Winding Up July 2016...

Let's talk!

July 




July 31, 2016

Hard to believe its the end of July already. The days have whizzed by because my lists have been long and the calendar filled with significant days and memorable events.

Capital Fringe: 
Ready to Serve 5 performances
I knew that the Capital Fringe was going to be a headliner for me all month.  This was my seventh consecutive Fringe - and with a new one-woman show - Ready to Serve. So I knew what to expect so far as the work load and the stress - but there is also the sheer joy and satisfaction of performing and launching a new story.
Ready to Serve is the story of the nurses who served in France with The Johns Hopkins Base Hospital 18.
After working on the research, writing it, and previews for two years the the story and I were ready.
I wrote this blog post to report on the show and to gather the reviews which made me very happy!
The audiences were warm and supportive of the story. I was touched by those who told me they came last year and would not have missed another one of my stories. Lordy, Lordy - that' a storytellers wish and dream. And, one night someone from the audience wrote to tell me that - inspired by Ready to Serve - she had found the grave of her WWI nurse relative and would be looking for more of her story.  What a gift all around.

My Two Cake Birthday - July 14, 2016
This was my first, maybe will be my only, two cake birthday.  When son Jimmy, daughter Robin and I went to the Schoettler Family Reunion in California in late June Robin arranged for a BIG birthday cake

 to kick off the celebration of my 80th birthday. Very happy to have this lovely group sing the first edition of Happy Birthday - for themselves and for their connection to Jim, tying him to the event which was held, as usual, on Tom and Ila Schoettler's where Jim and I had been together so many times.

My first Fringe show was July 9. A big surprise - Robin flew in from San Francisco that evening to be here for several of the performances and to have a small family birthday gathering here. A delicious dinner with a dramatic dessert -- another birthday cake made by cousin Tina Barber.

 not only an original creation ---also delicious.

And in between after performances there were several lunches with family - from the Sheas, the Barbers and storyteller friends. There were many others who were these "in spirit". Believe me I am grateful for your being part of my life.

Robin stayed for a week - which gave the five of us a chance o visit - both at home and at Arlington - all the things you want to do when family gathers. And the day she was catching her plane -we took a picture - one that is precious to me - a great birthday gift.

For the last show - my dear friend from Junior Girl Scouts until now came from PA with her husband. She has seen all of my Fringe Shows - and despite the relentless heat they came. " I was not going to miss it." she said. And later - said. "Wonderful!" On a personal note: That "Betsy Star" is a real SOMETHING for me!!! Right up there with the "Cricket Nod."

Jim, Jr., Robin, Karen and little dog Leia
Ellouise - in front

 A New Family Photo
Over the years we have taken many family photos on this deck and under this same tree. Anyone who knows me knows how much I value family history connections. And if you think Jim is not there - wrong. Jimmy is wearing one of his polo shirts and that gardenia was sent to me four years ago when Jim died - Gardenia bush bloomed with three four or five at a time - continuosly from the day before the Fringe opened until a week after my show closed. It was a blessing.
Jim and me in this same spot on the deck.


Maybe you would be interested to know we took the photo using my 5S Apple iPhone on a trip-pod and the built in timer. We changed clothes and positions just like in a studio until we had the image we all agreed on. With lots of laughing in between.

The Excitement of Watching History Being Made
I watched breathlessly July  28 when Hillary Clinton was officially nominated as the Nominee for President of the United States by the Democratic Party. The FIRST WOMAN ever to be so nominated. Yes, I was crying. The ceiling has shattered. Another barrier falls. Now on to November and sending the First Woman to the White House.

Winding Up July 2016...

Let's talk!

July 




July 31, 2016

Hard to believe its the end of July already. The days have whizzed by because my lists have been long and the calendar filled with significant days and memorable events.

Capital Fringe: 
Ready to Serve 5 performances
I knew that the Capital Fringe was going to be a headliner for me all month.  This was my seventh consecutive Fringe - and with a new one-woman show - Ready to Serve. So I knew what to expect so far as the work load and the stress - but there is also the sheer joy and satisfaction of performing and launching a new story.
Ready to Serve is the story of the nurses who served in France with Hopkins Base Hospital 18.
After working on the research, writing and previews for two years the the story and I were ready.
I wrote this blog post to report on the show and to gather the reviews which made me very happy!

The audiences were warm and supportive of the story. I was very touched by those who told me they came last year and would not have missed another one of my stories. Lordy, Lordy - that' a storytellers wish and dream. And, one night someone from the audience wrote to tell me that - inspired by Ready to Serve - she had found the grave of her WWI nurse relative and would be look for more of her story.  What a gift all around.


My Birthday - July 14, 2016
This was my first, maybe will be my only, two cake birthday.  When son Jimmy, daughter Robin and I went to the Schoettler Family Reunion in late June Robin arranged for a BIG birthday cake

 to kick off the celebration of my 80th birthday. Very happy to have this lovely group since the first edition ofHappy Birthday - for themselves and for their connection to Jim, tying him to the event which was held, as usual, on the generous patio at Tom and Ila Schoettler's where Jim and I had been together so many times.

My first Fringe show was July 9. A big surprise - Robin flew in from San Francisco that evening to be here for several of the performances and to have a small family birthday gathering here. A delicious dinner with a dramatic dessert -- another birthday cake made by cousin Tina Barber.

 not only an original creation ---also delicious.

And in between after performances there were several lunches with family - from the Sheas, the Barbers and storyteller friends. There were many others who were these "in spirit" and believe me I am grateful for your being part of my life.

Robin stayed for a week - which gave the five of us to visit - both at home and at Arlington - all the things you want to do when family gathers. And the day she was catching her plane -we took a picture - one that is precious to me - a great birthday gift.

For the last show - my dear friend from Junior Girl Scouts to now came from PA with her husband. She has seen all of my Fringe Shows - and despite the relentless heat they came. " I was not going to miss it." she said. And later - said. "its your best ever." On a personal note: That "Betsy Star" is a real SOMETHING for me!!!

 A New Family Photo
Over the years we have taken many family photos on this deck and under this same tree. Anyone who knows me knows how much I value connections. And if you think Jim is not there - wrong. Jimmy is wearing one of his polo shirts and that gardenia was sent to me four years ago when Jim died - and usually a stingy bloomer, only one or two blooms at most - that wondrous flourishing bush bloomed for three four or five at a time - continuosly from the day before the Fringe opened until a week after my show closed. It was a blessing.

And I should tell you we took the photo using my 5S Apple iPhone on a trip-pod - -and we changed clothes and position just like in a studio until we had the image we all agreed on. With lots of laughing in between.

The Excitement of Watching History Being Made
I watched breathlessly July  28 when Hillary Clinton was officially nominated as the Nominee for President of the United States by the Democratic Party. The FIRST WOMAN ever to be so nominated. Yes, I was crying. The ceiling has shattered. Another barrier falls. Now on to November and sending the First Woman to the White House.

Ready to Serve Launched at the 2016 Capital Fringe

2016 Capital Fringe run of my new show Ready to Serve ended yesterday - with a sold out audience and standing applause.


What a wind-up! Lots to remember. Rather than write it out I am using a few Tweets and Face Book posts to tell the story of this year's Fringe.

 Pleased to have an article published on the World War One Centennial Commission website - telling about the development of my WWI stories, the Hello Girls and Ready to Serve and promising another story to complete the trilogy, Over There.

 


 This tweet quotes the words of a wounded
soldier being cared for in Base Hospital 18. His "thank you" was music to the nurses ears.

 In my work I flesh out the stories of unknown characters and bring them to life. People often thank me for it -"they were so real I could see them."

There is a wonderful Christmas image in Ready to Serve from a nurse's letter -
"The room was filled with the smell of the fresh cut tree and the men were smiling."

 

The photos which introduce the show were courtesy of 

the Women in Military Service to America Foundation.

Reviews of the show HERE.

Arrangements for a tour underway

First show: Sept 23, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD

Annual Alumni Gathering - Private to the School

The State of the News - for me.

I greatly admire Ken Burns and his work. For years he has opened my eyes to the richness of history and laid out the story of the American past with out flinching.

A few weeks ago I first heard Burns speak of his view of Donald Trump in a video of his commencement address at Stanford University. He took my breath away when he put what is happening in this campaign in a wider context of history as historians are prone to do.

This morning I encountered a new interview with Christiane Amanpour where Burns builds on this Stanford address. He says to her "if Edward R Murrow was here he would have exposed what's happening with Donald J. Trump." I have thought of Murrow myself. I am aching to hear reporters that have the kind of depth we were once accustomed to from Edw. R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite and others.

Ken Burns Interview

I miss those resonating voices first heard as a child on radio and then on television. During this campaign we have been reduced to the paid surrogates who scream the opinions they have been directed to support trying to drown out others. And the commentators either cannot control them or don't want to so the broadcast is reduced to shrill screaming matches. My opinion is "who cares" what hired surrogates say - give me real and thoughtful commentators who have a depth of experience to speak from.

I do hope there are still some out there - I am looking for them.

Ready to Serve - - Check the Reviews

Ready to Serve was premiered at the
2016 Capital Fringe.





Here is what what the critics had to say:

Three Reviews:

"But this masterful researcher and affecting performer goes way beyond just remembering this brave group of 64 women—she brings their stories to life and honors their forgotten legacy." DCTheatreScene

"There is so much detail in the vivid description of the nurses’ lives, from specific patients’ tragic stories to the various ramifications of the biting cold of French winters, that it becomes hard to avoid painting a vivid picture in your mind." DCMetroTheaterArts







"The story is fascinating and worthwhile, a little slice of history that hasn’t received the attention it deserves. Schoetter embodies her character completely, and before long it’s easy to forget that she’s playing a character at all."  DCist


From: Ellouise Schoettler

This is my 7th Fringe with a new, original one-woman show and I love it! Fringe is an opportunity for performers to experiment with new material, to try out different approaches and to grow as performers. 

This year has been the start of Ready to Serve - the  second story of OVER THERE, a trilogy of stories about women during World War One. Hello Girls began to travel after it's launch and has been seen in eight states. It was a particular thrill to perform The Hello Girls at the National World War One Museum and Memorial.

People are already interested in having Ready to Serve travel. I am excited to say I have been invited to perform Ready to Serve at the annual meeting of the Alumni of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD in September. Since the nurses in this story served with the Johns Hopkins Base Hospital 18 in France I think of that as a homecoming for them.

Thanks to the Fringe and to all who came to meet these wonderful women who have been lost in the shadows of history.

On My 80th Birthday

Today is my 80th birthday
Such a day makes you think.

Both my grandmothers died earlier

My mother lived beyond 80.

Now I am on a cusp
and I am making lists to start my new decade.


No more wasting time

Choices are important
  of people, of words, of how one spends the gifts of days.

Every day has always been a gift.

Now even more so.

I remember Jim on his 80th birthday
                   which was a fine June day
                                      five years ago
                                      saying how grateful he was for so many years.

Then in less than six months he was gone.

So a birthday like today
  brings up the reminder of the sand running out.

I hope to make the best use of what time is left to me.

I have a few wishes for my "bucket list"

But its the blessings every day that really counts, isn't it?

A week-end of remembrance

Every so often I am reminded that some of the posts on this blog have a longer life than over-night.This morning I checked in on this blog to see if anyone had stopped in during the past few days. I noticed that someone had stopped by and they had read a post from July 2008. Obviously someone who knows Gettysburg history because now is the commemorating time of remembering the Battle at Gettysburg.

So I am re-posting the blog post I wrote in 2008.  Brings back wonderful memories and reminds me of US history and some family history stories that need to be completed. I am not going to Gettysburg this weekend because I am focused on WWOne and rehearsing before the Fringe opens for me next Saturday - but I will stop and watch one of the fine films about the Gettysburg battle to remind myself of the sacrifices that week-end in 1863....and say thank you. 7/05/2008

Gettysburg, Family History and Fireflies.

Gettysburg
Jim and I are spending the week-end just outside Gettysburg, PA -- just like hundreds of other folks - Civil War enthusiasts who have come for the annual re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. Coming into town yesterday we drove down Table Top Road to see what we could see of the re-enactment. Mostly signs to the US Camp to the left and to the Southern Camp straight head. Both camps are set up way off the road - out of sight. And traffic - cars lined up and parking. At that we made a U-turn and headed to our house another way.

When we turned into Gurnsey Road we met a caravan of horse trailers pulling into the narrow farm road from a smaller farmer's road. Jim pulled over to let the groaning trucks pulling their four-footed cargo pass by. Hang on guys - The Cavalry is coming.

The Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, took place July 1,2,and 3, 1863. It turned the tide of the war. Ghosts of those days are said to still haunt the area. Jim and I decided to honor the fallen and re-visit those days by watching two classic films, Gods and General's - a prequel for Gettysburg - and today we will watch Gettysburg - much of it filmed around the Gettysburg area.

I can't say too much for the acting in God's and General's. I find it over-played at best, but it gets the gist of the history across - and that's what we were looking for. It was a time when the country fought against itself over State's rights - and questions of loyalty - the union or your home state. Why else would farmer's boys pick up rifes and bedrolls and leave home to die? And there was plenty of dying on both sides.

Family History
As I watched a farmer's son shoulder his bedroll and strike off down the road I thought of Granny's father, Thomas Milton Hall. Thomas Hall joined the Mecklenburg Farmer's Unit when he was 16 years old and left his home in Mint Hill with other boys from the neighborhood. Led by a man from the area who was well-known to them, they walked across North Carolina and into Virginia with the Confederate Army for three years. Thomas Hall was wounded at the Battle of Petersburg, captured and imprisoned at Point Lookout Prison, MD. At the end of the war he walked home.

On the Keasler side of Mama's family young South Carolina men joined up. Some rode the train to Virginia to fight at Fredericksburg. There is a letter to a Keasler mother who is anxiouisly waiting for news in SC - "we buried David in a shallow grave. If you want to come and get his body, come soon." As I was told the story, she hitched horses to a farm wagon and drove them from Clemson, SC to Fredericksburg, VA to bring her son home.

Fireflies
At one point during the movie, Gettysburg, The Federal and Southern troops were charging and defending Little Round Top. Our den was filled with the sound of muskets - when I realized some of those shots sounded just outside, not coming from the TV. I stepped onto the deck - sure enough, red rockets lit the sky. More Fourth of July fireworks.

And, better still, a new crop of fireflies, glowing gold, flitted across the yard and the field in the distance. I am so glad I did not miss them.