Take A Trip to Oz this Year!!

It's Oz week!!!!! This is our 5th trip to Oz. All week we will look back at past shows. All Oz alumni get a $2 discount to the show. The Wizard of Oz opens Thursday at 7pm. Location RJ's Grill  (from the Flying Dragon's group site).

Pictured above is from when Benjamin played The Cowardly Lion.  That was one of three times that Benjamin was in The Wizard of Oz with Flying Dragon.  He also has played the Doorman and the Wizard.

Please note that the production is not on Tebeau Street.  They are performing at RJ Grills, which is outside of town on Ossie Davis Parkway, 1925 Ossie Davis Parkway.

Our Cowardly Lion

That's my son, Benjamin Strait, as the Cowardly Lion, in the Flying Dragon's first production of The Wizard of Oz, back in 2011.  He gave a wonderful performance, charming the audience.  Here he is either in mid-roar or mid-yawn.

I played the Wizard that year, and here we are just outside the theatre, ready to greet the patrons as they come out.

Here he is, all curled up by the beauticians of Oz.  Also in the picture is Amara Grace Jeffords, putting in a super performance as Dorothy.  Over the course of three years, many children got the opportunity to play Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and all the parts in Oz.  Flying Dragon is a great place for children to gain experience and confidence.

Benjamin puts up his dukes.

The entire cast of Flying Dragon's 2011 Wizard of Oz.


Flying Dragon is a wonderful organization,  achieving an important role and service for our children, connecting them with the arts, inspiring them, helping them grow and gain in talent and confidence.  They have put on many great shows over the last five plus years, and have given many, many, children their first stage exposure.

But the fact is that more people came out to see the Wizard of Oz at the Ritz in one performance than saw the entire run of Flying Dragon's 2013  Wizard.  More people will see WACT's Wizard in one weekend than will have seen all three years of the runs Flying Dragon did.

Flying Dragon deserves your support.  They perform a vital community service.  They need your attendance.  They need your financial support.  The Jeffords and other core families have struggled heroically to keep this worthy enterprise afloat, but they need your kind help to keep going, and to get stronger and better.

They have a great show coming up in late March, called Beauty is the Beast.  It is important to note that they also support local playwrights as well, including Chris Jeffords, Kimberly Beck, Jason Chancey, Rem Farr, Barbara Griffin, and little ol' me.  Please keep watching The Strait Line for news of Beauty is the Beast, and other upcoming productions, and help give this fine theater the support it deserves.

Last Chance Weekend to be Off to See the Wizard!

Sarah Elizabeth Crutcher was a magnificent Dorothy,  not just because of her excellent singing and stage presence, but because she clearly showed the most important part of Dorothy's character that is sometimes overlooked - spunk.  Dorothy is supposed to be a spunky, determined woman, with a spirited imagination and great confidence.  L. Frank Baum was an early feminist, and featured many strong female characters in his books, and Dorothy is a leading light amongst them. Bravo, Sarah!

The Scarecrow represents the American Farmer, and this group had many struggles at the time L Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz.  Naive, but with a native intelligence that often didn't get acknowledged, he was often strung up and controlled by financial forces and climate woes beyond his control.  Blake Kildow plays this seminal character without a single false note, in one of the best theatrical performances I have seen.  His voice and mannerisms are always completely correct, and he conveys perfectly that newborn naivete, but with an underlying intelligence that eventually shines through.

The Tin Man is the American Worker, trying to do with increasing industrialization and mechanization. Despite the dehumanizing nature of his work, the true spirit and heart of the American Worker comes through. Michael Kwalei Jaleel Hawkins plays the part brilliantly, letting the tender, human nature of the mechanical man shine through.

L Frank Baum based The Cowardly Lion on one of his favorite politicians, William Jennings Bryan, a man  who ran for President as the Democratic nominee, and lost all three times.  He felt that Bryan's bluster was greater than his bite.  Stephen McQuaig as The Cowardly Lion is a genuine show stealer, with a woof and a woof and a royal growl!

The Wicked Witch of the West represented the wild, untamed forces of the western parts of the United States, and the more elemental parts of  nature.  She is also another strong, female character from L Frank Baum, representing a different side of femininity.  She is almost gleeful in her desire not to be controlled by anyone, and it took musicals and rethinkings like Wicked to truly see the richness of this character.  Nadine Sbriglia Borelli does an excellent job of letting the richness of this character come through, so that she is more than just a Snidely Whiplash.

Ah, the Wizard!  He represents all the cheap, little politicians in Washington who live by the motto, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bulls----"  Mark Williams plays him to a tee, the bluster and charm of the Great American Con Man abundantly clear.


If you have not reserved seats to see The Wizard of Oz this weekend, you must do so NOW!!!  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, call 283-2161 and make your reservations NOW!!!  It is selling out at record speed!

Thursday through Saturday at 8.  Sunday Matinee at 2:30.  At the Ritz.

The Year's Shortest Weekend and Other Monday Musings

Dorothy and her magnificent friends, the highlights of another triumph by WACT at the Ritz.

I don't care what the clock says.  

It's really 5 AM as I write this, not 6 AM.

Thank you, powers that be, for making the shortest weekend of the year in the middle of tax season.  One less hour to enjoy on an already brief weekend.  Oh, well.  It's over and done now.  Sooner or later, my biological clock will adjust.  

------------------------------------

On the bright side, we enjoyed a magnificently performed musical at the Ritz Saturday night.  We saw The Wizard of Oz, and the performances were excellent.  Great set and staging, and with a live orchestra!  Both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon were sold out, and the crowds loved it!

This was not a straight interpretation of the movie, or the book, but a very interesting retelling, with enough interesting changes to keep even the most dedicated Oz-a-phile on their toes.  I wasn't completely surprised because I had seen the version a long time ago when I was living in Stone Mountain, but I don't think many people have seen it.  If you are anywhere near Waycross, or can be this weekend, and you have not seen it yet, you owe yourself to go ahead and make reservations right now.  It will be performed Thursday to Saturday night at 8 PM, and Sunday afternoon at 2:30.

--------------------------

Lent is now officially underway.  Ash Wednesday service was very nice, and so was the first Sunday in Lent.  Traditions and the style of worship changes slightly.  The altar is more "stripped down", and the service is simplified in some ways.  I will not be able to participate in as much as I would like, but I will be doing everything I can.

My step down of use of social media has not been easy.  It is hard not to share and engage.  But I continue to post blog stories and other basic tasks, including direct messages and e-mails.

---------------------------

66% of tax season is complete.  Whoopee do.

------------------------------

The missing plane out of Malaysia is very baffling story, almost like a real life Lost.  Hopefully, we will find out more in the next week, for the sake of those families who have loved ones that were aboard.  There is a ton of speculation as to what happened, but no one has a solid idea yet.  The boarding of people with stolen passports is deeply troubling.

-----------------------

Benjamin and I spent an hour or so Saturday at a Community Yard Sale that occupied much of downtown Blackshear.  It was overall nice to get with Benjamin, and we saw some friends and family, but it was kind of depressing to see books go so cheaply.  One table basically told me to just take the books for free - they just seemed to want them gone.

---------------------------

It was a down weekend for writing,  I received some negative news about some of my attempts to get published, and I was rather discouraged.  Nothing fictional emerged from me.  I shook my feelings off long enough to post something from my Dad's genealogical research, but that was about it.

I'll get back on the horse again, no matter how much it's like tilting at windmills.  Better that than giving up.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Bust My Buttons! Who Rang That Opening Bell?

What a magnificent cast!  This awesome group of thespians opened The Wizard of Oz last night to great fanfare and success!  It continues this weekend tonight and Saturday at 8, with a Sunday matinee at 2:30, and then next week Thursday through Saturday at 8 and one more Sunday matinee at 2:30.  The cast and costumes look fantastic.  Note the green one in the back - who could that be?  The Cowardly Lion, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and Dorothy all look amazing,  And Toto/  Toto too!

Our four heroes!  I have seen Sarah Crutcher  (Dorothy) and Blake Kildow (The Scarecrow) in other plays and musicals before, and the area just does not have finer talent than these two.  I have heard many, many fine things about The Cowardly Lion  and The Tin Man (Stephen McQuaig and Michael Kwalei Jaleel Hawkins).  Yes, as of writing this, I have not been privileged enough to see the show yet, but we are getting tickets for Saturday night.  Have you reserved your tickets yet?

Two of my closest friends making their stage debut at the Ritz, Kimberly Beck (center) and her daughter Emily (not the one with green hair - Ty Etheridge).

Another good friend, Michael Lee, with Kimberly, in a picture that I hope is not representative of a shotgun wedding.

UPDATE:  I have seen the play and it is indeed through the roof awesome!  One more weekend to see this show, and please be warned.....call and reserve early because these shows have been selling out!

This a special version with many interesting variations, one of which, I have to admit, is that NO ONE RINGS A BELL!  Which makes the title of this story somewhat inaccurate.

Oh, well.  No plan is perfect.

If Ever a Wiz There Was, This is the Wizard not to be Missed!

March 6-8 & 13-15 at 8pm
Matinee March 9 & 16 2:30pm
$10/per person per seat

Waycross Area Community Theatre

321 Pendleton Street, P.O. Box 440, Waycross, Georgia 31501

A play so big and awesome it has an orchestra pit!

Yes, this one is going to be hard for me.  I wanted so badly to be a part of it, but my work schedule would just not allow it.  I love The Wizard of Oz, and this looks like it's going to be a true all-star production.  I have heard nothing but good things about it.  The actors, the music, the set design are hitting on all cylinders.  And it is directed by Stanley Sinkfield, responsible for some of the best musical productions WACT has ever put on, including Hairspray and Willy Wonka.

Be sure not to miss this one!  Call ahead now to make your reservations!

Flying Through A Theatrical Winter

A large group of Dragoneers came to Sonic Last Wednesday to help support Sonic's Flying Dragon Night, where 10% of all purchases went to help the Flying Dragon Arts Center. It takes a lot to keep this fine group with the funds they need to continue to help the many children and families involved.  Rent, utilities and basic show costs must be covered month in and month out.  They are grateful to the many who came to show their support.

Please plan on seeing this fine show, coming up this next weekend.

This should not be missed!  The Dragoneers are accumulating many fine items for this exciting sale!  Come find some treasure and help support the theater!

Rounding out the winter theater season will be this spectacular production of The Wizard of Oz.  If you've just seen the movie version, this should bring some pleasant and unexpected variations for you,


Come support local community theater in your area, with your attendance, dollars, time and talent!  You'll be happy you did!

Flying WACT Past AdSense

Try and beat me, eh?

Think you got me down, eh?

Well, I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog eared ethics, too!

If you you won't let me run your ads, I'll run my own!

Starting today, I finally focused enough brain wattage to replace the empty space where AdSense was and replaced it with a small promotion of the wonderful organization that is Flying Dragon!

More to come!

Flying Dragon Arts Center!  A great place to help preserve, treasure and enhance your child's creative skills.  A place where every child shines!  A place where everyone can fly!

Two of our Dragoneers hold up signs about one of Flying Dragon's most recent and most delicious fundraiser, Sonic cards for only $5!

This play chronicles the lives of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, as they mature from children to women. Each heroine experiences trials, as well as triumphs, as they slowly leave their girlhoods behind. Come join us in bringing this classic tale to life!

Performances: Saturday, February 15th - 7:00 PM; Sunday, February 16th - 3:00 PM; Saturday, February 22nd - 7:00 PM; Sunday, February 23rd - 3:00 PM

Ticket Prices: Ages 13 & Up - $8; Ages 6-12 - $5; Ages 5 & Under - Free

Flying Dragon is at 405 Tebeau next to the Downtown Sandwich Shoppe.

And another great theater in our area is Waycross Area Community Theatre, who will soon be performing a classic rendition of The Wizard of Oz.  I very badly wanted to try out to be in this, but sadly common sense and tax season prevented from doing it.  It does have a great cast, and I can't wait to see it!

Ripping Good Yarns: Second Hall of Fame Movie Winner!

Star Wars was our 2012 addition to the Ripping Good Yarn Movie Hall of Fame.

And now, the results for our 2013 entrant into the Hall of Fame are complete.  A healthy increase in the number of voters does my heart good, and I am happy to announce the voting results as follows:

Jurassic Park  0%

Lord of the Rings 2%

Back to the Future 2%

North by Northwest  5%

Casablanca  5%

Schindler's List  6%

It's A Wonderful Life  9%

Raiders of the Lost Ark  11%

Gone With the Wind  26%

And our 2013 winner, with 34% of the vote (drum roll, please).......

The Wizard of Oz!!!

This phenomenal movie was not an immediate box office success.  coming out in the greatest year for movies ever, 1939 (which included Gone With the Wind).  It became a national treasure when it was repeated on national television starting in the late fifties.  I grew up watching it every year, and as a young child, I thought they were slightly changing the movie every year...oh. look this year they've added talking trees!  It was a combination of changing childhood focus, and editing for commercials and such.

It has held the grip of generations since.  It is no longer the once a year phenomenon it once was.  But thanks to DVRs and streaming, it still is probably one of the most watched movies of all time.

Flying Dragon Arts Center did the play version three years running in Waycross, and this year WACT (Waycross Area Community Theatre) is doing it this February.  And no how often it is done, people still come in droves to see it.

Thank you, Ripping Good Yarn fans for your votes.  And if your favorite didn't win?  Frankly, my Rippers, 2014 is anothuh year!

Wizard's End 2013 and Other Monday Musings

Cast four Wizard was incredibly performed by Jaj Jones.  He is an  extraordinarily talented actor and singer AND he nailed the personality for the Wizard.

Jaj' s daughter Kasie Jones was was an exceptional Wicked Witch of the West.  Her delivery of the poppies line may have been the single best delivery of a line in all the children's theatre I have seen.  The movement of her face, the inflection and timing of her lines - it was a thing of beauty!

It was a great run at the Flying Dragon involving many children getting the opportunity to take a leading role.  Some did not step as well as others, but all children are on a trajectory of improvement...some were just farther along that path than others. My biggest disappointment was that I did not get to see Kayla Peacock perform the Cowardly Lion as although it was her cast, she did not do the part on the Sunday afternoon she was scheduled to do it. 

We bought a new bed for Benjamin and should have it fairly soon.  It has plenty of storage, which still may nor prevent him from storing most of his stuff on the floor.This will enable us  to put the bed he has now into the guest room.  So we are a step closer to having you over!

I have ended my Glenwood series, but we are still futzing around trying to finish up the house. That is going steadily but slowly.  It may be awhile that our dominant theme is packing boxes.

The sequester came through with less fuss from the American people than I thought.  It may take a little longer to sink in.  Or unless it effects them personally they may not have any recognition of it at all.  But as this and other austerity measures slow the economy, let's just hope they are at least alert enough to know that it is misplaced austerity measures that is causing it, and not blame poor people who are getting a small amount of food assistance.

I have had a number of friends experience loss and/or setbacks and/or health challenges this week.  My heart goes out to them all. May God guide you and comfort you.  Hold your family and friendships near and dear.

A Tale of Two Dorothys Part Deux!

Another weekend at Flying Dragon and two more Dorthys make their appearance. Elizabeth Beck on the left performs Friday night at 7 and Saturday afternoon at 3.  Her and family have been valuable mainstays to the Flying Dragon, and Elizabeth has increased in confidence and ability with each performance.  She was excellent in the comedic role of Lady Jane in our recent production of Young Robin Hood.  Anna Greimel on the right is performing Dorothy on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.  She is another fine, growing talent at our theater.  She came into her own last year playing the Tin Girl in last year's production of Te Wizard of Oz.

So please come out and se these shows!  Even if you've seen it before, or even last weekend, these are our all new casts and all the children have worked hard and deserved to be seen.  See you there!

A Tale of Two Dorothys and Other Monday Musings

Cast two featuring Emma Jacobs as Dorothy.

Cast One Featuring Emily Beck as Dorothy.

It was a wiz of a wizard weekend!  We saw three of the four performances of Flying Dragon's Wizard of Oz.  They were wonderful shows and gave many children an opportunity to shine onstage.  I enjoyed everyone but I have to particularly mention the extraordinary performances of the two Dorothys.  Emily Beck is an outstanding young actress with a very expressive face and a beautiful singing voice.  Emma Jacobs is only 7, but learning very fast.  She is in Benjamin's cast, so I saw her rehearse and get better and better with each practice and performance.  She has many great roles ahead of her.

We are at Glenwood now!  We are living out of a lot of boxes, but progress is being made.  We have moved all but a handful of things from the Acosta rental, and are ready to concentrate on our new residence. My son Doug may be coming this weekend, so we may have to clear enough space in the guest room so that he can at least lay on a blow up bed.

It is raining now, and unlike living at Clark, it doesn't interfere with the Internet. On the other hand, we have not fenced in the backyard, so we have to walk our rain skittish dogs out in the pouring rain until they perform their "magic".

I watched the Oscars again this year, as I have since I could stay up to watch them.  I'm not sure why, as I had seen very few of the movies nominated.  Overall, I thought it was a dull and long telecast.  The host was not that interesting to me, and it was hard to be that excited over who won or lost.  The fact that Marvel's The Avengers was not even nominated kind of soured me on the whole affair. Adele and Streisand sung good, but I have this small problem of being phobic about long fingernails, and I couldn't stop cringing over those.

And now I stare into the maw of another tax season work week.  We are at the mid-way point, but all the means is that you can't see the light from either end of the tunnel.

Until next time,

T.M. Strait

Double Barreling The Wizard of Oz!

Come join me at this afternoon's performance of Wizard of Oz!  Cast one is led by Emily Beck at 3 PM.  Emily is a great talent and gets better and better with each play.  Come see her and all of Cast One today at 3 PM.  LAST CHANCE TO SEE THIS CAST!!!

Cast Two performs tonight at 7 PM.  Dorothy is the incredible Emma Jacobs.  She really steps into her own this play.  Both Karissa and I thought she really did well in everything we asked her to do in Young Robin Hood, and that she would be a great star in the future.  In this play she proves us right!  The play also has my son Benjamin performing as the Doorman and the Guards.  This cast performs tonight at 7 PM and again tomorrow at 3 PM.  Don't miss it!

Four more performances with two more casts next week!

Catch The Wizard this Year!

8 performances, 4 different cast!  You;ll want to catch this again and again!

This si awful since I don't know everybody's names.  The adult shown is very good and I will try to update soon with his name.  The girl in the white jumper in the top picture is Emma Jacobs, a young actress who showed great promise in Young Robin Hood, and will be one of the Dorothys this year.

Kayla Peacock, the girl in the pink top, is also a rising young star at the Flying Dragon, and will be playing both the Wicked Witch and the Cowardly Lion.

The girl in the upper left is Elizabeth Beck.  She is the daughter of my very good friends Kimberly and Ken Beck,  She will be playing Dorothy in some performances, and is doing very, very well.  The adult in the upper right is Michelle Chancey, a very good singer and someone who has been in invaluable help to the Flying Dragon.

The girl in the lower left is Casey Jones.  I saw her perform the Wicked Witch last night, and she is one not to miss.  She is going to be through the roof awesome!

More of our extraordinary young thespians!

The Wonderful Children of Oz

I am indeed often a selfish git.  I sometimes, even at my age, just want to get on stage and let it rip.  Just act, no other responsibilities. And someday soon, I may do that.

But I keep coming back to children's theater.  Why?  It can be a very noisy, chaotic experience.  The theater itself is on a shoestring, so raising enough money to continue is a constant problem. And there is the chronic thing that seems to happen in all theater groups - people leave all the time.  Children grow up, families move, others get offended and walk away.  It takes a lot of energy and force of will to keep moving forward.

Then I see pictures like this, and all my qualms melt away.  This is the reason I do children's theater.  I now many of the kids in the picture above.  I have watched them grow and bloom.  They have learned not just to be a performer, but how to get along and work with others.  They learn in a diverse environment that is not base on creed or color.  They learn self-worth and dignity and achievement.

So although I may be making an occasional foray back to my own acting roots, I'm not going away from children's theater.  They're growing up, including my own Benjamin,  They're getting stronger and better.

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Ease On Down To The Flying Dragon This Saturday Evening!

This will be great fun, but let me please clarify.  Your tax deductible donation is VITAL at this time for the continued growth and support of this outstanding community children's theatre.  So I highly encourage you to come and to give as generously as you can.  

Here are the dates of the big show!  Plan to see as many showings as you can, because there are frequent cast changes and you;ll want to see as many combinations as you can.  This is one of the great strengths of this theatre, as so many children get a chance to shine.

Seating for this production is limited, so you want to reserve a whole pew for your family NOW!  If you haven't seen the "stadium seating" style arrangement yet, come on down and be amazed!

This is what it's all about!  A great place for young families, and introducing theatre to all our children, from birth to young adults.  Come out and participate in the next show!