Our Friend, Essie Simms

Posted by Bruce Miller
This is a post written and submitted by Carrie Galeski, Barksdale Trustee extraordinaire. Carrie isn't actually on the Board anymore, but once a Trustee, always a Trustee. During Pat Carroll's recent visit to Richmond (Pat was a guest artist with Irene Ziegler's Virginia Arts & Letters LIVE), Carrie hosted Pat in her beautiful Hanover home (see photo to the right of Pat and Carrie). One of the highlights of the reunion was a visit which Carrie and Pat made to Barksdale stalwart Essie Simms, who now lives on the third floor of the Parsons Health Care facility at Westminster Canterbury. Essie recently entered hospice care, but, to the extent that she is able, she still welcomes visitors. Phil and I stopped by today, but we were unable to rouse Essie from her nap. We'll return next week to visit with our dear friend. In the interim, we post Carrie's lovely article about Pat's return to Richmond and their visit with the irreplaceable Essie Simms.

--Bruce Miller

Our Friend, Essie
By Carrie Galeski

No greater friend has Barksdale Theatre than Essie Simms! She was always at Opening Night, Closing Night, and oftentimes in between. Her passion is theater, and especially Barksdale. Essie was at the first performance of Gold in the Hills at Hanover Tavern in 1954, and I doubt if she ever missed a play after that.

Like many of Essie’s friends, I met her at Barksdale. In the past year, she has had several debilitating strokes, and is currently in the Health Care Unit of Westminster Canterbury. A little over a month ago, I had been told that she had gotten much worse, and some had even been told she was not to have visitors. Being an old RN myself, I don’t always follow rules, so I went to visit her. On that particular day, I found her to be alert and very much in the moment. While talking, I told Essie about Pat Carroll coming to Richmond to do an event at the Cultural Arts Center, and she immediately brightened up. “Oh, how wonderful! I wish I could go” Essie said as she continued to tell me about the many times she had seen Pat perform.

At that moment, I promised myself that I would get Pat up to visit Essie if at all possible. I called Pat at home, and told her about my idea. “We’ll make it happen!” was Pat’s response.

Pat arrived on Wednesday with a full itinerary, but on Friday morning, Pat, my friend, Linda, and I went to see Miss Essie at WC. When we got to Essie’s room, Pat went in first, with her contagious laughter and wonderful spirit to greet Essie. The response was fantastic – smiles and laughter everywhere! They talked and talked; Essie even tried to tell a couple of jokes. When we left, Pat was very touched, and told me that she had expected the visit to be about 10 minutes. Instead, it was over 45!

Friday was also the night of Virginia Arts & Letters LIVE at the Cultural Arts Center where Pat was the guest emcee and also one of the participants in performing the new works. Before the program began, Pat told the audience about our visit to see Essie, and when her name was announced, the audience gave her a round of applause. Then, Pat very graciously announced that she wanted to dedicate her portion of the evening to Miss Essie Simms, with even bigger applause, and I dare say, not a dry eye in the theater.

The next day, we took Pat out to the airport for her trip back to Cape Cod. On the way back to Hanover, we stopped at WC to see Essie. I walked in, and immediately said “Essie, Pat dedicated the evening to you, and you got not one, but two huge rounds of applause!” The biggest tears rolled down her cheeks, and I know they were tears of joy! We even had Pat do a short recording on Linda’s Iphone that we played for her. She was speechless and soooooo happy.

Pat sent several pictures that she had signed to Essie, and I have since framed and hung them on the wall next to her bed where she can see them as she lies in bed. Ursula is even in one of the pics. At times, ES forgets who they are, but not often.

Essie LOVES visitors! When you go, be patient, as some days are better than others with her. The distant past might get mixed with the present, but she loves to see her friends, past and present. Seeing that grateful smile makes it all worthwhile.

Taking Stock, Giving Thanks

Posted by Bruce Miller and Phil Whiteway

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. All of us at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV have many reasons to be thankful.

We are thankful for:

the legacy of hard work, unflappable commitment and uncompromising artistic passion that is our birthright, a gift beyond measure that has been passed on to us by Pete and Nancy Kilgore and Muriel McAuley

a family of theatre artists whose number and talents belie the size of our community, who constantly challenge us to lead and to serve

an intelligent, energized audience that bucks all national trends and continues to grow year after year—an audience that celebrates our successes and pardons our turkeys—an audience that encourages us to risk failure and expects us to do our best

a large and vigilant staff that works selflessly and creatively behind the scenes to generate the energy needed to sustain a major institution (unless you’ve seen them work their magic first hand, you probably have no idea)

financial contributors who believe in the necessity of what we do and are willing to put their money where their hearts are—corporate and foundation donors who understand that it is only through their support that nonprofit arts organizations can work to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table (or at least in the theatre)

trustees who provide the expertise we need to provide ongoing and effective management, who serve as our eyes and ears in the community, who take personal responsibility for the care and feeding of our mission, and who form a bulwark that protects us when times get tough

volunteers who contribute that most precious commodity—time, and who lend encouragement with an unwavering smile

the Virginia Commission for the Arts, under the exemplary leadership of Peggy Baggett (pictured to the right), always caring, always communicating, always holding us to the highest standards

institutional partners like Greater Richmond’s many senior centers and retirement living facilities (Barksdale’s Bifocals Theatre Project); the Hanover Tavern Foundation (our Country Playhouse Season at Hanover Tavern); James River Writers and the READ Center (Virginia Arts & Letters Live); the Latin Ballet of Virginia (Latino Theatre Project); Prevent Child Abuse Virginia and the Virginia Dept of Social Services (Hugs and Kisses); Second Presbyterian Church (the Acts of Faith Festival); Bon Air Presbyterian, Forest Hill Presbyterian and Tabernacle Baptist (rehearsal space); and the Steward School (our summer High School All Star Musical)—all of which help us build capacity to better meet the needs of our community

esteemed colleagues at the African American Repertory Theatre, the Carpenter Science Theatre, the Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, the Firehouse Theatre Project, the Henley Street Theatre, the Richmond Ballet, the Richmond Shakespeare Theatre, the Richmond Symphony, the Richmond Triangle Players, Swift Creek Mill Theatre, Sycamore Rouge, the Virginia Opera Association and many other nonprofit performing arts organizations who help to create the critical mass that keeps all of us afloat

thriving university theatre programs at Randolph Macon, the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University—their faculty expertise and student talent adds to the lifeblood of our theatre

remarkable youth training programs including the Christian Youth Theatre, HATTheatre, SPARC and many others—enabling children to engage in the arts both as participants and appreciators

and most importantly, the hundreds of thousands of individuals who go nameless here, who buy the tickets, book the tours, assemble the groups, make the contributions, and simply do their part each year to ensure the success of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV.

Thank you. We couldn’t do it without you.

Have a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving.

--Bruce Miller and Phil Whiteway

Theatre Calendar - Sept 16 - 23, 2007

Posted by Bruce Miller

Here are the highlights of what’s happening at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV this week.

Sunday, Sept 16:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
auditions -
Moonlight and Magnolias
in rehearsal -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)

Monday, Sept 17:
in rehearsal -
A Christmas Carol - red (tour)
A Christmas Carol - green (tour)
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
class -
St. Andrew’s School
meeting -
Theatre IV Board

Tuesday, Sept 18:
in rehearsal -
A Christmas Carol - green (tour)
Hugs and Kisses (tour),
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Bright Lights High School Internship Program

Wednesday, Sept 19:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Ettrick and Beulah Elementary After-School Program

Thursday, Sept 20:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Virginia Arts & Letters Live
event -
Touring Actor Kick-Off Party

Friday, Sept 21:
Opening Night -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)

Saturday, Sept 22:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 8 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (2 - 6 pm)

Sunday, Sept 23:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern – 2 pm),
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 2 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (evening)

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Posted by Bruce Miller

In response to a recent blog entry (Summer Stock Memories - Part II [Aug 19]), a curious reader commented as follows: “I don’t mean to be dumb, but what the heck is Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon?” The question, of course, is not dumb at all.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a game. I understand it’s now even a board game. I've never seen the board game, but the photo to the right and above, found on the internet, seems to indicate that a board game version does indeed exist.

For years it was a boardless trivia game, inspired by the career of the talented actor, Kevin Bacon, pictured to the left. It required no equipment other than a knowledge of and interest in theatre and film.

The game was originally inspired, I believe, by the brilliant John Guare play, Six Degrees of Separation, which was itself inspired by the interconnectedness theories espoused by the Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy in 1929, and the subsequent "small world" research conducted by Harvard-based American social psychologist, Stanley Milgram, in the late 60s and early 70s.

The basic idea is that everyone in the world is interconnected. If you are separated from your friend by one degree, then you are separated from your friend’s friends by two degrees. Milgram’s research suggests that when we extend this theory forward to six degrees, everyone in the world is connected to everyone else—and by a fairly short chain.

John Guare’s play is a funny, thought provoking and deeply moving examination of what this means when we look at our daily lives and social responsibilities. It’s one of my two or three favorite plays in the world. If The Little Dog Laughed works well on the 2007-2008 Signature Season at Barksdale Willow Lawn, expect to see Six Degrees of Separation appearing in a forthcoming seaon not too far down the road.

Anyway, back to Kevin Bacon. Inspired by these same theories, the game depends on the belief that every actor in the world can be connected to every other actor in the world by a chain of cast mates. The object of the game is to discover the closest connections in the shortest amount of time.

Let me give you an example: I recently mentioned Charlie Dacus, the child actor who just appeared in Bye Bye Birdie at Dogwood Dell. Can we link him to Sir Laurence Olivier, the “greatest English-speaking actor of the 20th Century”?

After about 5 minutes, here’s the chain I discovered. Charlie Dacus was in Theatre IV’s The Wizard of Oz with Jan Guarino (one degree). Jan Guarino was in Swift Creek’s Once Upon a Mattress with Phil Whiteway (two degrees). Phil Whiteway was in Theatre IV’s West Side Story with Blair Underwood (three degrees). Blair Underwood was in L A Law with Jill Eikenberry (four degrees). Jill Eikenberry was in Arthur with Sir John Gielgud (five degrees). Sir John was in Richard III with Sir Laurence Olivier (six degrees).
And yes, I have noticed that Kevin Bacon appears nowhere in the chain noted above. But he doesn’t have to, at least the way I’ve always played the game. The game is called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon simply because, as college kids were inventing and playing the game in the 90s, Kevin Bacon’s name kept coming up because he tends to have been in lots of movies with lots of diverse actors, including his wife Kyra Sedgwick. That's Kevin and Kyra in the photo to the right.

While at the University of Virginia, a grad student named Brett Tjaden created the Oracle of Bacon website and computer program to determine if Kevin Bacon was, in fact, the Center of the Hollywood Universe. Tjaden entered data for the 800,000 plus actors listed in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) to see which actors had the closest connections to the largest number of other actors. He determined that whereas Kevin Bacon was in fact in the top 1% of all film actors in terms of his close connections to all other film actors, he was beat out by Rod Steiger (pictured to the left), Dennis Hopper and Donald Sutherland for the top three spots.

Some people play the game by giving each actor a Bacon Number. If you are Kevin Bacon himself, your Bacon Number is 0. If you have appeared in a cast with Kevin Bacon himself, your Bacon Number is 1. If you have appeared in a cast with someone who has a Bacon Number of 1, then your Bacon Number is 2.

Richmond All-Star Robyn O’Neill (pictured to the right with Pat Carroll) has a Bacon Number of 3. You can read her comment to my previous blog post (Summer Stock Memories – Part II [Aug 19]) to count the connections. The only Richmond actors who I know have a Bacon Number of 2 are John Glenn, Pat Carroll, Sam Wells and Kelly Scallion. John (pictured to the left in The Man Who Came to Dinner at Company of Fools) works in Idaho with Demi Moore, Pat was in E. R. with Noah Wyle, and Sam and Kelly were in Miss Rose White with Kyra Sedgwick. Demi and Noah were in A Few Good Men with Kevin, and Kyra is married to Kevin and appeared with him in Murder in the First. So, if you’re a Richmond actor and you’ve appeared with John, Pat, Sam or Kelly, you also have a Bacon Number of 3.

To a certain extent, my wife and daughter, set designer Terrie Powers and Hannah Miller, have you all beat. When Miss Rose White was filming in Richmond, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and their child (children?) all lived in a rented home by Byrd Park. When Hannah was a baby, Terrie used to take her to the Byrd Park playground. One evening Terrie came home very excited, because she and Hannah had just spent the entire afternoon playing in a Byrd Park sandbox with Kevin Bacon and his son. Terrie was a huge Kevin Bacon fan, but just like I had done years before with Arthur Miller, she never let on that she knew who he was. So they sat there for a couple hours playing and talking as two parents. If she’d done the “fan thing,” he probably would have left.

All reports are that Mr. Bacon himself is not particularly into the celebrity game. When interviewed about the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, he good-heartedly replied, "I felt as if I was the brunt of some massive joke at my expense: 'Can you believe this loser can be connected to Marlon Brando and Katharine Hepburn?'"

A "loser" he certainly is not.

On a final note, if you’re a fan of The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick (and if you aren’t, you should be), you’ll know that Kyra’s dad is now being played by Barry Corbin (pictured below and to the right), who was with us here in Richmond as a special guest star last October for Virginia Arts & Letters Live at the Empire. So if you performed in that iteration of VALL, your Bacon Number is now a 3.

All those who want to accept the challenge of discovering the other Richmond actors with Bacon Numbers of 2—I know there must be some—please do so in a comment to this blog.

--Bruce Miller

Highlights of Last Week

Posted by Bruce Miller
So much goes on every week at Barksdale and Theatre IV that it’s easy to let important programs sail by with little or no fanfare. Last week, for example, three modest but nonetheless gratifying theatrical events graced our stages.

On Monday, March 19, the incomparable Frances Wessells sent my spirits soaring. The two dances she staged as part of the Bifocals Vintage Variety program knocked my socks off. Frances has to be at least 80 years young—she was my dance professor when I was a student at the University of Richmond 35 years ago. Monday marked the debut of her newest work, and the reprise of a recent pas de deux. The first piece was one she choreographed for five beautiful senior actor/dancers: Lyde Longaker, Pat Lorimer, Ales Rowe, John Bailey and Vaughan Gary. She co-choreographed the eloquent and physically demanding second piece with Robbie Kintor, and she and Robbie performed it as well.

Her artistic spirit, creativity and agility were clearly in evidence in both pieces. Truth be told, I’m in awe of Frances Wessells. Both of her wonderful dances will be performed on tour along with Una Harrison’s mini-cabaret performance at senior centers throughout Greater Richmond until the end of the month, bringing uplifting artistic programming to countless performance lovers who can no longer make it out to see shows at Richmond’s theatres. Barksdale makes its Bifocals programming available to senior centers on a sliding fee scale. Everyone is served, regardless of ability to pay.

On Friday, March 23, the equally incomparable (and utterly charming) Betty Ann Grove shared memories of her four-decade career on Broadway with a rapt crowd of approximately 75 theatre lovers of all generations. For about 50 minutes Betty Ann shared stories, by turns hilarious and invigorating, and brought back to life the Broadway of a bygone era. At the end of her program, she sang an a cappella rendition of "Give My Regards to Broadway," one of the George M. Cohan classics that she and fellow cast mates immortalized in the original Broadway production of George M! You could have heard a pin drop and there wasn’t a dry eye, or an untouched heart, in the house.

On Saturday, March 24, film and TV star Barry Corbin (Urban Cowboy, Northern Exposure, One Tree Hill - pictured in upper right corner) joined Jennifer Massey, Erin Thomas, Justin Dray and The Dogtown Trio in the fourth annual Virginia Arts & Letters Live, co-produced by Barksdale Theatre and James River Writers in association with the READ Center. The brainchild of actress/author (and Barksdale favorite) Irene Ziegler, VALL features short stories by Virginia authors read aloud by Virginia’s top professional actors and accompanied by Virginia’s most magical musicians. If you missed VALL live at the Empire Theatre last weekend, you can catch it on Thanksgiving Day when the recording will be broadcast over WCVE-FM, your Community Ideas Station.

So why do we do it? With hit productions of Brooklyn Boy, Lyle Lyle Crocodile and Smoke on the Mountain all going strong last week, why pull focus by engaging in all this extra programming? It’s certainly not to make money—we lose money with each of these initiatives. It’s certainly not because we have too little to do—our 40 person staff works significant amounts of overtime as is.

The reason we engage in these outstanding programs is because both Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV have always been committed to community leadership. We have never been arts for art’s sake organizations; we have always been arts for the community’s sake organizations. Right or wrong, it is our commitment to community that sets Barksdale and Theatre IV apart from other regional theatres around the nation and from other major performing arts groups in metro Richmond. We’re proud of how we have always served in non-traditional ways.

Each year—shoot, each week—we internally debate whether or not our nonprofit organizations are well-served by our community commitment. Please join the debate by letting us know your thoughts.

--Bruce Miller