Storytelling during the Great Pause

Nick North of Epic Danger has taken to calling this moment in time The Great Pause and I have to say I am a pretty big fan of this idea. 

It's like the Great Depression, but instead, it captures our moment a little bit more.  We don't know what is coming (although it probably isn't good)  And in the meantime, we are in our homes, paused, waiting for the next big thing to hit.   It's almost like someone has hit the remote to stop, and now life is just inching along at a much slower pace.

I know this isn't true-- Life is continuing of course, and plumbers must be called and grocery stores must be shopped and prescriptions must be picked up, but there's a certain amount where there isn't.  Lots of businesses are closed, many schools are closed, and things are cancelled.  Theatres, libraries, and non-essential stores are mostly shuttered.  The same is true for lots of restaurants, which here in Illinois are now delivery or take-out only, at least until the end of March, and probably a lot further.

As you can imagine, many of my friends are artists, and this Great Pause is going to play havoc with their livelihoods.  On a school performers Facebook group that I am in, guys who make their sole living in schools are suddenly having to face the likelihood of extended times of forced unemployment.

A few of them are doing some great things during the great pause to entertain children, adults, and everybody in between.   I thought I'd tout a few of them.   (And if you are a friend of mine and would like to be featured, please post your Great Pause project

In the meantime,  I haven't quite figured out what it is that I could do.

VALERIE TUTSON

Val is a great storyteller based in Rhode Island.  You can find her online at https://yamass.org/our-programs/valerie-tutson/  (she had a website http://www.valerietutson.com, but I can't get it to work right now.)  She's posting Facebook Live videos of her stories on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/valerie.tutson/

 

DAVID LADON

David is a performer and teacher from Boston who I met while he lived in Chicago.  He was my son's Hebrew School Teacher.  He's now living in Colorado, and he also has a great band Animal Farm, which I've featured previously on the blog.  David is also doing some Live Streaming via FaceBook on a Pay What You Can basis-- asking for donations on Paypal or Venmo.   It's free to watch, and if you like it, you should donate.  This is for younger kids, and he's quite engaging.  He'll be doing different shows and tea time stories each day.  You can find the live events on his facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalFarmMusic/

---

BRIAN FOLEY

Brian Foley has been producing Vaudeville Variety Shows in Phoenix once a month for the last couple of years. The two year anniversary was March 17, and it was canceled due to COVID-19.  Undeterred, he produced a Virtual Variety Show in the Valley, in front of his garage, using videos from Youtube as his "Acts"  I think he will be planning on doing it again if he needs to.

You can find Brian on his website: http://www.brianfoley.net/ (although it doesn't seem like it's been updated lately)   You can also check out his page on FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/BrianFoleyArtist/

And this series is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Dk2lBcFtu-8

REVIEW: An Epic Tale of Scale- Through April 8

An Epic Tale of Scale is an interactive kids theatre show that makes great use of the Chicago Children's Theatre space to create a site specific performance that roams all over their new venue The Station.  It's fun, imaginatively done, and a great use of theatrical architecture.

Unlike most plays, the show is done by appointment- audiences are limited to groups of 20, with entry times every 15 minutes.  The show itself goes through 8 or 9 different areas of the theatre, using non-conventional theatre spaces in the theatre.  The design of the different areas is mostly fantastic (designed by Chicago Children's Theatre Community Programs Artistic Director Frank Maugieri)

After checking in, you first enter into a strange curio shop, manned by a curious Professor character.  The curios, are all on loan from the Field Museum and feature crazy collections of bugs, old-fashioned skulls, a couple of ancient typewriters. The space (usually the lobby) is completely transformed.  There, one person in your group accidentally swallows an important object that we are told is essential to the saving of the universe, and the rest of the show is a tour through the body (using a shrink ray) to try and find it. Later, you are unshrunk and sent via transport into outerspace, and you learn (SPOILER ALERT) that the thing your compadre swallowed was a message that needs to be given to a weird alien disco race.

The scenic design is fantastic, especially in the first three spaces.  The curio shop, followed by the shrink ray area (done with projections) and then the elevator, which is beautifully repurposed with a puppet element that is surprising and amazing.  After this, the design gets a little more pedestrian. There's a couple of obstacle courses through the intestine,   It's functional and fun, but not nearly as surprising.  By the end of the show (which ends as an intergalactic dance party in a black box room), the design is barebones.  I felt it was almost as if they ran out of build time, so the last half of the spaces got short shrift from the designers.


The acting is fine throughout, with a special kudo to the professor in the beginning, who was a great improviser. The second actor (who shrunk people) wore a clown nose, which I thought was a weird choice. No one else wore a clown nose, and it was not clear why she was wearing the nose other than one joke she made.

The story is serviceable, bordering on clever,  but I was disappointed by the ending.  At one point you are invited to create messages to give to the aliens, but then those messages are not incorporated into the show.  I would have loved it if they had been able to incorporate the messages (which were supposed to save the universe) into the show, and actually make it important.  Somehow, this message, which was supposed to be so important throughout the show, turns out to not be very important at all.

Overall, the show is ingenious and well worth checking out.  It ends on April 8, so make sure to check it out.  Tickets are $47 to attend, which is a little pricey, but they have over 20 performers working the show, so it makes sense. I do wish that for that kind of money a snack was included. The day we went we were pretty hungry and paid extra for snacks. (which are available at the beginning and at a middle part of the show)

Here's a little video of some snippets of the show that I took while watching the show.

An Epic Tale of Scale

March 10 - April 8 
Recommended for Ages 6 and up

Created and Directed by Jo Cattell and Henry Wishcamper
Designed by Frank Maugeri
Music and Lyrics by Gabe Ruiz
Special thanks to The Field Museum

BUY TICKETS

MOVIE REVIEW: Molly's Game

We got the chance to take off for an evening a couple of weeks ago and have a date night.  I wanted to see The Post, but it wasn't playing at a convenient time.  My wife really wanted to see the Aaron Sorkin directed movie Molly's Game, and it was playing nearby and at the right time, so we went to it.

We saw the show at the New 400 Cinema, which is kind of a lower budget movie house near the Loyola Campus.  Although we didn't get any popcorn, they don't gouge you nearly as much on that stuff, and you don't feel like you are giving your money to a giant corporation.  So, it's one of my go-to cinemas in general.  Their selection is tilted towards a college audience, so it’s not always an appropriate place to go, but when they have a movie I want, we go.

Molly's Game was quite good. It's based on a true story about a former competitive skier who was driven by her parents to succeed.  A shocking injury ended her career, but she was still very driven and very competitive.  Through a series of misadventures, she ended up running a very high-end poker game first in LA, and then in New York.  She gets busted by the FBI, who are investigating some of the players, including Russian mob, billionaires, and movie stars.

Kevin Costner and Jessica Chastaine have a moment
in the movie Molly's Game.

All of the players were good, especially lead character Jessica Chastain (as Molly Bloom)  and her potential attorney Idris Elba.  And of course, the writing and the story are very well drawn, as should be expected from dialogue master Aaron Sorkin.  In the podcast West Wing Weekly, the hosts recently said something about the fact that Aaron writes really interesting Legal Discovery procedures, and that theory is born out in this movie as well.

One of the themes that I thought was very a propos for this blog is that of the dad who drives his children.  Molly's dad (ably played by Kevin Costner) is a psychologist who expects a lot from his kids.  There are multiple shots and flashbacks of him pushing Molly past her physical barriers (not in a creepy or weird way, but in a driven way.)  As Molly says when asked if her dad pushed her.  "Every Olympian has a demanding dad."

Idris Elba is also a high expectations dad, who is asking his daughter constantly to read more, do more work, etc.  It made me not feel so bad about being a homework hardass with my son.

Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba in court.  This ends up being a very funny scene.

It's not all "Dads are great" though.  Molly's father has flaws, but it's clear he loves his daughter, even if it isn't always the way she wants to be loved.  And Elba has flaws too as a father.  But in both cases, their love and care is evident, even if they can't quite express it, or it isn't all butterflies and hearts.

I would definitely recommend this movie.  I don't think it will win the Academy Award, (although it's nominated for best-adapted screenplay)  but it's definitely worth watching, especially if you are a high expectations dad and you want some validation.  Or if you are an Aaron Sorkin fan.  Or if you like movies that involve high stakes poker.  (I won the trifecta!)

OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR MOLLY'S GAME:

WEBSITE FOR MOLLY'S GAME: http://mollysgame.movie/

Vote For the Toy of the Year!

Are you ready to doll up your hair, get out a tiny red carpet, and start the imaginary Paparazzi's camera bulbs popping?

The Toy Industry Association has recently announced the finalists for the 2018 Toy of the Year Awards. There are a number of categories, including categories new for this year, including Action Figure of the Year, Doll of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Vehicle of the Year.

Toys are nominated by companies, and there is big business to be had in winning one of these awards, so the companies are duking it out. This year’s finalists were selected from 700 nominees submitted by more than 250 companies of all sizes. They introduced a more rigorous and transparent judging method this year, with 25 judges, including toy and play experts, retailers, academics, and journalists, reviewing and ranking products in specific categories relevant to their areas of expertise. The judges then participated in a live discussion to debate any categories that did not draw an undisputed roster of finalists during the judging period. They considered each product’s creativity, originality and innovation; design and promotion; excellence; and marketplace acceptance before narrowing the field to the slate of finalists.

We have one of the toys nominated! 
Still working on building our Disney Castle!

The winners in each of the 14 categories and the coveted “Toy of the Year” will be selected based on votes from mass and specialty toy retailers, media, TIA members, and consumers. The “People’s Choice” award winner will be selected solely by consumer votes.

That's right, you have a vote in this! to vote, go to http://www.toyawards.org and cast your vote by January 15, 2018. The winners will be announced in February at a live gala kicking off Toy Week in New York.

More information about the TOTY voting and selection process can be found in the “About the Awards” section of www.ToyAwards.org.

Here's the full list of categories and the nominees!

I've linked each one to their Amazon Page.  Please note that the links are affiliate links, so if you end up buying one of these toys from this link, I will make a small commission-- usually a few pennies on the dollar.  It helps keep the lights on and me in lattes.  But please, feel no obligation to purchase, unless your kid is dying for that particular toy, in which, Be My Guest!

ACTION FIGURE OF THE YEAR
Toys that include action figures and their play sets/accessories
DC Super Hero Girls™ Action Figure Assortment by Mattel, Inc.
Fossil Hunter Lottie by Arklu, Ltd.
IAmElemental Series 1/Courage Lunch Box Carrying Case With Complete Set of Action Figures by IAmElemental
PJ Masks Headquarters Playset by Just Play
Pokémon Throw 'n' Pop Poké Ball Duel Set by TOMY
Stikbot by ZING
Transformers Generations Titans Return Fortress Maximus Action Figure by Hasbro, Inc.


ACTIVE/OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are designed for active/outdoor play
3-in-1 EZ Fold Wagon by Radio Flyer
Air Hogs Helix Sentinel Drone by Spin Master Ltd.
Bunch O Balloons by Zuru
Hot Wheels® Sky Shock™ RC Vehicle by Mattel, Inc.
Nerf N-Strike Modulus Tri-Strike Blaster by Hasbro, Inc.
Sky Viper v2400FPV HD Streaming Drone with FPV Headset by SkyRocket Toys
VEX Robotics Zip Flyer by HEXBUG
Xtreme Cycle Moto-Cam by WickedCoolToys


ACTIVITY TOY OF THE YEAR
Arts and crafts, construction and other indoor toys that inspire creative play through various forms of activity
Circuit Scribe Maker Kit by CircuitScribe
Crayola Air Maker Sprayer by Crayola, LLC
K’NEX 3-in-1 Classic Amusement Park Building Set by K’NEX Brands
Lionel Mega Tracks Corkscrew Chaos Master Set by Lionel
Mighty Makers Directors Cut Building Set by K’NEX Brands
Mover Kit by Tech Will Save Us
My Fairy Garden Magical Cottage by Play Monster


COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEAR
Toys that compose a set; can include novelty playthings, miniature versions of existing lines, licensed collectibles, etc.
Dorbz by Funko, LLC
Gift 'ems™ by JAKKS Pacific
LEGO Minifigures - The Disney Edition by LEGO Systems, Inc.
Num Noms by MGA Entertainment
Pop! By Funko, LLC
Shopkins Season 6: Chef Club by Moose Toys Pty Ltd
Tonka Tinys by Funrise


CONSTRUCTION TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that include building and engineering sets
Arckit Go Colours by ARCKIT
Grippies® Builders by Guidecraft USA Inc.
LEGO Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster by LEGO Systems, Inc.
Marine Rescue Center by Build & Imagine
Meccano Micronoid by Spin Master Ltd.
Tinkerbots by Tinkerbots
Walking Robot 45PC Set by Magformers, LLC


DOLL OF THE YEAR
Toys that include plush, baby, toddler, and fashion dolls, and their play sets/accessories
Barbie® Fashionista™ Doll by Mattel, Inc.
Disney Frozen Northern Lights Elsa by JAKKS Pacific
Elena of Avalor Adventure Dress Doll by Hasbro, Inc.
Project Mc2 Experiments with Doll Sets by MGA Entertainment
Shopkins Core Shoppies by Moose Toys Pty Ltd
Stargazer Lottie Doll by Arklu, Ltd
American Girl® WellieWishers™ by Mattel, Inc.


GAME OF THE YEAR
Children’s board, card, electronic, or other physical game formats or puzzles (does not include video games or apps)
Bloxels™ by Mattel, Inc.
Circuit Maze by ThinkFun Inc.
Escape Room the Game by Spin Master Ltd.
Imhotep by Thames & Kosmos
Maze Racers by FoxMind Games
Simon Air Game by Hasbro, Inc.
Speak Out by Hasbro, Inc.
Yeti in My Spaghetti by PlayMonster!


INFANT/PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are developed for infants/preschoolers (up to 5 years)
Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital Care Cart by Just Play
Go! Go! Smart Friends ® Enchanted Princess Palace™ by Vtech
IO Blocks® Vehicles by Guidecraft USA Inc.
Razor Jr. T3 Scooter by Razor USA LLC
Robot Engineer by Thames & Kosmos
Wash 'N Go Wooden Car Garage by KidKraft
Zoomer Marshall by Spin Master Ltd.


INNOVATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that utilize innovative design, technology, or manufacturing processes to enhance play value
CHiP by WowWee USA, Inc.
Cozmo by Anki
Fisher Price® Think & Learn Code-a-pillar™ by Mattel, Inc.
Hatchimals by Spin Master Ltd.
Mebo by SkyRocket Toys
Project Mc2 H2O Car by MGA Entertainment
Special Edition Battle-Worn BB-8 with Force Band™ by Sphero


LICENSE OF THE YEAR
Character or property that has had success spreading its brand throughout the industry
DC Super Hero Girls
Disney's Elena of Avalor
Paw Patrol™
Pokémon
Shopkins
Star Wars
Trolls


ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
A new company (created within the last 2 years) that has brought to market an outstanding toy
3DoodlerStart Essentials Pen Set by WobbleWorks
Acids, Bases and pH Chemistry Kit by Yellow Scope
CogniToys Dino by CogniToys
Geometry Strategy by Games by Bright of Sweden
IAmElemental Series 1/Courage by IAmElemental
Malia's House by Build & Imagine
Superhero Will by Wonder Crew


SPECIALTY OF THE YEAR
Toys primarily distributed through specialty retailers
Automoblox C9 Sportscar by PlayMonster!
Design & Drill® BrightWorks™ by Educational Insights
Flappy Animated Elephants by Gund a Division of Enesco LLC
LEGO Disney Castle by LEGO Systems, Inc.
American Girl® Melody™ Doll and Book by Mattel, Inc.
Nano Nitro Slingshot by HEXBUG
Perplexus Q-bot by PlayMonster!


TECH TOY OF THE YEAR
Physical toys that are electronic or interact with a smart-phone, tablet or gaming device
Air Hogs Connect: Mission Drone by Spin Master Ltd.
CodeGamer by Thames & Kosmos
LUMI by WowWee USA, Inc.
MOTA JETJAT Ultra Streaming Nano Drone by MOTA
Sky Viper Hover Racer by SkyRocket Toys
Wonder Workshop’s Dash & Dot by Wonder Workshop
Zoomer Chimp by Spin Master Ltd.


VEHICLE OF THE YEAR
Toys that are powered or non-powered vehicles, and their play sets/accessories
Air Hogs – Star Wars X-wing vs. Death Star, Rebel Assault - RC Drones by Spin Master Ltd.
Disney Princess Carriage by Dynacraft
Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Treasure Mountain Train Adventure™ by Vtech
Hot Wheels® A.I. Intelligent Race System by Mattel, Inc.
LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3RS by LEGO Systems, Inc.
Telsa Model S for Kids by Radio Flyer
XPV® RC Skateboarding Mikey by JAKKS Pacific