HOTEL CASSIOPEIA
Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Kathy Carpenter Now showing at the Don Powell Theatre at the San Diego State University campus, through December 7, 2008. Sundays 2:00 p.m. all other days 8:00 p.m. For ticket information call 619-594-6884 or check online at www.theatre.sdsu.edu. Charles L Mee’s Hotel Cassiopeia follows the American collage artist Joseph Cornell. Cornell’s dreamlike abstract art is the theme of the play, which is directed by Peter James Cirino. Characters in the play are reminiscent of people Cornell knew, observed or dreamed about. Mee created the play from diaries, letters, clips of Cornell’s life, and the music and movie he loved. Photos provided courtesy of SDSU. Joseph Cornell and Lauren Bacall played by Phil Kruse and Annie Pritchard. The Ballerina is played by Diahanne McCrary. Why “Hotel Cassiopeia?” Cassiopeia, the constellation, is forever – Hotel Cassiopeiais a place you check into for a night or two. Come spend some time at a place between the two. Experience the world through the eyes of Joseph Cornell, played with sensitivity by Phil Kruse, as you become immersed in the many wonderful characters who filled his life: ballerinas, an actress, artists, friends, the women he teried to love, his mother who controlled him, and the sick brother to whom he was devoted. The costumes were fantastic, which really made the story come alive. The ballerina was one of my favorites characters with Diahann McCrary doing all the magical dance moves every little girl dreams of in her beautiful pink costume. The cast is large and I’m sure you’ll find your own favorite as you follow along the in the journey of Joseph Cornell’s world. Kathy Carpenter is a reviewer for San Diego Write Way and blogger for Eric Maisel Creativity Central blog. Printer-friendly version
SIMPLE WISDOM – NOVEMBER
Printer-friendly versionGratitude for Hard Times By Penelope Young Andrade LCSW Are you grateful for hard times? Although you may welcome reminders to be grateful, you probably don’t strive to be grateful FOR hard times themselves. If you’re like most of us, hard times are something you wish would pass as fast as possible. The problem is that hard times are usually your best teachers and provide profound gifts. Giving thanks for dark times is often a prerequisite for receiving these blessings. Here’s the tip. First, acknowledge your pain. Hard times hurt. Feel. Breathe. Cry. Find loving support. Repeat as needed. Be gentle as you tend your wounds. Whenever you feel soothed, review your life for previous upsets with positive outcomes. Keep looking. Interview friends about difficulties which led, finally, to delights. Read about others’ triumphs over great troubles. Next, spend time in silence. Be still. Bring your focus to the present moment again and again. Allow sky, flowers, trees and children’s faces to guide you back to gratitude. See if you’re ready for a leap of faith. That means giving up, giving in, and giving over. Remember, you wouldn’t know pleasure if you hadn’t known pain. Finally, accept, allow and appreciate this hard time while it lasts . . . always asking “What lesson do you have for me? What is your gift?” Cherish these moments until the disguise of darkness falls away and leaves you bathed in light. Penelope Young Andrade LCSW www.penelopetalk.com Email penart@abac.com Penelope Young Andrade LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist with over 35 years experience integrating the best of traditional and alternative approaches for bodymind transformation. www.penelopetalk.com 858-481-5752 penart@abac.com Printer-friendly version