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Inspiration
Community | posted November 18, 2009
by FRANCES RAE KEY, playwright and composer of AUSSIE SONG
I’m often asked where the songs and ideas came from for the show Aussie Song. While the inspiration to write this musical seemed to come in a hypnotic rush in 2005, in retrospect, it was clearly the result of a slow-growing, subconcious assemblage of childhood memories and family tales passed through the ages. The stories my mother told me of her growing-up years in Australia led me to revere my happy-go-lucky grandfather, Frank Trager as a hero, and to perceive her immigration to America as a grand adventure.
Once the vision of a stage show came to me, I was truly swept along by the magic and the mystery of their lives and that segment of history, and within just six weeks I’d structured the script and most of the songs. Numerous edits have occurred of course – the most recent under the tutelege of Caryl Butterley, our director – in an effort to condense a lifetime of information into a manageable and understandable presentation.
To think that many of my family members who are portrayed in this story will be able to witness my rendition of their lives is both a joy and a responsibility. I hope I have captured the essence of their experiences – the charm, difficulties, heartaches, humor and joys – somewhat adequately. I hope audiences will feel a connection with the characters, who made their life journey in a different time under very different circumstances, but in the big picture, a journey perhaps not so different from our own.
Most of all, I hope that those who see the show will be touched by the legacy of music, love, wisdom and forgiveness that these characters have passed along to so many others. For what is Life but a collection of memories that bring us to dwell in the ever-new, yet ever-changing, “eternal now”? Aussie Song is for me the revealing of my own personal collection of such memories, and in that sense, the revealing of the forces that have shaped my life. My deepest thanks to all those who have teamed together to help me share “the song that opened the door to a magical place in my heart….”
34 Years
Community | posted September 30, 2009
by RICHARD WOLF, playwright of AFTER THE MURDERS
The case of Lizzie Borden had always fascinated me. Many years before this play, I’d read a book about the ax murders of her father and step-mother and had also seen the made-for-television movie.
How could a person commit such a grisly crime, much less a woman? What sort of inner rage sparked such a release? Then, in the midst of my new readings, a strange thing happened. I ran across the most intriguing fact of all from my point of view – after her acquittal she lived thirty-four more years staying right in her home town, and the scene of the crime, Fall River, Massachusetts.
At the time of my readings this fact was almost treated as a short, relatively minor postscript to the murders and her acquittal. Although I could understand the salacious appetite for most of those who would read about her was first and foremost the run-up to and the ghastly murders themselves, for me I had to know about her life after.
So began the research, as many books as I could find that would at least have partial sections of them about the years that followed for her. The internet also proved an invaluable research tool. What I found was that I had wandered into a Pandora’s Box of utterly fascinating material filled with art theft, lesbianism, a home in the best section of Fall River, unforgiving townspeople, newspapers never letting go of the story – ever, sibling conflict, steel-edged defiance and most of all, the unforgettable and bizarre character of Lizzie herself.
I had to write a play about all of this, about her, about AFTER THE MURDERS.
Extravaganza
News | posted September 6, 2009
by CELIA FRANK, Artistic Director of ABET
Our was a big success and everyone had a wonderful time. The entertainment was amazing and the food was awesome as usual. The ABET Guild outdid themselves, and if you missed it, please make a note to be sure and be there next year!
The first show of the season The Act, from the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb, opens Friday, September 11 and runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through September 27. Directed by Judy Hulett, musical direction by Shelli Long, choreography by Taylor Tuttle and starring the amazing Peg Paschal, this show is a must-see!
Peg Paschal (center) and the cast of THE ACT
Auditions for After the Murders, The Quest of Lizzie Borden, an original script by Fernandina Beach playwright Richard Wolf and directed by Jack Barnard, will be held at 2 pm Saturday, September 12 and 7 pm Monday, September 14. Needed are four women ages 20-50, one girl age 8-10, and five men ages 20-70.
See you at ABET!
