nobleman, and eventual mystic seer, claimed to have been the messenger of a system of “correspondences”, whereby an internal message could be deciphered from the Word of God, which when understood, provides a clear view of the Divine operation as it pertains to mankind’s eternal destiny.

In addition to other quite astounding proclamations, Swedenborg claimed to have visited the World of Spirits, Heaven & Hell and to have spoken with spirits who were newly arrived from Earth, angels from Heaven & demons from Hell, while he yet lived in this natural world. He claimed to have had this ability for 27 years and to have done so daily during that time. He has stated that he was given permission to do this, so that he might convey these truths by means of the printing press.

The play is set in 1771, when Swedenborg was 83 years old, (but in subsequent productions, it is also quite possible for it to be presented in a contemporary format).

The action of the play takes place at a social gathering, held by an excited host to discuss the latest trends in philosophical thought and to introduce Emanuel Swedenborg to some of his friends

Conflicts arise as the religious fervor of the host is pitted against the disdain of his long-time friend and the confusion of another non-committal friend who is caught in the middle. There are a wide array of character types who are likewise drawn into this debate. This adds diversity to the perspectives conveyed and adds a more casual conversational element to the atmosphere, allowing for greater exchange and revelation of interpersonal aspects of the characters.

Because this is a very philosophical piece which addresses a number of religious questions; a variety of representative characters have been devised to bring diversity to the perspectives presented and to give the audience a good selection of characters with whom they might relate. Many of the more significant parallels between the audience and the characters take place in the subplot, as a means of providing the audience with sufficient diversion from the philosophical and intellectual challenges which may be uncomfortable for them in the primary thread of the dialogue. This array of secondary characters and the issues that surround them creates a theatrical environment which is rich in material for an audience to focus on during the play, in the event that they may struggle with the primary thread.

In the first act - as the gathering progresses and the characters are introduced, the subject progresses from how creation came about, to whether God exists or not and if he does how He interacts with man. These and many more such questions are debated. They are presented within the context of revealing the essential nature, quality and attitudes of the characters who appear in the play and in the light of Emanuel Swedenborg's rather shocking claims.

Romantic circumstances exist within the play which add dimension and provide diversion from the intellectualism and religious nature of the piece. Additional relief is provided by music in both instrumental & vocal form and in the period nature of the piece in terms of costuming.

Reference to Emanuel Swedenborg stirs discussion about rumors of the man and his claim of having visited Heaven & hell. He makes his entrance at the end of the first act just before the intermission.

The second act - deals more directly with the personalities of the characters while using their reaction to Swedenborg and each other as a catalyst for probing numerous ideas put forth by Swedenborg.

Numerous subplots are developed which underlie the text and serve to contrast and highlight the subject matter. One very important purpose of these subplots, is to offer sufficient diversity to allow the audience to select a plot line or character which is most comfortable for them to focus their attention on, or relate to. In this way, the subject matter, being of religious nature, is less predominate for persons who do not care to align themselves with that aspect of the play and yet find numerous other points of interest in which they may enjoy the play.

Although the structure of the script is quite specific and the successful delivery of the subject matter is very dependent upon that structure, the latitude & dimension of the play as a whole, is very dependent upon full characterization by the players and so there is sufficient room for interpretive and improvisational characterization and possibly even variation on the dialogue. This is particularly true in the second act. Stage presence and action is often necessary strictly for aesthetics and contrast. Characters often say more with their actions then their words.

One element present in the script, but not easily understood, is a layering of delivery and correlative action. In the written script, this tends to flatten out and make reading somewhat laborious, because it is not easy to comprehend the movement of the characters and to remember their relationship to each other.

There are many places in which the secondary characters, non-speaking presence, on the stage is equally as important as the dialogue that is delivered, and without that presence, the dialogue seems burdensome. This is the difficulty with reading a script as opposed to a novel. I find that many people do not understand this.

The play climaxes as tension is built, mostly by the primarily antagonist. He becomes increasingly isolated from the other characters and is unable to accept many of the propositions presented. His reaction is to cause distress to the other characters.

In addition to this conflict, the other characters are dealing with their own issues which are also heightened by the addition of Swedenborg's perspectives as a factor of consideration. Many hidden conflicts and issues are brought out in each of the characters subtext.

About one third of the characters fluctuate between the protagonist & antagonist roles in varying degrees. Some of the characters are mostly non-committal, decorum, or occupied with actions created for diversion from the primary subject matter. This is necessary in order to justify the impression of a large social gathering but there is a shifting of attention across the full range of characters throughout the play.

The conclusion of the second act is brought about by the primary antagonist who, thru his frustration and distress, assaults one of the other characters. This leads to a brief, but violent, brawl which results in the heart failure and death of that character.

The third act is relatively brief and opens after a series of transition sound effects in the dark. As the lights come up, the assaulted character is found lying on the couch in the sitting room. It is soon discovered that he is now in the spiritual world where he is first attended by two celestial angels, then by two spiritual angels before he awakens.

When he does awaken, he soon greeted by an angel who provides him with further information about his new state of being. Somewhat stunned, the character is left alone. After some time, his wife, whom he loved dearly and who had died many years before, appears. Their coming together again provides an uplifting conclusion to the play. The essence of the third act is based upon the information provided by Swedenborg throughout the play.

There are 18 characters and 3 or 4 musicians in the play, designed to convey a wide diversity of personality types, foster the impression of a large gathering, and creating a multitude of dramatic circumstances.

Emanuel Swedenborg is the primary focus of the play, however intellectual tension is combined with romance to give the play added dimension. The “period” nature of the play, adds a theatricality to the piece that is a great advantage, in making attendance a special experience that will counteract any trepidation one may have over the religious nature of the play.

For further discussions refer to the Production Approach Summary

The script is available for purchase directly thru Image of the Mind Studios.

Nunc Licet Current Activity & Archive

Older Synopsis Information
(including excepts from Swedenborg's writings)

The World May Never Understand

2010-02-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

This is the second film

I did at college
in 1973.

It won a few awards

but it hasn't seen
the light of day

since 1974.

This is a
low resolution copy,

but that's OK.

I'm working on posting
a few other films.

IMS Producing Partners

2010-02-25T17:39:00.020-05:00

IMS Producing Partners is a new membership site that I am developing for our vested partners and contract participants.

   The details of all matters pertaining to the production management of IMS projects will be made available to our partners only. All such details present on the Virtual Studio will be removed and become part of information only available to our partners.

   There is a membership fee of $120 to join and membership is required to become a vested partner in any degree. Membership in IMS Producing Partners is not investment. Investment information will be discussed on the limited access site for members only. The membership fee is a subscription that can be taken out on a monthly basis over one year or paid all at once. It is set up on PayPal. Membership billing is currently set up on a three year program, assuming that most projects will involve at least that much time to be fulfilled. Members need not sign up for the full three years, because it proceeds one year at a time. Details of this will be available on the membership pages. If this changes, members will be notified.

The IMS Producing Partners site is in development and membership is now open. Members should understand that they are now part of a growing dialogue that will include specifics not previously offered on the web, specifics that pertain to investment and management of IMS theatrical and cinematic projects.   Members will log in to acquire the necessary proposal and contract/management materials for investment, or for any other level of business participation, including licensing, manufacturing & distribution of IMS products.

   Here is a list of some of the contract materials which will be available for your review on the membership site.

Restrictive Covenant Agreement
Developmental Production Agreement
Writing/Design Contracts
Front Money Agreement
Assorted Budgets
Joint Venture Agreement
Resource Commitment Agreement
Limited Partnership Agreement
Theatrical Production Contract
Venue/Touring Agreement
Marketing Agreements
Numerous Ancillary Rights Agreements
Cinematic Production Contract
Television Production Contract
Cinematic/Television/Digital Delivery Distribution Agreement
Vendor Production/Distribution Contracts

These materials are under review and are undergoing revision for use with the latest set of circumstances and inclusion in this new program for financing and new reporting methods. The contracts are being rewritten for inclusion on the subscription web site.

The integration of this information into the site will take time and will be made possible by friends and associates becoming members of this site. All our producing partners, financiers, licensees, manufacturing & distribution partners and all contracted profit sharing personnel & subcontractors are required to become members. Important information will not be available to the general public and so membership will be required and monitored.

It is a tiered system with various degrees of membership, access privileges, and benefits to membership depending upon the degree of ones vested interest. The system is being built for periodic direct notifications to our partners and membership is now open.

If you are serious about participating in a specific project you should join and you will be contacted.

from: "Spontaneous Expressions of the Soul"

2010-02-25T11:25:00.003-05:00

"The Sphere of Love"

echoes the voice of God's pure being

Sharing Life, to all who hear

Eternity awaits
it's magnitude is ineffable

It's beauty unbounded
and fear is banished

(White is the Light of Truth)

with Hope & Faith
Life expands into
the unknown

The Unseen is understood
and clearly set
before the mind's
open door

The Valley of Eden
flows into the
Horizon of
Eternity

Eternity
calling gently
forevemore.

AG

The Bryn Athyn Orchestra

2010-01-20T10:40:00.004-05:00

NOTE: This performance has been canceled by mutual consent.
For various reasons, we have decided to present this music
with an ensemble, doing this is not possible with
the current Bryn Athyn Orchestra
program design.

Therefore we will be gathering our musicians
and designing our own program to present this music in a concert setting.
Persons wishing to participate are welcome to inquire.

We are discussing presenting
a few of the numbers from the show
at a fund-raiser for the orchestra.
_____________________________

The first number from
a new stage musical
"The Gnomes of New Hope"
will be performed
by
The Bryn Athyn Orchestra
in the
February 21, 2010 Winter Concert
at
The Mitchell Performing Arts Centre
in
Bryn Athyn Pennsylvania

The number titled
"Never Been So Near"
with lyrics by
Arthur Greisiger
and music
composed & arranged
by
Arthur Greisiger & Shawn Rose

An Orchestra Version of the song will be conducted by
Shawn Rose

The musical consists of 18 scenes with approximately 24 songs.

A NOTE to musicians: for further performance details...

The Virtual Studio

2010-01-07T07:16:00.003-05:00

Image of the Mind Studios
Horizons
Virtual Studio

1/7/10

For many years I produced the Newsletter "Horizons", which was a summary of the projects being developed under the banner Image of the Mind Studios. It was much like this blog site, although the design was quite different. There were many times I would publish the quarterly newsletter and then never even send it out, so it was somewhat sporadic that way. With the advent of the internet, and all that came with it, that problem was solved.

Now the issue is how to use the new medium effectively. I have seen numerous web sites that are quite effective in their design and I do hope to gradually come to the point where I can design the Virtual Studio to reflect the creativity that I would like to stand as a representative of Image of the Mind Studios. For now, the design will remain somewhat neutral, in deference to conveying essential information about the projects that are developing.

As the design progresses, I do hope to find a way to link our internal servers to the internet and provide a more aesthetically pleasing and functional network of design & business elements within The Virtual Studio.

I am not as young as I once was and learning comes more slowly, not only because, what needs to be learned seems more complicated, but because my time is absorbed in doing the things that are represented here in these web pages. So I would not judge the creativity of Image of the Mind Studios based on the design of these web pages. Eventually I hope it will be reflected here. AG

The material in all the archives
is from postings that are not in the current year,
but will continue to be edited
to remain pertinent.

Virtual Studio Archive

Basic Index

2010-01-03T12:01:00.003-05:00

Introduction to IMS Virtual Studio

Primary IMS Projects at this time;

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park
(Shakespeare under the Stars, Scenes From Shakespeare, & Music From Shakespeare)

The Gnomes of New Hope
(a CD with a narrative of the story is in production)

Nunc Licet... now it is permitted
(script is now available for purchase)

Other associations;
Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society

Bryn Athyn Community Theatre

IMS Films on YouTube

An Essay on the Improvement of the Community
Southampton Pennsylvania

Please review the index and the blog archive along the sidebar to the left for other subjects

Moody Blues

2010-01-01T16:01:00.004-05:00

I've decided to place a link to various Moody Blues films here.
You can select the video you want to watch by clicking arrow at the bottom right.
AG

IMS Cimena

2009-12-25T08:42:00.003-05:00

IMS Film Projects:

Also refer to the index under the heading Cinema Projects for Progress Reports & Summaries.

IMS Films on YouTube:

Now that I've managed to post a film on YouTube and I have finally gotten my editing systems functioning I am in a position to edit some films I have laying around unfinished. I especial hope to get "You're Not Getting The Point" posted, because I know a number of people have wanted to see this film finished.

Just so you know, I've started making films when I was seven years old. Writing takes up a lot of time.

I'm still learning how to integrate the films into this blog in an aesthetic fashion. I do know that if you view the films on YouTube then there is a count of view, which I don't have here.

Equipment & Formats:

I've concluded that I will be striving to acquire one or more Canon XL H1 . It seems to be a Digital HD Camera that will meet my needs. That being said, I'd also like to connect with other filmmakers who are using that camera for input and or crew in the Philadelphia area.

Archive:

I have numerous formats, 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, VHS, Beta, S-VHS & Mini DV and I've never really had them all working in symphony with each other. My experience was chiefly in the middle of the format wars between 16mm & video, et al. In those days everything was intentionally proprietory and it became too difficult for me to deal with, so I have been loath to attempt it. My solution to the struggles and costs involved with film/video was to focus on theatre instead of film-making. Thank God for the advancements that have brought the field together!

I tend to acquire my equipment when everyone else dumps it for the latest and the greatest, although I'm getting tired of that approach. I've managed to fill in the gaps with some equipment that I had a hard time finding and now the bridge between film and video is almost complete. By complete I mean easily passable in both directions.

Since we are writing a musical, the equipment and programs for studio operation in audio was a priority. This translates into film and I expect to adapt some of what I have for location work. Digital Performer is our principle composing software and it was very difficult to get it up & running properly and to learn it , and the adjacent programs & hardware. That caused me to forestall addressing Final Cut Pro, but now that I have, I'm almost addicted to it. Rendering is a bummer though, because I'm using an older version. But I'm very thankful that I can at least begin to edit the numerous films I have laying around unfinished.

I still have to work on getting all the equipment synchronized properly with SMPTE, but I'm on that path and for now I don't need that. I have been planning on using an Alesis BRC or the MOTU 2408 for the location Master Clock because I anticipate using the XT for the location sound, the BRC would work. Of course it's all rather bulky, but hey, I'm working on low budget. I may get an mixer/interface with XLR imputs to work with the XT instead of the BRC. It may be that an HD 24 or a laptop would be better, but I haven't determined that yet. I have a Uher 1000 Pilot that has served me very well, and with repairs that will still capture great mono sound.

I'm interested in finding ways to encode the film I shoot thru my Beaulieus, so if anyone has a solution to that, please let me know. In addition to an assortment of other cameras, I've got a 5008s, a few R-16s and I am looking to acquire a 4008 & a News 16. And of course my goal is an Aaton, possibly an Arri & a Mitchell for 35mm. If I shift away from the Beaulieus, which I ultimately have to do, then I need a whole array of gender-specific (and expensive) accessories.

HD is another issue. It's convenient, but it's not the same as film. I expect to experiment with that soon. I remember being at the Show Bus Expo in NY when HD was first proposed. That was back in the 80's, when things were really changing around... well enough of that.

Keep watch here for further discussions on film production activity. AG

Shakespearean Update

2009-11-25T10:41:00.001-05:00

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park
meeting
Saturday & Sunday 2-4
at the stage, weather permitting

Other times by appointment

Regarding postings;

I am working to put labels on all Shakespearean Postings to make searching easier.

I am approaching the Archive in two ways; 1) I am creating an Archive Heading for each posting which indicates everything spoken of under that heading is not current. That doesn't mean that portions of the archive material are not applicable. 2) I am gradually sorting through all the information and shifting the historical material into a Main Archive for each subject. Anything in the archive should not be considered as absolute policy, but may be applicable in the proper context.

The postings which regard the specific time slots are applicable in terms of scheduling and procedure, however the current activity is not to be dictated wholly by previously posted information.

Current programs will have their own information & schedules posted, although some of that information will be derived from past activities.

Current Status:

I am adding thoughts to this listing from the top down as people discuss the upcoming programs with me.

I have been inviting people to prepare their own material for Both Performance Schedules. In this way people can participate without the need to rearrange their lives around the stage in the park.

As the time approaches for the April/May performance time slot, we will need to know who is planning on making a presentation. We have a limited time slot on each day, but we will have four days available. If you read the information provided here you will learn what has been done and understand what kind of programming we intend to pursue.

A schedule will be posted to identify the time slots available.

I am inviting other producers and organizations to prepare material for presentation in the park. The details of the modus operandi are open to discussion, but each program must generate it's own budget. Other details of this arrangement will be discussed in person, so interested persons should come to the park and check in at the office or the stage on the weekends.

I am redesigning the seating to accommodate both paid and free seating. For various reasons, we cannot continue to make the all the seating entirely free.

After the fall performances my inclination is take a hiatus, but we are still gathering at the stage and working on improving the Meadow Amphitheatre on Saturday & Sundays for those who care to join the effort or begin to study for performance.

we have discussed presenting selections from a new opera of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" for the spring program, along with a film showing.

study is continuing on "Loves Labor Lost" & "Much Ado About Nothing"

(look for a review of the Royal Shakespeare's national tour production of "Loves Labor Lost"
at Penn's Annenberg Center- performance on 11/31/09)

we expect to have a performance and barbecue at the stage after the Southampton Days Parade this year and anyone wanting to join in the parade is welcome. Refer to the archive below for specifics pertaining to the 2009 parade. In all instances, each person is responsible for their own costume. This year's them is "Robin Hood & his Merry Men"

a "Shakespeare for Kids" program is being prepared for the summer and we will be posting information about that when it is finalized.

as always, assistance in planning, fund raising or managing the events is most welcomed.

we need to to further refine, implement, and follow through on the sponsorship program. This means that we need to make a greater effort to stay in touch with our sponsors, keep them involved in what is happening, and offer them benefits for their support of the programs. Persons who are particularly good at this are invited to assist in this regard.

Read a report on the Fall 2009 Performances

A review of "Loves Labor Lost"
presented by the Globe theatre of London
at The Annenberg Centre

The Shakespearean Archive

Freedom- Crossing the Delaware

2009-11-24T09:41:00.005-05:00

" Freedom "

Years ago, when I was doing Colonial Re-enactments, I began a film project based on this subject matter. Quite a bit of footage was shot on mini-DV and was put away with the intention to edit at some point. Now that I have finally gotten my DV editing programs to function properly with the other equipment on my bench, I hope to spend time editing this film.

It is ironic that this year Washington's Crossing State Park will be closed due to funding issues at the state level. Of the many things that are paid for by the state, this seems like one of the last items that ought to be bumped off the list. How many moments in the history of this nation are there which have this level of significance to help the people understand why this country exists?

Well, I'm beginning to work on this film again and I will post updates here as it progresses. I am hoping to figure out how to post the footage so you can see Washington and his men crossing the Delaware.

Here's my character Jean Pierre, a scout for General Washington. Unfortunately, it started to get where I needed to become fluent in French, because so many people were getting into the character and carrying on conversations with me. Since I can only fake it so much, and not when I need to converse with people, I stopped portraying the character. Hopefully I can spend some time learning French and then get back into the character.

It would be kind of neat to come up with a storyline that takes place around the Crossing of the Delaware, but from a different angle. I guess we'll worry about that after I get this other film finished. The plan for "Freedom" is to take the footage and do a rough cut, then move into hand painting the images so that they appear with a watercolor effect. I know that this can be done electronically, my mixing board has a digital painting effect. That may be worth doing as a test, but I think that the individual frames will need to be addressed, shot to shot, in order to achieve the effect I envision. I don't think doing it electronically will be aesthetically sound, not if I am to achieve a period feel to the work. I'd like for the images to have a sense of reality, yet still be color. Black & white brings a sense of antiquity, because of the period that represents in film, but it is still married to film. I believe that if the work has a painted feel that the newness of the medium can be transcended. Well. time will tell. Also I need to 'paint out" undesirable compositional elements.

Loves labor Lost, a review

2009-11-03T08:11:00.003-05:00

The Theatre: The Annenberg Centre for the Performing Arts @ The University of Pennslvania
Performances: 10/27 thru 10/31/2009
The Company: Shakespeare's Globe

One of the roles I have performed in the theatre has been that of Technical Director, which came about as a result of traveling the path thru all aspect of production design as well as training in performance and production management. So it is that I offer a review from this perspective as a service to the persons who are mounting the production as a means of contributing to the industry that I so love to engage in.

As always, the anticipation of an evening at the theatre was a thrilling break from the day to day banalities of domestic management and attendance in the city at The Annenberg Centre brought back my days in the film Co-op that met there back in the 70's & 80's. Of course the environment was quite different then, but the prospect of seeing a production of Shakespeare's Loves Labor Lost, by a company on tour from England, only added to the anticipation.

It was ironic that last spring, when deciding which of Shakespeare's plays would be the next year's study program for the Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, I decided to choose "Loves Labor Lost". My thinking on the matter was that nobody in the area had done this play and it did not seem to be standard fare in that regard. So I thought this would be a good piece to work on. As we proceeded to study the material, I discovered just how complex the language in "Loves Labor Lost" was and just how difficult some of that language was to comprehend. So it was very opportune that The Globs Theatre was bringing this production to our area.

Last fall we worked very hard to present the Shakespearean program "Autumn Leaves, Performance Festival" at Tamanend Park. It is admittedly the foundations for something that will grow over time, but all in all, it came off very well. Not the least of the reason was the efforts of Maret Genzlinger in producing her end of that program. So when the opportunity to attend The Globe Theatre's rendition of "Loves Labor Lost" came up, who else should I have asked to attend the performance with me?

On the way down to the theatre, Maret commented that it was exciting to think that this production was about as authentic as we were apt to see for some time, being a production of the London based company with performers who were likely steeped in the traditions of that environment. I couldn't have agreed more.

Entering the theatre we had the opportunity to discuss with a number of people what we were doing with The Shakespeareans and this only served to add to our pleasure of being there, hence when we stepped into the house, we were already quite receptive to the material.

The stage setting was basic and reflective of the layout of the Globe theatre. The balcony areas were represented on all three sides, but principally the standing area was up centre. The stage right & Left areas were configured to have scaffolding which was quite unobtrusive, yet functional. In fact, at one point in the production the stage-right scaffolding was used by Berowne as he climbed onto a tree branch. I found it quite ingenious that the scaffolding frame was essentially hidden by the design of the backdrop which represented branches and when Berowne sat on the scaffolding (at the balcony level) it appeared no different than that he was sitting in the tree. It was quite effective.

In regard to the sets- it was quite simple and effective that the predominate elements in the design were the painted drops representing trees. They were simply executed and not over bearing and had the wonderful ability to shift on a traveler onstage by the actors or a stage hand. They operated smoothly without undue difficulty to change the environment sufficiently for the scene shifts in location.

Up centre was a double door that had the look and feel of the old heavy doors of King Ferdinand's estate and quite suitably gave the impression of The princess of France being snubbed from entering. I thought it was most effective that- when the doors were smoothly and automatically openned (most likely by stage hands), the upstage area behind the doors was lit by a pool of light that highlighted the actors exit and very impressively added to the image of them dissappearing into the darkness when the stepped out of the pool when leaving the acting area. The effect was to stir the imagination as to what the court of the King might look like outside of what we were being shown.

On each side of the stage was an arched exit which added to the illusion of the estate being substantial but added no other major function in the illusion other than that. It may have been better if those side exits were hidden during the hunt scene because their presence there discouraged the thinking from imagining that the scene took place out and away from the walls of the estate.

The surface of the stage was represented as an inlaid wooden floor and it was executed quite well. I found myself examining it during the show and thinking what a nice job was done with it. It would be rather strange that such a floor was to be in the field where the princess was housed, but that would be nitpicking and the effect of the design was an excellent addition to the pre-set which the audience sees as they sit there examining the set before the show begins.

It was quite effective to have some of the performers gather in the pit area to provide environmental ambiance and have the pre-show music be performed live by a musician sitting on the edge of the stage. It served well to set the mood by the addition of the sounds and the costumes.

The opening scene was principally introduced by the business of the Ferdinand, Berowne, Longaville, & Dumaine and their unity in dress and actions conveyed that they were advancing with some common cause, which is an essential fact of the play. In my study of the text, I hadn't even gotten to the point of visualizing any of this, so I was very impressed by the implementation. I was rather disappointed that Berowne's initial delivery was somewhat impaired by a lack of clarity in his diction. I do not think that it was a terminal condition, because I adapted to his accent rather quickly and he also warmed up to virtually eliminate that problem. I have to say at this point that Trystan Gravelle as Berowne did a marvelous job at conveying the character, it was rather different than I had imagined as I studied the character, but I've only scratched the surface and he clear has invested a great deal of energy in coming to the interpretation that he offered. There were moments when I though the lines were not given their due, but I also know that if one does not keep the pace up the whole production could suffer.

It was strange that I had imagined from the text that Berownes presence was so much more than some of the other characters because of the volume of his lines (which are substantial). The direction of this play was such that all the characters were given due presence and thus it balanced out very well. I think this is due largely to the use of asides while the other characters still maintained their presence on the stage and the fact that there was virtually no lighting shifts used to highlight the asides. I'm not suggesting that such a thing should or could be used, because it would be unnatural to do so in a Shakespearean context. But I may have liked to have sensed a bit more separation in that regard.

I never finished this review, but I am posting what there is of it, since I doubt that I will finish it.
AG

Autumn Leaves Performance Festival

2009-10-07T09:32:00.007-04:00

A Review;

The name Autumn Leaves Performance Festival is intended to encourage the concept for future efforts for this time slot. It is hoped that regional and community theatres will join in to represent themselves in a festival environment. Until then, The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park will continue as the principle group to present during this time slot.

We are now past our Fall Performance time slot. The level of publicity seems to have succeeded in bringing awareness of the program, but not sufficient enough to bring a large audience. I've run into many people who know about Shakespeare in the Park, some who have expressed enthusiasm and have conveyed their intent to participate or attend performances. Others are aware, but do not show any great interest, other than to be encouraging and believing that it is a good thing for the community.

Our performances on September 24th & 25th were rained out.

Although it wasn't raining on the 24th, it had been raining for days before and the field was pretty well saturated. It is likely that this effected attendance. We did see about 15 people on Saturday, some staying to see a performance, which as it turned out was predominately a rehearsal for the following day.

Unfortunately the next day, Sunday the 25th, there were torrential rains and so there was no chance for a performance. The folks that had been working the day before on their presentation were disappointed that they could not attend the following week.

We attempted to set up the film showing for Saturday night the 24th, but it started to rain after we got the screen set up. We did not even attempt to set up on the 25th because of rain.

On Saturday October 3rd, we had a costumed rehearsal for the 4th and we were intending to pursue the "Spontaneous Shakespeare" if anyone had come to participate in that. We saw no attendance in that regard. So clearly the concept of Spontaneous Shakespeare needs to be more significantly promoted if it is to find success. I do believe that this is a good program and I will continue to promote it as part of the performance schedule.

On Saturday night October 3rd, we set up the film and showed it, more as a test than a presentation, because the Boy Scouts had a Jamboree in the park that night and we did not have access to the power source to illuminate the trails. I thought we might have some Boy Scouts there, but no.

We now know that the set-up works and works well. We only need to address the trails to the field and promoting the film showings, but we now have the equipment and the methodology working quite well.

On Sunday October 4th we had a glorious day and everything went well, a few snafus, but nothing worth mentioning. We had a total of about 38 people in attendance, some folks came late without a chair or blanket and left. Others came late and stayed, but most arrived early and enjoyed the afternoon.

Fat Jacks did not attend or provide food service as planned, but we bought food and had that available. Henceforth, I believe we may provide that service ourselves as a fund raising devise.

Recordante showed up on time, much to our relief, all five of them in wonderful period costume, and performed a delightful set to open the show. Everyone very much enjoyed their excellent presentation.

An intermission followed and we opened the second half of the show with Arthur performing a Fife number to call everyone to their seats. This was followed by a dialogue scene from "Much Ado About Nothing" between Benedick (Arthur) and Claudio (Shawn), which was likewise followed by a Benedick's monologue "I do much wonder...".

The next piece was the song "Hey, Nonny, Nonny" sung in duet by Shawn Rose and Jennifer Cole. This was followed by the scene in "Much Ado..." where Don Pedro (Arthur) gives Hero (Maret) to Claudio (Shawn) and Beatrice (Jennifer) moves to sit in a corner and sing "Heigh-ho for a Husband". This song was then sung by Jennifer Cole which was then followed by Arthur Greisiger singing "It was a Lover and His Lass" accompanied by Maret Genzlinger on Recorder.

To conclude the program, members of BACT (Bryn Athyn Community Theatre) performed a scene from "Twelfth Night" which contains a number of songs. Included in this scene were; (in order of appearance) Arthur Greisiger, Deno Brannon, Shawn Rose, Maret Genzlinger, and Neil Goldstein.

Raffle tickets were sold for a framed photograph taken in Tamanend Park in the 1970's (which will be displayed here in the future).

All in all it was a successful presentation and everyone had a wonderful time. Let's hope we can build on this for the next performance time slot in the spring.

The Shakespearean Archive

2009-10-01T11:11:00.005-04:00

The listings in this Archive have been edited
to remove redundancy & impertinent information

Some older dates are approximate due to use of date to order blog.

7/6/9- Report on the Parade:

The best news is we won First Place in the Neighborhood Group. It was a complete and wonderful surprise.

We had a crew of fifteen people walking in the parade, six more than last year.

I was surprised that no one came as result of the general invitation/press release. All those attending were a result of direct communication with me or were friends of people I invited. I had thought the rare opportunity to join a parade in period attire would have been more appealing to the real actors in the RenFaire crowd. There were quite a few people who said they would be walking or were considering it, but they did not make it.

None-the-less, we all had a very good time and I have been told that everyone was very actively engaging the audience along the way.

The audience appeared to really enjoy what we were doing and we heard many rounds of applause and even some cheers.

I was occupied playing the fife, while each of the other members of the troupe engaged the audience in their own special ways. Word has it from other observers that they were so very impressed by what a good job everyone did. I guess winning First Prize only confirms that.

We videotaped the parade and hope to post that video on this blog at some point. I will let the video speak for what happened when we get it done.

We handed out most of our flyers (about 75%), but the parade was moving along at a pace that did not allow us to hand out all the flyers, because we needed to be in the parade and not just in the crowd. Possibly if we had a larger crew we would have met the quota, but we will continue to hand the flyers out in our further efforts from now until November.

I will be visiting our sponsors to give them some flyers to hand out and report in.

We had a wonderful Barbecue, but I made the mistake of not having Vegie Burgers on hand, sorry Liz. Next year we'll do shisk-a-bob(?).

Many folks along the way wanted to come to a performance that day. Unfortunately, we did not plan one, because we did not know if a performance would even work, due to noise from the carnival. As it turned out we didn't even hear the carnival.

We did run lines and play music in an impromptu manner, so if we had invited people along the way to come to the barbecue it would have worked out. That was my fault. Jacob wanted to invite people along the way, but I was worried that we would not have enough food if too many people came to see us at the stage. My intention was to feed the people who walked in the parade, our families & friends, and our sponsors who decided to come and check in on things. As it was, we had more than enough and we could have announced a performance, which would have worked out well. We can do that for next year.

All-in-all, the costumes looked great, the folks walking in the parade were excited and into their characters and it showed because the audience was delighted by what they saw. The horse & carriage was impressive and our Elizabeth did a "Royal Job" of being the Queen.

Now that we have done: The Southampton Day's Parade (last year), The Village Renaissance Faire (last fall in Writghtstown), our performances of "Scenes & Music" in The Meadow Amphitheatre (last October), the Parade and Barbecue (this year) we have a better idea of what we need to do to plan an assortment of upcoming events.

Note: The Village Reniassance Faire is holding a meeting at the Wrightstown Public Library on : "Thursday July 16 & July 23rd from 7:00-9:00 at the Village Library of Wrightstown,727 Penns Park Road, Wrightstown, PA 18940 The meeting will not last that long, but we are offering both volunteer orientation and auditions simultaneously as some volunteers also hope to take a more performance role as part of the faire."

Other Shakespearean thoughts;

Even though we skipped the spring performance time slot (in May) we have the schedule worked out for that and can try again next year to get a program together for May. But certainly, July Forth next year will include a performance after the parade.

We also have a performance date of Tamanend Park Day to think about in September.

I will be purchasing copies of "Loves Labor Lost" and have them available for anyone who wants to sign up for that study. If you go to the index page for the Shakespeareans, there is a link to that text on-line.

Remember Saturdays & Sundays, weather permitting at the stage. If we are actively engaged in the study, then we can use the farmhouse in inclement weather. That will depend on what everyone wants to do.

PRESS RELEASE;

RE: General Invitation to join in the Southampton Days Parade

EVENT DATE: JULY 4, 2009

EMAIL CONTACT: Arthur Greisiger- imagemindag@verizon.org

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, in Southampton, PA, invites all Shakespeare aficionados, actors, Renaissance Folk and community members who would like to join us, in costume & character, walking in the Southampton Days Parade to gather at Jaymor Road and Second Street Pike at 9:00 am on July Fourth as The Earl of Southampton presents Queen Elizabeth with her Entourage. The Queen will be drawn in her horse & carriage along the two mile parade route. The carriage will proceed through the park to the stage, where we will gather to have a barbecue, get to know each other, read lines and sing. Bring any materials, (scripts, music or acoustical instruments) you may like to use or contributions to the barbecue. All are welcomed. For further information and photos of the carriage on line visit www.imagemindag.blogspot.com

Most recent Updates on The Southampton Days Parade;

DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION ON THE FLYER AS A SPONSOR IS WEDNESDAY AT NOON. As of this morning (Monday) there are still four spaces left. You can call me up to Wednesday morning. After 9:30am you will need to come to my office (1325 Industrial Blvd) if you want to be included, as I will not be available unless I gave you my cell phone number (which I will not post here)

6/30/9- Here is a synopsis of the sequence of events. This was composed for the benefit of the carriage company.

1) My office is located at 1325 Industrial Blvd. My cell number is 215-292-9787 (use this for brief conversations only).

2) I will be parking my RV at the park for personnel transit back from the park. This may happen the night before or on Saturday morning. We will be shuttling people up the road from my office to the parade start. If you care to place a vehicle at my office, it may be advisable.

3) Carriage needs to be positioned in the parade line-up at 2nd Street Pike and Jaymor Road in Southampton no later than 9:00 am on Saturday the Fourth of July, sooner is probably better. The parade starts at 9:30 am.

4) Truck and Trailer can be parked at the barn in Tamanend Park for pick-up after the parade. This would be best as the roadways are cut-off for the carnival which runs all day after the parade and the fireworks which start at 6:00pm.

5) The parade Route will be closed off early, so the sooner you drop of the horse and carriage the better. The park is closed at 5pm because of the fireworks.

6) The plan is for the horse and carriage to walk the parade route.

7) The parade runs from 9:30 am until 11:30 am with the ceremony at 12:00

8) Depending on the time we arrive at the end of the parade, we will either stay at the ending point for the flag raising and awards ceremony, or proceed to the stage for the barbecue.

9) If the environment near the Lions Grove stage is too busy for the horse, then the carriage can relocate to the front of the park grounds until after the ceremony when the walkers in the parade will join them for the trip back to the Meadow Amphitheatre where the Shakespeareans stage is located.

10) Once the horse & carriage arrives at the stage the contract is ended and you can either stay, rest the horse in the field and enjoy the barbecue or depart.

11) The shuttle back to my office will depart in the afternoon when things wind down and no definitive time is set for that, other than the 5pm closing time. I expect that a few others may leave their cars at the park, so they have their own transportation back.

12) If all goes as planned, then we may have established a pattern that could be repeated in the future for other Shakespearean events.

6/25/9- For those of you who are considering participating as a contributor: as of this date, we have four lines left on the flyer. The promised quantity of the flyer is 5,000. Last year we ran out at around 4,000. If for some reason we do not hand out all the flyers, we will continue to use them for promotion and we will be including our contributors on the next edition of the smaller hand out.

Regarding future hand outs: a discussion will ensue in the Shakespearean Index under Promotions.

If you are planning on participating by walking in the parade we would like to know about it. It is not absolutely necessary, but it would make it easier if we had an idea of how many people will be in the Entourage and at the barbecue. Just send an email and, most certianly invite your friends to join in.

We particularly would like to see Roving Musicians who can perform in the parade and at the stage afterward. It would be nice if some people could recite lines from Shakespeare or any other dramatic verbosity along the way. As we have said, Swordsmen are good as well as Lords & Ladies. We have one Jester, which I'm looking forward to seeing. It would be nice if we had a Juggler. If anyone has theatre masks and would like to use them, that would be wonderful.

If you can assist with coordinating or the barbecue please speak up. We also need to make sure we have a shuttle happening from the Park back to the IMS office where some of us will be parked.

We will be handing out Free Raffle Tickets along the way as well as the flyers. If you are participating in costume, you are welcome to hand out a small flyer for your business also as long as the flyer mentions the Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park. Something like- "Bob's Grill supports The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park" or some variation on that theme.

We are moving ahead well with sponsors to help us with the cost of the parade. If you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to help and have your name include in the hand out, send and email and I'll visit you.

There have been a number of folks who have spoken of creating characters to present in the parade. I hope we have a good showing. Our Queen has a fabulous costume and my Earl of Southampton costume looks great too.

Conversations have ensued about doing a "Robin Hood" character theme* to add into the mix. I hope that proves to be fruitful, not only because it would be fun and interesting, but because I have an old musical from the thirties titled "Robin Hood" which I have been thinking about producing for some time now. * Well, those conversations have ended in a no. Oh well, someone else may like to pick up that ball and run with it.

It's very important that we have a good showing of men, we need Swashbucklers. The kids in the audience love the Swashbucklers & Knights.

We should have a good balance between men & women, so if you have a group who wants to join in, try to mix it up. But we are also hoping to see some kids join in too, so we're certianly welcoming families.

The Parade departs from 2nd Street Pike and Jaymor and everyone must be in place by 9:30 am at that location or you will put at the back of the parade. We don't know what our spot will be yet, but since we will have a horse and carriage it should not be too hard to find. Once we are placed with the carriage, you need not worry about being at the back.

Anyone is invited to show up at the parade, or jump in anywhere along the way, for the whole parade or any part of it. If you are jumping in, we ask that you help us to hand out flyers.

Bring water it may be hot. Power Bars are a good idea before you start to keep up your energy.

If you need to park, there seems to plenty of space near the start of the parade, but you can also park in front of my office at 1325 Industrial Highway. If you are not going to join in our group and simply want to jump in on your own, remember to put a car at both ends of the parade, or you will be walking back to your car. We will have a shuttle from my office that will run from 9:00am until 9:30 am.

You can get your costume from wherever you like but we have a costumer who we know has Renaissance costumes- Cargill Theatrical Enterprises, in Pipersville (jhcargill@aol.com).

You will need to check with these costumers about their Renaissance supplies, but there's also Pierre's in Philadelphia , Foster's in Doylestown and another shop down in Frankford, I think it's on Bustelton past Cottman. Also Joann Fabrics in Southampton has a good assortment of plans for costuming if you'd like to make one.

Of course you are welcome at the barbecue. There will be a limited amount of food and drink and once it's gone, well... I wouldn't be unhappy if anyone wanted to contribute to the barbecue by bringing something. No alcohol in the park though.

6/6/9- I must make mention that if you are a local business or resident of Southampton and the surrounding communities and you would like to join our efforts by being a sponsor for the parade, inclusion in the Parade Flyer is $100 per line of text. We are not doing logos on this flyer. We will be handing out 5,000 plus flyers with a line of credit on the back for our sponsors. There are 15 lines left. Send me an email and I will pay you a visit to show you the flyer we will be handing out.

6/4/9- I've been speaking to people in the community about participating in the parade, both as sponsors and walking with us. So far there has been very good response, some people are quite excited by what we are doing, others could care less. However, we have a number of businesses who have committed to helping with the cost of the parade as sponsors. I encourage you to support those business who are helping us to bring theatre to Southampton and Tamanend Park.

I will be creating a link here to an on-line list of our sponsors to help them get more value for their assistance with this. So if you are, or intend to be a sponsor, you can look forward to my doing that, in addition to having your name on the flyers we will be handing out you will be on this web site for at least a year. If you have a web page, send me the link so I can include that in the list of sponsors.

5/29/9 We have received confirmations about the horse & carriage in the parade and so we are a go on that.

We need more folks to help implement the parade/barbecue effort, so spread the word and invite anyone you know who may enjoy joining us in the parade.

There have been quite a few folks who have said they would like to walk in the parade, but we need you to check in at the stage on any Saturday or Sunday before the planning gets too critical so we have a better idea of who actually is going to help.

Anyone who would like to help with the work of locating sponsors should come around to the stage ASAP, or send me an email. There is not much time.

Call Tony Townsend at Cargill Theatrical Enterprises in Pipersville to make your own arrangements for your costume. jhcargill@aol.com

I am working on creating the character of The Earl of Southampton and we are finalizing our Queen Elizabeth, her costume lined up with Tony.

We will need an entourage of all types & characters.

The plan: is to walk the parade and then have a barbecue at the stage, where we will read from the plays and generally have a good time. We may also have Carriage Rides thru the park available as a fund raising event for the Shakespeareans.

The Budget for the Parade: is estimated at approximately two thousand dollars.

Other Shakespearean thoughts;

The main effort for building the troupe, is to establish stability in these meeting times and encourage participation from the immediate area surrounding Tamanend Park. The decision was made to concentrate of the stage facility and supplies in general rather than to attempt to draw in participants from more distant areas to mount the spring production.

Much is still to be done with management structure and marketing to solicit community support. There is a substantial amount of moral support from the community in general, but the leg work of the specifics needs to be done by more local participants, and so we are concentrating to these items, in lieu of announcing performances.

The concentration is on study, looking toward performance, however we still have the established time slots which are designated for performance and continue to work for that. We are in general agreement that we ought to, and we do, invite other Shakespeare performing groups to use the stage at the Meadow Amphitheatre.

Until The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park has an established troupe of twenty members, who are regular and dependable performers, our programs will always be scenes and music. The material posted here, under the Shakespeareans index, continues to be valid and is a work in progress.

Membership in the Shakespeareans has not thus far been required, however the current course of study will be offered with membership. Membership will be required for performance. This will include the current script and the associated study materials. Performance is not required for study, but membership is if you want me to work with you on your study and performance techniques.

I recommend that anyone working to assist us in our goals or planning on attending performances take up the study of the current material. Details of the current play will not be provided online, although some discussion will ensue. I encourage people who are studying the material to also come over to the park to discuss their thoughts, whether you are physically helping out or not.

Anyone who is interested in producing a Shakespearean play of their choosing is welcome to discuss that, no matter what the current play of study is. The same goes for persons wishing to direct. The whole point is to create an opportunity for members of the community to express themselves in this regard, so don't be afraid to broach the subject. Certainly you are encouraged to help us gain membership in the troupe from people of all ages. AG

________________________________________________

* The Spring Schedule is posted under scheduling*

Shakespeare in The Park Index

A brief overview of the current status;

RE: AUDITIONS: Every Saturday 2-4 pm as an ongoing process of building the troupe.

--------------------------------------------------

The Current Focus of Attention...

... is to build all the supplies necessary for the troupe, properties, set pieces and costumes. Rather than pursue an aggressive effort to draw participants in to the program, I've decided that the best approach (for my time) is to concentrate on supplies. This is an area that needs to be addressed and it is best to have those issues out of the way before we move into an active rehearsal process. I am encouraging performers to gather together their own costumes, but we will be trying to put together a basic ensemble that will either be made available for purchase or inventoried. Anyone interested in constructing Properties please come around. In particular we are going to begin construction of masks (as in facial masks) and paint some drops. These activities constitute a theatre workshop so anyone is welcome to participate.

My position, as the Artistic Director of this project, is that the people who become involved need to be doing so because they have a passion to do so and see the opportunity that has been created for them.

I will not be prodding people to be involved, so don't expect that from me. If this effort proves to be fruitless in Tamanend Park, then I will move on. I say this only to point out that we need more than just lip service. It is wonderful and encouraging that so many people are so enthused about this happening, but that enthusiasm needs to be translated into active participation by serious, dependable people.

Our attention will be shifting to constructing another stage for Lake Nockamixon. This second stage will be a mobile one which can be used in other locations as needed.

There are other locations (in Bucks & Lehigh Counties) which may be part of this effort, as we have been invited to perform a number of times and locations. However, this will not happen without a stable troupe of regular performers who are well versed in the material. So I invite your involvement.

Any production we began to work on, is one that we will continue to work on if there are interested participants. If we expect to do these works in repertory, we will need to remain familiar with them. So, just because we move our attention to the next show, that does not mean we will not work on a previous show as well. But we will only introduce one new show per year for study.

If someone wishes to produce a particular show, we will support that effort, so long as the production effort fits into the schedule we are now developing which is- two workshops: Summer & Winter and two performance slots: Spring & Fall. We will expect participation in the promotional events that are available to us by all persons who become involved.

We will need 20 regular performers in the troupe, along with numerous other person to fulfill logistical roles, such as management, marketing, and technical aspects such as costuming and properties. Until we reach a full complement of participants our program will always be Scenes and Music.

Another aspect of the program is to encourage persons to do the scenes of their choice. If we do not have a full complement for the current show, we will be striving to invite guest artists to use the stage (for Shakespeare) during the performance slots that have been set aside.

We also invite other Shakespearean Troupes/musicians to use the stage and ask that you attend a work session to discuss that.

The stage is available at other times for events, preferably of a classical nature, children's theatre, folk or bluegrass (not requiring extensive sound or PA support, no rock & roll). The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park and Opera in the Park will have scheduling preferences.

Refer to the category Logistical Management for a summary of the personnel required for this effort.

________________________________________________________

The first meeting was held on May 19th, 2008.

Activities have been gradually picking up since then. The meetings continue to take place all summer long from 6-8pm in the farmhouse of Tamanend Park, in Southampton Pennsylvania. We have now initiated two meeting nights. Monday evenings are for Script Studies and performance work and Thursday evenings are for logistical planning and discussions of the event and what is needed for gathering the resources required.

The workshop is for anyone age 15 thru adult. There have been requests for younger participants and I am certainly willing to make room for younger people to participate, so long as they are supervised by a parent or guardian. In that instance, I would recommend that the adult come to a Thursday evening planning session to discuss involving the younger children.

There is a $25 fee for the materials (script, schedule, production materials, etc.) It is very important that everyone register for the workshop. This is for business reasons and your protection. You are welcome to attend a few meetings before making the commitment by registering. However, if you have not registered, you will not be considered part of the troupe and we can not take away the limited amount of time and attention that is due to those persons who have registered. You must take the initiative for your participation in this endeavor and that includes being certain to register.

We have the use of the Farmhouse, the Pavilion, and now we are considering using the performance area we have coined- "The Meadow Amphitheatre". There are banners which will be present when we are in session and will point the way to where we happen to be meeting that day.

The subject of the workshop was initially "The Taming of The Shrew" but that has changed to "Much Ado About Nothing". This is mostly because Northampton Township will be presenting "Taming..." at the end of July, but really "Much Ado..." is a very fun show, which I'd rather do anyway. For those of you who are interested, we will try to get a group together to go see "Taming...".

Also, we (considered) a viewing of the Kenneth Branaugh's 1993 film of "Much Ado... " at Java's Coffeeshop on Byberry Road in Huntindon Valley, once we get clearance for the right to show it in a public place. That showing will be for registered participants only. I am recommending that film as a study aid.

We are growing as a troupe, but we do not have enough people involved yet. I do hope that we will get the kind of participation that we will need to present the play before the public. We are all convinced that we will succeed. As we've said before, our goal with Shakespeare in The Park is to pull together a troupe to perform in an open air environment. With the success of this years endeavor, we can look forward to more exciting things in the future. AG

Tamanend Park in Southampton, Pennsylvania, is a wonderful gem of a park on the North west end of Upper Southampton. It is located on Route 232, Second Street Pike, a little more than half way between Street Road and Bristol Road, right next to Klinger Jr High School. The number for the Park Office is 215-355-9781.

The Meadow Amphitheatre;

With in the park is a small meadow that is very well suited to serve as an amphitheatre and, as I have for many years been interested in this type of theatrical experience, I was drawn to propose this to the park officials. The response has been quite favorable.

Years ago, I worked for Joesph Papp at The Public Theatre in NYC for his Shakespeare in the Park, which took place in Central Park. Ever since then, I thought this was a nice concept and a way to present classical work in an environment that was more closely akin to the type of staging that existed in the day. Of course, Shakespeare's Globe was a large venue that could squeeze as many as two thousand people and by necessity of money collection, it was an enclosed theatre. The beauty of the outdoor amphitheater is the greatly reduced cost of operation & maintenance and the potential for creating an excellent summertime festival environment. Unless an amphitheater is an established facility and provided with secure boundaries, ticket sales and traffic control become issues. Thus we are striving to produce Shakespeare in the Park as an event that is free to the public.

For this project, I have conceptualized that the performances would be free to the public and that resources to produce the plays would be gathered primarily by way of sponsorship and bartering. The idea of passing the hat and having a free will offering is also an important part of the overall experience, not only to give the flavor of period performances, but also as a means of letting the audience show their appreciation freely. We have discussed the policy of paying for the show after you see it and this would implement such a concept. It would be most satisfying to find financial success based on the quality of the work and as a reward for providing the patrons with an enjoyable experience. This would also allow wealthy people to assist and the less fortunate to have the experience also. Collectively the diversity of the audience would add to the experience and the promotion of the effort.

The project will need people with all sorts of talents, not just performers in order to succeed. So if you may like to get involved in creating a wonderful cultural event that may have longer term possiblities and multiple performance opportunities, please attend one of the meetings.

If you are a performer, we intended to assign roles by the third meeting. Well, that doesn't seem to be happening as planned, because we assumed a greater initial responce. But things are building and we're looking with hopeful expectation to have a sufficient crew together before the middle of August. If not, we'll have to rethink things a bit.

A very active schedule has been developed in order for us to open a show in the third week of September. But we also have agreed that we will be adding the first week in October to the performance schedule. This is so that the first week scheduled for performance may take place at the Renaissance Faire in Wrightstown. We will discuss that in a separate posting or at the meetings.

2009 Fall Program, Shakespeare in the Park

2009-07-10T09:53:00.017-04:00

"The First Annual: Autumn Leaves
Performance Festival"

** Notice to Performers **

* Final Schedule *

* Friday Evening September 25th & October 2nd

Shakespeare Under the Stars
film showing starting at Dusk (approx. 7:00 pm)

*** Friday Night's Film showing has been moved to Saturday night***

However, we are negotiating for a copy of
* Laurence Olivier's: Hamlet *
and can offer this film on Friday Night
if
we find sponsorship
to help us do this.

* Saturday Afternoon September 26th & October 3rd
Scenes from Shakespeare
food services by Fat Jacks BBQ will begin at 1:00pm, readings begins at 3:30pm

This will be a program of
"Spontaneous Shakespeare"
script-in-hand readings
from
"Much Ado About Nothing"
and
"Loves Labors Lost"
determined the day of the show
and open to anyone who would like to read

* Saturday Evening September 26th & October 3rd
Shakespeare Under the Stars
film showing starting at Dusk (approx. 7:00 pm)

* Mel Gibson's: Hamlet *

* Sunday Afternoon September 27th & October 4th
Music from Shakespeare
food services by Fat Jacks BBQ will begin at 1:00pm, performance begins at 3:30pm

Visiting us from the Lehigh Valley will be

Guest Artists
"Recordante Recorder Choir"

and members of
"Flutations"
Woodwind Ensemble

who will begin the program.

The second half of the program
will consist of;

Ancient & Newly Composed
Vocal Numbers

derived from the text of
William Shakespeare's plays

and performed by
a number of
Delaware Valley Vocalists

On October 4th
Members of
The Bryn Athyn Community Theatre
will be presenting
a reenactment
from last years production
of

"Twelfth Night"
(which will include more than one musical number)

______________________________

Archive;

8/7/9-

The program schedule below is under review because of changing commitments from performers. This week will determine the actual schedule which seems to be concentrating on the October Dates.

Persons are advised to keep watch here of the final schedule.

Members of BACT are preparing a scene from "Twelfth Night" which is the director has asked to be presented on Saturday October 3rd, while scenes will then be presented on Sunday the 4th.

Work on the Music is proceeding, however September 26th seems to be presenting a difficulty for personnel and may become another evening for film presentation.

Personnel issues may also prevent The Shakespeareans from
making a presentation at the Village Renaissance Faire.

Performers should realize the importance of their commitment and regular communication in this regard.

Work is still underway for the film showing, with efforts being made to secure the rights to show Olivier's Hamlet and/or Shakespeare in Love. Person wishing to participate in sponsoring the cost of licensing should make themselves known ASAP. Without the licensing the film showing will likely be an educational film "The Soul of an Age"

We are striving to maintain the schedule below as the regular time frame for the fall performances and to build stability in the operations. As we attempt to build a troupe of dependable performers, we will need to ask your patience with the flexible and somewhat uncertain circumstances.

This year as we work to add cinema to the schedule, we are finding that the film showings may serve to fill in the program while our performing partners try to integrate this schedule into their lives.

8/1/9-

Planning is underway for a very nice fall program. It is accordance with the outline below.

Performers who would like to participate in this are invited to prepare their material and come to the stage for a rehearsal prior to the performance dates;

7/10/9 - The time slot is September 12th thru October 6th . And so, persons or organizations who may wish to take this opportunity to perform, will need to start thinking about what they want to do (if they are doing individual scenes or music) and will need to come to the stage or contact me via email in this regard (imagemindag@verizon.net). You are also welcome to participate in a script-in-hand reading of "Love's Labors Lost" and "Much Ado About Nothing".

Our Official Program is "Scenes and Music", until we otherwise have a full compliment of performers. These scenes can be performed by actors and non-actors from anywhere in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys, but membership is still required.

Performance at The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park stage is not compensated, (however, a free will offering will be taken and 50% that will be divided equally between the stage performers and 50% will be used for non-actors and operational expenses. A voucher system will be in effect. )

Friday Evening September will be a program of "Cinema under the Stars". The selection of which films which we are now attempting to acquire.

Saturday Evening will be a presentation of "Scenes and Music", the program will depend on the participants and expected to be selected scenes this years study program "Loves Labour Lost", and last years program "Much Ado About Nothing". Readings will be somewhat spontaneous depending on the participants and script in hand.

Sunday Evening will be a presentation of "Music for Shakespeare", a program we are assembling with the hope of developing it for touring to other Shakespeare Festivals and making into a PBS Special.

Paid Membership in the Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park will be required to perform on the stage. There are a number of reasons for this: First is an insurance issue with the Park and cannot be avoided. Second, I require it for me to spend time working with you on your material. Third, a lot of effort and cost has been expended to create the stage and I think it is appropriate to contribute to the effort by showing at least that degree of commitment. Accommodations will be made under special circumstances. Experienced first time performers and visiting artists are exempt from this. The cost is $35/yr. Study Scripts are no longer included in this cost and are an additional $10. (Barnes & Noble Edition). Working scripts are provided while at the stage.

Other information can be gleaned from examining the archive files.
Updates and refinement will follow.
AG

Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, community sponsors

2009-07-04T13:22:00.006-04:00

Our Most Appreciative Thanks

to the sponsors of our appearance in the

2009

Southampton Days Parade

Because of their assistance

in making a nice presentation

we were awarded

* First Place *

in the

Neighborhood Division

Please patronize these businesses

as a way to say thank you

for caring about your community

Image of the Mind Studios
Theatrical Production

Upper Southampton Parks & Recreation, Public Works Departments

Southampton Public Library

R.C.Kletzing Inc- CNC Machining Services
1325 Industrial Highway, Southampton
215-357-1788

Cargill Theatrical Enterprises
Costuming
215-766-7131

Bucks County Carriages

First Federal of Bucks County

Franks Servicenter

John McShane Auto Body

Suburban Kitchen Company

Grows Auto & Truck Repair

Caldwell Banker Hearthside Realtors

Fat Jacks BBQ

Churchville Inn

Hampton Cleaners

Bucks County Hearld

Circle Recording Studios

Bryn Athyn Community Theatre

Johnny Appleseed at The Orchard Artworks

A Sponsorship Program Book
The Shakespearean Journal
is being published and advertising space is available

Anyone who would care to be a sponsor of our programs please contact me at
imagemindag@verizon.net

Notice to Performers RE: Performance Schedule

2009-06-30T10:43:00.005-04:00

2010 Spring Performances

Overview:

The Spring time slot will continue with "Scenes & Music".

Our approach is to invite performers to prepare their material and to present the scene, or scenes, they have prepared in this time slot.

There will be no auditions for a specific show, until we have enough participants to justify specifying and pursuing a production in this way.

Performers should present themselves on Saturday or Sunday to communicate their intent.

Our objective is to make sure that Shakespearean material is presented in this time slot.

Persons who have performed previously are welcome to use the same material.

Presenting Script-in-hand is acceptable, however we ask that you be familiar enough with the material to be able to read well.

The material can be drama or music, but it must be period and it must be derived from the works of Shakespeare.

All performers are responsible for their own costumes and can be as elaborate as your creativity can take you, so long as it is closely true to the period.

Performances can take place on the stage or be environmental in nature.

Persons contributing to the planning & implementation for at least two months prior to the performance time slot, and who prove themselves to be dependable, will share in donations that are received at the performances.

Persons wishing to participate in Food Services are welcome to inquire.

We have permission to establish a camp site for the participants. Person wishing to do so should communicate this fact so we can plan accordingly.

Keep watch for more postings & updates.
AG

Archive:

This information was specific to the changes that were occurring in the Fall of 2009.

Scenes for reading at the 2009 Fall Performances;

Loves Labor Lost
Act I/S.1, Act II/S.1, Act IV S.3, Act V S.2

Much Ado About Nothing
Act I/S.1, Act I/S.3, Act II/S.1, Act III S.1
(any other scene one may wish to do)

*** Actors are expected to provide their own costumes. ***
A reasonable proximity of period attire is sufficient.

Costume rental may be attained through

Cargill Theatrical Enterprises in Pipersville PA
or
Fosters in Doylestown PA
_____________________________

General Notice regarding Performances

This is a copy from internal communications regarding the program schedule.
It is applicable to all persons wishing to perform.

Because of scheduling issues and the indecisiveness we've encountered;

I've concluded that the promotional materials will go out as planned. Externally: it will be advertised as designed, with the caveat that persons should keep watch on the blog for most recent updates about the program. Internally: we will blend the entire program into one presentation that is flexible (and somewhat improvisational) as to it's content. Everybody who can, should show up for each day on both weekends, preferably in costume. (contact Cargill Theatrical Enterprises in Pipersville PA for costuming needs)

We will determine what the exact presentation will be depending upon who is available on any given day.

Food services are planned to be offered in the afternoon 1-3 pm and the stage show will begin shortly after 3:30 pm depending on the atmosphere and personnel who are prepared to go on stage. We want the program to begin while sunlight is still on the stage and I believe that the sun will be off the stage by 4:30 pm.

I will have the scripts & scenes prepared for the reading ("Much Ado About Nothing" and "Loves Labor Lost") and anyone available who cares to read may do so, musicians, actors, and even audience members. Many people have been informed of this and advised to read the material so they know what they are watching. Some non-actors have said they'd like to read and experience the process, so we may do that if necessary or collectively desired. So if we need to on any given night, we will invite the audience to participate.

On Saturdays the Scenes will take precedence and on Sundays the Music will do so, but we will respond to the moment and be certain that both aspects of the program are satisfactorily represented based on who is there to perform. Those persons who are well prepared and/or have traveled to participate be assured of stage time. The spontaneous elements are there only to fill in.

Friday nights are reserved for films, but if need be, the film may be included on any day of the schedule if it is required to fill out the performance. This aspect is still underway because licensing has not been secured as of this writing although other films not requiring licensing are available and may be substituted.

We need to be able to respond positively to the complex schedules that people seem to have and be willing to be spontaneous.

This may actually work to our benefit, if the audience knows they are coming to a spontaneous smorgasbord of Shakespearean material, they may come to more than one evening .

The scheduling issues with everyone have caused me to determine the program needs to be structured this way. I'm counting on peoples presence at Tamanend Park day on Sept. 12th to be an indicator about actual commitment and I'm trusting that those of us who are professionals will be able to step up to the plate on the day of performance.

Because we are trying to establish these two weekends as the normal and ongoing schedule for performances at the stage in Tamanend Park, we need to maintain these days and not change our publicity. Participants will have to realize that this is their window of opportunity if they care to take advantage of it.

Part of the issue is (and we need to realize is that) we want to possess this time slot (in the Park) because there are so many other things happening . We also want people to confirm in their minds that this is when they can count on us being there with performances. We are also attempting to set the stage (so to speak) for The Autumn Performance Festival, which will be an expanded use of the park for theatricals in the most beautiful time of the year.

Therefore, anyone who can, should be there to participate on any of the four days set aside for performance in the park.

The first persons to confirm their program and their date(s) will be assured stage time on any of those days. Therefore, I recommend that you specify the stage time you want ASAP. Each performance is divided in half in that regard so in any given performance a group can possess the first or second Act. We will maintain a degree of flexibility

I will be sending out another notice to this effect to the general mailing list and posting this on the blog.

I advise you to forward this to anyone within you circles who may be interested in participating.

Notice

2009-05-23T09:31:00.000-04:00

Please refer to the specific index headings for information about

Image of the Mind Studios Projects

and if you need a very current update on anything,

do not hesitate to write.

Bryn Athyn Community Theatre

2009-05-23T08:48:00.006-04:00

BACT Update;

Many things were spoken of at the Diner Meeting, which was held after the close of the production of "The Romancers". I will not address specifics of the BACT operations in this forum, rather I will direct you to The Bryn Athyn Community Theatre web site for that information , but I will say that;

a proposal was put forth to have BACT participate with The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park in a reading project at The Meadow Amphitheatre.

A few folks from BACT walked in the parade with the Shakespeareans and they had a chance to check out the stage. Good things were said of we have done there.

We are also discussing the "Music from Shakespeare" with a number of the talented musicians who are also part of BACT, however at this time that program is not specifically a co-effort between BACT and The Shakespeareans.

Archive;

Bryn Athyn Community Theatre's

production of

"The Romancers"

by Edmond Rostand

directed by Kent Cooper

June 2009

"The Romancers" was the basis for the musical "The Fantastics"

Please note: The banner for this show is to the left.
You are welcome to copy it or click here for a link to BACT.org

Synopsis of the Play;

Setting: The gardens of two neighboring estates in France

Characters: Pasquinot & Bergamin. the fathers
Sylvette & Percinet, the lovers
Staforel, the bravado
Blaise, the gardener
Musicians, abductors, and others

The Premise: Pasquinot and Bergamin hatch a plot which involves pretending to hate each other, in order to draw their children into love and marriage. To add some romance to the situation they hire Straforel to "superintend" an abduction in order that Percinet may become a hero to Sylvette by saving her from her abductors,
needless to say, the plot backfires.

The show is to be performed at
The Mitchell Performing Arts Centre in Bryn Athyn
June 6th@8pm, 7th @2pm
12th@8pm, 13th@8pm

Go to the BACT web site for more information & tickets.

AG
.

I will be performing the role of Pasqinot. Rehearsals are going well, there are wonderful opportunities for rich characterization and I think this will be a very enjoyable show. It is a period piece and they tell me they rented a most excellent costume for me from Pierre's in Philadelphia, I can't wait to see it. I love doing period pieces because you get to wear costumes that you just can't do in normal day to day living, although I would if I could get away with it without being thrown in the loony bin. I guess that's one reason why I'm working on the Shakespeareans too. AG

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bucks County

2009-05-23T08:42:00.012-04:00

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bucks County

Preparations are under way to do either
"The Mikado" or "HMS Pinafore"
in the spring.

Gilbert & Sullivan in Tamanend Park?
If you've seen the The Meadow Amphitheatre,
then you have an idea of what a program like this might be.

I have been suggesting this type of presentation for awhile now
and my most recent proposal is to have

The Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society host an Afternoon of Operetta
presenting local and not so local Gilbert & Sullivan
and opera aficionados
on stage at Tamanend Park...

followed by an evening of
Cinema Under the Stars
with a showing of the film
" Topsy Turvy "
a superb film depicting the mounting of
Gilbert & Sullivan's most popular Opera "The Mikado"

This is part of the effort to present
Opera in the Park.

If this is something you would like to see produced
and may like to help with, please let us know,
either at the G&S Home Page or send me and email at IMS.

Archive:

Performance - October 15th- Cabaret

The James Lorah House in Doylestown
October, 2009
I was preparing to attempt my first solo of this type, singing "A Wandeing Mistrel I",
but was not sufficiently prepared to do so well, so Jennifer Cole filled in.

Performance - August 7th- First Night.
The Michener Museum in Doylestown
August, 2009

Benefit Perfromance for The Twilight Wish Foundation
The Michener Museum in Doylestown
July, 2009

On First Friday, July 3rd we had a performance of selections from the previous program of "Trial by Jury" and some new numbers by our soloists. The concert was a benefit for The Twilight Wish Foundation, an organization that serves older members of the society. The concert was held at the Michener Museum in Doylestown. It is easy to say the concert was a resounding success, as evidenced by the many comments from the audience members who joyfully participated in a few numbers and gave a good round of applause. Overall, I would say that our little G&S Society is off to an excellent start and we are all becoming good friends in our mutual love of the music. I offer my thanks to everyone who makes this a wonderful experience, both to the people who sing together and the audience who seems to very much appreciate what we are doing. AG

"Trial By Jury"
Lenepe Middle School, Doylestown
May 2009

Saturday's show was a resounding success. The audience was great and the show came of very well for the debut of this new effort. There were many comments by people who were astounded that it was so professional. So I would say we succeeded. It was a great effort by a lot of people and a real coming together of people with a great deal of experience and others who have never experienced performing. It was a joyous collective endeavor and everyone was elated by the results. The audience members I spoke to seemed genuinely delighted and appreciative. Thanks to all who were a part of this experience. AG
.

We are currently in rehearsals with

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bucks County

for the April 25th presentation of

"Trial By Jury"

The program is presented with a 14pc Orchestra, with many members of The Bucks County Symphony. It is being presented at Lenape Middle School on Rt#202 near the 611 bypass in Doylestown. The second half of the evening will be a presentation of popular selections from The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Patience and others. The soloists in this portion of the program are highly acclaimed vocalists, alas not I (not yet). If you would like to recieve futher information you can send me an email or use the link to the left for the Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society. It should be a wonderful program (unless we melt down, which is highly unlikely) , but the rehearsals are very exciting. Purchase or reserve your tickets today. I'd appreciate your telling them where you found out about the show. AG
.

Opera in the Park;

2009-02-16T12:27:00.010-05:00

Opera in The Park

is directly related to

Shakespeare in The Park

We have begun to develop programs for Opera in the Park.
There are two programs in development;

"Music from Shakespeare" will be presented in conjunction with Shakespeare in the Park and may become a touring scenario and a television special for PBS.

We are assembling a "Master Class in Voice conducted by Jennifer Cole" which it is hoped will point the way to Opera in the Park. More details of this class will ensue.

It is hoped that we can bring some Gilbert & Sullivan to the Park as well.

The development activities of this effort are parallel to The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park.

Those of you who care to assist in developing Opera or Shakespeare
are invited to stop by the Tamanend Park
Monday 3-5pm (sometimes 5-7pm) Thursday 3-5pm,
Saturday 2-4pm, Sunday 2-4pm.
or other times by appointment.

For inclement weather will will meet in either the Farmhouse or the Carriage House.
It is best to communicate via email to confirm attendance.