New subject: New York Times

29 Jul 2010

This email really scares me.

________________________________
From: weeklong-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org
To: weeklong-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Sent: Thu Jul 29 10:58:21 2010
Subject: Re: [Weeklong-l] New York Times

What thuh...?

I was Doc's assistant that summer!

In the great imaginary competition that was going on a while back on these airwaves for
Best Summer Ever, I thought about claiming a special category of award for this summer: 
Worst Summer Ever.  None of you, I believe, can claim that title -- so there!

I mean that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but perhaps not.   Lots of intense stories from that
summer.  Not a lot of photos of happy students at play, arms around each other as they
walk back to the dorm.  Dark moments.  Lines not learned.  Rampant insecurities and fears.
 Fire ant bites and stickers in bare feet.  Picnic table collapses and goblets thrown in
anger.  A Benedick and Beatrice who couldn't stand each other, and didn't seem to
care too much for their words at times either.  Struggles for oxygen.  But at some point
in the subsequent years I realized that this experience was just as rich in its own ways
as any of the glorious ones.  Just a different kind of learning; and Mark clearly
testifies to that.  Sometimes falling on your face teaches you more than reaching the moon
(or so Edgar keeps telling me).

Doc never gave up on any of us, not even on the Convict Guy (too long a story, you'll
have to ask me one night on the porch), and wrote one of his most beautiful and poetic
"program notes" in the midst of all the our gnashing and fumbling.  I learned a
lot then (and in '84 too, another tough summer) about one of the things he was always
trying to get across to us:  there is no "magic" just waiting to do all the work
for you once you step into the Barn.  Just hard work, and sometimes real suffering.

Mark really really struggled that summer, to the very end, and then his wife left him when
he came back.  A double-whammy life-changer, and it's wonderful to see this,
especially this summer.  I will track him down to say hey.  Thanks Robert.

cs

On Jul 29, 2010, at 12:20 PM, Robert Jackson wrote:

Am I the last one to see this?

Winedale is #24  (..."a very problematic experience")

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/07/22/theater/20100723-summertheaterc…
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Clayton Stromberger
Outreach Coordinator, UT Shakespeare at Winedale
College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
www.shakespeare-winedale.org<http://www.shakespeare-winedale.org>
cell:  512-228-1055, cell #2 (backup): 512-363-6864
UT Sh. at W. office:  512-471-4726