Theater Thursday - The Producer's Perspective Live

What: The Producer's Perspective Live

Where: https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport

When: 8:00 PM Daily

Ken Davenport is a two time Tony winning Broadway producer. He won his Tonys for Kinky Boots and  the 2017 revival of Once on This Island. His other producing credits include such shows as the 2011 Godspell revival, and Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening. Off Broadway he has produced shows including Altar Boyz and My First Time. He is also a writer  as well as a blogger at The Producer's Perspective. Currently, he is hosting a live show on his Facebook page every night at 8:00 PM  EDT throughout the Coronavirus crisis imposed Broadway shutdown interviewing people involved in all different aspects of theater to find out what they are doing during the crisis and more.

To date the following people have been interview on The Producer's Perspective Live

Stephen Schwartz,  composer and lyricist: Wicked, Godspell, Pippin and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/1060047881048903

Sierra Boggess, actor: School of Rock,  Disney's The Little Mermaid, It Shoulda Been You and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/2809223565834483

Alex Brightman, actor: School of Rock, Beetlejuice, Big Fish and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/882193875527478

Pam McKinnon, director The Parisian Woman, Amelie and more.
Also Artistic Director of the American Conservatory Theater.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/224292672268166

Rick Miramontez, President of press agency, DKC/O&M

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/212449826490203

Stephen Flaherty, composer: Ragtime, Once on This Island, Anastasia and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/1145919665754045

Steven Sater, playwright and lyricist: Spring Awakening, Alice by Heart and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/1145919665754045

Jennifer Tepper: Broadway Historian and producer: Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter
Also, Creative and Programming Director of Feinstein's/54 Below

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/347778012865553

Alan Cumming, actor: Cabaret, Macbeth, Endgame and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/513731959311517

Leigh Silverman, director: Grand Horizons, Violet, Lifespan of a Fact and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/511055099569910

Drew Gasparini, composer Smash and more.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2944990062190171&set=a.242800549075816

Serge Trujillo, choreographer: Ain't Too Proud, On Your Feet, Summer and more.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2946685745353936&set=a.242800549075816

Jeanine Tesori, composer: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Fun Home, Shrek the Musical and more.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2948775981811579&set=a.242800549075816

Kevin McCollum, booking executive and producer: Mrs. Doubtfire, Six, In the Heights and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/1260909050773442

Susan Blackwell, actor: (title of show), Now. Here. This.and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/551263308828044

Andrew Lippa, composer: The Addams Family, Big Fish, The Wild Party and more.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2955831704439340&set=a.242800549075816

Lonny Price, director, actor, writer: Sunset Boulevard, Merrily We Roll Along and more.

https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport/videos/245638950173146

Upcoming guests include playwright, David Henry Hwang; actors Kate Rockwell and Jenn Colella; director and choreographer, Kathleen Marshall; a Godspell cast reunion and more.

For more information or to watch upcoming episodes visit https://www.facebook.com/KenDavenport.

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Stay home! Stay safe! Stay healthy!

What-To-Do Wednesday - Virtual Visit: The Strong Museum of Play

If you want to get your dose of culture while being stuck inside, many museums and other attractions offer a variety of virtual exhibits. This is an especially great time to explore museums and attractions that are outside of your area and maybe even outside of your country that you ordinarily would not be able to get to because of time and/or money constraints. We will doing so as well and  we will be sharing one or more of our virtual visits in today's and future What-To-Do Wednesday posts.

What: The Strong Museum of Play 

Physical Location: 1 Manhattan Square
                                Rochester, NY

The Strong Museum of Play was established in Rochester, New York in 1969 and opened to the public in 1982.  It was initially based around the collection of  Margaret Woodbury Strong. The museum is devoted to the study and exploration of play, and it is the largest museum of its kind. The National Toy Hall of Fame is located at the museum and new honorees are added to the hall each year. 

The museums numerous collections include:

Toy and Doll Collections

Video and Other Electronic Game Collections

and  much more.


Current online exhibits include:


American Board and Card Game History: 

Learn about early games like The Jolly Game of Goose and The Landlord's Game, a precursor of Monopoly.

Explore the history of popular games like Battleship and Trivial Pursuit.

Discover newer games like Dominion and Agricola.

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/american-board-and-card-game-history/9wJiZCrQ9FmHJw


A Brief History of Women in Gaming the 1980s:  

Learn about such pioneering women as:

Roberta Williams who along with her husband founded a software company and created the first graphic adventure game.

Dona Bailey who was a co-creators of Centipede.

Reiko Kodama  who was the first female video game artist

and more.

The exhibit also includes video clips of some of the games in action.

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/a-brief-history-of-women-in-gaming-the-1980s/CwKCGJf3HpdoIg


The Oregon Trail, MECC and the Rise of Computer Learning: 

Learn about the history of MECC and their development of the game Oregon Trail.

Learn how the game changed over time.

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-oregon-trail-mecc-and-the-rise-of-computer-learning/TAICA3oJZQm2Kw


Other current online exhibits include:

Margaret Woodbury Strong and the Making of the Strong Museum

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/margaret-woodbury-strong-and-the-making-of-the-strong-national-museum-of-play/PQICXcY_ELWwIA

Making Monopoly: A History of the Origins of American's Favorite Board Game

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/making-monopoly-a-history-of-the-origins-of-america%E2%80%99s-favorite-board-game/ZgLSngw0ZZDFLQ

Playing with Politics

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/playing-with-politics/UwKivEbgPUxQJQ

and more.


There are also several online picture collections to explore include ones devoted to:

Dolls and related items

Videos and related items

and more.


For more about The Strong Museum of Play or to explore its online collections and exhibits, visit https://www.museumofplay.org/.

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

photo credit: Sean X. Liu Strong national museum of play via photopin (license)

Tips for Tuesday - Books: Something She's Not Telling Us & Misc: Herbal Essence Sulfate Free Potent Aloe + Hemp Frizz Control Shampoo and Conditione

We may have been given a complimentary copy of one or more of the books and other products mentioned below for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: Something She's Not Telling Us

Mom - Today I  am recommending Something She's Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell. This book begins with a mother's whose child is kidnapped from school.  Anyone who has ever had a child or loved a child can relate to the absolute horror and dread this event would entail. Just reading about it it makes you feel like you are living it, and immediately draws you into the story. In this case, it is Charlotte whose daughter Daisy has been kidnapped by her brother's new girlfriend, Ruth. Although, Charlotte can be somewhat of any overprotective mother, she really doesn't want Daisy around Ruth because there is something not quite right about Ruth.  However, for some reason, Daisy is drawn to Ruth even though she is a child who is quite reserved and usually doesn't take well to strangers. When Ruth picks Daisy up from school and disappears with her, Charlotte's reservations about Ruth seem well justified. This is a very exciting thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The characters are well drawn and full dimensional none of them are all black or  all white even the character of Ruth is not just completely an evil villain. The ending  of the book is completely unpredictable and completely satisfying in an unexpected way. All in all, it is a very enjoyable read.

Misc: Herbal Essence Sulfate Free Potent Aloe + Hemp Frizz Control 

           Shampoo and Conditioner

Mom - Today I am recommending Herbal Essence Sulfate Free Potent Aloe + Hemp Frizz Control Shampoo and Conditioner. Although these products do not completely eliminate frizz they do greatly reduce frizz much more so than other similar products I have tried in the past. They give my hair a much smoother look even without  the assistance of blow drying or using other styling products. Additionally, they are not only sulfate free but they are paraben free, colorant free and even certified by PETA to be cruelty-free so you can feel good about using them. They are also reasonably priced and easily affordable .

And that's Mom's view. Tune in tomorrow for What-To-Do Wednesday.