Body Language and "The Artist"

Quote of the Day:  (I found all these quotes and many more great ones on body language at Psychology Today.)

Not only is her body language revealing, but so are her silences, which I find remarkable for an actress. It's how she doesn't say things verbally that I find exceedingly communicative. - Laurence Kardish (It didn't give the name of the actress he's describing.)

(I watched the Oscar winning movie The Artist yesterday and was fascinated by how much story is told through body language and facial expression, not to mention excellent camera work.)

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(I love this one by Emerson. I have felt this way in conversations with some people. What you're saying and what you're doing are not in sync. I learned to trust the non-verbal messages.)

Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. - Charles Dickens

(I read this one five times. Charles Dickens said these words, way before facebook.)

But behavior in the human being is sometimes a defense, a way of concealing motives and thoughts, as language can be a way of hiding your thoughts and preventing communication. - Abraham Maslow

(Do you know someone who enters a room and never stops talking? My therapist said that the person who does all the talking wants all the power. I wonder what they're trying to hide behind their mask of words.)

I had Kate take these photos while we rehearsed Coffee Shop Confessions at the Coco Moon. When I viewed them on my computer after rehearsal, I was struck by how expressive we are. You can imagine what is happening by our body language.

Love Jewell's face in this photo.

Do you think she's receptive to what Laura is telling her?

I typed up the words at the other end of this conversation and included them in the script, but the audience never hears them...or do they? When Jewell gets a call from her husband, the mood of the entire cast, and audience, changes. They leaned in. They held their collective breath. They felt the blows of his words.

What are we "hearing" and feeling in this scene?

In the movie The Artist, George Valentin is told to speak from the opening scene, which is an actor playing an actor in a scene in an old silent film. We watch the audience's response. I thought to myself, we're watching a movie about people watching a movie. There were so many parallels and mirror moments in this film. I thought, too, how we tell our stories, on stage and in real life, by our body language and facial expressions, by what we don't say, and by the actions we chose to take, or refuse to do.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Do you know someone who dominates in a conversation? Do you read body language? Did you see "The Artist"?

Invite to Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Quote of the Day:  Mommy, I just don't get it. How could people be mean to someone just because of their skin? That doesn't make any sense. Charlie Rude, my son, age 11

I've been invited to view and review Lizzie Bright and Buckminster Boy at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. I am so excited. This is a stage adaptation of the Newbery honor book by Gary D. Schmidt.  I checked out the audio book from my local library. I've heard just the first few minutes of it, but I'm already hooked. The boys who will be attending the performance with me said they like it too. Here's a bit more, plus pictures! Courtesy of the Children's Theatre Company.

Lizzie is played by Traci Allen and Turner Buckminster by Sam Bardwell. Photos shown here are by Joan Buccina.

Peter Brosius and Children’s Theatre Company are proud to be presenting the World Premiere performance of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy – a story, based on the Newbery Honor book by Gary D. Schmidt, about a historic event in 1912 coastal Maine.

Brosius directs this tale of racial injustice, generational strife, economic conflict, music, baseball, and most of all, the power of friendship.

Turner Earnest Buckminster II has become best friends with the smart and lively Malaga Island native Lizzie Bright Griffin. When Turner’s town elders threaten to wipe Malaga of all its inhabitants for the town’s economic benefit, Turner and Lizzie know they have to do something – but can they act before it’s too late? 

Doesn't that sound, and look, fantastic?! Thank you to Anne at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis for inviting me and making it possible for me to bring my friend and publicist Krista and her two sons. Click above for more information on showtimes and ticket prices. Come back next week for my review.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is just the type of story I love to read and see. What are your favorite types of stories? Do you listen to audio books?

PS:  So thrilled to have reached 200 followers on my blog. Thanks for your support of my writing. I hope you find inspiration here to - Go. Create. Inspire!

Insecure Writer's Group in March

Quote of the Day:  Confession, alas, is the new handshake. Richard Rosen

Today is the first Wednesday of the month where we join other voices in sharing our insecurities. Click on the badge on the side for a list of more bloggers who have joined the Insecure Writer's Support Group started by blogger/author Alex J. Cavanaugh.

It was a huge success for me to produce my first original full-length play Coffee Shop Confessions this past weekend. I have written two novels that are in the proverbial drawer. I had rejections and set-backs, angst like the sun-dried dessert, and real fears of exposing my art. I was afraid of both the possible failure and success. It's like I'd be standing in front of the crowd completely naked, and I knew I couldn't do it alone. So, I shared my dream with my friend JeMA. I shared my work with a few trusted friends. I wrote on despite the negative voices in my head. I set a date for a read-through. I set a date for performance. I asked people to join my creative team, and this is what I got - a sell-out audience, applause, and request for more performances, not to mention a sense that I helped build community. Something has cracked in the universe.

Before our performances, we gathered in a circle to wish each other well and invite the creative spirit to enter and go out into the world.

We gather in a huddle

Our hands come together

like the spokes of a wheel

We close our fingers

over the hand of the other.

We are one,

A spiral of creative energy

as we shout:

Go. Create. Inspire!

My message to you on this March edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group is to invite trusted friends into your circle. They will help you succeed.

Journaling Prompt:  Whom will you invite into your circle?

Successful Debut of Coffee Shop Confessions

Quote of the Day:  Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, and try to follow where they lead. Louisa May Alcott

This weekend, I did reach those high aspirations. I'm still up, way  past cloud 9. Can you see me? I'm that big, smiling sunshine. My original play Coffee Shop Confessions debuted at the Coco Moon coffee shop in downtown Brainerd to a sold-out audience both nights. Thanks to this amazing cast.

Here they are, the dream team cast of Coffee Shop Confessions!

Character names: Aubrey, Nick, Micki, Jewell, Roxy, Lolly, Sam, Laura, and Mary

Lorie had to run next door to the cafe to borrow more chairs!

More confessions as the audience waited for the "Confessions" play to start and all those coffee orders to be filled.

The women at this table are associated with the Mid-Minnesota Women's Center. When I announced that a portion of the ticket sales were going to the Center, they applauded. They also made a point of introducing themselves after the show and letting us know how well we told this story.

In the background of this photo is my hair-stylist (artist) Aubrey. She inspired the character I played. She gave me a make-over before the show. We had so much fun. I told her I felt like Meryl Streep. The camera man is my friend Pete Woit who drove over from Alexandria. He is a professional videographer at Woit Video Productions. Several groups of good friends were at the tables surrounding us. Opening night was the most exciting night of my life.  

Me with my friend and publicist Krista who knows how to make it happen at her Blue Cottage Agency!

Laura and Mary (Aubrey) before the show

These are just a few of the photos taken by Krista Rolfzen Soukup and Joey Halvorson from this weekend's performance. You'll see more highlights and insights from the show this week.

Here's how I ended my welcome speech: The first confession of the night, I am someone who hears voices from people that no one else can see. I see visions. I dream dreams, and this is what happens when you dare take the risk of letting others in and sharing them. Thank you for coming, and enjoy our "Coffee Shop Confessions."

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever been at the debut of someone's work: art, drama, poetry, music, or a grand opening somewhere?

Pasta con le Melanzane (Eggplant sauce)

Since our cooking class was all about Eggplants, I thought it appropriate to show everyone how easy it is to make a great sauce with eggplants. If using small, Japanese eggplants or any smaller sweet, variety, they can be sliced and cooked. If using larger varieties, like Black Beauty, you may want to place them under salt for an hour or two to help extract the bitterness away from the eggplant.  You can oven roast them as we discussed in class by salting them, brushing them with olive oil and placing them into a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Oven roasting intensifies flavor. Whichever way, it's all delicious. 
What a great idea for a pasta sauce.  My mother could always make a meal for us out of very little and very few ingredients, life's simple pleasures.  It doesn't take much to make a fantastic pasta sauce. 

INGREDIENTS: 4 People
2 medium Japanese eggplants, (peeled if store bought, cut up and diced, skin on if out of the garden)
3 tablespoons red onion
1 tablespoon garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for garnish)
1 handful of fresh basil
12 oz of tubular pasta (this form will hold the sauce well)
1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes and there juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine (optional, but adds fabulous flavor, your alcohol will evaporate away).
1/4 cup milk (to cut the acidity of both the eggplants and tomatoes)

In a pan, heat your oil on medium/low
Add your diced onion, garlic and eggplants and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Cover your pan.  After about 5 minutes check your vegetables are cooking but not sticking.  Give them a mix.   Continuing cooking until fragrant and your eggplants have become shiny and wilted.  Then add your tomatoes, wine, milk and stir.  Add some fresh basil and stir again.  Let sauce reduce by more than half.  This should take about 12-15 minutes on medium/low.   You will notice your sauce will thicken.   Set aside to cool.  In Meantime add your dry pasta to your boiling water.  Drain, mix with sauce.  Add Parmigiano Reggiano cheese if you like~ A great glass of Chianti goes well with this dish.   Buon Appetito~

Coffee Shop Confessions Debuts Tonight!

Quote of the Day:  Opening night is the night before the play is ready to open. - George Jean Nathan

Laughed out loud when I read that one. Don't all casts and crew feel that way? "We're still tweaking it," we cry. "I don't have all my lines down," we moan. "I think I could fix this word or phrase, just let me rewrite that part," says the angst-filled playwright.

But, the date is set. The tickets are sold OUT! Ready or not, they're coming to the Coco Moon tonight. I believe that no matter what, we'll be entertaining. Not perfect. I never intended perfection. This is a play about real people in real time. It's always changing. Even last night, our dress rehearsal, had moments of ad lib, commentary, and spontaneous laughter, and real tears. 

Here's a teaser: a popcorn stained bra, a bottle of pills, a cellphone to use and abuse, and a group of actors/singers meeting to rehearse at a coffee shop. Drinks laced with laughter, tears, real-life stories, love, and joy.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What degree of artist angst do you have today? Mine's off the charts. Cheers!

Winter Peach Ice Cream on a Popcorn Cookie

Around these parts, as I'm sure you know, ice cream is pretty popular year round. Homemade peach ice cream, though, is usually reserved for those long sunny months when the fuzzy fruit is well in season, when markets are loaded down with those gorgeous rosy globes. That's the general rule, right? Whenever you can, use fresh fruit in season.

But rummaging around in our freezer the other day, I came across a bag of long forgotten, but still fully viable, peach slices and thought it might just be time to whip up a batch of the homemade stuff--winter or no winter. After all, there's no law on the books prohibiting it. May not be preferable, in ideal circumstances that is, but using frozen fruit's not even a misdemeanor. No jail time will be served. So go check your freezer, right now. Way in the back. Bet you've got a bag of frozen peaches in there somewhere, too.

But wait, enough about the ice cream . . . what is that curious disk supporting it? Why, that's made from a happily baked concoction of popped popcorn that's been pureed with sugar, a tiny pinch of salt, and melted butter. Who knew that popcorn could ever morph into such a neat little platform, crunchy as all get out, and tasty as heck? I admit I never knew popcorn even had this potential until I took pastry classes.

Pastry chefs have been known to use the wackiest components imaginable in coming up with fancy desserts, some of them so commonplace you would hardly believe it. So why not employ the most plebeian treat of all in something that can be made at home in a few minutes? If pastry chefs can do it, so can we. Don't be shy. Get out the popcorn!

About this recipe . . .

Pulling out my copy of The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, I noticed it's getting increasingly dog-eared, some of the pages lightly smeared from the residue of whatever ingredient was on my hands while using it. The book's a little masterwork, in my opinion, and it's chock full of the best ice cream recipes I've ever come across. I had to wade through some very disappointing ice cream volumes before finally being saved by The Perfect Scoop.

Yeah, I know, I'm preaching to the choir and I've sung this hymn of Perfect Scoop praise before. Needless to say, this peach ice cream is refreshing and too darn simple to be believed. No eggs in this particular formula, and nothing to heat on the stove. In other words, it's screw-up proof. You have nothing to lose.

I adapted the recipe to suit my purposes by adding in a wee dab of peach schnapps and reducing the amount of vanilla extract, omitting the water and lemon juice altogether, and using frozen uncooked fruit versus the fresh cooked fruit suggested in the book. I also reworded the instructions to reflect exactly what how I assembled everything. 

The popcorn cookie recipe was adapted from a recipe for an herb-spiked tart shell, designed for use with a cheesecake filling, that I found here, in the McCormick spice company's site. I nixed the herbs entirely and adjusted the method, rewriting it in the process.

Winter Peach Ice Cream and Popcorn Cookies
(For a printable version of this recipe, click here!)


Yield: 6 large cookies and a full quart of peach ice cream

To make the popcorn cookies:

3 generous cups of plain, freshly popped, popcorn
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 pinch salt 
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Place all of the popcorn in the large bowl of your food processor. Sprinkle the sugar and salt over it. Pulse repeatedly until the mixture starts to resemble the texture of rough cornmeal.

Pour in the melted butter and pulse again, a few more times, until it's evenly mixed in.

Divide the mixture evenly into the ungreased cups of a jumbo-muffin-top pan (that's what I used, similar in size to a whoopie-pie pan) or a regular muffin pan, pressing down to form a flat cookie shape in the bottom.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies look golden around the edges.

Let the baked cookies cool on a rack, in the pan, for about 15 minutes or so, then lift each one out carefully using the pointed tip of a sharp knife for leverage to help get them out. They should not stick to the pan.

They are kind of delicate, so handle them carefully and let them cool completely. Keep them in an airtight container until you're ready to use them.

For the the ice cream:

2 lbs. of semi-frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, chopped and drained
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream (I suggest using a predictably thick brand, like Breakstone or Daisy)
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. peach schnapps

In a large bowl, mix together the peaches and sugar. Let it sit until the peaches are almost completely thawed.

Pour the entire mixture into the large bowl of your food processor and pulse repeatedly until there are only small lumps remaining (at this point, if you prefer an ice cream with no little visible pieces of peach, go ahead and puree the mixture until smooth).

Add in the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and schnapps, and pulse just until well combined.


 
Pour into a clean container, cover it well, and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Process the chilled mixture in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions (I use the ice cream maker attachment that goes with my Kitchen Aid mixer, then I put the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container and leave it in there for almost a day or so before serving).



Let your frozen ice cream soften slightly before serving so it will scoop more neatly.

(If you'd like to comment on this post, or to read existing comments, please click on the purple COMMENTS below.)