Journey to Japan–Part V in a Series of Guest Blogs by Columbia Filmmaker Wade Sellers

(editor’s note:  Jasper loves it when the work of local artists takes them away from Columbia–as long as they come back home and are generous enough to share their adventures with us while we’re waiting on them. Local filmmaker Wade Sellers’ newest project has taken him to Japan where he’ll be working for the next ten days. Lucky for us, Wade has agreed to post a series of blogs detailing his journey and his work while away. This is thefifth post in that series.)

~~~

On paper, today looked lighter than the the other two. We were following Ted to where he first landed before fighting at Okinawa, Ie Shima island. Ie Shime island is located about seven miles off the northwest coast of Okinawa. To get there it is an hour and a half ride by car and a half hour ferry ride.

Initially Ted expressed he really had no interest in going there. We had scheduled it primarily because there is a memorial to Ernie Pyle on Ie Shime. Ted had told us he was one of the last soldiers to see Ernie Pyle alive. Ernie Pyle was the famed reporter loved by the dog faced soldiers in Europe. Pyle then traveled to cover the war in the Pacific and was shot and killed by a sniper soon after he landed. “I saw him ride by me in a jeep and then I heard the shot that killed him” Ted shared with us.

Our purpose was going there with Ted was to put him in the first place he landed, set up artillery and prepared for Okinawa. We hoped this would jar his memory a bit and it did.

He was more excited about the Ernie Pyle memorial than we had expected. This will probably never make our film but it is great footage seeing him pay his respects to someone beloved by all soldiers in WW2.

Once he saw the land and seascape, which was more intact than the area he had fought on Okinawa, he began sharing stories of being constantly shot at by Japanese soldiers on the ridge above and finding Japanese families hiding in the caves below.

We thought it was going to be an easy day, but after four hours of car and ferry rides and a hotter than normal week, it took it's toll on us and Ted. We filmed some great interview footage and B-roll but by the time we headed to the hotel, we were all toast. Maybe a good thing, because tomorrow is the reason for our trip.

Two marines who volunteer at the Battle of Okinawa historical society say they have found the exact area that Ted fought at Ishimini Ridge. MW.

You're ALL Invited to Celebrate the Release of Jasper's 2nd Annual Women's Issue - this Friday March 15th

It’s a party and you’re all invited!

Join us on Friday, March 15^th at the historic Arcade at 1332 Main Street as we celebrate the release of Jasper Magazine’s second annual Women’s issue in which we’ll be highlighting some of the best artists in Columbia who happen to be women.

In addition to the impressive group of women in this issue we’re also welcoming Chris Robinson, our new visual arts editor, on board and we’re featuring the work of Doug McAbee, the winner of the CAY 2013 Jasper State of the Art Award.

In keeping with custom, we’ll be exhibiting an excellent array of Columbia artists from various disciplines including the following:

Michaela Pilar Brown will be installing a new work in progress. According to Michaela, “I'll be installing a sketch for a larger installation in the offices of Jasper Magazine. Ask your Mama is a study of the poem of the same name by Langston Hughes. I hope to address issues of race and class and gender struggles in this the 50th year since major events in the struggle for human rights.”

Theatre artist and puppetry genius Kimi Maeda will be performing a piece from her repertoire, sure to leave us all in awe.

A special performance from the folks at Wet Ink including spoken word poetry by Kendal Turner, Anna Howard, Cassie Premo Steele, and Debra McQueen, plus music from Susanne Kapler and dance by Kiyomi Mercandante. (Wet Ink is a monthly open group of spoken word poetry-driven artists who meet under the auspices of Jasper Magazine and the leadership of Kendal Turner.)

Artist Bonnie Goldberg will be painting from a live model at her studio upstairs next to Jasper.

Our friends at The Nickelodeon have also promised us a sneak peek at this year's Indie Grits offerings.

Some of the women from The Limelight will be reading their essays including Kristine Hartvigsen, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, and Cassie Premo Steele.

The artists of the Arcade Studios will have their doors open and they invite you in to see their works in progress, ask questions, and chat for a while.

We’ll be dipping into the vinyl vaults courtesy of Kyle Petersen, Chad Henderson, and the Bier Doc for your listening pleasure.

The Jasper Econobar will be open offering cheap beer, decent wine, and big spender brew for your donations.

We’ll also be enjoying a Guild Building exercise in which everyone who joins the Jasper Guild on the night of the 15^th will be in the running for a number of excellent arts prizes including a Gift Package from Trustus Theatre that includes a hat and an 8 ticket flex pass; a Muddy Ford Press book package; as well as packages from Columbia City Ballet, The Nickelodeon, and more. So bring your checkbook, cash, or a credit card and enter to win.

“The Whipping Man” by the Trustus Theatre at CMFA March 12-22 by Giesela Lubecke

 

The Trustus Theatre’s performance of Mario Lopez’s awarding-winning Civil War play opens at the Columbia Music Festival Association 7:30 p.m. March 12.

The Whipping Man continues Trustus Theatre’s Off-Off Lady Street Series, an experiment to bring theatre to nontraditional venues across Columbia. The series began  last August at Tapp’s Art Center with Robbie Robertson’s “The Twitty Triplets.”  For The Whipping Man, Trustus Threatre partnered with the CMFA and the NiA Company, a theatre group committed to bringing artistic programs to minorities, at-risk youths and economically challenged groups.

The Whipping Man is set shortly after the end of the Civil War. Confederate soldier Caleb, played by Bobby Bloom, is a Jewish plantation owner who has returned from the War. When he comes home, he finds that his family is missing, and the only people left are his former slaves John and Simon (played by Mario McClean and Darion McCloud, respectively).

“There’s three characters, and I don’t know, I wouldn’t say there’s a single main character,” said Bloom. “It’s about all three of their relationships with each other.”

Together, Caleb, John and Simon must work through their differences as former master and slaves while they celebrate Passover, a holiday celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

“It’s a great story that takes place in such a short period of time,” said McLean. “It’s really heavy material, but it keeps you captivated. I think I was just overwhelmed by the  history of it.”

Bloom, like McLean, was also struck by the historical facts the play bases itself on. “The fact that there were Jewish slave owners in the South I had never really considered, just because Judaism is based around being freed from slavery,” said Bloom.

Both Bloom and McClean expressed their dedication to preparing for their challenging roles. McClean, who has performed in several musicals, admitted he initially felt a bit out of his element getting into the mind of former slave John.

“It was terrifying, but it’s so much more work that I was looking forward to getting into about acting, because in musicals, you’ll have a musical number that carries you through and songs that pretty much tell you how to feel. This being my first non-musical, it was a big challenge.”

Bloom, who was introduced to the script two years ago by cast mate Darion McCloud, said that his biggest challenge was learning how to communicate with an off-screen character.

“There’s a letter in this show, and I’ve actually never had a letter onstage before,” said Bloom. “I’ve had to create an entirely new relationship with someone who is not even there,

and there’s not even a person playing that character. I’ve had to approach a lot of things differently than I usually approach them.”

Performances of “The Whipping Man” will continue for the next week. The show will take a break on the Sabbath, return to the stage March 16, and end its run March 22, three days before Passover. Tickets to “The Whipping Man” are $10 and can be purchased at the CMFA door.

Journey to Japan–Part IV in a Series of Guest Blogs by Columbia Filmmaker Wade Sellers

(editor’s note:  Jasper loves it when the work of local artists takes them away from Columbia–as long as they come back home and are generous enough to share their adventures with us while we’re waiting on them. Local filmmaker Wade Sellers’ newest project has taken him to Japan where he’ll be working for the next ten days. Lucky for us, Wade has agreed to post a series of blogs detailing his journey and his work while away. This is the second post in that series.) Katherine, our PR rep from the Army, brought her son along to dinner last night. He's ten years old and very curious. While riding in the van he looked at me and asked “Are you making a movie?” “Yes” I answered. Looking at me and Jeff he said “Just the two of you?”

For what we are trying to accomplish on this trip it is that simple. Make sure the camera is working, make sure the mics have good batteries, put Ted Bell in a place he hasn't seen in seventy years and capture his reactions.

The most critical event of our trip is to get Ted back to the area he led his men to during their assault on Ishimini Ridge. He has made it clear to us that his only concern is to stand at that point where his foxhole was during those three days of fighting. We have studied maps of this area. The problem is this area has now been covered with apartment buildings. Ted has very good recollection of the area so we decided to work in reverse.

Our morning began by visiting Shurijo Castle. It sits atop one of the highest points on Okinawa. When Ted Bell was attacking Ishimini Ridge he could see Shuri Castle in the distance. It was our hope that by taking Ted to the castle he could look over the area where we thought his battle took place and have him recognize the terrain. It took about five minutes. Once we pointed out the area where the ridge was, that he said “That's it, over there somewhere. Near the house with the red roof and garage.” His nerves were calmed.

When you take someone back to an area with the purpose of filming them you are taking a huge gamble. As a filmmaker you are influencing the situation a bit. I have learned to stay out of the way as much as possible and never turn off the camera. We purposely put Ted at Shuri Castle to look over the area. Our hope was that he would remember things that he hadn't thought of in the two previous interviews we conducted in his apartment. For him to go back to the fight. Two hours of filming took place at the castle. At this moment I have no idea how this footage will fit into the story. You just keep repeating to yourself to let everything play out in front of you and don't interrupt what's happening. But most of all the goal is to capture honest moments that can help communicate our story.

During a moment when Ted and his son were walking by themselves, I turned the camera off while I ran to reposition myself. The moment didn't seem all too important. A group of high school aged Japanese kids walked by in a group. Ted looked at them, paused, then looked at his son and remarked “Seventy years ago I would have been shooting at those kids.” I missed it. We asked him to repeat the comment later. It wasn't the same. Never turn off the camera.

Tomorrow we head to Ie Jima Island, located 7 miles off the northwest coast of Okinawa. This is the area where Ted first landed and set up artillery positions before the invasion of Okinawa. MW.

Journey to Japan–Part III in a Series of Guest Blogs by Columbia Filmmaker Wade Sellers

(editor’s note:  Jasper loves it when the work of local artists takes them away from Columbia–as long as they come back home and are generous enough to share their adventures with us while we’re waiting on them. Local filmmaker Wade Sellers’ newest project has taken him to Japan where he’ll be working for the next ten days. Lucky for us, Wade has agreed to post a series of blogs detailing his journey and his work while away. This is the second post in that series.)

~~~

Today was the day off. We did have a pre-production meeting with our PR representative from the Army where we refined our production schedule. There is a lot of tension between the US military and the local population. This is easy to understand as there are F-18s flying over our hotel quite a bit. They are not quiet planes. To us this is relevant because we will be filming some at some residential areas that were battle sites during Ted Bell's time here during WW2.

Anyone who tells you that food doesn't play a big part when traveling for a production is lying. Jeff and I chose not to travel far from the hotel and visited what's called “American Village”. It's basically Broadway at the Beach. It has all the american fare you can imagine and caters mainly to the soldiers and their families based here. Arcades, clothing stores and souvenir stands also crowd the area. By no means however does this mean that the local mom and pop food stands are of any less quality. We had lunch at a small Japanese food stand that had a great teriyaki chicken salad with just chicken, rice, lettuce and an amazing mayonaise sauce. For dinner we joined our Army rep and the Bell's and Jeff and I shared a knock out seafood stew.

Riding in the van, back to the hotel, Ted noticed a giant ferris wheel in the area. We asked him if he wanted to give it a try. His response- “I didn't travel all this way just to die on a ferris wheel.”

We begin production tomorrow and have a busy few days ahead of us. MW.

Aida Rogers Talks About her Next Big Thing

 

What is the working title of your book?

State of the Heart: South Carolina Writers on the Places They Love

What is the genre of your book?

Anthology of essays about places in South Carolina

Where did the idea come from?

I really was taken by the “My Kind of Town” series Smithsonian Magazine was running that featured writers from around the country describing the town/cities where they lived. I thought it might be interesting to narrow that focus from a town or city to an actual place, like a hiding place. Writers being thinkers, I thought their opinions would be interesting.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

South Carolina writers tell us why one certain place in the state is so special to them.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It took about 2 and a half years to solicit,  gather, and edit essays, artwork and photos for the collection – and to get various stages of proofs back to the publisher ready for printing.

Who or what inspired you to write it?

Fascination with the topic itself, and curiosity about what different writers would say, and how they would say it.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The anthology will be published by the University of South Carolina Press.

What other books would you compare this book to within your genre?

National Geographic published an anthology titled Heart of a Nation that included an essay by Spartanburg writer John Lane. John also contributed to State of the Heart. Heart of a Nation was about natural places in the country; State of the Heart was open to whatever different writers came up with—sports arenas and cafes, for instance.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

There are 35 essays, so I won’t try to do them all. Still, I’ll take some artistic license in terms of whether these talented souls are performing in this world or the next:

Brian Dennehy – Pat Conroy

Mary Steenburgen – Liz Newall

Diane Keaton – Ceille Baird Welch

Charles Durning – Billy Deal

Sissy Spacek – Robin Asbury Cutler

Geraldine Page – Dot Jackson

James Garner – Ken Burger

Alfre Woodard – Dianne Dinah Johnson

Andy Griffith – Kirk Neely

Jon Voight – Tom Poland

Teri Garr – Cindi Boiter

Donald Sutherland – Deno Trakas

What else about your manuscript might pique the reader’s interest?

Because I purposely didn’t suggest places to writers, I was very surprised by the places they chose, and the personal nature of some of them. Some writers chose to write about places that are no longer here, so younger readers will learn that when you erase a few decades from a place, you’re in some ways wandering through a foreign country. There is a lot of wisdom in these essays. Many of the contributors have experienced a lot in their lives, and through these essays, they honor people who have been very important to them.

The Next Big Thing by Don McCallister

 

Don McCallister talks about his Next Big Thing

What is the working title of your book?

Fellow Traveler

What is the genre of your book?

Literary

Where did the idea come from?

My experiences as a literal follower of the 60s rock band Grateful Dead, though through the lens of a latter-day, second- (or even third-) generation Deadhead.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Following the 1997 death of 60s music industry icon Rose Partland, two friends and acolytes of her Dead-like band, Jack O’Roses, must rebuild their lives.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Starting in late 2000 and for the next five years, I had a number of false starts and occasional abandonments of this project. I would go on to finish a first draft only after finally completing another novel that felt important enough to pursue, in 2005. For the next  seven years I wrote five other novels and a couple of dozen stories, but I’d occasionally re-visit Fellow Traveler, which was close to my heart, and eventually got it right enough to seek publication.

Who or what inspired you to write it?

The death of Jerry Garcia, my own last, disastrous Dead show (July 2, 1995 at the Deer Creek Music Theater outside Indianapolis), and the general curiosity I had about the sociological and multi-generation following that through the decades of their career grew and flourished around the band.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The book is in print via Muddy Ford Press, available at their website, on Amazon and B&N.com. In addition to the print version there’s also a Kindle edition.

What other books would you compare this book to within your genre?

That’s a tough question. I will leave it up to readers to tell me what other novels the book recalls for them. From my own perspective, Fellow Traveler seeks to meld a Conroy-esque southern family drama and search for personal identity by the protagonist with a kind of didactic work aiming to enlighten laypersons about what is clearly a version of that complex and interesting Grateful Dead scene, in which at one extreme people abandoned entirely their straight lives to live on the road, while others, like me and the characters in the book, ‘worship’ their band in their own way, have sociological stratification, have ritual, have grief and pain over the loss of their musical icon. That’s a longwinded way of saying I don’t necessarily feel that Fellow Traveler is sui generis, but I think from that mix readers may see what a difficult proposition it is to pigeonhole FT as being like any other particular novel.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Maybe it’s because I just watched The Master, but I see Joaquin Phoenix as Aston Tobias Zemp, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Brian ‘Nibbs Niffy’ Godbold, and Amy Adams as Aimee Pressgrove.

The Next Big Thing -- by Debra Daniel

Last Wednesday, local poet and creativity coach Cassie Premo Steele tagged me to write a blog post about my next big thing and this is what I came up with. As I was informed to do, I, in turn, tagged five other folks and asked them to follow the procedures set forth in The Next Big Thing meme, and I promised to publish their blog posts here. Well, a week has gone by and I'm delighted to have new blog posts from four of the five folks tagged -- fingers crossed on the last one, too.  I haven't read any of them yet and I have to admit that I'm pretty excited to see what my colleagues and friends are up to.

So over the next twenty-four hours Jasper will be publishing the posts that were generated in response to my tags. But we don't necessarily want this fun meme to end so soon.  We'd love to publish the posts of anyone tagged by the five people I tagged, too. Just send them to me at editor@JasperColumbia.com with "The Next Big Thing" in the title. And by the way, I wouldn't mind being tagged again -- I'm finishing up another really cool project that I'm itching to gab about!

Here's our first post from author and poet Debra Daniel.

What is the working title of your book? 

Woman Commits Suicide in Dishwasher

What is the genre of your book?

It’s mainstream literary.

Where did the idea come from?

I saw the headline in one of those grocery store magazines and my mind started to spin.  (Pun intended.)

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

First person interviews with Myrtle Graham’s family, friends and enemies attempt to explain and comprehend her bizarre demise while revealing their own secrets.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I worked on the first draft for more than a year.

Who or what inspired you to write it?

I wrote the first chapter as a short story, but it seemed that Myrtle Graham herself inspired me to continue.  The rest of the story had to be told.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m hoping that Muddy Ford Press will love Myrtle’s story as much as I do and ache to finally make that woman come clean.  (Pun intended.)

What other books would you compare this book to within your genre?

I’m not sure I can compare it to anything out there.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Shirley MacLaine would be perfect as Myrtle.  Hal Holbrook as her husband, Hamilton.  Of course, Shirley could also play Madame Fouche, the ballet mistress.  Sally Field could play Ruth, the next door neighbor.  Uncle Joe would be Ed Asner.

What else about your manuscript might pique the reader’s interest?

The story spans time from pre World War II to the present.  As each person gives their interview, the pieces of Myrtle’s life fall into place until you hear Myrtle’s own agitation in the final chapter.

Journey to Japan--Part II in a Series of Guest Blogs by Columbia Filmmaker Wade Sellers

(editor's note:  Jasper loves it when the work of local artists takes them away from Columbia–as long as they come back home and are generous enough to share their adventures with us while we’re waiting on them. Local filmmaker Wade Sellers’ newest project has taken him to Japan where he’ll be working for the next ten days. Lucky for us, Wade has agreed to post a series of blogs detailing his journey and his work while away. This is the second post in that series.)

This is the third time I have traveled overseas for the Man and Moment project. At the beginning I always have a feeling of anxiousness. There is the usual mix of feeling out of place in another country and hoping to capture the footage that is needed for the project. It is all unknown at this point. Much planning, in the short time allotted, has gone into the next four days but at this point it is still an unknown.

We landed in Okinawa last night. Our contact with the Army met us with a van and took Jeff and me to our hotel. As we took the 45 minute drive through Naha to the Air Force base, Ted was in wonder at how the island has changed. When he fought here it was barren. It is now a vibrant city. It could be assumed  over the seventy years since Ted left this island that industry and modernity would show itself. But to turn my head and look at him staring out the window of the van in wonder at all that has grown here since he left is overwhelming. The last images he had of Okinawa were of war.

Ted Bell and his son are staying at the distinguished guest quarters at the Air Force base. Today is a planned day off, mainly to acclimate, meet everyone that we have only been corresponding with through email, and also try this curry place on the bottom level of the hotel. From my end the responsibilities are to make sure that I'm prepared to capture whatever happens in front of the camera- and remember to have the batteries charged. MW

Journey to Japan -- Part I in a Series of Guest Blogs by Columbia Filmmaker Wade Sellers

Jasper loves it when the work of local artists takes them away from Columbia--as long as they come back home and are generous enough to share their adventures with us while we're waiting on them.

Local filmmaker Wade Sellers' newest project has taken him to Japan where he'll be working for the next ten days. Lucky for us, Wade has agreed to post a series of blogs detailing his journey and his work while away. Below, you'll find an introduction which will help you frame the parameters of Wade's project, as well as the first two installments in this series of posts.

We're looking forward to traveling vicariously via Wade and hope you'll visit with us regularly so you don't miss a minute of his journey.

Introduction to the Project

Three years ago I was approached by Jeff Wilkinson, reporter for The State newspaper, about video taping a couple of interviews with World War II veterans from South Carolina. Two other Columbia based independent filmmakers, Lee Ann Kornegay and Heidi Lanni, had helped Jeff with a few interviews at that point and neither was available for a taping in Greenville.

The project had been resurrected by Elaine Freeman, then Executive Director of the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, and John Rainey. At that time there were no plans of what to do with the footage. John stated "our mandate should be to interview as many of these men as we can before they leave us."

To date we have interviewed 157 veterans from South Carolina. We had plans for a one hour show. After that hour aired we made a commitment for two more. After the second aired a total of seven hours was requested.

Every once in a while we run across a veteran we dub a "rock star". He or she has a story so incredible that you can only think it would exist in a movie. Moffat Burriss was the first. He is from Chapin, and was portrayed by Robert Redford in the film A Bridge Too Far. We followed Moffatt back to Holland on his 90th birthday to celebrate the 65th anniversary of his company's capture of the bridge at Nijmegen.

Charles Murray was our second rock star. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions at Kaysersberg, France. We followed him as he traveled back to Kaysersberg and Berchtesgaden, Germany along with fellow members of the 3rd Infantry Division, to be honored by those respective cities.

From this footage, two half-hour biography shows were created entitled Man and Moment. One focused on Charles Murray and the other on Moffatt Burriss. During the time that we traveled to Europe, following these heroes back to their battlefields, we had been asking a third gentleman if he would like to return to the site of his greatest battle. That gentleman was Ted Bell.

Ted Bell lives in Columbia. He is 93 and prefers a quiet life with his wife. He doesn't like to be recognized for his service. He was a company commander on Okinawa and commanded a daring night raid on Ishimi Ridge. Leading 225 men, his company engaged Japanese soldiers for three days. In the end, they secured the ridge. He returned to his base with only 25 men from his company surviving the fight.

For the next ten days we are following Mr. Bell, and his son Teddy, back to the site of this battle. This will be his first time returning to Japan since he left in 1944.

Journey to Japan, Part I

I have been making my living as a filmmaker for many years. My work stretches from documentary to commercial work. The one consistent feeling I always have, when a project is completed and viewed, is the sense of amazement that the idea that seemed so simple in the beginning has been completed. When the film is first screened, I also feel nauseous. This is always from nerves. The realization that an idea that has grown to be very personal through many months of living with it is about to be seen by others.

With these posts I want to share my experiences as I go through a crucial period of production on a current project.

I have been involved, as director and editor, on a documentary series entitled South Carolinians in World War II. As an extension of this series we have produced two half hour programs titled Man and Moment. These shows focus on veterans with extraordinary stories during their service in World War II. As part of the first two shows we followed two veterans of World War II back to the areas of their greatest achievements in Europe. To complete the series we asked Ted Bell, a veteran of the Pacific, to return to the site of his greatest battle--Okinawa, Japan.

After two years of asking, he finally agreed.

We approach the Man and Moment shows very honestly. We never start with a script. Footage is captured, an outline is created and the story of their life and service is shaped based around the one critical moment of their service during WWII. With the first two shows, the veterans were returning to Europe as part of an invitation. Ted's return to Okinawa is different. We asked him to go back. We simply want to follow Ted, and his son, as he travels back to Okinawa for the first time since he fought a courageous and heart-breaking battle--the last he would fight during World War II.

Hopefully these posts will give an insight into some behind the scenes moments during production of a documentary piece. MW.

Production-Day 1

The “sun came out and all I could see around me were dead bodies.” -- Ted Bell

We flew to Los Angeles from Charlotte last night. After an hour and half plane delay and waiting a bit for the baggage, we got into our hotel at 12:30am (3:30am back home). Sunday was originally planned to be a day of rest for Ted before a fourteen hour plane ride to Okinawa.

A quick production note--we began planning for this trip six weeks ago. With all of the logistics involved in coordinating with the Bell's, the US Army in Okinawa, and requesting shooting permits around the island of Okinawa, this was not the optimal amount of time. So, when during the pre-production process we came in contact with an enlisted man named Joe Casillas, who served under Ted Bell at Okinawa and who happened to live just north of Los Angeles, our day off became a great opportunity to reunite these two men.

Ted Bell had never personally met Joe Casillas. Ted was Joe's commanding officer. He had probably seen his face, but doesn't remember him from Okinawa. Joe contacted Ted a number of years ago in an effort to reconnect with living members of the 77^th Infantry Division. Joe and Ted are the only known living members of the 77th Infantry that fought at Okinawa.

We organized a reunion for the two men. Joe arrived at our hotel, with many members of his family, and the two began immediately talking about the war. We captured all of this on video.  After an hour or so of introductions we brought Joe back to our suite to interview him about his experiences during the war. His story was one of an enlisted man, a replacement, who was introduced to one of the most brutal battles on Okinawa. From a filmmaking perspective there is always a point when we know someone has “made the movie”. Joe's was when he explained how after three days of intense fighting the “sun came out and all I could see around me were dead bodies.” This is what we have to look for. We interview these men to help us paint the picture.

Tomorrow morning we hop on a Nippon Airlines flight bound for Okinawa.

(Wade Sellers is an independent filmmaker and commercial producer living in Columbia, SC. He owns and operates Coal Powered Filmworks, an independent film production company.)

Stand a Little Taller: Photography from the Portraits of Promise - guest blog by Jacqueline Adams

Stand a Little Taller: Photography from the Portraits of Promise summer arts program with Girls Incorporated of Greater Columbia and Columbia College – guest blog by Jacqueline Adams

How do community-based arts collaborations and partnerships get started? I can tell you, it’s not always by a formal process of invitation.  Often times, it’s more of a casual affair, one that takes place in the ease of a restaurant, a cozy dinner gathering, or a friendly meeting amongst those integral players of pursuit. In my arts administration graduate program this practice known as “friendship with a purpose,” is most often the origin for such dynamic arts endeavors.

In 2011 I embarked on a three-year arts partnership between Columbia College and Girls Incorporated of Greater Columbia that started over a warm brunch at one of Columbia’s favorite local dining establishments, The Original Pancake House.  Vivian Gore, Executive Director of a local Girls Inc. that serves girls ages 6-18 from the Greater Columbia area, invited me to dine and talk about the possibility of creating an arts program between Columbia College and GIGC.

The Girls Inc. mission, to inspire all girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold, is a thriving national organization where the Honorary Board Chair is First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Not too shabby.  Additionally, national Girls Inc. programming is research-based and covers areas such as economic and media literacy to leadership and community action, among others. The more I learned about Girls Inc. the more appealing it was to create a partnership.

Back to brunch. Devouring my favorite OPH crepe, Gore, early in the meal, became very purposeful and direct as she spoke passionately about her vision to bring GIGC and CC together through the arts.  Based on my previous volunteer work with GIGC and as coordinator of the college‘s Goodall Gallery, Gore identified me as the person she entrusted to build this partnership. Throughout our meal, I appreciated the depth and potential of Gore’s proposal, and accepted the request to design and develop an arts partnership program.

One year later, over the summer of 2012, the two-week arts program we developed, Portraits of Promise (POP!), had taken place and culminated with a glowing performance and show of works.  The program taught classes in photography and dance by three professional artist-educators: Michaela Pilar Brown (photography), LaQuannia Lewis (dance), and Monessa Salley (dance) to 15 girls, ages 10-16.  The program also included a mentoring experience where each girl’s potential career paths were matched with a local, professional women working in fields that spanned broadcasting and the arts, to medicine and law.

The overall mission of the POP! arts program was to explore and create original dance and photography works that identified and valued the power of promise existing within a girl and the shared relationships within her community.

The exhibit entitled, Stand a Little Taller, features the photography works from the 15 girls who participated in POP! along with a series of mentor photography by Michaela Pilar Brown, who encouraged the girls to take ownership over the show by naming the exhibit themselves.  The show’s title, Stand a Little Taller, is a line from the Kelly Clarkson song, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”. I later listened to the song and its lyrics and can understand why the students were inspired by Clarkson’s music; it is a positive force of encouragement to be strong, smart, and bold.

Michaela Pilar Brown, the program’s photography instructor, is a powerful contemporary female artist in her own right.  Brown’s own professional work, which includes a repertoire of photography, sculpture, mixed media, and installation, delves into ideas and concepts around identity, especially for females and their relationships to the self, community and society.  Brown’s goal in the program was to “teach students to see, to take in their environments in a comprehensive way and to process the information…that allowed them to communicate visually, to become storytellers.  We hope students learned to value their own voice and to find agency in one’s own ability to communicate their needs, dreams...their stories.”

On the evening of Friday, February 22, the gallery hosted a reception for the 15 students, inviting them back for a formal showing of their work. Seeing these young ladies back together was like a reunion, and had solidified the outcome of a successful community-based arts partnership. The girls had grown much more comfortable in themselves and in the learning they had gained during POP! The shy and reserved nature I had witnessed last summer was replaced by glowing smiles, growing confidence and genuine conversations about their promising futures under the warm spotlight of having their creative selves on display.

“Stand a Little Taller: Photography from the Portraits of Promise summer arts program with Girls Incorporated of Greater Columbia and Columbia College” opens February 20 with works on view through Sunday, March 24. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.  The Columbia College Goodall Galley is located inside the Spears Center for the Arts at 1301 Columbia College Drive in downtown Columbia off of North Main Street. Gallery Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For further information about exhibits please visit www.columbiasc.edu or call (803) 786-3899. For more information about Girls Incorporated of Greater Columbia please visit GIGC on Facebook.

The Next Big Thing - by Cindi Boiter

I feel a little guilty using What Jasper Said to post my answers to The Next Big Thing, the hot new meme going around our community in which writers tag one another and ask that they write about their newest projects. But given that my newest project was published by Muddy Ford Press and that MFP underwrites Jasper Magazine, there's a sweet symbiosis to it that I cannot deny. Here's how it works -- after having been tagged (my thanks to Cassie Premo Steele for tagging me), the newly tagged author is required to self-interview, answering 10 pre-determined questions. After having answered these questions, she tags another five writers to do the same.

Here goes.

What is the working title of your book?

The Limelight -- A Compendium of Contemporary Columbia Artists, volume 1

What is the genre of your book?

Essay collection

Where did the idea come from?

Columbia, SC is a city that is reeling with a multitude of artists from different genres, particularly the literary arts. We have an inordinate number of professional writers here, yet we don't really have a sense of ourselves as a writing community -- though we are. I'd love to play some part in helping us to form a more unified community of writers. I want Columbia to be known as a "writers' town." To that end, I invited 18 local writers to contribute first person narrative essays about another local artist -- writer, visual artist, musician, dancer, theatre artist, whatever -- who had influenced them in some way.  I had the pleasure of editing the essays.

Clearly, one volume is not enough to represent the artists and authors we have here, so I decided to serialize the compendium with the plan of publishing it on an annual basis.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Columbia, SC essayists sing the praises of Columbia, SC artists.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I issued the call for essays in the summer of 2012 with an autumn deadline. We went to press in February 2013.

Who or what inspired you to write it?

The community of Columbia artists.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My book was published by Muddy Ford Press.

What other books would you compare this book to within your genre?

I don't really know of any other books with the same model.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Well, there are 36 "characters" if we include both the contributors and the subjects of their essays.

The essay I wrote was about the artist Blue Sky, so, naturally Clint Eastwood would play Blue. For me? Lisa Kudrow or Terri Garr.

Ed Madden would be played by Jon Cryer and James Dickey by Jon Voight.

Jeffrey Day? Woody Allen, of course. James Busby would be played by Channing Tatum (that's right, I said it.)

I'd like to cast Christopher Walken to play someone, but I'm not sure who ... a much older Chad Henderson, maybe? Just for kicks?

Patrick Wilson would play Kyle Petersen with Sheryl Crow playing Danielle Howle (though I like Danielle's voice far better).

Billy Murray would play the part of Stephen Chesley and the part of Susan Lenz would be played by Julia Louis Dreyfus.

Vicky Saye Henderson would play herself.

What else about your manuscript might pique the reader's interest?

Some of the first lines are spectacular. For example, poet Ray McManus opens his essay about Terrance Hayes with this, "When you're a boy growing up in rural South Carolina, and you want to be a poet, you should first learn to fight."

And ballet dancer Bonnie Boiter-Jolley's first line about her mentor Stacey Calvert is brutally honest when she says, "When I first met Stacey Calvert over a decade ago, she explained to me how being a dancer is a very selfish thing."

And there are 16 more.

~~

That's the end of the interview and I have to admit that it was fun. In an effort to share the fun and keep this meme going I'm tagging Aida Rogers, Don McCallister, Debbie Daniel, Kristine Hartvigsen, and Susan Levi Wallach. And I'm inviting them all to post their answers to me so I can share them with our readers. I think there's something about Wednesdays and deadlines also as I was tagged on a Wednesday and told to blog on the next Wednesday. So, by next Wednesday, I hope to have even more Next Big Things to share.

Thanks for reading,

Cindi

The Sight of Sound: Squonk Opera’s “Mayhem and Majesty” at Harbison Theatre March 2-3

Performing arts ensemble Squonk Opera will perform their musical show “Mayhem and Majesty” at the Harbison Theatre March 2 at 7:30 p.m. and March 3 at 2 p.m.

Formed 1992 in Pittsburgh, Squonk Opera has performed over 250 concerts across the U.S. and toured internationally. In 2011, they reached the quarterfinals of “America’s Got Talent” season six.

Squonk Opera consists of a core duo, composer Jackie Dempsey and show designer Steve O’Hearn, who collaborate with several other artists and musicians for each show. The ensemble, christened by Dempsey, was named after the term “squonk-fest,” an onomatopoeia for a jazz saxophonist’s performance.

In “Mayhem and Majesty,” Squonk Opera poses a question: what does music look like?

“One thing we always kind of dance around is the issue of what imagery combines with what music, and how and when, and the different kind of abstract dynamics—the lights and the darks, and the fasts and the slows, and the bigs and the smalls,” said O’Hearn. “We thought we would approach that directly, and we looked at a lot of psychology books about both listening to and making music, and the physics and acoustics of sound waves, and that became the subject of this show.”

The show features a complex series of sound amplification, image projection and live feeds, which creates a visualized representation of music. One scene from the show, the most complicated according to O’Hearn, turns the stage into a singing, multimedia face.

“Essentially the whole stage becomes a dreamlike head in different mediums, in both projection and some live feed and props,” said O’Hearn. “It’s really in general about letting the audience make up their own kind of narratives and their own reasons and follow these abstract dynamics of images and sound that that kind of directly deal with that issue.“

Tickets to “Mayhem and Majesty” are $20 and can be bought online through Harbison Theatre’s website.

-- By Giesela Lubecke

Jillian Owens reviews "Boeing-Boeing" at USC

Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Some theatre is aimed at starting intellectual discourse and delving  into complex societal issues…but not this show. Theatre South Carolina’s Boeing-Boeing is a high-flying farce from the swinging sixties.  The decade isn’t the only thing that’s swinging.  Meet Bernard.  He has a bit of a thing for airline hostesses….three of them!  A connoisseur of international relations, he is engaged to a feisty American named Gloria, a sassy Italian named Gabriella, and an extremely romantic German named Gretchen.  Bernard has taken a Pan Am approach to polygamy by only dating stewardesses with conflicting flight schedules, using his book of airline timetables as his handy guide.

Of course none of his fiancées know about his philandering ways.  When the new Boeings are introduced as commercial aircrafts, layovers and flight times are reduced, leaving Bernard scrambling to keep his constantly rotating mini-harem under wraps.

Luckily, Bernard is not alone.  His saucy/exhausted maid, Berthe and his socially awkward college chum Robert do their best to help him hide his three little secrets…but will they be able to keep up the ruse before they collapse from exhaustion?   

Boeing-Boeing is no comedy masterpiece, but it is a very fun farce.  It was originally written for French audiences by Marc Camoletti, and later adapted for the London stage in 1962 (where it ran for seven years) by Beverly Cross.  In 1991, Boeing-Boeing was listed as the most performed French play in the world.  It even had recent Broadway revival in 2008, garnering a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

This a solid, even if formulaic, buddy comedy.  You’ve seen this type of duo in dozens of movies before.  Bernard is the handsome and charming ladies’ man, while Robert is his clumsy wisecracking sidekick.  Trey Hobbs plays Bernard well, although it’s a rather one-dimensional character.  Josiah Laubenstein gets to have much more fun with the role of Robert, who gets some of the funniest lines and best bits of physical comedy in the show.  Josiah’s performance is reminiscent of Jerry Lewis (which makes sense—Boeing-Boeing was made into a film in 1965 starring Lewis and Tony Curtis). He’s charming, flirtatious, and likeable.  By the end of the show, you’ll want to hang out with Robert for a drink or two…but you won’t want to leave him alone with your girlfriend.

Let’s not forget the intensely well-traveled ladies of the show! Melissa Peters plays Gloria, the American with an accent and an appetite as large as the state of Texas.  Kate Dzvonik plays the domineering Italian who’s ready to settle down already, and Laurie Roberts steals the show as Gretchen, the hilariously aggressive German.  Bernard’s overemployed maid Berthe, played by Leeanna Rubin, does her best to keep the whole scheme together, but is most certainly not pleased about it.  It would be easy for a feminist to be offended by this show, as all of the women fall into ridiculous sexual stereotypes with absurd accents—but this is a farce.  Such things are to be expected.  Keep in mind the fellas end up being pretty ridiculous themselves.

All of the action takes place in Bernard’s swanky two-story flat.  When I first saw the set (designed by Meredith Paysinger), I immediately wanted to ask how much it would cost to rent it as my new dwelling.  It’s fabulous and perfect for the period.   The costumes (by Caitlin Moraska) are simple and fun.  The air hostesses each have their own unique and very form-flattering uniform, and the gents look nice and snappy.  USC has amazingly consistent high-quality sets, costumes, and lighting.  This show is no exception.

If you’re in the mood for a silly bit of escapism, Boeing-Boeing is what you’re looking for.  If not, don’t worry—King Lear is coming to USC in April.  Tragedy tomorrow…comedy tonight!

 ~ Jillian Owens

Boeing-Boeing, directed by Richard Jennings,  runs through March 2 at Longstreet Theatre. Show times are 8 pm Wednesdays-Fridays, 7 pm Saturdays and 3 pm on the first Sunday.  There is an additional half-price late night performance on Saturday, March 2 at 11pm.   Tickets for the production are $12 for students, $16 for USC faculty/staff, military personnel and seniors 60+, and $18 for the general public.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 803-777-2551 or by visiting the Longstreet Theatre box office, which is open Monday-Friday, 12:30 pm-5:30 pm.

First Lines -- an invitation from Jasper

"As she sat stunned in her car on Charleston's rickety old John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, trapped precariously 150 feet above the swift-moving waters of the Cooper River, ..."

~

"When you're a boy growing up in rural South Carolina, and you want to be a poet, you should first learn to fight."

~

"It was a Tuesday night in the spring of 1988 and I decided to head down to Pug's in Five Points for the weekly jam session."

~

"This essay is not an act of revenge."

~

"Bastille Day 2001, personal date of independence."

~

"It's a particularly hot summer day, even for Columbia, when I parallel park my car on Washington Street and notice a tall, lanky gentleman as he moves stiffly to reposition an over-sized canvas by the curb."

~

"It began with a gift."

 Ahh, first lines.

Every literary adventure you've ever been on began with one.

Please join the Jasper and Muddy Ford Press family today as we celebrate the first lines above and more than a dozen more when we launch our newest book,

The Limelight – A Compendium of Contemporary Columbia Artists,

volume 1,

with a launch party from 5 – 8 pm at Tapp’s Arts Center on Main Street in Columbia.

The $15 admission to the event includes a copy of The Limelight ($18 after 2/24/13), music, food, and the opportunity to gather signatures from authors and artists in attendance at the launch. For couples wishing to share a book, admission is $25.

There will be a cash bar.

The Limelight, published by Muddy Ford Press, LLC, is the first volume in a serialized collection of 18 first-person, narrative essays written by professional Columbia authors and artists about professional Columbia authors and artists. It is the sixth book to be published by Muddy Ford Press since February 2012.

Edited by Jasper Magazine founder and editor Cynthia Boiter, The Limelight – A Compendium of Contemporary Columbia Artists, Volume 1 is a serialized collection of first person narrative essays written by Columbia, SC writers and artists about Columbia, SC writers and artists. As the Southeast’s newest arts destination, Columbia is bursting with visual, literary, and performing artists whose work has caught the attention of the greater arts world at large, and these essays tell the stories of how the influence of these artists has spread. New York Times best-selling author Janna McMahan, for example, writes about spending a day touring Beaufort, SC, the hometown of literary giant Pat Conroy, with the writer himself. Poet Ed Madden writes about the disconcerting words of advice he received from dying poet and professor James Dickey when Madden took over teaching the last academic course of Dickey’s career. Music writers Michael Miller and Kyle Petersen share insights on saxophone great Chris Potter and contemporary singer-songwriter Danielle Howle, respectively, and poet Cassie Premo Steele writes about the inspiration stemming from her friendship with nationally-known visual artist Philip Mullen.

These 18 essays include works by and about poets Nikky Finney, Terrance Hayes, Marjory Wentworth, Ray McManus, Cassie Premo Steele, Kristine Hartvigsen, Colena Corbett, and Ed Madden; visual artists Philip Mullen, Gilmer Petroff, Blue Sky, James Busby, Stephen Chesley, and Susan Lenz; musicians Chris Potter and Danielle Howle; dancers Stacey Calvert and Bonnie Boiter-Jolley; actors and directors Robert Richmond, Greg Leevy, Chad Henderson, Vicky Saye Henderson, Jim and Kay Thigpen, and Alex Smith; and writers and editors James Dickey, Pat Conroy, Janna McMahan, Aida Rogers, Michael Miller, Jeffrey Day, Kyle Petersen, Robbie Robertson, Don McCallister, Robert Lamb, August Krickel, and Cynthia Boiter.

For more information or to order online please go to

MuddyFordPress.com.

The Beauty of Mixed Rep Ballet -- Body & Movement Explored next week at CMFA

Next week, from Tuesday through Friday nights, artists from Columbia City Ballet are stepping out of the studio and off of the Koger Center Stage to bring us a dance event the likes of which Columbia has not seen in a very long time.  Pure, clean, innovative dance that, rather than tell you a story as full-length narrative ballets typically do – shows you a story that you create with your own interpretations, reactions, and emotions as engaged and enlightened audience members.

We don’t get a lot of mixed repertory dance here in Columbia—Columbia City Ballet hasn’t done anything with mixed rep in years. We typically get it from USC and the amazing opportunities Stacey Calvert gives to her young dancers there; as well as the through-the-roof work that Thaddeus and Tonya Wideman-Davis do which few people ever hear about. (Seriously, how about advertising, folks? Let us work with you!) Columbia Classical Ballet has been more likely to offer mixed rep, but usually only via Life Chance which typically brings an excellent caliber of dancer in, but gives us the same old classical variations over and over. (My stomach turns every time I hear the opening notes to the male variation from both La Bayadere and Le Corsaire these days.)

But as Columbia dance audiences have grown to be more astute, more critical, more engaged in the dance they see, the demand for mixed rep has grown. We are ready to trust ourselves more as dance audiences; to go to the next level of engagement with dance. We don’t necessarily want to always read the storyline from ballets in our dance bills and we’re not that concerned about sets or costumes. We want the full experience of dance. We want to feel (if you’ll excuse my sentimentality) like we are on the stage ourselves, soaring through the air, moving through the music. The confines of story lines make it much more difficult to participate in the dance experience. Narrative ballets tell us stories, which is nice; but they talk to us – not with us.

I had the chance to talk to Columbia City Ballet company member Wayland Anderson about his choreography which is being featured, along with five others’, in next week’s performances, and this is what he said about mixed rep ballet, the shows next week, and the opportunity, as a dancer and choreographer to take part in this exceptional Columbia dance opportunity.

 ~~

“A mix rep performance gives the audience several different perspectives or approaches to dance. It puts the audience in charge of forming their own ideas on what they experience. Full length ballets tend to utilize the boy meets girl and falls in love formula. In a mix rep show anything can happen.”

“The ballets that are considered classics today were comments on their time when they were created. Mix rep shows give today’s choreographers an opportunity to speak on the world as they experience it. This process will keep the art form alive and relevant to today's generations. We must pass the torch to the next generation. It is similar to the cycle of life.”

“This opportunity has allowed me to embark on a journey with 12 amazing dancers. During the choreography process it was important that I allowed the dancers to shine through their interpretation of my movement. Together we will share our love for dance and present a ballet that honors our journey and honors the love ones that we have lost.

 ~~

Wayland Anderson is a professional ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer with a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Maryland. Mr. Anderson is presently a dancer with Columbia City Ballet. He has performed soloist roles in William Starrett’s Nutcracker, Off the Wall and Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green, and he danced the principal role of Darius Rucker in the world of premiere of The Hootie and The Blowfish Ballet. His choreographic piece for next week is called The Survivors with music from Avro Part's Fratres.

Body and Movement Explored is a unique performance where the visual and physical collide created by Columbia City Ballet Dancers, local choreographers, and local artists in partnership with Jasper Magazine.  Body and Movement Explored will be held at the CMFA Art Space off of Pulaski Street. The $20 tickets can be purchased by calling the ballet offices at 803.799.7605.  Or via Brown Paper Tickets at  Buy Tickets Tuesday February 26 until Friday March 1 at 7:30 pm.

“The WHAT Monologues?”: Confessions of a Vagina Monologues Resister -- a guest blog by Roxy Lenzo

 I realized the show wasn’t just for militant feminists, or wilderness lesbians, or crazy, hairy hippie women. It was for all of us. The Vagina Monologues is for women, all women, and everyone who knows a woman, loves a woman, has a mother, a sister, a daughter -- Roxy Lenzo

~

All teenagers rebel. But, as the product of countercultural artist parents, my rebellion took shape in somewhat unorthodox ways—for example, becoming a science major. The Vagina Monologues was a household name growing up, and I wanted nothing to do with it. My mother is and was a loud, empowered feminist, and I couldn’t have been more embarrassed. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I actually saw the performance, dragged to it to see a friend perform as “the moaner.” I was still completely embarrassed by my mother’s in-your-face brand of feminism and was sure I’d spend the entire show red-faced and slowly sinking deeper into my seat. Added to the predictable embarrassment and discomfort, I had a secret—I had been raped the semester before, and had barely told anyone.

As the show went on, though, I slowly relaxed. I laughed, I blushed (a lot), and I wept. This was not what I was expecting! I could relate to these women. Every monologue resonated with me; some made me uncomfortable, but even when I was, I was engulfed. This was a community of women, all ages, and backgrounds coming together. They were survivors and supporters and empathizers. They were funny and sassy and honest. At a time when I had barely begun to acknowledge what had happened, when I wanted nothing more than to forget—much less own it and talk about it—there these women were, brazenly authentic and openly owning their experiences. Experiences like mine.

When the show was over and they asked members of the audience who were survivors to stand up, I clung to my seat. But when they asked members of the audience who knew survivors to stand up, my boyfriend stood. That first experience of The Vagina Monologues was the turning point for me—I had gone from a victim to a survivor. I realized the show wasn’t just for militant feminists, or wilderness lesbians, or crazy, hairy hippie women. It was for all of us. The Vagina Monologues is for women, all women, and everyone who knows a woman, loves a woman, has a mother, a sister, a daughter. I realized I wasn’t alone. The next day, I joined a survivors’ support group.

This year, I finally auditioned for the Monologues. As I have told my friends about the performance and have begun to coerce them to come, I’ve found the same hesitancy that I originally felt about the play. “That’s the crazy feminism play about worshipping vaginas, right?” “It’s all about female empowerment and down with the man!” “The What Monologues?”

The Vagina Monologues. The Vagina Monologues is a conversation. Women talking about their experiences—the most beautiful, the most hilarious, and the most tragic moments of life. It’s a conversation that doesn’t skirt the issues, the statistics that one in three women on the planet will be beaten or raped in her lifetime. When I tried to share that with a classmate of mine, he shrugged, “But that’s in the WHOLE WORLD, right?” As if that somehow made it better, if it wasn’t happening in our own backyard. I told him: Not only is it one in three women on earth, but one in three college-aged women in the United States. He responded, “Well that’s just not right.”

But the most important thing about The Vagina Monologues is that they don’t stop with that statistic. Instead, they celebrate all that is beautiful, wonderful, and strong about womanhood. The show celebrates survivors but it doesn’t leave them there. It includes all women, and everyone who loves women.

I’m not Eve Ensler. I can’t pull together the right algorithm of words to convey just what the Monologues are. But leave your expectations at the door, forget your preconceived notions and just come. You’ll be glad you did.

The Vagina Monologues at USC will take place February 15 through 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the USC Law School Auditorium (701 Main St.). Tickets cost $8 for students and $10 for the public. Proceeds will be donated to Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands. (Find out more at vmonologuesusc.wordpress.com.)

"The Motherf*%#er With the Hat" - August Krickel reviews the new Trustus show

"We're the theatre that curses and does nude shows," Trustus co-founder Jim Thigpen joked in the very first issue of Jasper. And how. The Mother*#%$er With the Hat features plenty of full frontal male and female nudity, liberal use of the title expletive along with its many cognates and derivatives, plus violence, and drug and alcohol abuse. Or, as an old roommate used to say, that's four-star entertainment right there for sure. Director Chad Henderson notes in the program that author Stephen Adly Guirgis chose the title as a disclaimer to signify the intensity of the subject matter, a sort of "let the buyer beware" warning so that the audience has no illusions as to the grittiness of the themes or dialogue.  That said, there is plenty of comedy, a few moments of tenderness and compassion, and a lot of insight into human nature, however dysfunctional and self-destructive that may be.  The play's five characters are low-lifes, addicts, ex-cons, alcoholics and/or scumbags, but thanks to the commitment of the performers, and some creativity from Henderson and scenic designer Kimi Maeda, we sort of kind of care about them, at times anyway.

Jackie (Alexis Casanovas) is newly paroled and newly sober; his AA sponsor Ralph (Shane Silman) now sells nutritional supplements instead of drugs, and has stayed sober for 16 years in spite of a tumultuous marriage to Victoria (Michelle Jacobs) whom he met, you guessed it, at a meeting. Jackie's cousin Julio (Joe Morales) has likewise channeled his energies into therapeutic massage and perfecting his recipe for the perfect empanada, but is ready to stash a handgun or channel his inner Van Damme in a rumble. Veronica (Raia Jane Hirsch) still uses, and may be cheating on Jackie with the titular character, who could just as easily be called "some dude who may be doing my girlfriend." Or Jackie may just be paranoid, and in need of a refresher course on the Twelve Steps.  All five actors believably flesh out these damaged characters as they navigate the choppy waters of recovery, relationships and betrayal. At one point, Silman and Casanovas are so intently arguing with each other that one gets the impression that they have forgotten the audience entirely, and instead just really want to win the argument, using the playwright's words. Equally impressive is the way that the actors bare their souls on stage while baring everything else, yet manage to stay in character, and never miss a beat. The dialogue is very honest, which again explains the play's title, since people use the term so frequently these days, especially in the sub-culture we see depicted here.

Guirgis has a way of relaying fairly profound thoughts and ideas via the natural cadences of simple and ineloquent people. At some level, all the characters realize how badly they have messed up their own lives, and how tenuous their grasp on stability is. Yet "the space between who you are, and who you think you are, is pretty wide," as Cousin Julio tells Jackie - cautionary words for us all. Morales, deadpan as Julio, provides most of the wisdom in the first act, which is in many ways a comedy, although one peopled with sad, tragic figures. The second act is more of a serious drama, although full of hilarious lines, most spoken by Julio.  Guirgis once worked on an episode of The Sopranos (as did two of the original Broadway cast, including the original Victoria, Annabella Sciorra, aka Tony's crazy goomah Gloria Trillo.) Before I spotted that in the program, I leaned over to my friend and whispered "Tell me this isn't Christopher and Adriana," the similarly struggling and clueless addicts from that series.   "What are we, Europeans?  I'm from the neighborhood," Jackie protests when faced with a difficult choice. There are a number of modern playwrights who use the natural rhythms of common urban speech to depict "real" life in the big city, including David Mamet, Martin McDonagh, and Neil LaBute, all performed by Trustus over the years.  In fact, this work could almost be reasons to be pretty, Pt. 2, if that LaBute play had focused on losers and substance abusers. Directed a few years ago by Henderson, reasons featured similar themes of commitment and infidelity, similar challenges of growing up and getting serious about life, similar blunt language, similar argument and fight scenes, and similar scene transitions.

Speaking of those transitions, I griped and moaned like a...well, like the title of this play, over another recent production where the actors did choreographed actions as the scenes changed. Here, it works perfectly, and indeed enhances the material. Henderson keeps his cast in character, or stylized versions of their characters, as they act out brief, pantomimed representations or summaries of what they are feeling. Sure, it keeps the action and pace flowing while the cast and stagehands change the scenery, but the mini-vignettes work quite well on their own. Nowhere is it better, or more appropriate, than when Hirsch sees the walls literally and figuratively closing in on her, and rushes to push back in vain.  Kimi Maeda's scenic design is created with an artist's eye, and incorporates three revolving, triangular set pieces, each forming part of the interior of three apartments.  Anything the actors need to touch - a chair, a door, a table, even a boom box - is physically present on stage, while everything else - a window, a lamp, the headboard of a bed - is painted onto the colorful walls with simple, broad strokes. Henderson mentioned the cartoon-like echoes of artists like Roy Lichtenstein in his interview with Jasper, but I was actually reminded of the work of Toulouse-Lautrec, and of local artist Page Morris, who coincidentally was featured in an exhibition just a couple of blocks down Lady Street from the theatre during opening weekend.    .

As I have written previously, back in the day Trustus used to do shows like this all the time: controversial, raw, edgy, unknown outside of New York, and featuring crazy titles. In fact, I found myself mentally casting this c. 1990, with Firdous Bamji and Erin Thigpen in the leads, and maybe Linda Pollitt and George Altman (or Jayce Tromsness) as Victoria and Ralph.  Here, there isn't a lot of controversy per se, apart from, well, OK, the title, the language, and the nudity. The themes are relatively straightforward, with no message beyond acknowledgement of humanity's flaws, and how we all have to strive to overcome those to get through one day at a time, even if we occasionally act like idiots and jeopardize it all. Consider yourself warned, or encouraged to see the show, depending on how much you enjoy challenging material, and how willing you are to laugh at the disturbing absurdities of human existence.

The Mother*#%$er With the Hat runs through Sat. Feb. 23rd; contact the box office at 803-254-9732 for ticket information.

~ August Krickel

One Billion Rising -- A Guest Blog for the Vagina Monologues by Jennifer Whitmer Taylor

 

I have a lot on my mind these days. Earning a Ph.D. in history with a focus on women and gender requires immersion into the darker side of history. Black History Month unfolds into Women’s History Month. I also joined the cast of The Vagina Monologues to raise money for Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands. Yes, I’ve got a lot on my mind.

My mind wanders to the antebellum South, where the white constructed myth of black women’s promiscuity, personified in the myth of the Jezebel, justified sexual abuse. Slave dealers commodified this abuse with the “fancy girl” market, where some women sold for a staggering $5,000 and could be as young as twelve. During Reconstruction, rape and sexual abuse continued as there were no legal precedents established against them during slavery that could prevent their use as tactical weapons to promote white supremacy. In an act many may have performed as overseers or slaveowners a decade earlier, men cloaked in the protection of hoods, darkness, or legal impunity stripped women’s clothing to their waists or pulled it up to their necks before beating them. Whether in urban or rural areas, black women were raped, often because their husbands violated some southern white code, such as participating in politics or landowning. Occasionally, urban women found an outlet to voice their outrage via access to the Freedman’s Bureau, a federal prosecutor, or a Congressional hearing, although the witnesses were repeatedly questioned about their attire and level of resistance. The impact of this culture of violence permeates the modern civil rights and feminist movements as well.  A decade before she initiated the Montgomery bus boycott, Rosa Parks organized efforts to bring a rapist to justice.  When Joan Little killed a prison guard who attacked her in 1974, she proved that all women, even an incarcerated petty thief, deserved the right to protect their bodies.

At some point, this historian had to separate her emotions from these histories to press on with her work, yet in the last year I took my nose out of books just long enough to catch sound bites on the national news. I discovered that my body could shut down a legitimate rape. I heard “vaginal ultrasounds” used in the same sentence with “pregnancy resulting from rape.”  I found myself defending my reproductive rights forty years after Roe v. Wade. And like Sandra Fluke, I felt branded a Jezebel because I was enthusiastic about my right to receive free birth control. Suddenly, all of this information combined with the dozens of friends who have commiserated with me about our shared experiences with sexual and physical violence proved more than I could bear.

So I rose. I rose along with other amazing women in this year’s production of The Vagina Monologues. While it is disheartening to recognize that women must still wage this war for control of their own bodies, I am hopeful because I see a unity that history has never witnessed but has been simmering, rising if you will, beneath the surface of history’s pages. I see one billion rising.

This year The Vagina Monologues at USC is part of the One Billion Rising campaign (www.onebillionrising.org), a worldwide movement inviting people across the globe to take a stand against violence against women. Join us at the show and be a part of this uprising. The Vagina Monologues at USC will take place February 15 through 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the USC Law School Auditorium (701 Main St.). Tickets cost $8 for students and $10 for the public. Proceeds will be donated to Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands. (Find out more at vmonologuesusc.wordpress.com.)

-- Jennifer Whitmer Taylor

The “Angry Vagina” Speaks -- A Guest Blog by Wanda Jewell

I have always wanted to belong to an underground radical movement for good. That’s why I got involved with The Vagina Monologues. Well, it's not so underground now, but it felt underground when I first auditioned about 15 years ago.

I was so excited to be a part of the show. That first director videotaped each of us introducing ourselves because she had so many people auditioning. I remember thinking how was I going to distinguish myself, and when I got behind the video camera, I said as proud as you please, "Hi, I'm Vagina Jewell!” I didn’t have a part in mind when I first auditioned, but “The Angry Vagina” turned out to be the one for me. I loved getting to be so angry, and the audience was so entertained with my rage that it just further enraged me. We did two performances that year, and I loved every minute of it.

The year after my debut as The Angry Vagina, I wanted to do the monologue again. I had thought all year about all the ways I could make it funnier and better. The show was having difficulty finding a director that year, so I talked a friend of mine into directing the performance, and another friend wrote an original poem on the that year's topic and performed it as the closing of the show. It was at the Koger Center, and we only had one chance to do it right. But it was a magical night. For weeks afterwards, everywhere I went, people would say, "I know you—you were the Angry Vagina. You were so funny." And that felt wonderful to be recognized for my participation in this not-so-underground radical movement for good. We had the cast party at my house, and I loved being around so many women from so many different walks—of various ages, races, interests—but the one thing we had in common was the radical notion that women should be treated like people! “The Angry Vagina” was a great part, and I knew I had to share it. I’ve taken ten years off, but I'm back in The Vagina Monologues and so excited. Ironically, I'm not nearly so angry anymore, and therefore, I'm able to have so much more fun with the part. I'm a good deal older than I was then, too, and the young women involved in this year’s production are inspiring, generous, and hilarious! Who doesn’t want to be a part of that? And if we can do some good along the way, even better. This one is rising!

The Vagina Monologues takes place on February 15 through 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the USC Law School Auditorium (701 Main St.).  Tickets cost $8 for students and $10 for the public. Proceeds will be donated to Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands. (Find out more at vmonologuesusc.wordpress.com.)