Red, Red Noses

What do you get when you cross the Black Plague with a priest and a band of misfit clowns? Find out when Wofford Theatre presents the deathly funny comedy "Red Noses" by Peter Barnes!

I confess, like so many out there, that I have not read this play; which means the synopsis that I have pieced together is blatantly taken from other sources. With that said however, I am close with many of the cast and crew involved in this production, and thereby want to support their endeavors.

Being a recent theater grad myself, I may be a bit biased in my opinion--I am a fan of any and all of the Wofford Theater and Pulp Theater Productions.

Think the world's got problems now? In the mid-1300s, the Black Plague wiped out a third of the population of Europe.

People were dropping like flies, and the living had trouble deciding what to do with themselves. Uncontrollable weeping? Self-flagellation?

For one priest, the answer is clear: make 'em laugh. Turning a band of desperate misfits into a troupe of deeply untalented circus performers, he sets out to prove that the best defense against a cruel world is a bad joke beautifully told.

This play is set in Auxerre, France, in 1348 in the midst of the Black Plague. The main character is Marcel Flote, a wandering monk who after an inadvertently humorous run-in with a flagellant discovers what God has called him for--laughter in the face of plague, "bright stars not sad comets, red noses not black death. He wants joy."

It's not your typical comedy, but "Red Noses" highlights death, grief and the importance of humor. "The play is odd”… "and it's hilarious, and it's deeply tender, too. It may be edgy humor, but it also packs a wallop."

Plague and pestilence is everywhere, and humanity is convinced this is Armageddon but Flote sets forth with a troupe of clowns (a new order without order) to make merriment against all odds. Although initially supported by the Church in this endeavor (for its own gain), the Church in the end (not surprisingly) turns against Father Flote and his anti-establishment followers.

In the show, the priest's troupe includes a mute bell-wearing clown, a lusty singing nun, a mercenary turned actor, a reluctant priest, a disaffected member of the upper crust, a blind juggler, a comedienne with a speech impairment and a disabled exotic dancer.

In summary, I can tell you it’s a happy oddity. Flote teachs the audience and the performers, and sends us all off into the world to be clowns among men.

DIRECTED BY: Dr. Mark Ferguson

SHOWTIMES:
Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Friday, April 8, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Friday, April 15, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 8 p.m.

LOCATION: Tony White Theater in the Campus Life Building

Call the Box Office at (864) 597-4080 to reserve your tickets!


Break a leg my darlings and not your necks!
--Ah, but after life's drudgery, when you are weary?
--That's the time to be merry!
Xo.

White Wash

I must be on a serious spring cleaning kick, because it seems I have pulled out the bleach on all my favorite items! What color is speaking to you these days?

Belladea on Devine

JPK's Spring & Summer Collection

World Market Corner Desk

I blame this little Dutch-Boy. Naturally.

Ballet Dresser

As I was stumbling around the internet, this picture caught my eye. I have never been much of a pink girl, often steering toward the monochromatic instead, so the balance of the two struck me.

Eclectic Living Room Design by Atlanta Interior Designer Dillard Design Group, LLC

Last night, my mother came into my room after work and remarked on my attire, "Grey I see. Your go to color these days?" She of course, was right. Maybe it's the change in season, but I have found a way to work heather, charcoal, and slate into my wardrobe.

Today though, just to prove a point, I pulled a ballet pink oxford from the depths of my closet! okay, okay-- I paired it with a slate colored pencil skirt, sue me. But that got me thinking...How can I work some romantic femininity into my new bedroom? I've had lots of bedrooms, but most all of them have had a twinge of red peeking through. Here's to mixing it up!

I have a dark bedroom set with brass handles. A bit like the one pictured below. Some could call it vintage chic-- I call Brass-O a pain in my ass.

So with the help of Anthropologie, let's see if we can compromise and revise?

New ceramic handles? Yes please.

Almost matching but still complementary door hooks? Absolutely.

As simple as a turn of the flathead and you have yourself a brand-new look. Now onto the rest of the room!

Young Whippersnappers

Right after Christmas I had my tonsils taken out. I was probably too old to have it done, but I was tired of battling strep throat and sinus infections! While I was busy suffering not so silently, my dear friend Vivian kept me company. She brought me fresh local honey and pancake mix, which I was able to enjoy immensely even considering the pain; and even made sure I washed my poodle pajamas before I put them back on. Flash forward 3 months and now it’s her turn to be ‘laid up. She endured a far more serious surgery than I did, and is dealing with it with far more grace. I made these lemon original cookies for her and can’t wait to try out her modifications next time! Think of those chocolate orange slices that you crack open…She was always the culinary creative one--Yum.

Lemon Whippersnappers

1 8 oz. package lemon cake with pudding
8-9 oz. package Cool Whip
2 eggs, beaten

BEAT eggs and INCORPORATE the coolwhip.

STIR in the cake mix and fold by hand.

CHILL batter for at least an hour or overnight.

DROP batter by teaspoonful into powdered sugar and roll to cover.

BAKE at 350 degrees 9-10 minutes on greased cookie sheet.

Keg Stand Up Group

I know that I spoke briefly about the 1st of 4 college roommates to get married, however the pictures have finally been posted and what a happy reminder of the fabulous time we had!

Kaley, Me, Tia, and Vivian

All I can really say is keg beer for the weekend was an excellent idea; for no other reason that ending up with pictures like this… A fabulous job to the Greenville photographer who captured the heart of the party—-may my own wedding one day be this much fun!

In the words of the MOH, "We would take any classy event, and turn it into a Frat Party"... I guess that's why she concluded her speech with "May the road go on forever and the party never end!"

Love to you all and I seriously can't wait for the next one!

Spoleto Festival Take Two!

Next item to catch you up on is that I’ve been offered a position with the Spoleto Festival again! The exciting news means I might be moving to Charleston a bit sooner than I expected, but no worries though because I have a place in Mount Pleasant with a couple other fabulously fun girls!

The job would be under Leslee Newcomb, master make-up artist and wig extraordinaire! Why she would agree to take me on as her apprentice again is beyond me? But nonetheless, I am thrill and honored!

If you want to catch up on her work and hear a little about the festival’s past, check out the
Lowcountry Digital Library!


Leslee Newcomb has been a wig and make-up designer for Spoleto since 1978. She discusses the intimacy of wig and make-up design and her interaction with performers and details the changes she's seen in Charleston since her first Spoleto Festival U.S.A.

Want tickets to see the master’s work?

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Fantasy

Sorry for the hiatus! I took a week off to go on a Carnival cruise with fellow Wofford Alumnae; and much like getting out of the habit of going to the gym, I have not yet taken the time to post. I will try to fill you in accordingly.

Carnival now docks out of Charleston, which means for us fellow South Carolinians—this is a huge relief and a much, much shorter drive! I was aboard the Fantasy ship which is actually one of the oldest of the fleet; however it had recently been renovated with flat screen TVs, a new water works playground, and an adult-only Serenity lounge.

The giveaway to the transition was the lack of staterooms or ones with balconies. Though this was my sixth cruise, I actually didn’t notice the lack of outside rooms until we docked next to the fabulous Disney Cruise which boasts a ship filled entirely of hand rails. Oh well, maybe next time.

Our itinerary was Nassau and Freeport. While in Nassau we were going to rent scooters, but the guide suggested that maybe we didn’t want to put a hung-over girl on a bike…Probably a wise decision.

Onto Senor Frogs! Surely we could find a bit of respite at the infamous bar… but they were closed…so we played with the statue and went back to the ship!

Though I can’t say much for the quality of the food, I can say that both the service and quantity were outstanding. I availed myself of the 24hr room service a few times… mainly specializing in the PP&J with chips and a chocolate chip cookie around 3am.

For the sake of sanitation, anonymity, and political careers, let’s just skip right on to Freeport.

The beautiful white sands could not have come any sooner. The three amigos enjoyed Bahama Mama’s and conch sandwiches overlooking the crystal blue waters. Finally, we had arrived.

All you really need to know from the trip is that I went through 3 spray bottles of sunscreen and almost an entire Hawaiian Tropic bottle of lotion. And I wore a really, really big hat that got passed around.

The best part of the trip was undoubtedly the company. I only knew about 5 others registered on the travel list, but by the end of the trip—well let’s just say we all became close.