From St. Louis in October/Senior Theatre League meeting

A bit late, but some images from the Senior Theatre League of America meeting in St. Louis in late October; here's the arch,


and the arch's shadow
from the arch itself.

The STLA meeting was itself pretty good. Lots of contacts, lots of performances, ranging from groups that produce lively musical revues, to serious drama. My short play, "Who's Herbert?" was acted by Sarah Worthington of Columbus and Pat Barnett, of Salt Lake City; they were both part of the Theatre and Aging Seminar last July, and asked me to write something for them to perform in St. Louis. It was well-enough received that we'll be performing it again next month in Westerville, Ohio, at Gallery 202. Sarah will repeat, while Pat's role will be taken by Tatyana Yassenoff.

My collegue, Joy Reilly, brought her performance group, Howling at the Moon, who also performed. And OSU photographer Jo McCulty came along to check out the world of Senior Theatre. A side benefit was being able to visit with OSU alumna Barbara Kachur, now chair of the English Department at the University of Missouri--St. Louis. Barb and Joy were featured speakers at the old American Theatre Association Debut Panel for new scholars in San Diego back in 1980; here they are a quarter of a century later, both highly successful.

Dr. Joy C. Reilly and Dr. Barbara A. Kachur in St. Louis, 2006

As Barb's advisor and Joy's co-advisor, I was pleased to see them together again-- even if the event was a bit bittersweet, since the Education Theatre Association of America, the sponoring organization for the Senior Theatre League, has announced the severing of ties between the two groups. Seems a bit quick, after only three years--but times are hard, and the STLA apparently wasn't generating enough income.

Well, stuff happens, as (now former) Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld so famously said. Now on to the Eileen Heckart Drama for Seniors competition, which will start up in January for the third round of seeking new plays for senior performers and audiences.

Elections! Democrats Sweep!

Great results from yesterday's elections! A virtual Democratic sweep of state offices, and federal ones as well -- along with a cliffhanger in our Congressional district, as we wait for absentee ballots and provisional ballots to decide whether or not Mary Jo Kilroy will unseat Deborah Pryce. We spent Election Day in various ways: Ann was a circuit rider, checking on poll watchers at five different precincts all day, while I spent the afternoon (from 1 to the polls' closing at 7:30) at a single precinct. The good news: Ted Strickland (here, celebrating with his wife, Frances) is the new governor of Ohio!



And Sherrod Brown, kissing his wife, Connie Schultz, is the new Senator, unseating Mike DeWine



while Jennifer Brunner, a smart and savvy judge, replaces the partisan Ken Blackwell as Secretary of State



and County Commissioner Dewey Stokes, defeated by Democrat Marilyn Brown, is here consoled by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce--who has a very slim lead over Mary Jo Kilroy, startling for the fourth-ranking Republican member of Congress, who ran an exceptionally dirty campaign with repeated lies and misleading statements of Kilroy's positions--then painted herself as the victim of dirty politics! We even got a mailing yesterday which said Kilroy would destroy Social Security if elected--when it was Pryce who was the point person for the failed effort to privatize Social Security last year!



These wins despite the attempts at voter suppression (which had an effect) through the new voter identification law pushed through by Republicans and enforced through vastly confusing rulings by Blackwell's office: first driver's licenses needed current addresses, then they didn't. Then they did. Then they didn't. Then you had to bring a current utility bill with your name and address. And so forth. Court challenges, conflicting rulings. All aimed at who? The elderly, students, and low income people. Truly despicable efforts, in effect reinstituting a poll tax-like suppression of those who would be likely to vote Democratic.

Despite that: almost a clean sweep, of landslide porportions. And I'm sure it was only the landslide porportions which made stealing the election impossible. Lots of reports of problems with the voting machines. OK: can we return to paper ballots now, folks?