"A Child’s Journey Through Cancer: The Musical"

 

 By Bixyl Shuftan

On Sunday October 6, I went to a stage play held as one of the events at the "I Pink I Can" fundraiser, "A Child’s Journey Through Cancer: The Musical." It was held at 1PM SL time.

 

 

 Our show is the story of a child’s journey through cancer told in music and dance. It takes us through the fear, joy and hope experienced in a cancer journey.

 

"Thank you everyone for coming today. And welcome to our presentation of 'A Child's Journey Through Cancer' told in music and dance. This show was conceived and choreographed by our littlest Roo, Patty Flow, with musical assistance from Kayla Flow. Our cast includes members of the Roos With A Dream RFL team, our good friend, and Cure Chaser, Sienna Thor, our creator friend Brooklyn Ansar-Elfing, the violin of Roo Aragain Siochana  and the singing voice of Cure Chaser MrMikie String."

 

 The first act was of kids having fun in the park, with the music being Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." 

 

Those in the audience approved, "Yay Patty!!" "They are so cute!" "I also want that  jungle gym in back"

 

But then came Act 2, with the music "The Luna Sequence" by Whitewash Currents playing, "Act 2 opens with our heroine in the doctor’s office with her mother and the doctor. The mood is somber as they await the diagnosis, while her friends wait outside fearing the worst. ... Fear gives way to rage... It’s cancer!" 

The audience had a number of comments, "Oh no! My sweet little girl." "The words cancer and children should never be linked together." "I love this play, but I'll be a wreck after it." "It always brings me to tears." "A story of far too many people and must be stopped." "Very much so." "This is such a powerful show." "I'd comment for what I really think of cancer, but there are children present." "They think it too Bain, I'm sure of it." "And their parents."

 

The narrator would add, "But the doctor explains that due to the hard work of dedicated researchers, many funded by the American Cancer Society, there are treatments available and there is hope for a normal life again."

 

Then came Act Three, with the girl in a hospital ward, with her mother beside her, her treatments leaving her bald and wearing a bandana, "In Act 3 our heroine has been through treatment and is now in the hospital nervously awaiting word on the results." The audience had a few comments, "Chemo and radiation, kiss me goodbye." " Hope our little girl's hair grow back soon."

 

 

And the nurse delivers some good news, and everyone cheers, the narrator adding, "And, of course, the ringing of the bell!" The audience cheered as well, "I heard a BELL!" "I did too!" *looks over at the bell she was given upon completing radiation therapy.* "Bless the survivors and God keep the survivors and caregivers in your arms."

And in Act Four, the kids were dancing around at the playground once again, to the music "The Impossible Dream," " In the final act, our story of hope concludes to the sounds of our good friend MrMikie String singing about achieving impossible dreams... like ridding the world of cancer by daring to take on the task." There were cheers from the audience, "She's got her hair back!!"

Then the cast came out and took a bow, Patty saying, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my cast and especially those that stepped up to the plate at the last minute following our set back of loosing some of our regular cast to real-life. Some without any experience worked with us as a team last evening and saved today's show for your enjoyment," The audience cheered more, "Oh wow! that will be wonderful!" "Everyone did a super job." •*★¨`•  Aρρlɑuѕɛ  •¨`★*•.* *sniffle* "Amazing"

 

One of the cast would say, "Thank you everyone for coming." One of the audience would respond, "Thank you so much, Patty, for reminding us there is hope." "Patty...I will always love this show. Thank YOU ♥" "Makes me so proud to be part of this community" "I have heard that Patty is working on another performance! I cant wait to see it!" "Oh wow! that will be wonderful!" "Just wait and see, you will love it." "This moment in time..was so inspiring." "Such a wonderful play, darlin."

Patty was touched by the comments, "Makes me so proud to be part of this community." Ealwen would add, "Thank you everyone for coming to see us we are honored and humbled." "Thank you all of you for what you do!"

There were a few more comments and hugs, and I had to depart after giving my own compliments. And so went the play dedicated to all children who had to suffer through that dreaded disease, the doctors doing their best to help them, and the researchers bringing us closer to the day children will no longer have to worry about the word "cancer."

 

 Bixyl Shuftan

"Hunchback of Notre Dame" at the Royal Opera House

By Gemma Cleanslate

I spent another enchanted afternoon at one of my favorite theaters, The Royal Opera House. It is the Musical, Notre Dame de Paris, based on the novel of Victor Hugo. This show was directed by Ina Carpaccio. Just arriving at the theater makes me feel grand and I always choose a gown that will sit well at the theater. 

The setting is the vastness of Notre Dame Cathedral entrance area. The old man, Clopin narrates the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, or the bell ringer of Notre Dame as he is also known. He is made out to be an “idiot” and a very ugly man, Quasimodo. 

The story was written by Hugo in 1881 as a way of getting more people interested in the gothic architecture which was being neglected.  The story was made into a musical in several countries. in the early 1900‘s. There have been several movies depicting the story, including a Disney one in 1996.  If you would like to review the whole story before you go to the theater to see this check wikipedia. 

The story becomes very convoluted as it progresses, with many misunderstandings. The main issue is everyone is in love with the gypsy Esmerelda. That is the crux of the problem. Deception is everywhere along with misunderstandings that change the course of history in the story. 

The presentation of the story here flows from musical pieces and dances one into the other and is most enjoyable. The staging is simple and remains as it is until near the ending. Esmeralda is portrayed by Ina Carpaccio. Andy Loon plays Quasimodo .They both die at the ending of this tragic tale along with Frollo. the Church official  who has the decreed the death of Esmeralda.   

The show will be presented again but dates are not set yet. Keep an eye out for advertisement. Visit the theater to see the grandeur of not only the building, inside and out,  but the surroundings. You will find posters of upcoming shows and dates and view the steps and doors to the Opera House and a map of the building.  

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Oceanea/114/127/30 

Gemma Cleanslate 

Reader Submitted: "The Very Best of Broadway"

By Ciska Riverstone

Logging into Second life last night I didn't know, I was up for a precious treat. My friend Bergie IMed me shortly before 1 pm asking if I would like to go to "The Very b=Best of Broadway."  I admit, I made it a last minute appearance on my side and was just able to grab the empty red velvet chairs beside her, when the curtain opened up at the Oval Theater to reveal a perfect gym and a full cast, dancing Footloose.

My first surprise was a pure technical one: everything rezzed fast and effortlessly - something I am not used to on my laptop in second life shows.  So I looked around for a moment expecting a small audience only to see that most of the chairs of this very cozy but still spacious theater were taken. Realizing that I just missed the performance, my attention returned quickly to the vivid choreography.  "Footloose" is of course an easy opener to groove to - the perfect number to get into the mood. It did set the tone for what's to come in a charming way!


The curtain went down and somehow I expected a longer pause for reconstruction - maybe because I saw that often in the past in theaters in Second Life. But here came surprise number two. We just had time to talk a bit and teleport in another friend before the stage was set with an admittedly more simplistic but still very fitting stage building for the cheeky "Dance 10, Looks 3" from "A Chorus Line."  Champagne was served by an attentive staff member, while we enjoyed the atmosphere slowly building up and it did! I won't give away more details to not spoil your fun!

The song list, although taken from the classic Broadway Musicals you would expect, did not always go to the most obvious song choice and so managed to hold the balance of the whole spectrum of emotions you can walk through in such an evening. The special effects carefully orchestrated towards a stunning finale come and go in a wave like form and together with all kinds of choreography - from freestyle " just singing and acting" to ballet - like arrangements u will see all of it.  The stage builds totally serve each musical number in style, simplicity and low lag. while still having eye catching details....not to forget the perfect costume choice. All in all the whole performance felt like a labour of love for me. We left the theatre after more than an hour in heightened spirits and enthusiastic.

The show is still on at the 17th 19th and 23d at 1 pm slt and will be followed in August by a program called "Make 'em laugh".  I can only recommend to grab your loved one, friends or even a new acquaintances you like to get to know better and watch it. The whole atmosphere together with those tunes will not cease to spark up fun conversations, entertain you and put a smile on your face.

While you are there be sure to grab one of the monthly theater magazines from the free vendor. It will tell you what's in the pipeline of this amazingly creative and vivid venue!

The Oval Theatre Company, Devils Cave (144, 79, 21)
Ciska Riverstone

Swan Lake

By Gemma Cleanslate

“We raise the curtain on Fantasy Dreams' beautiful production of Peter Tchaikovsky's "SWAN LAKE" in just 30 minutes. Join us at TOTH's Chetz Szondi Stage for this story of a handsome young prince and a beautiful girl turned into a swan by an evil magician. The music and spectacle will sweep you away to another realm!” was the invitation I received.  I was able to attend the performance Saturday and was enthralled. The very lovely theater was already filled but I was able to find a seat on a comfortable sofa not far from the stage. The back story of Swan Lake was posted as the ballet progressed on the curtain. If you would like to read a synopsis this one at the Houston Ballet is very good.  https://www.houstonballet.org/Ticketing-Schedule/Swan-Lake-Synopsis/

The performance was absolutely charming from beginning to end. The company performing is Fantasy Dreams. Director and Choreographer is NESS (donotgivemyself), who also danced the part of the Swan . She is loved by the Prince danced by The Åłéҳ MĬŁŁĬġåń Beast (Riperok Resident). The choreography was stunning for the company ,  the Swan and the Prince and the evil knight ,  ღ..::Ąŋgєℓ::..ღ (Angelok555). The Director of decorations, staging and  costumes is  Urfin (Valtum), who did a grand set for the whole show, gardens, lake, and a magnificent throne room. The costumes were charming and reflected the station of the dancers. 

The audience showed its appreciation throughout the entire performance. The music of Tchaikovsky delighted the audience also from beginning to end.  I am always touched by the story and its tragic ending.   

There will be a performance on January 31 at The Atlantis Theater at 1:00 pm SL time. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aldebaran/69/140/27

Gemma Cleanslate

Peter Pan on Stage Tonight

By Gemma Cleanslate

I was invited to  "a Magical night that through music and dance will show you Neverland and tell you the story of a boy who never grew up...... " The premiere was held on Thursday at the Roseland Theater and I loved every minute of it! Peter Pan is a favorite of most people. The story of Peter and his friends, and enemies has been recreated in a wonderful setting as you can see from the pictures . The group that put it on is The Roseland Theater Cast, “Roseland Theatre SL is an all-inclusive Group promoting Performing Arts in Second Life, bringing to you innovative performances created by it's cast and producers.” 

I have been to several other shows there and really enjoyed them all and this one was so lovely . The members are Producer: Semina Llorien , Cast: Angelus Llorien, Dae Llorien, Jamie Cheeky, Jessilyn Brandi, Daniel Corbeaux. Semina told me ,”Every song is carefully picked by the producer to tell the story about Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up and all of his friends through music and dance leaving no one in the audience untouched.“ The scenery on the stage changed to fit the story with the bedroom for the kid cute and fun, and Captain Hook’s ship looking ominous. Mermaids danced underwater in their habitat . 

So much work went into the whole performance with changes of scenery coming fast and no crashes!  If you get a chance to go see it don’t miss it. The show lasts less than one hour and there was a full audience. The next performance is November  12 at 1:00 pm slt.  The show coming up following this one sounds equally interesting. It will be Alice Dreams, November 19 at 1:00 pm slt. I hope I can make that too. Here is the theater  entrance :
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Romanum%20V/96/113/3205

Gemma Cleanslate

"The Little Prince"

By Gemma Cleanslate

I have been trying for over a  month to get to see the play,   The Little  Prince, in Second Life. Finally I did make it over to Paris Eiffel where there was a performance in French . In the midst of all the madness of the Relay for Life opening I took an hour to sit and enjoy a marvelous show. The Producer Xavier Thiebaud attended with his wife RAFTwet Jewell , both old friends of mine.  The director of the show is Andy Loon who also plays the Prince. Andy also created all the settings which are amazing. It was fitting to view it in the French language since it is based on a story by  d'Antoine de Saint Exupéry. If you are not familiar with the story  you can read a summary at
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/littleprince/summary.html
 
The sl setting is enchanting , little planets fill the stage which is the starlit sky. The prince meets the narrator in the Sahara desert where he recounts his adventures on all the planets and the strange people he met on each. Though written seemingly as a children’s story it is not. The visits to the planets are filled with metaphors of life. DameLessage Igaly greeted everyone as we entered and gave us warning of the beginning of the play. The audience is requested to wear low script attire and I can see why. The Little Prince and other actors must contend with many changes and movements during the play.  

The entire play takes a little over an hour and I will definitely go to see it again in the English version . It will be performed several more times over the next months. The audience was most appreciative of each act and expressed themselves in much applause and exclamations over the scenes as they passed. I look forward to seeing it again. The A List group owned by Xavier and Raftwet send out notices when the Play is showing.  You can contact Xavier for membership. I hope you will get a chance to experience it. You will love it! 

Gemma Cleanslate 

Editor's Note: After Gemma wrote this article, it was announced that the next performance would be on March 15 at 2PM SL time at Oceanea (63/104/30). Formal dress is required.

Bay City's Sixth Anniversary

What a hoot!! Sunday May 18 at 12:30, the parade started. Right on time Uccello Poultry led off the celebration of the Bay City 6th Anniversary parade . From the start to finish it was an amazing event. 

Elegant floats took the corners with some trepidation but for the most part made it without a hitch. 

Noise makers and fire abounded. The fire was deliberate. As you know one of the most loved citizens, Ever Dreamscape, passed away so she was dearly remembered during this time. I ear she loved to set fires so in her honor most of Bay City was in flames when I checked in this morning. Fire was prevalent even in the hair of some. 

I took numerous pictures of the citizens and the floats. Marianne Mccann played a huge horn as she marched. Pygar Bu waved the flags proudly. Vic Forcella, with burning hair, announced they had they best team! 

Everyone worked hard on this parade and it was a great one. It terminated at the fairgrounds with enormous lag as everyone rushed into the party area. But finally we got to the dance floor and listened to the music of Christov Kohnke. 

Great fun for all!

Gemma Cleanslate

Editor's Note: Arriving at the tail end of the event, I caught a surprise. One of the Lindens had dropped in: April Linden. "Heya!" she greeted us, "I can't stay long, I just wanted to come see what was goin on and say congrats to Bay City. (smile)" April was in a furry bunnygirl av, which got complements from the crowd, "April, aren't you an adorable little rabbit. Oh and you're a Linden too. Nice to meet ya!"

I had time to ask her a couple questions, "How's Ebbe doing?" "I've only seen him in passing, but seems to be a very nice fellow." "Word has it Ebbe's been encouraging the Lindens to interact with the residents more." "That is correct. (smile)." But she soon had to depart, "Bye everyone!! Yay Bay City!! (smile)" She waved, and ported out.

As the last musician finished his set, Marianne McCann directed everyone's attention to the sky. We then saw fireworks going off. The crowd cheered, "Yay for Marianne!" "(gigglemews) Mari wants BIG BOOM!" "Woot Woot!" "Yaaaaaaaaay!" Marianne called out, "Happy Sixth Anniversary Bay City! ... And to Ever Dreamscape, It was a honor to know you!"

People talked on about the late Ever Dreamscape. Uccie commented, "It was an honor to have Ever sneak into my house and scare the crap out of me. .... we need a Fire Day for Ever. Someone pick one." People suggested her rezzday or her birthday. Uccie reminded, "April 1 is her birthday." So Marianne decreed, "The 1st of April will be Ever's Night."

And so, the place that was built to represent the mid-20th Century North American urban experience had ended it's Sixth Anniversary. This time it was to both celebrate what they accomplished, and to say goodbye to a friend whom would be remembered.

For more pictures, check out ZZBottom's and Daniel Voyager's Flickr accounts.

Don Quixote

By Gemma Cleanslate

I was able to take in the last ballet presentation at Jellybeans Toys and Fashion. The ballet: Don Quixote. 

Guy Wardell, who is the present coordinator, told me the background of the school, "Miss Kaysie Knoller, she wanted to do ballet in Second Life, but found the only way that she could was to start her own ballet school." The LPBA was born and Guy joined as a student and member of the corps de ballet and then finally over many of the duties as coordinator when Miss Kaysie became too busy in real-life. So much work goes into these performances. There were so many participants all doing their parts on stage . The outfits were lovely and the dances marvelous. 

The audience was filled with children who knew many of the performers, and had to hail to them on the stage as they appeared, but for the most part were very well behaved. every seat was filled so some sat on the floor below the stage . There is a lovely program given out giving the story and the performers and the acknowledgments for all involved. You can also pick up a synopsis of the acts and a tip sheet on how to make the performance more enjoyable by lowering the lag. It is a four act play so plan on spending some time if there are technical difficulties.

I am so sorry I missed the first shows or would have reported on the event before it ended so you could get over to see it. I will make sure for the next one I will let you know in time. Guy said, “One thing I must stress Gemma, and it is this: the LPBA is a whole team effort. I just happen to co-ordinate everything. We have a wonderful costume department that makes our costumes for the shows, I have help with sets, and above all we have the most loyal, hardworking, dedicated group of students as without them there would be no LPBA and no shows!”

I am looking forward to the next performance and will put it in the events page for you.

Gemma Cleanslate

The Rocky Horrid Show Live at the Paramount

By DrFran Babcock

This is just a brief press release/teaser to inform you about The Rocky Horrid Show,  a live show in Second Life™ that recreates the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Maybe you were one of the people who would go to a midnight showing of this cult film every week, or every day. If you were, then you don’t need an explanation of the phenomena, but for those of you who are Rocky Horror virgins here’s a bit about it in a nutshell: The movie is a pseudo-horror flick in which a straightlaced couple Brad and Janet, need to use a phone because their car broke down, and they knock on the door of Frank N. Furter, a transvestite in the process of creating his dream man. They all loosen up, and have some fun, and you will too if you go. What sets the Rocky Horror Picture Show apart from most other cult movies is that it has become an audience participation event wherever it is shown. Lucky for you, the Paramount Playhouse staff provides you with a folder full of prompts and props, so you don’t have to feel like a noob all over again.

The folks at The Paramount Playhouse have taken on the daunting task of doing this live show. I went to the opening, along with about 50 or more other avatars, and while it was “crashtastic,” the crowd was wholly appreciative. Anyone who has been in SL for any length of time understands the perils of bringing together a crowd for any event. When the actors crashed, the audience danced good-naturedly, and all had a great time.

The choreography, by Starlena Darkfire, who also stars as Frank N. Further, is realistic and sexy. The actors on the stage moved in synchrony, and the effect was quite like a Broadway show. The actors were all good sports, dealing with the lag and crashes. The rest of the cast must have worked very hard as well to pull this off:

Janet played by Victoria Juliette

Brad played by Trailfire

Riff Raff played by Shannon Sittingbull

Magenta played by Lotta D. Campbell-MacGregor

Columbia played by Leann Campbell-MacGregor

Rocky Horrid played by Path Campbell-MacGregor

Dr Evelyn Scott played by  Begonia Oh

Eddie  played by Oodlemi Noodle

The Transylvanians played by  Begonia, Oodlemi Noodle, Sadie Hancroft, Babypea von Phoenix, and Gunner von Phoenix

The show is going to be staged again, December 7 at 7PM. Also, the sim on which the show is staged is an Adult sim, and there is nudity, which I am sure will keep you all away.

For future dates and times of the show:

Group Invite:

secondlife:///app/group/aff49a43-7c03-4636-98eb-fd76b49ef4df/about

SLURL - Adult

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Diamond%20Gardens/75/58/22

Blog/Website:

http://paramountplayhouse.blogspot.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paramount-Playhouse/480138692073462

By DrFran Babcock

Bard on the Beach

By DrFran Babcock

On Sunday August 25, 2013 the Annual Bard on the Beach was held on the Nowhereville sim. Over 40 audience members watched in delight as several avatars read pieces, comic and tragic, from the works of William Shakespeare.

Many of the performers were from the Avatar Repertory Theater (ART) group who have provided years of Shakespeare productions in Second Life™. The event itself was part of Storyfests SL and Stories Unlimited. The offerings were diverse, and even included a scene from The Merchant of Venice performed in Spanish.

Crap Mariner, who owns the Nowhereville sim, provided a Stratford-on-Avon based stage, and the seating was arranged by Mr. Mariner and Cale (Caledonia Skytower). The audience had been told to silence all noisy gestures, to sit, and to remove HUDS, etc. The amazing thing was how well-behaved and respectful the crowd was. I have been to hundreds of SL events, and there is always someone who disturbs the calm, but not at Bard on the Beach.

A lot of the credit for this goes to the organizer and Emcee Cale, for setting the tone, appearing in a lovely gown, and role modeling the reverence towards the players. Her leadership had us all sitting on the edge of our pillows, listening and learning.

Freda Frostbite provided a Sonnet Break twice, with selections of some of the more well known poems, and some more obscure. Of course, she recited Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” in honor of it being August.

Crap was the finale, with a serious and superb reading of Prospero’s soliloquy from The Tempest. He then suggested a Sonnet Challenge in which the audience called out numbers of sonnets to perform. Members of the company did their readings of the requested sonnets. The “Sonnet Smackdown” was excellent fun. Cale suggested that it be a weekly event, and be entitled: The Challenge of the Hams. The crowd was unable to pick a winner, because they all were so good, but finally settled on the honey-voiced Corwyn Allen after a sudden-death reading of Sonnet 151 against the other finalist, Crap Mariner.

Speaking of Crap: He read his Prospero monologue like the pro he is, but couldn’t help bringing the Angel of Death and Elvis on stage while he performed in the Sonnet Challenge.

Good, wholesome culture, and great fun.

Here is what was on the menu I hope you can make it next year:

Scenes from The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act II, Scene 1) and King John (Act II, Scene 1):  with Ada Radius and Avajean Westland

 Sonnet Break!:  with Freda Frostbite

 "The Duke of Bridgewater presents his interpretation of Hamlet's Soliloquy" from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn:  with BigRed Coyote

 A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act II, Scene 1):  with Ada Radius and Avajean Westland

 The Merchant of Venice (Act I, Scene 2):  with Ada Radius and Avajean Westland

 The Merchant of Venice (Act I, Scene 3): with Yunus Nyn (In Spanish, English translation provided)

 Sonnet Break!:  with Freda Frostbite

 Titus Andronicus (Act III, Scene 1): with Kayden Oconnell

 Hamlet (Act III, Scene 3): with Caledonia Skytower and Em Jannings
 As You Like It (Act 3, Scene 2): with Bhelanna Blaze and Roderic Unplugged

MacBeth (Act I, Scene 7): with Gyro Muggins

 Scenes from Much Ado About Nothing "How Two Wayward Wits Fall in Love":  with Caledonia Skytower and Kayden Oconnell

 Selection from The Tempest Prospero’s sililoquy: with Crap Mariner

 StoryFest: http://storyfest2011.blogspot.com/

Children of War: http://www.warchild.ca The charity for the event.

DrFran Babcock

Luskwood Celebrates Nine Years

With the events of Second Life's Ninth Birthday a few months ago, last weekend it was it's oldest community's turn to celebrate nine years: Luskwood. Besides the home of the classic Luskwood furry avatars, Lusk also boasts the longest lasting group of residents, not just of Second Life's furs, but of the entire Grid. And Saturday October 20th, the folks of the Big Tree got together to celebrate their staying together.

Hey Folks! It's that time of year again, and for the 9th time, we're celebrating Luskwood's Birthday!  To kick off the celebrations, we bring you the lovely Keeba Tammas, singing hits from the 70s through today!

Stick around after Keeba, becuase at 1PM, Shannon O'Herlihy will be picking up the microphone, and delivering a fantastic acoustic folk set.  Come on down and grab a seat, the fun starts at Noon, SLT! 

The singers performed not at the tree, but the nearby ampitheather, which was on both the Lusk and Perry sims to accommodate more avatars. Following Shannon was live singer Alazarin Mondrain. Later on came a performance from two musicians whom have performed regularly at Luskwood for years, Jaycatt and Frogg.

As the musicians played, some avatars danced on the floor near the stage. Others sat in the stands and cracked jokes, "is there any LW9B souvenirs?" "Commemorative Michi bobbleheads?" "Michi should be made into a bobbletail." "Or a bobblehat." "Hmmm, Lusk Core bobbleheads n' tails. (smile)" Luskwood founder Michi took the joking around in style. As it turned out, there were commemorative LW9B hats.

The last live musician was Canon Organizer at 6 SL time, who razzed an organ on stage, and told everyone he was playing from a real one that was practically a museum piece. But still, he told the audience to be ready to be pleasantly surprised, "and now for something completely different," and then began playing the "Star Wars" theme on it, much to the delight of the audience, "Woo-hoo! I love Organ!" "Amazing how much sound is coming out of that one instrument. (grin)" Other tunes included the "Back to the Future" theme, and "Brains" by Voltaire. "That organ might be the ticket to play that 80's tune, 'Freeze Frame' (grin)."

There were a few technical glitches. Those in the Lusk part of the stage kept seeing the Perry sim vanish then re-rezz. Michi told me, "It's because Lusk is on Magnum and Perry is'nt. It's been having sim intercomm problems ever since the 'unscheduled emergency' Magnum roll on Wednesday. … it was some sort of rollback and 'group database' fixes."

But the birthday went on. Last for the night at 7PM SL time was the squirelgirl DJ Haley Maruti, who rezzed her box onstage and got in, "LUSKWOOD, MAKE SOME NOOOOOOOISE!!" For a few hours, she entertained the crowd with a selection of pop music, from 80's tunes, to more modern fare. "And now for something 'PSY'chotic," she announced before putting in an English "Gangnam Style" remix. When her playlist was done, she told the crowd, "We're into unknown territory now! I planned for three hours tonight, but you all are being so awesome that I can't stop now!" And so she continued to play on as the Lusk residents continued to dance late in the night, the floor changed from a wood finish to a discotech one, with a spinning Lusk symbol in the center.

This wasn't the end of the birthday celebrations. On Sunday afternoon there were some open mike "social events." But the big events had been on Saturday.

"Thank you so much! Happy Birthday Luskwood!"

Bixyl Shuftan

"The Fire" by Mysty Mellison

Mysty Mellison is a playwright/producer in SL. Her play, "The Fire", will open on Friday, June 25 at 4:00 SLT at the SL7 B Mainstage SE, SL7B Imagination (29, 220, 22). I met up with Mysty recently to learn more about her and her latest play.

Grey Lupindo: Can you tell our readers what "The Fire" is about?

Mysty Mellison: It́'s a haunting tale about Pete and his quest to save his family from famine. Pete is a peasant, and Frankey is an American boy. The conflict is grain vs. gold.

Grey Lupindo: What́ is the time period and setting?

Mysty Mellison: The play starts in 2010 and goes back to 1789. It is set against the back drop to the French Revolution. We join Frankey as he visits Paris, France in 1789.

Grey Lupindo: How did "The Fire" come about?

Mysty Mellison: I wrote "The Fire" for a RL theatre. However, as I am a struggling writer, I did not have the funds to produce it.

Grey Lupindo: How much was it going to cost?

Mysty Mellison: The cost for a theatre is $4k - that́s US Dollars, not Lindens.

Grey Lupindo: Do you have an estimate of how much it́s going to cost to produce the play here in SL?

Mysty Mellison: So far next to nothing. I met some generous people at Trendone and L'Ecole SL who donated some builds. Xstorm Radek and his wife Patty are wonderful. They helped build the sets. Wolveli Kas has been a wonderful help to the production. She goes beyond her acting responsibilities and steps in for missing actors. She proofread my script, making changes for the better. And Friday night, she made a timezone chart. The actors are volunteers.

Grey Lupindo: How many actors are in "The Fire"?

Mysty Mellison: Twelve. My actors are passionate. It is work, but it is fun.

Grey Lupindo: What has surprised you the most about producing it?

Mysty Mellison: The scheduling of actors is a challenge.

Grey Lupindo: Who are the main actors?

Mysty Mellison: Pete is played by Intelkid Craven. Frankey is being played by either Valentine Easterwood or Gimly Beck.

Grey Lupindo: Besides SL7B, are there any future performances planned?

Mysty Mellison: There is a tentative one July 17-18 3pm slt at O'Caseys.

Mellison, who has been a resident since May 2009, said that the group currently perform as storytellers, too. The photo for this article was taken at Hestia's Hearth, where rehearsals are held. In the future a full production of "The Fire" will be performed there. Hestia's Hearth, Trendone (114, 70, 47) This location is symbolic, like much of the play, Mellison said, because Hestia is the Greek goddess of the fire.

Grey Lupindo