The Gossip Lady's Blog

Posted by GOSSIP LADY at 3:17 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Pitchin' the Ring
Greetings Gossip Lovers,

Oh where to start!

I can't wait to share some of the wonderful tidbits from last night’s Players Ring Production meeting, the annual pitch session for producers interested in a slot in the following year’s calendar.

Okay, some notables. There were no less than nine new hopefuls. One woman came with a slew of supporters to throw a hat in the hat – literally. Jennifer Cole pitched “The Hat” a musical of mixed genres including Reggae. Now that’s a new one. Most intriguing.

Ari Wilford suggested “Play On, Relationships” the first script penned by the 20-year old. Ari cracked us all up by reading his pitch-notes from his cell phone. LOVED the hat by the by Ari. Quite dapper.

One of G Lady’s truly favorite pitches came from Chrissie Penney (Christine to those that don’t know her from a brick in the wall). My apologies to the two others with wonderful ideas for the Christmas slot – BUT - “The Nightmare Before Christmas!!!” Oh yes!

I have an opinion on this and I'm not afraid to use it. It’s true the Ring traditionally presents deceased founder Gary Newton’s “Christmas Carol.” But maybe its time for a change. Bring us the Pumpkin King!

Virginia (Ginny) Towler – a newcomer - blew attendees away when she took to the stage and presented her proposal in Cambodian. After 30 seconds or so she switched to perfect, unaccented English. Definitely got everyone’s attention – clever little girl. Makes “Spooks and Gooks,” Ginny’s original play, all the more tantalizing.

And then there is Gary Locke. What can one say about one of the theater community’s most beloved loose cannons. G Lady was thrilled to see “the Locke” loaded for bear. He made it quite clear his “Hedda Gabler” would be no women’s activist darling. “She’s very *#%^ up,” he said. “Very dangerous.” We have no doubt that under his direction she’ll be that and then some.

John Herman proposed bringing Stranger Than Fiction back to the Tuesday night slot. It’s likely he’ll land that one, gossip lovers. He and his group of whack-a-dos, ( I mean that in the best possible way), are the only ones shooting for that day.

Okay, too much to do in a single post. Tune back in tomorrow to find out about some new Players’ Ring rules and the incredibly clever idea Dan Beaulieu submitted. – Most interesting I assure you.

Yours in behind-the-curtain fun,

Gossip Lady

You can get all the "pitchers" names in the Portsmouth Herald’s Sunday publication.

Watch for George Brown on the Seacoast Circuit

Look for George Brown playing the local Seacoast circuit! His soulful voice, with some amazing guitar duets, will sooth your soul! George has for the first time, created songs in collaboration with others. The first song was for the musical, "The Hat," and it is called "A Greater Burden," it's first performance was at The Blue Mermaid, in Portsmouth NH. George also went on to write the music for many songs, and perform many of the musical's favorites, such as, "What's Inna Hat," "Eli's Prayer," and many others for the soundtrack. There are quite a few of George's original songs in the musical as well, such as "I Believe," "A Taste of the Good Life," and "The Light of the Sun," these songs are uplifting and are ones your sure to be singing well after a performance.
George's version of, "I'll Always be with You," has touched the hearts of many who are thinking of loved ones away at war, or working 2-3 jobs to pay their bills in this economy. These songs are hitting home for many, since these are the struggles people are experiencing today.

A Great Big Thank You Going Out to George Brown!

"The Hat" musical authors, would like to send a warm thank you to George Brown, for all the hard work he did with most of the soundtrack. We truly wouldn't have a soundtrack if it wasn't for George! We look forward to working together with you on any projects you'd be interested in, with or without hats involved! It has been a pleasure and we are hopeful that the musical & music go on to inspire many! Again we Thank you!!

Jenn & Janet

Sending a big thanks out to "The Hat" musicians!

We want to thank Shawn Russell and Cynthia Chatis, for coming out to help us with "The Hat" soundtrack! Cynthia we thank you for your flute solo and melody. Also for your wonderful singing performance in "I Believe!"
Shawn thank you for helping us out in "The Stars are not Enough" you really brought the piece to life! We look forward to more creative performances together in the near future!

The Player's Ring Pitch

Imagine that you place a hat on your head, a simple ordinary hat...and suddenly you have visions of all the thoughts, feelings, dreams, and ambitions of anyone who’s ever worn this hat before.
Now imagine, your entire outlook on life and your position in it, suddenly and drastically change from the way it was, simply by placing this hat on your head.

Now this moment may be paramount to any common person, yet imagine if this person was the newly elected president of the USA? Suddenly, he could see through the eyes of the common people!

This is just what happens in this original musical. Starting off in Jamaica with 3 migrant workers on their way to harvest the apple crops in New Hampshire, we find our main character has just purchased a new hat from the Jamaican marketplace, and it isn't long before he and his friends realize that this new hat has some supernatural powers.

This whimsical Reggae /Folk fantasy about the proverbial empathy hat, already has a small local following of hat enthusiasts on it’s myspace. This musical contains 16 songs, and has 6 scenes, which can be produced with simple props. It requires 9 performers to create the 17 characters. This musical and soundtrack are completed and we are looking for a producer and director to work with us. We can supply the recorded instrumentals, and some of the local musicians involved are interested in performing live. We the authors are also artists and can help with the production.

This folk tale points out how mysterious life can be and how little acts of faith and courage can go a very long way in changing the course of the world. It also portrays the humble existence of migrant workers & local farmers, and how important they are to our economy, while embracing the struggles we all share, in trying to make our own hopes and dreams come alive.

Convergence Studio

There is a new local recording studio that is up and running, Rob Harvie and Shawn Russell have opened up, "Convergence Studios, on Canal St. in Somersworth NH. in the old mill brick building, for local creative projects and drumming lessons. The first project to leave the studio is "The Hat," by Jennifer Cole & Janet Keefe. The soundtrack was produced and arranged by Rob Harvie. For more information regarding your recording needs or drumming lessons, call Rob @ 603-339-9179

The Hat's Myspace

The Hat's (A Musical) written by Jennifer Cole & Janet Keefe now has a myspace page. Feel free to stop in and take a listen to some of the featured music, performed by local artist's, George Brown, Cynthia Chatis, Shawn Russell, Ernie Mathews, Janet Keefe, and Abbie Scerra. Send us a friend's request and post a comment. The site is located at:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=190387167