Life in Lake Quabbigon Gone Honk
With Apologies to Garrison Keillor
By: David Wilson - Nov 21, 2011
It has been a busy if stressful few weeks here along the shores of my Lake Quabbigon, to paraphrase Garrison Keillor.
Starting the last Saturday morning in October when the Riedel Dance Troupe gave a right interesting workshop to a very limited number of attendees. There would have been a lot more in attendance, I’m sure, if our savvy community had not been busy preparing for the blow they knew was building to happen. Farmers pay attention to that sort of thing, and when the storm arrived along with the gunshot sounds of limbs cracking and thudding to the ground in a regular percussive symphony, we were tucked up snug and not at all surprised when the Dance Troupe’s long anticipated performance at the Cultural Center was cancelled the following day. Of course the news was disseminated to the few because only those with generators had power.
The week that followed had us, decks cleared around the old wood stove, getting up once or twice in the middle of the night to restoke it less the fire burn out. It reminded many of us of our childhood, only then it was mom or dad who had to get out from under the down comforter and head shivering for the wood pile.
At least we managed to keep our phone service. The line draped across the deck stayed connected. Then Wed morning, old Jason, from up Barre way, well, he came barreling down the road in his dump truck and caught a hanging power line when he veered a bit too tight on the curve. That not only tore the electric meter right off the side of the house, but snapped the phone line too.
That afternoon, we got a bit of a lift at the Art Tea. Randy Stevens, she lives just a short piece down the road here, talked some about how some of the darker events in her life have affected her vision and her creations. It was really a concrete example of how art can be cathartic not only for the artist but for we on experiencing the resulting art as well.
Friday night, every seat was full at the Cultural Center for the Spencer Theatre of Illusion and clearly we were all ready for some distraction. A show of hands indicated that at least half of us still had no power at that point, and whether because of that or in spite of that, we were determined to have a good time. Thanks to magician, Kevin Spencer and crew, we did have a grand time, happy to be in the company of our neighbors and in the light. Then, shaking our heads in amazement at what we had witnessed, we went back to our darkened homes, fortified, able to hold on a little bit longer.
The Gilbert Players did not let the failure of the utilities interrupt their rehearsals, bundling up against the cold and first with emergency generators and later restored power they kept at it, getting ready to mount their production of Honk!
Boston’s Channel 5 show Chronicle gave us all a boost when it celebrated Hardwick as its mystery locale on Monday, Nov 14, giving a hearty nod to some our neighbor farmers, our artisans, our Gilbert Players and our Cultural Center so it seemed to us that the stage was set for opening night this Fridaypast as Honk! was slated to open in the first of six performances.
I have spent a fair amount of time, with the kind permission of Director, Linda Tomasi, lurking at rehearsals, watching as the production chugged through its various stages, rough readings, chaotic choreography, uneven choruses and unfocused meanderings. I still have difficulty trying to understand just what it is that I have witnessed.
Community Theater by its very nature is quite different in many aspects than are professional troupes, and I am not talking here about quality so much as about process. These are people who give up 9 to 12 hours a week aside from their regular obligations as students, homemakers, laborers and professionals, and do it for almost 4 months with no recompense save the satisfaction that comes from six performances.
They sing a dozen or so songs, learning complicated verses and choruses and do so remarkably well.
They learn the steps and movements to an equal number of dance routines and to perform them in synch with each other…while singing those complicated verses and choruses.
And… mind you, we are not talking here about a handful of dedicated artists, but about dozens of community members ranging from ages midway in the single digits to folk surely who have been collecting social security for a considerable period.
Rehearsals I sat in on often seemed quite chaotic. Linda holds the reins loosely for the most part and directs with firm patience gently guiding the cast toward her vision. From youngest to oldest they respond and when one of the young'uns raises a hand to ask a question, Linda responds as directly and as seriously as to any peer.
We hear so much about artistic temperament, but I see no evidence of it. The leads spend a lot of time coaching and encouraging each other and the supporting cast. It is obvious that in some cases members of several generations of a given family are involved. The kiddies when not called to the stage are often huddled together with coloring books or sharing stuffed animals in a playgroup, but bounce to their stage marks at a single call from Linda.
Music Director, John Tomasi, speaks softly when offering advice and standing by the piano, quietly shapes the performance line by line, verse by verse.
Seniors get quite a workout by the end of each session and I guess that soaking in a hot bath may well be needed at the end of many rehearsals as a remedy for overworked muscles.
The teens, well they’re teens, and can be found between stage calls clustered together or no surprise, cell phones out and texting.
The production itself, Honk! Is an adaption of the classic tale of the ugly duckling who I’m sure you remember is in reality a swan. Unrecognized by the various barnyard fowl, he is castigated by his presumed siblings and stalked by a predatory cat. While not as popular as the chestnuts that are performed over and over again, it is fresh, funny and more than a little relevant these days when bullying and the ridiculing of differences has come under close examination. I find that many of my theatrically inclined associates think very highly of the piece and have uniformly praised it to me.
By last week, the stage sets were shaping up, the dancers were almost synchronized, the singers seemed to have the words down, subtle gestures and nuances were fleshing out the characters and the costumes appeared to give everyone a fresh burst of energy. The only question was whether or not it would all come together on opening night.
My guess is that it will, or did, depending on when this report comes to light.
Honk will be presented at The Cultural Center at Eagle Hill in Hardwick thrice on the weekend of Nov 18 -20 and again on the weekend of Nov 25-27th. Fri and Sat are evening performances, but Sundays are matinees. Catch it if you can, and look for my review in a week or so…
And that’s how it’s been around Lake Quabbigon these past few weeks where all the artists draw with finer lines, musicians play more melodious chords and cows give sweeter milk.