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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Rehearsals are going strong for the smash comedy, “Mother May I,” written and directed by local playwright Marcello Bice.

The show, which includes dinner, wine and dessert, will run Sept. 23, 24 and 25, and the curtain opens at 6 p.m.

Lake Family Resource Center is hosting this fundraising event to support the local Meals on Wheels Program.

Senior Services Director Denise Johnson, who also serves as an executive producer, is excited about launching more theater on the stage at the senior center.

Starring in the play is Ukiah resident Laurie Strantz, a veteran actress from the Middletown Repertory Theater, who has delighted many audiences by starring in local shows like “Crimes of the Heart,” “Noises Off,” “Beyond Therapy” and Cobb Mountain Elementary School's “Peter Pan.”

Ms. Strantz will be playing the lead role of Dottie, the ghost of a mother who cannot help but meddle in the love life of her daughter, Sarah, played by Bre'ana, also a resident of Ukiah and veteran actress for Middletown Repertory Theater.

Her love interest, Jack, is played by local police officer Juan Altamirano.

Joining the cast in the other starring role of Madam Vajra, is Lake County Theater Co.'s own Laura Barnes who will play a psychic medium hired by Sarah on Mother's Day to perform an exorcism.

Barnes brings to the production an extensive and impressive 15 year theatrical background in many successful local productions from the LCTC, including the recent Shakespeare at the Lake.

One of the many highlights of this type of “immersive theater,” as Director Bice calls it, is an ensemble who will be performing comic improvisation as waiters and waitresses in an imaginary restaurant.

“The last time we created a restaurant,” said Bice, “people called for reservations months after the show closed to go to this place that never existed!”

Bice is a graduate of UCLA's prestigious School of Theatre, Film and Television, and is known locally for his unusual avant-garde theatrical productions. His new film company Savant Garde Inc. is working in association with Lake FRC to raise money for Meals on Wheels.

“Mother May 1?” is the winner of a playwrights' festival and was performed originally to standing ovations at the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa.

“When I won, I was excited, but I wasn't allowed to cast the play or be at any rehearsals,” said Bice. “I'm grateful to the executive director, Lisa Morrow, and everyone at Lake Family Resource Center for letting me be part of that creative process."

The ensemble cast has been rehearsing comic improvisational skills each week and is enthusiastic about exploring their new skills in the upcoming performances.

The supporting cast will be Cindy Jasser, Lillie Bower, Richard Crow, Margie Loesch, and Amirah Jasser.

“I just think the community needs this right now, and I'm so excited to see all this talent come together for such a good cause,” said production coordinator Alicia Adams.

Tickets are $50 each. Purchase them here.
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‘SAMARITAN’ ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

You’ve seen men wearing a T-shirt or ball cap that says “Old Guys Rule” and yet, none of them hardly ever has the physical prowess of Liam Neeson, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone.

“Old Guys Rule” might as well be the title of Stallone’s aging superhero film “Samaritan” in which his character of Joe Smith may not exactly measure up to the standard of someone who helps a stranger, or at least not without some prodding.

Does it seem like a stretch for septuagenarian Stallone to be playing an aging vigilante who can easily toss a grown man across a room? Who has time to think about this when the action gets fast-paced?

Though it seems incredible that a man of Stallone’s age could be convincing in the way that superheroes half as old so easily pummel adversaries into a pile of human debris. Yet, he’s not gone flabby, and maybe that’s because his day job as a garbage man requires heavy lifting.

The introduction of Amazon Prime’s “Samaritan” has a lot of quick cuts of animation inspired by a graphic novel. The setting is Granite City, a dystopian hellscape that’s moving inevitably toward out-of-control chaos and looting.

Twenty-five years earlier, twin brothers Samaritan and Nemesis were so freakishly strong that the residents of Granite City grew to fear them and retaliated by trying to burn them alive by setting their house on fire.

The twins were unscathed, but their parents did not survive. At this point, Samaritan grew to fight as a protector of the innocent, while Nemesis, consumed by revenge, wanted the world to suffer.

Nemesis forged a powerful weapon in a hammer that he poured all his hate and rage into. His armament was like Thor’s, but his purpose was malicious. This was the only weapon that could destroy his sworn enemy, Samaritan.

Eventually, the brothers engaged in mortal combat at a warehouse that was consumed by a raging fire, and it was presumed that both of them perished, or at least, that’s the story for the citizens of Granite City.

Local journalist and bookshop owner Albert Castler (Martin Starr) has written a book about Samaritan that delves into conspiracy theories and speculation that the freakishly strong Samaritan is still alive.

A true believer of Samaritan’s earthly existence is 13-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton), who suspects that his mysterious and withdrawn neighbor Mr. Smith is actually the legend hiding in plain sight.

Living in a tenement with his single mom Tiffany (Dascha Polanco), Sam is frequently bullied by local thugs led by the heavily tattooed Reza (Moises Arias) who goes so far that Mr. Smith intervenes, causing the kid to believe that he’s found Samaritan.

Meanwhile, a psychotic gang leader named Cyrus (Pilou Asbaek), a worshiper of supervillain Nemesis, decides to incite a street rebellion of rioting and arson to entice intervention from Samaritan.

Coming as no surprise to anyone, the reclusive Mr. Smith is inexorably drawn to the fight, though getting to that point requires a test of his patience with the inquisitive Sam who goes so far as invading his apartment in search of clues.

Because this kind of film calls for escapist fare, the climactic showdown between Samaritan and the wannabe Nemesis seems much like a live-action replay of the introductory graphic novel animation.

Even though a streaming service like Amazon Prime may have a decent budget, “Samaritan” is nevertheless a B-movie that may be forgettable the next day but in the moment of its urban chaos and violence offers entertainment value for action fans.

WEIRD DIVERSION ON THE SUBWAY SYSTEM

This column is about entertainment, and diversion can be found in places other than film and television. Who knew that riding the New York subway system, as I did on a recent trip, would offer amusement with its travel etiquette?

Handy guidelines appear on certain trains with an electronic reader. “Stay off the tracks” should be obvious to anyone. That’s a no-brainer. A better warning is not to stand too close to the platform.

The “Keep your hands and other parts to yourself” makes one wonder about lechers riding the rails. Avoid anyone wearing a trench coat during warm weather, or someone looking slightly crazed.

“Go before you go” is wise because even if you found a public bathroom in a subway station, the best warning would be “Enter at your own risk.”

“Don’t sell stuff without a permit” is widely ignored. Someone is bound to be selling packaged cookies or candy, or useless items like an 8-track player or VHS movies.

The one guideline of “Don’t smoke or set anything on fire” does have me worried. The ban on smoking is understandable, but has there been a rash of arsonist acts that should give one pause?

The subway is a great way to get to a Mets or Yankees game, but the best advice is to be alert and aware of your surroundings and don’t travel in the middle of the night.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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Corine Pearce discusses baskets on display in the exhibit. Photo by MAC staff.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The public is invited to “Conversations with Artists” participating in the “Earth, Sky, and Everything In Between” exhibit this Thursday Sept. 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at MAC and on Zoom.

Discussion will focus on artists’ work in 2-D and 3-D media including painting, digital imagery, printmaking, and installation. This unique opportunity to meet and hear from the artists is free/by donation, pre-registration is required at middletownartcenter.org/weaving.

“The works on view are of museum quality, but we are not people who live in museums.” said curator Corine Pearce, an acclaimed Pomo basket weaver and cultural educator. “It’s important for us to share our work and affirm that we’re still here living in relationship to the land we are a part of, making art.”

Earth, Sky, and Everything In Between is Lake County’s first exhibit of contemporary Native artists' work and the first exhibit in the county to be curated by a Native American.

Crossings and Triangles and Arrowheads by Wanda Quitiquit and The Colonizer’s Tools, and Blood Quantum is a Heterosexual Construct by Ryan Young. Photo by MAC staff.

Thirty-one artists across generations are featured — youth to elder. Their artwork, in a broad variety of media, celebrates traditional cultural arts and resilience while highlighting current, and long-time challenges and issues.

“My ancestors come from far across the ocean, yet I have no connection to the lands they are from,” reflected Laura Stalker, long time Lake County resident about her recent visit to the exhibit. “Moving about the gallery, I contemplated what it would mean to belong, not just to a group of people, but to a place. I imagined learning to weave a basket from my grandmother, who was taught by her grandmother, using the willow that grew in the creek beds next to our home. I could sense the stories that many of the pieces held like a faint whisper of something almost forgotten, and the pain of a people nearly wiped to extinction. I let myself cry, not just for what has been lost, but more importantly for what has survived.”

The exhibit is a culmination of MAC’s year long Weaving Baskets, Weaving Bridges cross cultural collaboration.

Pearce, who is also the project’s lead artist, taught numerous weaving workshops to Native and non-Native people alike.

She, alongside other Indigenous culture bearers, shared Pomo heritage, history, stories and an introduction to place-based ecological science and practice.

Learn more about Corine Pearce, her weaving practice, and her work in communities to revitalize, sustain and share cultural traditions at www.corinepearce.com.

Work by Ali Meders-Knight, Denise McKenzie (basket and painting), Denise Davis, Robin Meely and Meyo Marrufo. Photo by MAC staff.

Experience this unique and historic exhibit Thursday through Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s free to the public. The last day to visit is October 10th, which is also Indigenous People’s Day.

School field trips that include guided tours and hands on engagement also begin this week. Educators are encouraged to contact 707-809-8118 to inquire about format and cost.

The WEAVING project and the exhibit Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between are funded in part by Middletown Rancheria, Robinson Rancheria, Big Valley Rancheria, Charlotte Griswold, and the California Arts Council, a State Agency.

The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in Middletown.

To find out more about Earth Sky and Everything in Between or other programs, events, engagement opportunities, and ways to support the MAC’s efforts to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County, visit www.middletownartcenter.org or call 707-809-8118.

Work by Ashley Vaughn and Kilak Malicay. Photo by MAC staff.



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Kwame Dawes. Courtesy photo.

There is a posture that poets sometimes take, that of the prophet speaking predictions into the world, or simply proclaiming what is happening in the moment.

More often than not, the role is reluctantly embraced, for who wants to speak of calamity in the face of calamity?

Joan Naviyuk Kane’s poem “Fieldwork” assumes a knowing that carries the authority of ancestral memory. It becomes urgent in this calamitous moment, a moment of drought and heat that is familiar to us these days.

If there is hope, it lies in the expectation of movement: “as we move, / moon into moon.” The reluctant prophetess, too, wants to survive.

Fieldwork
By Joan Naviyuk Kane

Another day of heat-
strangers continue to wobble
across the horizon, bringing drought
when instead we should have deluge.

I steep snow-lichen in water I
drew from a lake
which has since gone dry.

At sea few understood me,
as though I induced a sickness
that deafened, then healed.

As before, I predict lies,
to be pushed from the boat
time and time again.

Nevertheless, I expect
to get by while their widowers·
seek refuge with their provident

families; perhaps a storm will pile fish
at their doors when the red tide rises,
perhaps they will not follow as we move,

moon into moon, under another sky.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Joan Naviyuk Kane, “Fieldwork” from Dark Traffic (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2021.) Poem reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher. Poem reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2022 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Kwame Dawes, is George W. Holmes Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska.
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The Full Moonalice Time Has Come Review featuring the New Chambers Brothers and the T Sisters. Back row, Roger McNamee, Jason Crosby, John Molo and Pete Sears. Front row, Chloe Tietjen, Erika Tietjen, Rachel Tietjen, Lester Chambers and Dylan Chambers. Photo by Bob Minkin Photography.

NOTE: THIS CONCERT WAS RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS ON SEPT. 18.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — KPFZ is excited to present another benefit concert at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Cache Creek Winery, with Moonalice, a band of world-class musicians.

Moonalice features 82-year-old icon Lester Chambers, lead singer of the famous Chambers Brothers in the 60s and 70s, and his dynamic son, vocalist Dylan Chambers.

They play a unique blend of psychedelic soul, rock-tinged Americana, and 60’s rock, including some of the Chambers Brothers hits.

Tickets are $20 in advance through Eventbrite and $25 at the gate the day of the concert.

Bring lawn chairs. Gate opens at 5 p.m.

There will be wine, beer, food and water for sale. No outside alcohol and no dogs, please.

Moonalice is an exuberant Bay Area band founded by Roger McNamee (guitar) that includes Pete Sears (bass), a founding member of Jefferson Starship who has played with Rod Stewart (on four of Rod’s albums), Jimi Hendrix, Dr. John, Hot Tuna, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Garcia.

Sears has also written and recorded the original score for several documentary films.

Moonalice also features Barry Sless (lead guitar and pedal steel), who has played with the David Nelson Band, Kingfish, Rowan Brothers and Phil Lesh; Mookie Siegel (keyboards), who has played with David Nelson, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and New Riders of the Purple Sage; and Grammy winner John Molo (drums), who has played with Bruce Hornsby, John Fogerty and Phil Lesh.

Rounding out the 10 piece band are the T Sisters (Erika, Chloe and Rachel Teitjen), who add a refreshing, sassy and captivating presence, and flow seamlessly between styles and moods with their eclectic sound and soaring harmonies.

Moonalice has a renegade spirit and an ethos of love, peace, and happiness that permeates their music.

Their incredible chemistry shines through in their live performances and their most recent album featuring the Chambers Brothers classics “Time Has Come Today,” “People Get Ready” and “Let's Get Funky.”

The band’s single, “It’s 420 Somewhere,” has been downloaded nearly five million times and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has certified it as the song with the most downloads from a band’s website.

Don't miss this unique musical experience, and help support Lake County Community Radio, or KPFZ.

Cache Creek Vineyards and Winery, which has donated its beautiful venue, is located in Clearlake Oaks at 250 New Long Valley Road just off Highway 20 and 2.5 miles east of the Clearlake Oaks Roundabout (the roundabout is at the intersection of Highways 53 and 20).

Bring your dancing shoes!
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Kwame Dawes. Courtesy photo.

In Heather Cahoon’s poem, “Shelter,” she manages, with simplicity and the use of deftly selected detail, to capture the mood of childhood delights that, in the manner of such things, always seem on the edge of danger.

One is transported to the invention of children who seem to find a certain pleasure in the complex combination of being lost and being hidden at the same time.

Shelter
By Heather Cahoon

We wove hip-high field grass
into tunnels

knotting the tops
of bunched handfuls the drooping
heads tied together.

My seven siblings and I
sheltered ourselves

inside these labyrinths
in a galaxy of grasses.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2020 by Heather Cahoon, “Shelter” from Horsefly Dress (University of Arizona Press, 2020.) Poem reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher. Poem reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2022 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Kwame Dawes, is George W. Holmes Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska.

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